OUR MISSION
To provide the best wine tours of Napa and Sonoma, eliminating the need to spend hours researching wineries and introducing you to wineries that have excellent wines, wonderful ambiance, and personnel that go out of their way to make your tasting experience special.
my story
I started visiting the wine country in 1999. I bought a guide book and headed to Napa. As I was driving through the wine country I was quite surprised at just how many wineries there were. I stopped at various wineries along the way, but quickly realized that popping in to wineries that have a "Tasting Today" sign was NOT the best way to visit the wine country.
I returned to the wine country a year later and this time I did about 30 hours of research preparing for my trip. What a difference! I visited some amazing wineries, some of which asked me "How did you find us?" Since then, researching wineries has became a passion of mine. I have viewed hundreds of winery websites and I have read fantastic winery books including all 8 editions of The California Directory of Wineries and Spectacular Wineries of Napa & Sonoma.
To date, I have visited over 250 different wineries, some of which were absolutely wonderful. To decide which wineries to include in my tours I developed a ranking system based upon three factors;
Quality of the wine
Ambiance of the winery
The overall experience provided by the staff
The wineries I include in my tours, get high marks in all these areas! In addition to selecting excellent wineries, a well designed tour should also be efficient and flexible. Location is important so that you don't spend more time driving than necessary, giving you more time to enjoy the wineries you visit. Flexibility gives you the ability to stay longer if you want, add a winery if you choose or drop one out if you have 'over' enjoyed one or more of the other wineries.
I enjoy sharing my 20 plus years of experience, and my favorite winery finds, making it as easy as possible for you to visit the best wineries of Napa and Sonoma. Some of the wineries I recommend are well known but my favorites are the small family owned boutique wineries that are off the beaten path.
Please note, every winery I recommend can be found on the internet, in a book or in a magazine article. That's how I found them, and you can too! I just make it a whole lot easier for you and help you focus in on the best of the best. But, whether you use one of our tours or do the research yourself since most wineries today require reservations, my best advice for you is ... don't just drive around, have a plan!!!
I enjoy sharing my knowledge of wineries and I am happy to help you. If you have any questions about touring the wine country or if you would like my opinion about a winery that you are thinking of visiting, feel free to call me or send me an email. Wineries are busier than they have ever been so plan well in advance.
Enjoy!
Michael
michael@harvestwinetours.com
707.296.1670