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California Rivers Tours
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
Elisse S. said: "I am so happy I found Da Vine Wine Tours! After trying different methods of touring, I fell tired of the bus tours, limos and serving as the designated driver (for one of my favorite activities). Da Vine Wine Tours is the perfect…" read more »
13 reviews for California Rivers Tours
13 reviews in English
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Review from Ali G.
Chicago, IL
11/4/2011
As part of my 30th birthday trip, I booked a day of wine tasting with John and it was the highlight of our vacation. I did a lot of research online first because I liked the idea of spending a day in wine country being driven around so we could pack a lot in and be driving. Limo services are expensive and impersonal and group tours, while more reasonable, put you at the mercy of what the collective group (people you don't know) want to do. John's company, California Rivers Tours, offered the perfect balance. Our group of four split the $300 fee for 6 hours plus an awesome lunch spread. If our group would have been larger, the price would still have been the same (even less expensive per person).
When I called to book the tour, John laid out the three types mentalities from the groups he works with: they have wineries in mind, know of a few they want to go to and he fills in the rest or have no clue and he plans everything. He was happy with any of the above, and I decided to gather recommendations from friends and co-workers, do the research myself and choose 5 great wineries - all of which were smaller "boutique" places. John has passes for some wineries, but since I chose smaller spots we had to pay all the fees. Not a problem at all - tastings are between $5-15 for 5-10 tastings and fees are typically waved if you buy a bottle (or more). Most of the places pour you more tastings anyway (suggestion to go with the lesser amount and if you like all the wine, ask to taste a few more) and a couple even just comped us anyway. I digress....
John picked us up around 11AM at our hotel and we were off four a 6+ hour of fun. He had the perfect balance of speaking up to give us some interesting facts/details about the countryside, winemaking, towns we passed through, etc. and letting us chat to one another.
The best part of our day (also noted by pretty much everyone else) was John's lunch spread. Not only was it delicious, it provided us with an opportunity to get to know him better through the excitement he had for what he pulled together (homemade jams, baguette, meats, cheese, homemade pickles, frittata, various fresh fruits from his garden, etc.). After retiring, he decided to start this wine tour company to stay "young and active." :) His wife helped teach him to make the jams, pickles, frittata, etc. from their own garden - all of which he's so proud of and for good reason...everything was delicious. Experiencing this nice break in the day gave us the opportunity to get to know him better, which was great. As we wrapped up the day, John was genuinely adamant about sharing his pickling and jam recipes with us, being a source for the future when we come to the area - even if we don't book him for a tour.
The experience of visiting a bunch of wineries is going to be pretty much the same whether you drive yourself, are driven in a limo or are on a 12-person group tour (except the latter two will involve higher wine consumption!). But if you want a truly unique experience that creates a lasting memory (while also checking out a bunch of wineries and not having to worry about driving), you need to book a day with John. Just an awesome guy - it's so worth it to have someone like him take you around beautiful wine country!
Enjoy,
Ali -
Review from Ryan D.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2010
I took my girlfriend and her six friends up to the Russian River area for her 30th birthday party last weekend. John was very helpful in selecting wineries that would be close to our rental home and would provide us with an amazing experience for the special day.
John picked us up right on time in his van which was clean and comfortable for all eight of us and we were off on our tour. John shared interesting information about the area and gave us lots of tips about what we could do for activities if we came back in the summer time. He was a wealth of information about the region due to his long time residence and work within the tour guide industry.
To top off the wonderful day, John prepaired a huge lunch for our group, that was not store bought sandwhiches but a top notch homemade meal. Pickled veggies, home made jams!!, cheeses, and fresh local fruit. There was even a special little birthday treat for the 30th birthday girl and party gifts for everyone else which made for lots of laughs and hilarious pictures.
I would very highly recommend John and Cal River Tours. It was a perfect day! -
Review from Bernadette E.
Scottsdale, AZ
10/9/2011
My best girlfriends and I did a reunion in Wine County, Sept. 2011. We're all 40 and have known each other since elementary school. We've all moved to different areas but we always try to get together every year or so. We hired John at California Rivers Tours for an all-day wine tasting adventure in the Russian River and we could not have chosen a better guide. John picked us up at our rental in Guerneville, made our itinerary and arranged 4 different wineries for us to taste at. We had the tour at Korbel (highly recommended!), amazing Pinot at Graton Ridge, met the wine maker at Bellato and wrapped up the day at Hanna. John even had our tasting fees covered at each winery. John and his service is so special. Spending the day with him was more like spending time with a family friend that just wanted to see you enjoy your trip and have a great time. I have to remark on the fact that he provides lunch too! Not lunch picked up from a deli or restaurant ... he makes lunch for you! Graton Ridge has an awesome outdoor bocci ball area with picnic table and adirondack chairs - with our newly purchased pinot us gals sipped while John went to work and created an amazing lunch - it was so good! My friend mentioned how his homemade jam reminded her of the preserves her grandmother makes. Well... the next day, John brought each of us a bottle of our very own strawberry rhubarb jam to take home! Who does that!? So cool. All that mattered to John was that we had a great time and were safe. He even took us to the grocery store on our way home so we wouldn't drive! John is the best resource in wine country for a special day that is all about you and your plans. We ended our day with a new friend too!
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Review from L. J.
Scotts Valley, CA
5/19/2011
A few friends and I (there were eight of us) went wine tasting with California Rivers Tours. It was an absolutely spectacular day. John picked us up at our hotel on time (around 11:30), in a large clean passenger van, and we were on our way. The wineries he selected were breathtakingly gorgeous, not super crowded, and most importantly? Had good wine!
