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Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle
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37 reviews for Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle
Go Grape...
I have a group of friends that every quarter or so, in the interest of keeping in touch and seeing each other get together for a little event. Most of the time, we head to Temecula and give The Grapeline a call. Throughout the years i think I've take their tour 6-7 times. Yay! I'm a Fan.
We've seen most of the wineries in the area now, yet they always will bend their schedule to accommodate the guests on their bus. The last trip we check out a relatively new winery called 'Masia De Yabar'.
The Grapeline is a safe way of getting a day of wine tasting in, without the risk of a DUI or an accident.
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Riding around Temecula in a shuttle full of strangers? Hrm. I wasn't so sure about that at first, but as soon as I met the man of men that is Wes, the Grapeline tour guide, I knew we'd be in good hands.
We were definitely the laggers of the tour group, but never fear - Wes was there to whip us into shape when we were lingering on our 5th or 50th taste of wine. Other bonuses? How about all sorts of perks just for being a Grapeline customer? Discounts at every winery we went to, and the immediate attention of anyone at the Winery because they knew we were with the man, Wes.
Even more? Wes's winetasting 101 rocks...especially because it was just my style and had little to do with "nose" and "points" but more about, "If you like it, it's a good wine." Those are rules I can deal with.
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Think Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger' spoof that Starbucks pushed out a few years ago (http://www.youtube.com...):
Wes... Wes, Wes, Wes... Wes, Wes, Wesssssssssssss!
He's the man, driving for work
Got his wine, got ambition
Swishing and swirling is right in his grasp
It's a dream he will never let die
Wes is the man of the hour
He's the king of his booze
Napa Valley has finally met their rival
Schooling winos on his way to the top
He knows one day he just could become, the wine master
Seriously, I wish Wes (the driver of Grapeline Tours) was my dad. At the very least, I wish he could tuck me into bed every night while I sip on a glass of white Merlot before I enter dreamland.
The Grapeline tour, in my opinion, is the only way to experience Temecula Wine Country. They'll educate you on how to drink wine like a pro, drive you around to some of the best wineries in the area, and generally... show you an amazing time. Without their help, I'd probably have been slugging wine like Paul Giamatti in the end of Sideways when he freaks out at that wine tasting event.
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Wes. I love you.
And not in the love you love you way since I know you are a happily married man. No, I love you in the you are the only man I ever want to tool around Temecula with on the Grapeline. Your wine swilling presentation, jokes throughout the day, patience with the posse of putzes on their iPhones taking a company conference call while wine tasting (yes, guilty) and "Don't Shoot Your Eye Out!" how-to with a Wilson Creek Champagne bottle made our outing awesome! You are a lovely soul and Grapeline has always been 5 stars in my book, but you just upped it to the perfect 10!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/20/2006 First to Review
Listen up Wine Lovers because if you don't know about this shuttle service yet, your wine trip is… Read more »
If you want a tour of Temecula's wine country and the top wineries in the area, this service is definitely worth it. They pick you up at South Coast Winery and then shuttle you around to 4 or 5 different wineries. You get to spend about an hour at each winery, with free wine tastings. The company provides each group with a box in the trunk to place your wines, glasses, and anything else you purchase, for safe keeping. You also get a lunch and wine tasting half-way throughout the day. We had our lunch and wine tasting at Wilson's Creek Winery.
Shuttle service was extremely convenient and not expensive at all. I would recommend this to everyone!
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This tour was a blast! I would like to give a shout out to Loni, our tour guide lady. She was awesome. She knew all the owners and she had the hook up on the tastings. Our bus was fun and there was singing and dancing, all the while drinking more wine on the bus. She even knew the words to the Flo-rida and T-Pain song "Low". She was bustin' out "the apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur". I was laughing so hard.
So the day started out with them picking us up at the Old Town Transit Center in San Diego and then we drove up to Temecula, to meet up with some other members of our group. We went to 4 wineries:
Briar Rose - **** super cute and very informative
Wilson Creek - **** nice property and yummy almond champagne
Bella Vista - **** good organic wines
Longshadow Ranch - ***** endless pours and cute property
The price was right for everything that was included (transportation, lunch, about 2 bottles of wine each, and kick ass entertainment). I highly recommend this service.
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This is the BEST way to wine taste in Temecula.
