Gray Line Wine Country Tour - Aged to Perfection

Visiting San Francisco and not doing a wine tour is almost sacrilege in my opinion. I was disappointed that we didn't get do one on our last visit. However, we just flat out didn't have the time. This trip I made damn sure we visited some wineries.

Lucky for us, included on the Go San Francisco Card is the SF Sightseeing/Gray Line Wine Country Tour. Regular price for this tour is $68, but we got it for free on the Go Card! I told you that card was a great deal!

The Gray Line office is located out at Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 43 1/2. The tour departs from the pier at around 9:15 a.m. daily, but people come earlier. I suggest you may make a morning of it by eating some clam chowder at Boudin Bakery or one of the other street vendors nearby. Most of the stores will be closed though so no souvenir shopping on this day.

We took the tour on a Wednesday and it was pretty empty. I don't know if it was the day of the week or the recession that was affecting attendance. Either way, it was good for us as it seemed more personal with only 20 or so people.

Our driver was Roberto from Portugal. He was actually filling in for someone that day. He normally does the European tours and can speak several languages. Roberto was the best driver ever! He was personable and charismatic. He was also very knowledgeable about wine and the SF area in general.

We weren't due to our first winery until 11:00 a.m. so he told us he'd take us on an informal tour of the city. I don't think this was really part of the tour, but he did it anyway. We saw Fisherman's Wharf, Marina, Cow Hollow, Crissy Field, the Presidio, Marin County and Sausalito. He also pointed out landmarks and mountains along the way to Napa. We all had such an enjoyable time and the wine tastings hadn't even started yet.

The first winery we arrived at was Madonna Estate in Napa. It was a small, independent winery and our hostess was very knowledgeable about the wine-making process. For someone like me who is completely ignorant, it was really interesting to see the vines up close and learn about the general process of wine making. We were taken inside where we saw barrels upon barrels of wine. It was amazing. After the tour, we were able to taste about 5-6 different types of wines.







Next we headed for Sonoma and had lunch at Sonoma Square. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Murphy's Irish Pub (I'll write up a review later). After lunch we headed for the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. Again we were lead on a tour of the facility. The architecture and view from this winery was amazing. It was almost like were in an Italian villa. The place was modeled after the family's home in Italy. How cool! The host at this winery wasn't too knowledgeable about wine making. She mostly told us about the family's history. We were led into a large tasting room and were able to try a selection of their wines (probably 4-5 total).











The last winery we visited was the Viansa Winery and Marketplace. The courtyard at this winery is really impressive. Again, it felt like a small villa. It was weird because I felt so far removed from the city. We did a tour of this winery and were then led upstairs for the tasting. Out of the three locations, I thought this was the least informative. It felt a little like we were a herd of cows being led from one place to the next. Still, our host was very amiable and seemed to enjoy his job. Again we were able to taste about 4-5 wines.









At this point, everyone was pretty much tuckered out. The drive back to the city was pretty quiet. Roberto asked for everyone's hotel and dropped us off at our doors. The tour ended around 7:00 p.m.

I would definitely recommend this tour, even if you have to pay for it yourself. (But why would you? Just get a Go Card.) It was an amazing experience. The landscape and scenery in Napa and Sonoma was so beautiful. It was very earthy but not really farm-like. Also, don't be discouraged if the weather in SF is completely dreadful. Once you get out to the vineyards, you're in a different microclimate and things are better. It was actually really hot out there when the city was fogged in and rainy. If possible, ask Gray Line who your driver will be. See if you can get Roberto because he was an excellent guide. It might even be worth it to take another tour if you can't get him on the winery tour. He made the time fly by so quickly and was pure entertainment.