Welcome, we're Ralph & Lahni, the Amicis Winery Guides, August 3rd, 2010
The Wine Tour season is in high gear here in the Napa & Sonoma Wine Country. Recently it's been cooler than normal, in the mid-70's in downtown Sonoma where we live and the mid-80's up in the valleys. The humidity is low, the breezes sweet and the sky crystal blue. Wineries are pouring the great 2009 vintage and all of that springtime rain produced lots of leaves on the vines.
While the weekends are busy, during the week the roads and tasting rooms are easy to navigate. Thanks to the economy many wineries that in the past were hard to get appointments for are now much more open to a last minute call. As authors and we find ourselves being courted by many private wineries that used to be hard to get on the phone. FLASH: Check out our Yelp Listing for specials! http://bit.ly/yelpamicistours
We've been touring with clients in the Napa & Sonoma Wine Countryand San Francisco for five years now and between researching our sevenTour Books and 2 popular i Phone Apps we're starting to get the hang of this. We shape our tours around our client's interests. We are well known for sharing our insights and stories about what makes wine country such a special place. Our transportation prices for private tours are reasonable, $75 per hour with none of the hidden fees common among the competition.
FLASH:Don't want to spend that much? We also do small group tours, so if you are staying locally in Sonoma or Napa you can join a small group of wine enthusiasts. Our car only handles six passengers so its a nice small group. We'll pick you up at your hotel. Call us for the excellent price or check out the Yelp special.
Booking a Tour (Helpful Hint: Amicis is the Latin Word for Friend and we pronounce it Ah MEE Chee)
Please
tell us about your interests; there are hundreds of wineries and city
locations to choose from, but we select those that we believe our
clients will find most enriching, whether on or off the beaten path. To
learn more please visit the Amicis ToursBook a Winery Tour page.
To check our availability now please call; 707-235-2648 office, or 707-235-2364 cell, Pacific Time, or use the form below.
Great Winery Tour Books
Our Amicis Winery Guide
books provide the 'Local Tour Guide' secrets that create magical days
in wine country. They include the information you need to plan your
visit and most enjoy your travels among the vines and wineries. To see
our five current books please visit the Buy Books page for both retail and wholesale purchases. iPhoneApps
Our two iPhone Apps, the Napa Valley Wine Tour, and the Sonoma Wine Tour
are remarkable tools for enjoying wine country, with 100's of winery
listings and 1000's of photos, mapped tours, restaurants, all in a
sortable form. Read more on the Buy iPhone Apps page.
Professional Speaking
We
were professional speakers, seminar leaders and authors long before we
became enthralled with wine country and became tour guides and tour
book designers. We still speak before groups on valuable subjects such
as...
The Amicis Ergonomic Work Place Quiz
This entertaining and educational program
interacts with the audience through handouts, images, props and motion
to put the tools in their hands to create immediate improvements in
their work performance and job satisfaction. To learn more and book a
presentation visit Amicis Quiz Page.
We do tours in various languages and are very experienced guiding international visitors.
*
Italiano:Il nostro italiano non è perfetto, ma almeno capiamo. Link * Español: Nuestro español no es perfecto, pero por lo menos entendemos. Link
*
Français: Notre français n’est pas parfait, mais au moins nous comprenons. Link
*
Deutsch: Unser Deutsch ist nicht vollkommen, aber mindestens wir verstehen.
*
Portuguese: Nosso português não é perfeito, mas ao menos nós compreendemos. Link
Wine Country Touring Tips: We normally tour Napa and Sonoma in a very comfortable Lincoln Navigator that seats up to six passengers or a GMC Envoy that seats up to four passengers, although we often drive couples. A winery day trip starts at 9 or 10 in the morning. Wineries close between 4 and 6 pm. Tours run from 4 to 10 hours depending on starting point, meals and interests. An average winery tour without dinner is 6 hours. From San Francisco to Napa or Sonoma takes 45 minutes.
Allow one hour per winery (including travel between them), an hour to picnic. Private tastings with the owner or winemaker take longer as do lunch in restaurants. When you contact us we'll send you a short list of questions (very short) that helps us plan your tour.
We accommodate larger groups, and work in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German and French. Call us at 707-235-2648 or email us to schedule your tour. Amicis Tours TCP#23123.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are talented professional speakers who have been lecturing together since the early 1990's in several fields; Wine Tourism, Natural Healing, Motivated Design and Business. They are based in Sonoma about 45 minutes north of San Francisco.
What you should know about Wine Country!
First of all, Napa and Sonoma are stunning no matter what time of year you visit. In the summer it looks like Tuscany, gold and green, and in the winter it looks like Ireland, misty and verdant. Then there is the lovely climate (about ten to fifteen degrees warmer than San Francisco), the great architecture and gardens, the fantastic food and the friendly people.
All of these would be reason enough to visit, but on top of that there are the wineries and of course, the wine, some of the finest in the world, and you get to see actual vineyards that those wines come from and meet the people who make them! Our books and guided tours are all designed to help you enjoy your visit to the fullest while learning about this wonderful area and this wonderful art! Wine Country can be tricky though, with lots of country roads, not a lot of road signs or street lights, hundreds of wineries, lots of hotels and restaurants and a wide variety of wines spread over two large, agricultural counties, bisected by a mountain range. That's why experienced guides and drivers are a great investment in your enjoyment and safety (think about avoiding a costly DUI) and they make all the difference in the memories that you bring home. By the way, remember to bring a camera and sunglasses because there is lots of beautiful scenery and very bright sun!
About the bestselling tour book, ‘Your Day in Wine Country, Touring the Wineries of Napa and Sonoma’. We rebranded it as the Amicis Winery Guide: Dream Tours of Napa & Sonoma. and in 2010 produced individual county versions as well.
They offer a complete description of what goes into a typical tour, with all of the things you’ll need to know to feel right at home. That is followed by some of our favorite tours, based on their starting point, theme and cost of tasting fees. It is really a 'connect-the-dots' guide for navigating between wineries, picnic spots, restaurants, gift shops and of course, more wineries! Filled with self-driven, safe tours that have been road tested by professionals, you get all the fun without the fuss.
It is also chock full of maps that show where to find the best wineries in both Napa and Sonoma. The directory section includes hundreds of wineries with their pertinent information that you want such as tasting room hours, tasting fees and wine lists as well as any added features like if they have gift shops, picnic areas, art collections, gardens, views, tours and more. If we are not available to set up your tour, our books and iPhone Apps will help you to create your own daytrip with confidence! Go to the Books link to order your copy. Or email us to schedule a tour. Amicis Winery Tours of Napa, Sonoma or San Francisco.
Call 707-235-2648 for Tours, Books & Seminars Copyright Ralph & Lahni de Amicis 2010 All tasting fees, hours, wine lists, etc are subject to change.