The shuttle picks you up from your hotel. Our shuttle made 3 additional stops and there was about 20 people total on our shuttle. At first, I was a bit leery about how much "fun" I'd have with a bunch of old retired people in the 90 degree heat. To my surprise, our group was as diverse as you can get. All ages, from all over. At the first winery, we chatted it up with two couples from AZ.
Uhhh... and by the second winery, we were all besties that couldn't be separated.
Our guide Cindy was funny, accommodating, and very patient with a bus full of rowdy drunks.
We didn't have to worry about carrying cash or what to have for lunch as our package was all inclusive. I don't why I never thought about doing this before but I will definitely be using the Grapeline again.. and probably in the very near future.
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When my husband and I were planning our vacation it came down to Seaworld for $60 or a wine tour for $85- I am so happy we opted for a wine tour!!
I cannot say enough good things about the tour we took today. My husband and I did the picnic lunch tour, so our tastings at 4 wineries were included as well as lunch. Our driver, Wes, was charismatic and knowledgeable. He gave us a choice on which winery we wanted to go to for our fourth and I really appreciated that freedom (we ended up with some great champagne that way). All of the tasting rooms were friendly and welcoming. The tour at Leonesse was a great touch and I loved the fact that they had a glass of wine waiting for us as soon as we stepped off the shuttle. It was the perfect activity for the day and worth every penny!
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This was a blast! I whole-heartedly recommend Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle and will definitely do it again!!
We did the "lunch on your own" version.
Our driver, Ray, was very friendly, accommodating and entertaining. If you have any specific wineries you want to visit, you can let them know when you make your reservation. There will be 4 wineries on your tour and, if time allows, you may get to five!
You will have to pay a tasting fee at each location but you'll get a "bookmark" from your driver, which earns you discounts on tastings and purchases made the day of your tour. "Deals" range from 10% off to buy-one-get-one on the tastings. Bring some cash to tip the winery rep who's pouring for you.
If someplace you want to go doesn't show up on the itinerary when you board, choose it for your lunch location.
After each tasting, the driver will take your purchases and souvenir glasses and store them for the remainder of the tour. Complimentary bottled water is available.
It's a great, safe way to get the most out of your visit!
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I'm having a really tough time deciding whether to give Grapeline a 4 or 5... damn Yelp and your no half stars!
I had such an amazing experience this past weekend with Ray. He was funny, friendly and extremely accommodating. I tend to be pretty opinionated and demanding, and he was able to be flexible and get me to all of the places I wanted to go!
When we booked the shuttle I was a little put off by the price ($65) but after the tour I realize that it was MORE than worth it. There is no other way we would have made it to FIVE wineries in one day otherwise. Much much cheaper than a cab or a DUI, and Ray really made for a fun time. Also, you get a pass that gets you two-for-one tastings and 10-20% wine and food purchases, so in the end I think we probably ending up saving $20-30 with the pass making the shuttle price even cheaper.
The vans were nice, cool and provided bottled water in addition to boxes to hold our glasses and wine. We filled up two boxes; but who is counting?!?
I really really enjoyed my experience with Grapeline and look forward to taking another trip out to see Ray sometime in the Fall!
I think I am going with a five star!
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When we chose Temecula as our summer vacation spot, we thought back to our honeymoon and how much fun we had taking a winery tour in Santa Ynez. Well somehow you topped that experience.
Our guide Wes, was friendly, knowledgable and knew perfectly how to set the tone of the day. From the first moment we stepped off the bus and were handed a glass of wine. The opportunity to see Watusi Cattle firsthand, and when you stopped behind Leonesse to let us see the Metal Mullisha practicing Motocross. And lets not forget the excellent and informative Winery Production tour at Leonesse, where we got an in depth summary of the picking, skinning and barreling process, and even got to see their barrel room.
One of the couples even got engaged on our tour
We came into this expecting a fun day, and we left with an Adventure and an Experience.
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I did this as an organized group tour. Grapeline was nice enough (for a substantial extra fee), to help us plan a Friday in Temecula, help pick the wineries, and pick us up and drop us off.
Grapeline had a lot of knowledge and had discount coupons for many of the tastings. But when we repeated this event, we found that it was actually cheaper, especially if you're travelling from out of the county to Temecula and back, to negotiate a flat rate with a limo and share the cost.