John was very considerate, asked us if we had any particular wineries we wished to visit, and also made sure to remind us about lunch. Were we hungry now? Or wanted to wait until after the next tasting? We visited five wineries in all (would have been six, but it closed early for a private event) and stopped for a picnic lunch about half way through. (1:30ish?)
The lunch spread was incredible. We ate outside at nice table on the winery's patio, basking in the beautiful sunshine, and in full view of the vineyard. We ate homemade jams, crackers, several different cheeses, apples, pineapple, pickles, crusty bread, salami, two types of homemade fritatta with (optional) homemade balsamic vingear. (Trust me, it's a tasty combination) The wine tasting was awesome, but I still can't decide which was better, the wine, or John's spectacular lunch.
All in all, it was a marvelous day, and I would recommend this tour to all of my friends, or anyone in general who is looking for a memorable and original wine tasting experience. -
Review from Heather C.
San Francisco, CA
2/16/2011
A group of 7 girls went to Healdsburg for my friend's birthday. John met us at our hotel on Saturday morning and we promptly began a fun-filled, relaxing day of wine tasting in the Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. John asked us if there were any wineries in particular that we wanted to visit, but we let him know that we were open and wanted to go with his suggestions. We ended up going to 6 beautiful wineries!
We had lunch at the 3rd winery and sat outside overlooking a mustard filled vineyard. It was breathtaking! The lunch John prepared was fabulous! Might have been better than some of the wine we tasted! So nice not to be dropped off at a deli and told to go inside and order a sandwich for lunch. Who doesn't enjoy a lunch of cheese, crackers, homemade jams, fresh bread, salami, sliced apples and pineapple, homemade pickles, and a homemade zucchini frittata. Very delicious and memorable!
A wonderful time was had by all. Thank you John for such a lovely day! -
Review from Steve H.
Manteca, CA
7/31/2010
Our group of 8 enjoyed a fabulous wine tour of Russian River Wineries today. John was an excellent guide. As a native to the area, he has knowledge of the area that can't be duplicated.
John paid attention to what we wanted to do on our tour. He made arrangements at wineries we selected and gave us advice on other wineries he thought we would like. His insider suggestions on where to eat and other fun things to do were much appreciated.
As we finished tasting wine at Merry Edwards, we met John at one of thei picnic tables where he had created a scrumptuous spread of food prepared by him and his wife in their home. Everything was delicious!
It was so nice being picked up at our hotel, sampling wine through this scenic area, and being safely returned to our hotel after a day of fun.
I'd highly recommend California River Tours. -
Review from Maureen B.
San Francisco, CA
12/14/2010
A group of us spent the weekend on the Russian River for my good friends 30th birthday. They booked a tour for the 8 of us with John, through California River Tours, he picked us up in his massive van and took us on a fun, relaxing and no pressure tour of 4 different wineries.
The picnic he packed was great, he brought homemade pickles and two kinds of homemade jam from his garden along, and these awesome super tacky sunglasses as party favors for my girl's birthday. It was a great experience and I would totally recommend John's services to anyone. -
Review from Mary T.
San Francisco, CA
3/2/2011
This was the best wine tour I have even been apart of. John was such a great guide and very easy going. There was so set wineries or set times. He just rolled with whatever we wanted to do as group. John also provided us with a fabulous lunch at our third winery overlooking the spectaular views. This was also casual and relaxing. It was such a wonderful day and I would never go to wine country without asking for John!!
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Review from robin C.
San Francisco, CA
3/16/2010
Yeah, finally! A wine tour for all of us cool, laidback, unpretentious people!
So, I've been on two of John's wine tours and I have to tell you - he is the best! A local to wine country, John is simply a cool, genuine, interesting, fun and laidback guy. Plus he knows some great little gems to visit in wine country AND he clearly knows his way around the kitchen. If you take his tour, you'll see what I mean. He packs a killer lunch (which is just what you need after a few wine tastings!). The goodies he brings along are homemade or grown organically in his garden. Delicious. I cannot recommend John enough! If you are looking for a fun day, call John. John lets you take your time, no feeling like you are rushed, to really enjoy your day. That reminds me, I need to get this year's tour on the books! Seriously, call him. He rocks. -
Review from Kathy H.
Northern, CA
8/11/2010
If you want to have fun in the Wine Country, book a tour with California Rivers Tours and leave everything to John! He will pick you up, drive you from one great winery to another, prepare a fabulous lunch, and deposit you safely back to your local accommodations. Awesome Tour!
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Review from Michelle R.
Burlingame, CA
12/2/2010
This is the best kept secret in wine country! The guide is incredible, funny knowledgable. A definite must if you are looking to taste some great wines, have a great time, eat well, and be safe.
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Review from Dawn C C.
San Francisco, CA
12/1/2010
By far, the best tour in G-Ville. John, our guide, really knows the area and it shows!
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Review from Rachel B.
Chicago, IL
9/14/2009
I booked with John as our winery driver through the Russian River Valley a couple weekends ago and our day was fantastic. It was my sister's bachelorette party and I wanted to make sure that the 7 of us had fun without having to worry about driving. We're a laid back group and I didn't want a cheesy limo so I booked a van with John. He organized the wineries, supplied some coupons to ensure the majority of the tastings were free, took us to some great places, and gave us background on the area as we drove around. The price for our booking was one of, if not the, best around and included a great picnic lunch of smoked salmon, fruit, jam and brie, meats and crackers, which he set out for us while we were in one of the wineries. FANTASTIC! Everyone had a great time and I felt great about it all around. If I do this again with another group I will definitely book with him again. Thanks John for a great day!!
