| One of the best birthday presents I ever received | | | | vineyards, fermenting rooms, cellar and tasting room |
| was a hand-made certificate from my sister-in-law | | | | -- which also happened to contain a very |
| offering to take me and my husband on a tour of | | | | well-stocked souvenir shop. We also ate at the fancy |
| wineries in our area. | | | | on-premises restaurant. On the other hand, we also |
| We could have made the tour on our own, of | | | | went to what was basically a one-man-operation of a |
| course. Or we could have signed up for a tour | | | | winery, where we had a long and intimate |
| conducted by one of the bus companies that | | | | conversation with the owner, who personally showed |
| specialize in that kind of thing. But having my | | | | us around and answered all our questions. Both places |
| husband's sister draw up the itinerary and do the | | | | were memorable, but for different reasons. |
| driving, too, made it extra special. | | | | 2. As the gifter and tour conductor, you should pay |
| We started out early in the morning with a list of six | | | | for any admission charges and wine tasting fees, and |
| potential wineries to visit. Of course, we never made | | | | perhaps lunch for both you and your guest of honor. |
| it to all of them. One hadn't opened for the day yet | | | | Your guest should be prepared to pay for his or her |
| when we arrived, and others were spread out over | | | | own take-home bottles of wine and other souvenirs. |
| three or four different counties. Nevertheless, we | | | | 3. As the designated driver, you will have to take it |
| were able to tour three establishments and spend a | | | | easy on the sipping. Although you might decide to |
| reasonable amount of time at each. | | | | completely abstain, in practice that's hard to do; after |
| Here are 3 tips if you decided to give a personal | | | | all, wine-tasting is one of the main points of this |
| wine tour to the oenophile in your family or circle of | | | | activity. A more reasonable rule is to limit yourself to |
| friends: | | | | the small samples offered for tasting, and to pace |
| 1. Mix big wineries with little ones. On our tour, we | | | | yourself, perhaps by sipping just a little, and only at |
| went to one huge one where we formed in groups | | | | every other winery on the tour. |
| and followed a professional guide through the | | | | |