Either way, you'll have a fun fun time in Temecula. Our Grapeline driver told us that one of the advantages of the Grapeline van is that the grapeline shuttle has a handhold "pole" that can be used to disembark the bus, or is often used by bachelorette parties. Not kidding. I put on my white gloves and wore them the rest of the ride. ;-)
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In theory, it'd be nice to drive your own car, choose your own destinations, and decide how much time to spend at each point. But in reality, I am not the kind of dick who invites a friend to wine country and then asks them to be DD. I am also not the kind of dick who elects to travel to wine country and then volunteers to be DD. That being said....
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzed! Three cheers for having zero responsibility!
Our shuttle picked us up at the hotel in the morning. Our guide was personable, helpful, and extremely patient because by the end of the day we were a busload of loud and silly winos. They bought our drink tickets for us at a discount (or so they said), they made sure there was never a wait for us at any of the wineries, and they also offered to look into restaurants and make dinner reservations for us while we were off carousing.
Lunch options are limited, so make sure to either pack a lunch or make a reservation a few days in advance at a nicer winery restaurant and the shuttle will drive you there. We decided to pack our own picnic and it couldn't have worked out better: everyone who opted to wing it waited in line for quite awhile to eat at the winery we were taken to, and that leaves less time for drinking!
A fair warning that if you linger too long with your beverage and are late getting back to the shuttle, expect to be embarrassed by everyone. But not to worry, buy a bottle and drink it on the bus! Awesome! And don't forget to share!
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You NEED someone to drive you around when spending a day wine tasting. It's $88 per person which includes the wine tickets and a lunch. At first it is a little awkward. Everyone is so quiet in the morning but come after the first winery people begin to loosen up. The shuttle picked us up at the resort that we were staying at at 10:45 and then took us to four good wineries. It's a short bus. It fits no more than 10 people. Along with taking the tour on this shuttle you are given discounts at different wineries. The driver is entertaining and informative.
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The first time I ever did The Grapeline Tour was for my boyfriends birthday a couple of years ago, when we first started dating. And we just did it again this past weekend for a friend's birthday.
We have also done a private limo with a small group too in Temecula to the winery's.
Do Grapeline over the limo.
The perks to the grapeline are the staff and the coupons don't hurt! We have done both tours where it includes your lunch and where it doesn't. Either way both are good. The service was awesome! She even picked up a sourdough loaf from Maurice Claire for us. You gotta try that!!
Our tour guide Sharleen was very helpful and even helped us squeeze an extra winery in on our tour. If you do just the shuttle tour you get a coupon that gets you two for one tastings at most wineries. I really liked that we could bring a cooler on board the shuttle with snacks and drinks. Also, I liked that we could loud and obnoxious like you may get after wine tasting since 11 am! :)
I recommend this to couples and groups! It's SUCH a blast!
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It's been a few months, so I don't remember the details... Heck, they were a little hazy the next day. But for $90 each, we got a DD to 4 wineries, with tastings of some of the best wines I've had, lunch, and 2 souvenir wine glasses included.
The driver was funny and helpful, and tour discounts apply when purchasing from the wineries.
If you don't live in the area, I'd recommend letting them ship the bottles home for you, because we were turned down by FedEx when they learned that we wanted to ship alchohol across state lines (or something equally banal).
This is the only time I've even been to a winery, let alone taken a wine tour, but it was a great experience, and it's put a good taste in my mouth for future vacation opportunities. So to speak (groan)
Let's see... someone comes to pick you up from orange county, takes you to wilson's creek, ponte for lunch, and mount palomar do drink and eat, takes care of all of your tasting fees, holds your complimentary wine glasses for you, drops you and your group back off in orange county, and doing all of this driving while you're drinking and having a good time!!! How can you not have fun??
We hired Grapeline for a company event and from the very beginning starting with the event coordinators all the way to the driver and tour guide, everyone was professional, organized and awesome.
Let me break down the money situation even though I didn't pay for it.... but hey, I can still care about my company's money, right? Overall, we had 12 people in a bus that could seat 24. It ended up being around $105/person and there was a 15 person minimum for that bus. We got 3 tastings (~$45) and a lunch (~$25). That leaves about ~$35 for transportation (they actually picked us up in orange county for a small fee) and peace of mind of not having to drive or look for wineries.
= Totally worth it!!!
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Instead of celebrating Valentines day, single and alone, a group of my single friends and I decided to go wine-tasting in Temecula. Of course, we wanted to enjoy the tasting to the full extent without worrying about who would be a designated driver, so we decided on the Grapeline Wine Country vineyard picnic tour.
