How to Arrange a Gold Country Wine Tasting Excursion

Wine tours of the California Gold Country are a beautiful and economical outing in Northern California. This wine growing region is up and coming and gorgeous, but not nearly as expensive and touristy as the better-known Napa Valley. You can either sign on to any number of professionally guided tours, or you can arrange your own Gold Country wine tour by doing some homework. This is a great, personal tour that may cost as little as $25 per person!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Telephone access
• Internet access
• 3 or 4 hours of preparation time

1. Figure out where you want to go. There are many wineries throughout the gold country. Choose a region where you want to tour, and find a selection of wineries. This may be done on tour maps or via the Internet employing such sites as WineCountry.com. Choose a region where you would like to tour and then select five to eight wineries that look appealing to you. Eight wineries make for a very full day of wine tasting.

2. Figure out when you want to go. Springtime is beautiful, but it is the most crowded. Summer can be uncomfortably warm. I recommend early spring and autumn as times when the weather is beautiful and the tourism is not at its peak.

3. Arrange transportation. This may be done through a bus or limousine charter service. A ride through the autumn leaves of Northern California in a limo can make anyone feel like Rockefeller. Be sure to ask about wine tour package deals, as many have great prices offered for day-long outings in the gold country.

Tips & Warnings

• A bus or limo service is always the safest and best way to take wine tours of any region. That takes temptation to imbibe out of the hands of the tourists and puts it in the hands of a driving professional.

Resources

• WineCountry.com