Wine tasting tours are one of the premier ways to spend an afternoon on the Central Coast. In Edna Valley, there are over 25 unique tasting rooms where you can sip and savor your way through red and white varietals, enjoy food, and lounge with your friends.
One of the most difficult elements of planning is finalizing an itinerary that can please everyone in your group. However, we’re here to give you a firm guideline on the best way to get a wine tour scheduled stress-free; an all-inclusive tasting tour!
What is an All-Inclusive Wine Tasting Tour?
It sounds simple enough, but the things that are taken care of for you in an all-inclusive are the annoying portions that muddy up a day with a group of friends in the first place. Tasting rooms often have a wide range of charges for tasting flights that change based on group size and purchases. There are sometimes snacks at each winery, but usually they are pricey and not hearty enough to constitute a meal. Finally, the worst experience for the tasting rooms (which then leads to smaller pours for you and your friends) are when your group is not organized well. So if you parse out the answer to each of these problems, here’s what is taken care of for you in an all-inclusive:
- Transportation for the whole day
- Reservations and scheduling at the wineries
- Catered lunch delivered to your group
- Champagne and snacks on board (optional but recommended)
Once you have one these things lined up, the only thing left to do is plan some glorious pics that you can add to your social media story to make the entire world jealous. So how do you line these things up?
You’re going to need a ride!
The all-inclusive tours provided by SLO Safe Ride or Obsidian Luxury Services have been curated by operations professionals, approved by tasting room managers, and each food vendor they work with provides custom catering menus specifically for wine tours. So reach out to them at Info@SLOSafeRide.com or Info@ObsidianLuxuryServices.com. You’re going to need to choose a date, time range, number of people, and some wineries you’d like to visit. If you don’t know where you want to go, no worries—that’s what the experts are there for, and they’re happy to help you create an awesome itinerary!
Choose your adventure!
All the work is going to be taken care of for you on the day of your wine tasting tour, but you’re going to need to decide on some themes and tasting preferences. Reds or whites? Bubbly is a great option, too. All of them? No problem. The good thing about an all-inclusive is that the team putting your day together can delegate a mix of tasting flights to the attendants in advance, and that way your tastings will be lined up for you when arrive at each winery. Let our knowledgeable staff know what you’re looking for, and even if the answer is just the delicious estate tasting at each winery, that will suffice!
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Food in a flash!
Delicious wine is best paired with elegant food, and sometimes it’s just not functional to have a group of people descend upon a small pre-made charcuterie board from a cooler. With an all-inclusive tour, there will be a pre-planned menu that is delivered to your group without the hassle of taking tipsy orders the day of, getting everyone to Venmo you $20, and having to wait around while someone in your group gets hangry. We recommend high-quality local vendors such as Old SLO BBQ, SLO Provisions, and Farmhouse Corner Market.
Keep the Party Rollin’
One of the best elements of our all-inclusive packages is the (recommended) option of snack and champagne baskets on the tour. We always encourage people to buy bottles at each winery to experience later, but it is all too common for people to break into their purchases while on a bus or limousine. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just difficult at times to open a nice red while moving, and then you don’t have the bottle you intended to take home with you for later. You know what opens easily? A bottle of champagne, and it uncorks the energy with it! Similarly, with gum, mixed, nuts, chocolate, and bottled water, the on-board amenities will be clutch for that one person who needs a little more after lunch. Mention our blog in your quote request, and we’ll even give you 50 percent off your first basket!
In Conclusion
The all-inclusive wine tour is a great option for any level of experience out in Edna Valley. If you’re new to wine, we’ll help you discover what tastes suit you best. If you have that down, the most important part is not stressing while a gourmet meal appears next to your favorite glass. In any case, being driven by one of our luxury vehicles with a professional chauffeur is a guaranteed way to avoid the stress of carpooling, scheduling multiple rides, and most importantly, no one has to be the designated driver. Give us a call at (805) 620-SAFE, or click here to book today!