The shuttle picked us up from our place of lodging, the Embassy Suites at 10:30 AM. We hit the road and was taken to enjoy tastings at 4 vineyards: Callaway, Wilson Creek, Wiens, and Masia de Yabar. Along with the tastings, we were able to enjoy a brunch at Wilson Creek with strawberry covered strawberries.
Our tour guide, Kat, was a funny, and spunky woman. We've got quite a few clowns in our group, but she entertained us by exchanging in some light banter. She was very attentive to any question we had and was more than happy to take pictures for us. She also stuck on schedule and was able to move us quickly from one point to the next. In addition, she helped us hold onto all our wine-glasses from the tasting and the bottles we purchased until the end of the trip.
As far as the wineries they selected, my absolute favorite was Callaway. Next was Wiens... However, I'm knocking off 1 star from my review because I did not really enjoy Wilson Creek nor Masia de Yabar very much.
This is a great tour to go on for beginners to wine-country like myself. It's so gorgeous out here, I would definitely love to come back soon!
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I decided to take a wine tour to temecula with a few friends to celebrate my birthday. I knew I was looking for some type of all inclusive package and after searching the web for a while...I came upon the Grapeline.
We chose the Picnic Tour at $128 per person. At first, I wondered if we were really going over board, but in the end, I think it was a good choice.
We were picked up at the Old Town Transit Center, promptly at the designated time. Our driver, Ray, was friendly and knowledgeable and provided us with a smooth ride to Temecula and back.
The tour consisted of 4 wineries, with a tour of the 1st winery, lunch included at the second winery and all tasting fees included at all 4 wineries. It seems that the wineries vary, except Wilson Creek is always included in the tour since they are the ones who provide the lunches. Being part of the tour group allowed us an additional 10-20% off all our purchases at each winery and one or two reserve tastings we would not have had the opportunity to taste had we gone on our own.
Additionally, our tour host, Sam, was helpful and friendly, always available to take photos, answer questions and help us to keep our purchased goods safe and organized...you know how hard that can get after a long day of tasting.
I was impressed with how well they stuck to the itinerary and never once making us feel rushed or pressed for time. it was all very well planned, very professionally presented and a great time, with absoutely no worries on our end. Everything was taken care of for us.
For a first time trip to Temecula, it was a great way to get aquainted with the ins and outs of the area. The extra cost added peace of mind that my friends and I would be well taken care of throughout the day!
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If you are going wine tasting, I highly recommend doing some sort of shuttle or limo. We've been wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma and had never been to Temecula. And, we were celebrating my friend's birthday, so I thought it would be fun to do a wine shuttle, and I chose the Grapeline based on Yelp reviews (thank you Yelp). I was leaning toward a limo, but the shuttle sounded more fun. And it was....
We didn't stay in Temecula...just drove up for the day and parked in the Ramada Inn parking lot. The shuttle picked us up promptly at 10:45 and away we went. I think we made one more stop for pickups. There were probably .30+ people on our shuttle with varying ages...I think there was a bachelorette party and some other small groups, and then there were several couples. At any rate, everyone was very nice and our guide, Sharleen, told us all about the wine country and the wineries.
The first winery we visited was Keyways. They just didn't seem too organized and so we didn't have a lot of time afterwards to explore the winery. We sat outside and had to ask for the tasting list. There was only one person serving our entire group, and so the tasting went slow. They did have a beautiful tasting bar inside, though, and I would have liked to try some of their other wines.
We had lunch at Wilson Creek and it was okay. We were seated in a huge room with a ton of other people doing other wine excursions. Seemed a little impersonal. The tasting room was nice and they had a huge gift area with lots of fun wine type items.
Then we went to Falkner and it was very crowded. We ended up at the bar outside and I think they were a little overwhelmed with the number of people they were serving. We ordered a cheese tray here (because with all that wine tasting you really need to eat some crackers or something) and the cheese tray was pretty skimpy. I also had to pick up a friend's wine club shipment and they had a hard time locating it....kind of frustrating because our shuttle was waiting to leave!
Lastly we visited Mount Palomar. We tasted outside and let me tell you, it was really warm that day. But thankfully they have misters close by, and that saved us. They had a nice selection of cheese/crackers and deli stuff (Boar's Head) inside the tasting room. I wished we had gotten our cheese platter here!!!!
All in all, I enjoyed taking the shuttle because we didn't know where we were going, but I probably wouldn't do it again. Sharleen was a fabulous hostess and full of information about the area.
After our shuttle dropped us off at the Ramada, we cruised around Temecula and ate dinner.
