Local Wally's Wine Tours, Napa and Sonoma Wine Tasting Packages for Every Budget
Local Wally
Happy Wine Tasters on a Local Wally Wine Tour
Local Wally Launches His Wine Tour Company
Over the years I’ve been asked to offer a complete Wine Tour option for my guide. I resisted. I procrastinated. That’s because 10 years ago when I started writing this guide most people just drove their own cars when wine tasting. But times change and now drinking and driving isn’t an option, at least not a very good one. That left sending my readers to Uber or Lyft which sort of worked, though long waits and high surge pricing left a lot to be desired. Add to that Covid-19 which makes getting into a strangers car perhaps more risky than you want. AND if that wasn’t enough, wineries now require reservations and no longer offer drop in bar tastings which means you need to be on time - or risk forfeiting your tasting fee.
Introducing Local Wally’s Wine Tours
You know me - I spend my days answering emails from my readers asking what wineries to go to. I’ve teamed with professional driving companies to offer customized Napa and Sonoma Wine Tours that stay focused on giving you the best Napa or Sonoma experience. Whether you’re coming here as a couple or planning corporate event, low budget or extravagant, we have it covered. Bachelorette party? Oh yeah, we can help!
Here’s how it works -
Option 1: Priority wine Pass Discount winery tour
Whether you pick your own wineries or you let me help, using the Priority Wine Pass will get you tremendous discounts, even if you are just here for a day. It’s a two for one pass that’s only $39.99 with my discount. Visit Krug, get two for one, save $45. List Beringer, get two for one, save $30. Grigch Hills, two for one, save $50. You get the idea. Look, if you’re on a budget or just want to keep that hundred dollar bill in your wallet at the end of the day then focus your winery picks on the ones that offer discounts. As always, email me if you have questions.
Part two is to add transportation. Just let me know how many people are in your group, the date, and if you are looking for someone to drive your rental, someone to drive you in their vehicle, and if you want standard or luxury. I have a list of drivers I trust, people who have driven a lot of my readers, and I’m happy to send you their names. There’s no fee, of course. Don’t guess, let me point you to good drivers!
OPTION 2: NO WORRY WINE TOURS
Sometimes you just don’t want to hassle the details. That’s when you reach out to me for a No Worry Wine Tour. I’ve been working with drivers I know to create unique and affordable Wine Country Tours in both Napa and Sonoma, a one call and it’s done sort of thing. Here are some options:
THE ROMANTIC GETAWAY FOR TWO
Visit four to five wineries per day, we’ll do all the picking and reserving for you for a nominal fee.
DEEP DIVE NAPA FOR WINE LOVERS
Discover the hidden boutiques with a true Napa wine expert. He’ll pick the wineries and make all the reservations for a nominal fee.
SONOMA AND RUSSIAN RIVER, THE NEW FRONTIER
Budget wine tasting now means getting out of Napa. Lucky for you I have some experts in the Sonoma and Russian River area who can take you to the best the area has to offer, all at an affordable rate. Yes, we’ll pick the wineries and make the reservations for a nominal fee.
THE ULTIMATE BACHELORETTE PARTY EXPERIENCE
I do a lot of bachelorette parties! I now can offer everything from budget events to luxurious extravaganzas and can even set up large groups, something that’s very hard to do during these Covid times.
CORPORATE EVENTS, WEDDING PARTIES, THE BIG ONES
Big events require big wineries willing to let you do a “take over” of their facilities. Do it yourself and pay big bucks. Or let me help and I’ll connect you with wineries who not only will allow you to host your big event at their winery but will offer you a discount since you’ve come through me.
OPTION 3: The Premium Experience
Coming from the Bay Area and just want to spend a few hours sipping wine, eating good food, and forgetting about Covid-19 for awhile? Then don’t winery hop where your risk goes up at every stop! Instead go to ONE winery but make it a good one, a long drawn out experience with the best wines and gourmet food to pair it with. I’m working with a small handful of premium wineries who cater to the higher end wine lover. Costs aren’t that much more than a standard day in Napa but the experience is over the top luxury, a feast for wine lovers and an experience that you won;t soon forget. Email me, of course!
COMING WITH A LARGER GROUP? In our Covid times it’s not as easy as you might think to book wineries with groups over 6 - but it can be done! Just email me. I’ll hook you up with some wineries who claim they can take larger groups and you can work it out with them. Do this as soon as you can as there are seriously only a handful of wineries who will take large groups and they book up fast.
Keeping Within Your Budget is My Goal
I know wine tasting can be really expensive so I do my best to keep transportation prices as low as they can go and stick to wineries that are within your budget. Not on a tight budget? Well I also know the very cool “over the top” experiences as well and can help you get discounts if available. In the end I try to keep everything super simple and give you the most bang for your buck, no matter what your budget is.
To get my rates you simply email me and I will get right back to you - pronto!
Spread out in a 14 person vehicle, just one of the many options if you use one of my preferred drivers.
We know how to plan a GREAT bachelorette party!
Wally’s Bachelorette Party planning!
Did you somehow raise your hand and offer to plan a Bachelorette party in Napa and Sonoma and now have no idea how to do it? Make it easy on yourself and let us do it. Here are some tips:
If you want to keep costs down keep your group size to 14 or under. A Ford Transit fits 14 but once you go over this number you have to rent a much larger vehicle.
Wineries that offer two for one’s cap the number of people who can come in together with wine passes. If you are on a super tight budget keep your group ideally to 6 and make it an even number since you get two for one tastings. Note that due to Covid a lot of wineries are limiting group discounts to groups of 4 or less so bottom line, reach out to me and let me help. The rules keep changing and I can give you the latest info. Do I need to say it again? I don’t charge for advice so ask!
Don’t ask anyone in your group what wineries they want to go to! Trust me, no one will ever agree on winery selection. If you want to keep it super simple I work with the owner of the Priority Wine Pass and between the two of us we know the wineries who will take your group. Best yet, we can get you discounts (yes!!) if you let us book it. So no extra fees for you, no extra work searching for wineries, a discounted rate, let me pass on my connections to help you shortcut the process. And as always, I never recommend places I don’t love. No dumps. No rip offs.
Plan way ahead, set it and forget it! Give us as much time as you can as wineries that allow large groups (and specifically bachelorette parties) are not as common as you might think and fill up fast. As soon as you can, book it, reserve it, done!
COVID-19 UPDATE: Wineries are limiting groups to 6 or less but larger groups can be done - email me for more info. I can connect you to wineries that might be able to take larger groups.
*Standard Disclaimer: While I am happy to make driver recommendations I am in no way am I accepting responsibility or legalities should things not go as planned. Do your due diligence when choosing any driving company when it comes to safety, insurance, and licenses.