| Tour Napa & Sonoma with the Authors... |
Would you like to tour California's most famous Wine Country, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, with the authors of the bestselling guide book on the subject, Your Day in Wine Country? Ralph & Lahni DeAmicis of Amicis Tours in downtown Sonoma design private winery tours based on their clients' interests. Napa and Sonoma have more than seven hundred wineries including grand estates, medium-sized wineries and private vineyards only open by appointment. The problem is not finding good wineries, it's deciding which great wineries you're going to leave out!
As popular authors of more than a dozen books, there are many doors open to Ralph & Lahni and their clients that are not readily accessible to most people. Through their tours, books and many articles, they happily share their insights about the region's history, winemaking, viticulture and current wine and food trends. Whether you're staying in San Francisco, Napa or Sonoma they will happily arrange your winery tour, including a picnic among the vines, or a pleasant restaurant lunch or dinner. Generally Ralph drives the tour while Lahni handles the logistics from their office. |
Normally they tour with groups of two to six people in their very comfortable Lincoln Navigator, starting between 9:00am and 10:00am in the morning. Wineries generally close between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. A typical tour is six hours but can be anywhere from four hours to eight hours long. If you are starting in San Francisco, add two hours for the round trip to Napa or Sonoma.
Here are some guidelines. Allow one hour for each winery and an hour for a picnic lunch (private tastings with the owner or winemaker take longer as do lunch in restaurants). One key to a great tour is letting us know what your interests are; do you want the wineries with the best gift shops? Or, do you collect great Bordeaux-style wines and you want to visit petite wineries that are completely off the radar? Or, do you want a mix that includes great wines and romantic locations?
We can of course accommodate larger groups, and we do our presentations in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French. The sooner you call to schedule your tour the more time we have to create a day (or more) based on your needs. Many small wineries need some time to schedule.
|
What you should know about the North Bay Wine Country of California! 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’. It offers 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 49 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 over 200 of the best wineries in both Napa and Sonoma and a directory listing over 400 wineries that includes all of the 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, this book will help you to create your own daytrip with confidence! Call us to order your autographed copy, or purchase it through Amazon.com.
|
|