I had an awesome time. I was a bit afraid, at first, that I might not like it because I'm not that big on wine. But this was a great experience. The guide was very friendly and informative. The bus was not on schedule but we were still on schedule with the tours. We went to Leonesse, Wilson Creek, Briar Rose, and Mount Palomar. The lunch was at Wilson Creek. The food was good (omg the salad dressing was DELICIOUS!!!!!!) but the time we had there felt rushed. We only got to take one picture outside. Even though it's winter, the scenery was still beautiful. Of the four wineries we went to, I liked Leonesse the most because of the wines I tasted there. I think we sampled 5-6 tastings per winery so by the end of the tour, everybody was mingling, singing, and dancing on the bus!
I would love to go again but with a group of friends next time (although I had a great time with just my BF this time) and hopefully try another location.
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Grapeline was excellent! We came out to Temecula for the vineyard lunch tour for a 65th birthday celebration. It was really an incredible time. We had a good lunch, a good selection of wine and plenty of tastings. The all inclusive price made the deal even better.
It's really funny to see what happens on the bus... I'm sure the guides must really be amused watching and waiting. Going to the first stop (and picking others up), the van is quiet and reserved. By the 1st stop, we're at least talking (loudly) amongst ourselves. By the 2nd stop, the bus was already becoming a zoo -- everyone talking and laughing. After that, it's like we're all old friends.
I was very happily surprised by the level of organization that the whole event had. We had a wonderful time being shuffled around between the wineries with hardly a wait in sight. I don't recall the exact list of wineries anymore, but will update if I find the pictures. I know we at least went to Wilson Creek and Callaway.
If you really want a good time in Temecula and don't want to deal with getting lost between wineries, finding a DD, organizing lunch.... take the grapeline, you won't regret it!
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From the moment the Grapeline Shuttle picked my coworkers and I up from our hotel at 10 am, I knew we were in for a day of fun and debauchery. Our van driver started the excursion with some quiet music and a brief history of the Temecula region. Upon reaching our first winery, we picked up our tour guide, Kat...as in Kitty Cat...as in she actually "Rarrrgh"'ed at us...Kat's zaniness added any necessary pizazz to get the day started.
Our tour consisted of four wineries: Cougar Vineyards & Winery, Wilson Creek Winery, Wiens Family Cellars, and Leonesse Cellars. I will review each of these separately, but will sum up by saying each provided us with adequate tastings and beautiful surroundings.
After hours of drinking and only a brief lunch, we enjoyed a rowdy ride back to our hotel. Picture (as long as this stays between us) loud music, sing-alongs, chugging port out of bottle, and dancing/falling, all while driving around curves at about 60 miles per hour. While a crazy wild time ensued, it was a spectacular bonding experience for us all.
The Grapeline Wine County Shuttle is perfect for any group event.
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Me and a friend did this tour on a tuesday. Really easy to arrange online. I only paid $180 for the both of us (and ended up tipping the guy named Wes who was our driver $20). We were traveling from northern san diego but it was only 2 of us so we needed to go to temecula. So we drove to temecula embassy suites and from there on everything was amazingly smooth. The driver named Wes was the nicest guy with a good but not annoying sense of humor. The big limo van was very clean and really well climate controlled.
We went to 4 vinyards total and for the last one we had 3 choices which meant that Wes would have dropped each person off at whichever winery they wanted, that's really cool in my opinion. The tasting is great, clean and really really informative. No wine snobs anywhere around there. No old wines, all fresh bottles. You can buy souverniers or wine bottles at all of the wineries. We had lunch at one of the places which was beyond delicious, everyone thought so.
At the end of the tour we got dropped off back to our cars. The limo van is spacious and was 2 seats next to each other.
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Who knew Temecula could be so fun?! After wine tasting in Napa & the CA central coast, Italy, France, and Greece I didn't have high expectations for Temecula. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the wineries though!
We had reservations for the Grapeline to pick us up at Pechanga. One shuttle showed up and said the shuttle we'd be on was running late from San Diego... but no problem! Our tour guide Shereen handled it so well and kept us entertained while we waited a few minutes. I work in customer service and appreciate when someone can fix a "problem" rather than ignore it or not own up to it. Good job there!
Once on board she was a total kick, and very knowledgeable of the area. She did her job of taking us around to the different wineries. Then she went above and beyond and gave us a bottle of champagne on the bus since Grapeline was late. Since we were all having so much fun and didn't want the day to end she took us to an additional winery!
