San Francisco Wine Country Tours

Your journey to the beautiful Napa and Sonoma Valleys begins here.

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Wine Country Blog

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The Wine Country Lovers tour - It’s hard to pinpoint, but wine country is beautiful, the people are friendly and Charles was fantastic! It was a really nice to touch that he took us to the perfect spot to have our pictures taken with the Golden Gate Bridge behind us.

Thanks Charles!

-- Tracey L., Rialto, CA, Oct 2007
Wine Country Lovers Tour

Wine Country History and Information

1920 – 1933: Prohibition and the California Wine Country

After the setbacks of the phylloxera outbreak, the Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Country were quick to rebound. By the turn of the century, the California wine country was going strong and the quality of Californian wine was steadily improving. There were between 600 – 700 wineries statewide and California vineyard acreage was on the rise. Then in 1920, true disaster struck when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcohol.

Whereas phylloxera had been a set back that the California wine industry was quick to rebound from, Prohibition would prove to be far more devastating.

Wine barrels and grape vines in the California wine country Almost all the wineries in California closed their doors between 1920 and 1933. The few that were able to remain open did so by producing “medicinal�? wines and wines for religious ceremony. People were still allowed to make wine at home for personal use (there were 200 gallons of wine per year allowed for each adult male in the household) and the demand for wine grapes, particularly on the East Coast remained high. For this reason wine grape production remained consistent even as commercial winemaking all but disappeared in the California wine country.

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Tour prices do not include meals, lodging, or park entrance fees unless otherwise noted. We are not responsible for loss or damage of personal property on tours. We are not responsible for delays due to accidents, breakdowns, or adverse traffic and weather conditions on tours. We reserve the right to modify stops, vehicle, visits or activities based on weather conditions, group needs or conditions out of our control. We reserve the right to use other operators and/or subcontractors to operate all and any tours advertised. Trips require a minimum number of participants to avoid cancellation. Cancellations or changes must be made 72 hrs before trip departure to get partial refund. Cancellations and changes are subject to a 10% or $25 fee, whichever is greater.