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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Frank was an EXCELLENT TOUR GUIDE!!! He made our Muir Wine Country & Redwoods trip so memorable. He was full of information and seemed to really enjoy giving the tour. I have told everyone that we traveled with to use your company! Frank is the best!

-- Sarah H., Norman, OK, Oct 2007
Wine Country & Redwoods Van Tour

Wine Country History and Information

Grape Crushing and De-stemming

Grapes being crushed for use in winemaking. On your Sonoma and Napa winery tours, you will likely see a large machine that looks like it has a huge corkscrew in it leading up to a conveyor. This is the De-stemmer/Crusher machine. Once picked by vineyard workers and collected into bins, grape clusters are transferred to the De-stemmer/Crusher. This machine will separate and discard the stems (which contain bitter and unwanted flavors) and then lightly crush the grapes into a pulpy mass of juice, skins and seeds called “must.” Prior to fermentation, the skins and seeds of the white wine grapes will be removed from the juice or “pressed” by means of a large air bag press, which inflates inside a large steel cylinder forcing out the juice.

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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.