I highly recommend booking Grapeline with your friends and staying at Pechanga for a night. You don't have to worry about driving or standing in line & paying at each winery you visit.
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I did this tour with my wife to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We are rookies in the wine-tasting world, so for us we learned A LOT with how to taste wine, the different types of wines, etc. The lunch was very tasty and the chaperone/ guide Charleen could not have been any friendlier, she was a sweetheart!
The only did we didnt like/might suggest is to maybe do only 3 wineries versus 4, because at a couple of the wineries we really didnt have a chance to walk around and take pictures, or to walk off some of the wine! But again, I strongly recommend the tour.
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Wow! is all we could say after experiencing the GraplineTemeculah Wine Tours. Every aspect of the day, including the bus/limo we rode, the driver/tour guide we had, and the four wonderful wineries we visited, were fantastic. This was the first official wine tour for my wife and I, and a great experience. We learned a lot about the wines themselves, as well as information on how best to taste and enjoy them. We even had the pleasure of the owners of the Grapeline joining our tour. They obviously care about the experience their clients enjoy, and were there to make sure everything was perfect, as well as identify ways they might further improve it. This is a wonderful way to enjoy the tastings and stay out of trouble with the law at the same time! The Grapeline are wonderful hosts, and we highly recommend them!
Michael James
This is most fun and safest way to do wine country! You get picked up from a list of many places, most casinos, and many hotels in the area but there is a $7 pp fee if in fallbrook or beyond the fee goes up. They will pick you up in san diego if there is 4 of you or more or if only 2 then they will for a large fee. The driver Mike was awesome he could take care of anything for us. Cindy(tour guide) was always by our side at the wineries and made sure we got all of our discounts. Being shuttled around with strangers wasn't as bad as I thought either because after a couple wineries everyone started to loosen up. Even my gf and I who are 22 and 23(youngest by 15 years) got along great with everyone.
Even if you have a dd make sure and do this for your wine tasting in temecula, it is highly worth the money. (the food given at wilson creek was great too yummy BLT) Grapeline made our anniversary amazing!
Make sure and do some research and you can request certain wineries. Oh and if you want to keep wine tasting after the 4 you go to, they will definitely take you to more if you request it, however you do need to pay for the tastings yourself on each one after 4.
Every year around the time of wedding Anniversary, the wife and I take a vacation and try to go some place different. A few years back we went up to Solvang and did some wine tastings up there and really enjoyed ourselves. So this year we decided to tour around Temecula Wine Country. At only an hour away, it was far closer than Solvang, and we'd heard that there was some good dining and shopping/antiquing to be had there.
I didn't fancy the idea of driving around Temecula wineries for tastings. With my luck I'd indulge too much and get stopped for DUI. Soooooooo after reading some of the Temecula travel websites; I decided to select the Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle Tour as a romantic all-day excursion for the wife and I. Suffice it to say that we really, really enjoyed our experience.
I decided to choose the "Vineyard Picnic Tour". This included transportation to four different wineries, tours, wine tastings, a value passport good for discounts at various wineries, and a gourmet picnic lunch at one of the wineries (Wilson Creek). The total for both the wife and I was $156. This was quite reasonable considering the cost of gas, all the tastings and everything else.
We were picked up from our hotel at about 10:45am and the fun started there. I plan on Yelping each of the 4 wineries we visited individually; but suffice it to say that we had a wonderful time.
Our driver/tour guide, Ray, was a delight. He was personable, professional and funny; and took care of all of our merchandise we bought at the various wineries...labeling them and stowing them all together in the shuttle's air-conditioned storage area. He even stopped by a Dairy Queen on the way back to our hotels when one of the other passengers spotted one and suggested we have an ice cream break.
We were dropped off at our hotel at around 4:45 with a nice mellow feeling that only four wineries-worth of tastings could explain, with the wine and other stuff we bought in tow and a smile on our faces.
We would definitely recommend the Grapeline to anyone wanting a hassle-free adventure in wine country. And the cool part is, that they not only operate in Temecula; but they also offer wine tours in the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles wine areas.
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The only way to go wine tasting. They pick you up from your hotel and drop you off. No driving needed!
My friend and I took the Hearts and Champagne tour. It was pretty cool. I didn't really like one of the wineries, but I guess you can't please everybody.
The lunch menu was so awesome. I recommend the tri-tip w/ Portobello mushrooms and spinach wrap. SO YUMMY.
