General Wine Tour Information
Inside the Unique and Boutique: Knowledge Is Power
We’ve been at this for over 10+ years and 1,000 wine tours. We’ve steadily built great wine experiences by forging relationships with the people behind the wine. We can hook up stellar unique and boutique for any budget. One thing we don’t do is milk runs- stamping out the same wine tour day after day. We listen to what you like, and build a fantastic day for you using our vast knowledge and winery relationships.
There are hundreds of tour possibilities. Here are the basics to putting together your perfect tour.
Mix and match Diamond, VIP, and Elite experiences to enhance your tour, and discover wine enjoyment like you never imagined!
All tours are tailored to your wine preferences, but feel free to use my encyclopedic knowledge of SLO and SB County wines and wineries gathered over 10+ years and 1,000 wine tours.
Diamond, VIP, and Elite are my simple way of expressing tour possibilities from a basic Diamond level stand-at-the-bar tasting experience- to unique VIP or Elite upgrades.
If you’ve attended Garagiste you know what I’m talking about. These are sprouting boutique wineries in our region, where the production is small and the wine cared for like a new born babe every day of its life. Typically these will be private one-on-ones with up and coming winemakers, whose wines I’ve had the pleasure of sampling at the Garagiste Festival. You never know where these tastings might take place- in their garage, kitchen, a custom crush facility, or maybe a secluded outdoor venue. Wherever it is, you’ll be in on the ground floor of something special.
Terry Hoage Vineyards offers a VIP tasting experience that starts off with a refreshing white or rosé, a short background and vineyard orientation outside adjacent the tasting room, and then it’s off to the barrel room. Guests’ varietal preferences are noted, and barrel samples are collected via wine thief, shown in the photo. The experience includes library wines, and is finished off by tasting Terry Hoage’s current releases, plus a special savor of wine from the library. Tastings are held for private groups of two to eight at 10 a.m. daily. Cost is $40 per person. 48 hour advance booking required, subject to staff availability
Calcareous Vineyard’s VIP tasting includes a short walking tour through a block of their vineyard, where farming practices are explained, followed by a private tasting in the barrel room. Enjoy pours of current award winning Calcareous wines, plus library wines, and future release vintages. A gourmet cheese and wine enhancing nibble pairing is also included. Group size is four to six, $25 per person. 48 hour advance booking required, subject to staff availability.
Venteux Vineyard’s VIP tastings are celebrated in their secluded library room adjacent the barrel room. Library wines, and club wines are the centerpiece of the tasting, enhanced with paired cheeses, fresh or dried fruit, and nuts.
The Justin production facility tour and tasting is super big bang for the buck! After checking in, the guide takes you on a walking tour, explaining in detail Justin Baldwin’s mission to make great wine on the property, which has eight distinct terroirs, and Justin’s groundbreaking winemaking style, resulting in Paso’s first 100 point wine. Tour the working side of the winery while tasting, and see winemaking equipment designed to handle large quantities of fruit, but process it in a manner much like a boutique winery. Tour and taste at the Justin production facility for $20. Tours are 10:00 and 2:30 daily, 1 hour duration, with advance booking required.
Notable for its unique French/California partnership, French-influenced winemaking style, and shared bond to all things Rhone, Tablas Creek offers the special opportunity to taste their most exclusive wines, and selected vintages from their library in a private setting next to the tasting room. Group size is two to eight. Times are Sunday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays. Cost is $40 per person, with reservations required 48 hours in advance, and subject to availability. One tasting fee is waived for each $250 spent on wine. TCV also offers a vineyard and winery tour at no charge: 10:30 and 2:00 p.m. daily with reservations required.
This tour takes parties up to six into several Adelaida vineyards, plus the interior of the famed Hoffman Mountain Ranch Vineyard that was responsible for a Pinot vintage that placed Dr. Hoffman third in a 1976 international French wine competition. Stops are made at select vineyard blocks, where wine made from their fruit is tasted. A high quality artisanal food pairing of cheese, cured meats, hearty bread, estate grown almonds, olives and olive oil complements tastings while learning about Adelaida’s farming practices, and enjoying the view from a shaded picnic table amidst the beauty of the Adelaida foothills. I have personally attended this tour, and can say without reservation it is worth every penny. The knowledge imparted about farming, wine and winemaking is impressive, as is the breadth and quantity of wine poured. Two hour duration, $50 per person, 48 hour advance booking, two person minimum, subject to weather and staff availability.
I am very pleased to offer the unique opportunity to taste Cabernet clones individually from the barrel at a highly respected Paso winery. This is a first in this region, and a unique chance to experience this Paso Cab Collective founding member’s vision and passion for the king of all French grape varietals in our North San Luis Obispo County terroir. Tasting also includes extensive bottle tasting. Tasting cost is $40 per person, and waived with two bottle purchase. Subject to availability of the winemaker.
Laird Foshay’s 1,600 acre Adelaida Springs Ranch supports 40 acres of Cab, Zin, Syrah, and Petite Syrah, grass fed beef and lamb clubs, and lots of outdoor activities, just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean at 1,700 feet elevation in the unparalleled beauty of oak woodland draped across the southern spine of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Laird sold much of his fruit to iconic local wineries like Justin, where it was used in the famed Isosceles blend. His wine program is now in high gear.
John Anderson is a local retired orthodontist, who custom farms six acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, plus an allotment of premium Dusi Zin fruit, producing about 200 cases per year. John brings the same passion and precision to winemaking that he brought to his dental practice. His wines are fantastic by themselves or with food.
Kris Curran and Bruno D’Alphonso are one of the most celebrated partnerships in the Central Coast wine region- partners in winemaking, and partners in life. Kris was the founding winemaker at Koehler and became Santa Barbara County’s first rock star winemaker by the acclaim she received from the movie Sideways as the brains behind Sea Smoke’s Pinot Noir. Bruno was Richard Sanford’s winemaker for over 20 years, eventually owning part of the business. Both have bachelors degrees in winemaking. Not only will the amount of winemaking information imparted by these two blow your mind, but you will be totally entertained by their larger than life personalities and colorful repartee’. When Bruno takes you on a vertical tasting barrel romp with his wine thief, be prepared to be amazed and hold on to your glass!
Jonata flies quietly low, and leaves a subtle yet lasting impression on wine world radar in its contrail, but these wines loom big: big flavors and big scores. The entire operation is top shelf from its polyface sustainable farming practices to elegantly appointed estate hospitality center. Matt Dees has been the principle architect of all things Jonata since 2004, making careful choices about varietals planted on their 84 acre vineyard, to crafting the wines’ unique and amazing tannin structure and flavor profile. It takes the talents of both Matt and vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano to coax great fruit possibilities out of the obstinate Careaga Sandstone that layers this 586 acre chunk of 1845 Spanish land grant in Ballard Canyon, once known as Rancho San Carlos de Jonata. Truly this is one of the most memorable and exciting pinnacles of wine enjoyment and eno-education on the Central Coast.
So Many Stellar Food Options
If you want to bring your pet along, that’s cool with me. Just let me know in advance so we can plan accordingly.
You can have the benefits of my 1,000+ wine tours’ experience with the click of a button for free. After doing hundreds and hundreds of wine tours in the San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County wine regions, wineries made the list by extremely broad and un-scientific consensus. They have produced positive approval most of the time. It’s primarily about the wine, but setting, architecture or personnel may also fall into the mix. Along with the best wines, I know where the wine values and best wine deals are too.
