Are you planning a trip to California’s wine country soon? If it is your first time, you will discover there are so many things to see and do when you are there and perhaps you would like a few pointers. Here are a few tips that will help you with your trip to the wine country.

When taking a trip to California wine country, be sure to examine all of your options. You can visit the wineries on your own or you can take a guided tour. If you decide on a guided tour, or if you are going on your own you may want to make plans in advance; especially if you will be visiting during peak tourism season. Making your plans through the internet is very easy because there are many wine country online travel guides available online.

California has over 400 wineries and vineyards to choose from and research on those wineries are very helpful in planning your trip. Knowing which wineries you have the option of visiting can help you decide on a plan, which can allow you to develop a map to follow on your journey. You also need to make your travel arrangements well in advance of your trip date. Vacation packages are available and include hotel accommodations, airline reservations, and a car rental. Many of these packages partner with wineries so that they are able to offer packages and other discounts. 

If touring the wine country on your own, it can be fun to mix it up a bit by visiting combination of wineries that vary and size; so you can taste wines that are different in both style and taste as well as experience different things in the wineries themselves. Guided tours are limited in that they go to specific wineries that they are assigned to go through the tour company they work with; but they are convenient.

With so many wineries and California’s wine country, the longer your vacation is, the more you can enjoy what the area has to offer. Most wineries recommend a minimum of two days in order to tour and taste wines from the local wineries; even though this could be done in a single day. However, that more you stay, the more you get to taste, see and learn.

California wine country is a very popular vacation spot for many people and one of the things you do have be aware of are the crowds at a lot of the wineries and tours. If you want to avoid the large crowds, it is best that you do not tour the wineries on Saturdays because Saturday is the busiest day of the week. Many of the wineries also report that their busiest times of the year are in the months of May and October; so, the best option is to do mid week tours.

If you decide to tour the wine country on your own, be sure that you have a designated driver with you. Even though you are more likely to have a only few sips here and there on the tour, the alcohol in the wine adds up. Make sure that you plan who does the driving and maybe a share of it yourself so your partner can gets some tasting done as well.