The bus driver was good and our tour guide was very knowledgeable about every winery we went to.
I would definitely do this again, just request to not go to Briar Rose.
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Have a weekend to spare? Love wine tasting? Then take a fun and relaxing trip down the Temecula Wine Valley on the Grapeline Shuttle! It's about $40 each person, but you get coupons to go 2-for-1 at most of the wineries. At $10 each person per winery, the trick is to travel in pairs. That way, you'll save the tour fee in admission coupons.
The drivers are knowledgeable and truly passionate about wine. It's a fun trip, especially if you open up and get to know everyone else on the 15-passenger van. Or, plan a big trip with a bunch of friends. Either way, this is a great deal for wine-loving, no-time-for NAPA folks.
It's great for any first time-wine connoisseurs. So...basically a shuttle takes you to the different wineries located in Temecula Valley and for one lump sum you get wine tasting tickets, lunch and transportation to and from the wineries. We ended up going to Long Shadow Ranch, Callaway Winery, South Coast Resort, Maurice Carie and Wilson Creek (My favorite out of all the wineries). You can't beat that if, like I said, it's your first time. Although it was a good first experience, it's better that you go using your personal vehicle and just have a DD. It'd be waaaaaaaaaay cheaper. "Just keep it on the MERLOT..."
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A group of 4 of us took the Vineyard Lunch Tour. It was all of our first time to the Temecula wine country. It was nice not having to worry about having a DD. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wineries. We went to Leonesse Cellars, Wilson Creek, Briar Rose, and Mount Palomar. Most of the trip was very enjoyable. Sometimes I felt a little rushed like we would taste and then go and not get much time to enjoy the scenery. The lunch was very tasty. I ordered the tri-tip portobello wrap. I am not sure the whole thing is worth $100, but it was a fun first experience. I would recommend it to first time travelers or small groups who can't find a DD. Maybe we'll try the $40 shuttle next time.
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I enjoyed the wine shuttle a lot! the only reason why I didn't give them that last star is because they said that they were going to take us to 5-7 wineries. We got to go to 5, I don't think that they would go beyond 5 so I think that that advertisement is false, but who knows, if we went to 6 I would have given them a 5 star for over and above customer service. Anyhow, I loved the service, our guide Lonni took really good care of us, she checked on us occassionally to see if we needed anything or if she could take stuff back to shuttle for us. It was very helpful to not have to think, expecially when you are guzzling... I mean sipping wine :) It was worth every penny!
Tavis W. and I were looking for a nice weekend getaway close to Valentine's day. I saw that the Grapeline was offering a "hearts and champagne" winery tour, which featured a private tour from the owner of the new Oak Mountain winery, picnic lunch at Wilson Creek, including their famous almond champagne (which I thought was gross, but that's another review) as well as dessert and a violin serenade at this tasting room place, the name of which I forget. Unfortunately, the reason I forgot the name of that last place is because when we got there, they were out of tables AND dessert and the violin guy had gone home, so we didn't stay. I couldn't tell if that was the winery's fault or poor planning on the part of the Grapeline. To make up for it, our tour guide took us to two more wineries (Longshadow and Bella Vista), which was one more than we'd planned, so I guess we got a little more for our money, but really, the "hearts and champagne" tour was twice as expensive as the regular tour and we didn't get our romantic dessert. I should've just gone with the regular tour, which is pretty much what we ended up getting.
So, that's why the Grapeline gets four stars from me instead of five. If Tavis and I ever go back to Temecula we'll probably do the Grapeline again, however, since it is incredibly convenient to have someone else shuttle you from winery to winery and not have to worry about how much you're drinking. Plus, I think we got pretty good deals from all the wineries we went to because our tour guide seemed to know all the owners. You can't beat those kinds of connections.
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The tour was a great way to experience wine country safely, and the driver was a gem, but when I called the office and spoke to the owner, John, about a small concern he was an absolute idiot. If he treats paying customers this badly then how must he treat his employees? That concerns me.
If you're looking for a fun, casual, and safe wine tasting experience, I highly recommend The Grapeline. Their tour guides are knowledgable and accomodating, and they offer a great selection of tours for groups and individuals. The itineraries change so no two tours are the same. They are also flexible with requests, and keep track of all of your wine glasses and purchases for you. The price for the all-inclusive tour includes tasting fees and lunch. You can't beat the experience or find a better bargain.
