FAQs Santa Barbara Wine Tours
What to expect?
If you have never been on a wine tour before you may not really know what to expect. Here’s the gist of it.
- Wine tours offer clients an opportunity to experience a variety of different wineries in a single day.
- Your tour driver will pick you up at your designated pick up location and transport you to three Santa Barbara County or San Luis Obispo County wineries.
- At each winery you will be offered a selection of four to six different wines to taste.
- You will be served approximately 1 oz of each wine so you should expect to consume about three to four glasses of wine throughout the tour.
- If you don’t like a wine you can spit it out or dump it out in the provided dump buckets at each winery.
- Don’t be shy if you don’t like it, you won’t offend anyone by dumping or spitting your wine.
- It’s ok if you don’t buy wine at each winery we stop at but if you find something you like…buy away!
- At the conclusion of your tour you will be dropped back off at your pick up location or we can drop you off at another location if you have other plans.
What wineries do we visit?
We work independently with many upscale wineries throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. Depending on the type of experience you’re looking for, we’ll visit three top-rated wineries in your selected area that offer a private tasting experience with a dedicated tasting attendant. Some of our favorite wineries offer unique tasting experiences such as vineyard tours, barrel samples, or one-on-one tasting with some of the most knowledgeable staff in the wine industry.
If you would like to select the wineries we visit, our Private Shuttle Service may be a better option for you. With our Private Shuttle Service option, you select the locations, set the schedule, and we make sure you get there on time!
Should I book in advance?
To ensure that we have availability for your requested tour date, we do recommend booking at least one week in advance. Additionally, for large parties we recommend booking as far in advance as possible so we can make proper reservations with the wineries.
Do you pick us up?
We offer door-to-door service for our 805 wine tours and will pick you up at the address you provide. For Paso Robles wine tours we offer pickup throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
A fuel service charge may be incurred depending on your pickup/dropoff location.
How long is the tour?
Santa Barbara wine tours typically last around six (6) hours, and pickups begin around 10:30 a.m. at most lodging properties throughout Santa Barbara County. You should expect to return to your lodging property between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Depending on your first stop, the initial pickup time may be earlier or later. We will let you know the initial pickup time in advance!
How much wine is served at each winery?
Although every winery is different, most serve four to six single ounce pours. That's about 1 - 1.5 glasses at each winery so we'll remind you to stay hydrated at every turn.
Is my tour private or will we be tasting with other people?
Our wine tour is a private experience. You will only be traveling with your group. While other guests may be visiting the winery during your visit you will not be grouped with them.
What if I want to buy wine?
Buy away! We offer air-conditioned storage, and we'll even transport the wine from the tasting room to the shuttle.
What kind of vehicle do we taste in?
We have two different vehicles we use for transportation services.
We have a 13 passenger Ford Transit Turtle Top VT3 which features air-conditioning, panoramic windows, leather captain's chairs, USB ports for every passenger, and passenger-controlled Bluetooth audio.
We also have a 14 passenger Ford Transit XLT passenger van which seats 14 and features air-conditioning, panoramic windows, USB ports, and passenger-controlled Bluetooth audio. This vehicle can be modified slightly by removing some of the seats to make for a more roomy ride for fewer passengers.
Can we customize our wine tour?
While we don't guarantee that your requested wineries are available for your tour, we will do our best to find wineries that fit your preferences and standards. Please contact us directly for customized tour options.
What's for lunch?
Lunch is not included in our wine tour package unless selected at time of booking. If selected, we will email you a lunch menu for one of our partner restaurants in the area you will be tasting.
Can we visit additional wineries if time permits?
Sure! If time permits, we may be able to visit additional wineries; however, you may be responsible for the additional tasting fees. Additionally, you may add time to the end of your service by coordinating with your driver. Note, overtime rates may apply.