By far the most productive and best-known wine producing area in the United States, California is a collection of different climates, and thus is able to grow grapes and produce wines of almost any style. Napa Valley was the area that put California on the global wine map by shockingly defeating French wines in a blind tasting in 1976, according to the Calwineries website.
Napa wines are heralded as some of the best in the world. An enjoyable way to tour Napa is by catching a ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train, which takes guests on a picturesque tour through the valley and stops at one or two wineries along the way.
Next door to Napa is the Sonoma Valley, a little more rustic but just as beautiful. Taking a bike tour is a great way to see the sights and get a little exercise while taking breaks at local wineries. Sonoma Valley Bike
Tours offers fully guided and self-guided tours, and there's no need to be an expert biker to enjoy your ride along the gentle terrain. Besides trains and bikes, there are plenty of other options for touring this stunning countryside, including limo tours, jeep tours and guided hikes.
While their northern siblings get all the press, up-and-coming wine areas in California like Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Temecula can be great places to take wine tours with fewer crowds and often lower prices than the more famous areas.
The Grapeline is a shuttle service that provides public and private tours as well as transportation throughout these regions. The Wine Line, which is a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing service, offers tours of Paso Robles wine country, allowing guests to choose which wineries they'd like to visit and how long they'd like to stay at each. Jeep and limo tours are also available throughout the regions.
The Pacific Northwest, with its majestic landscapes and rugged coastline, is one of the prettiest places to take a wine tour. The Willamette Valley in Oregon, well-known for its signature pinot noirs, is currently home to 200 operating wineries and plenty of tours to see them.
Oregon Wine Tours and Grape Escape are two tour companies offering customizable packages and service the entire Willamette Valley region. Several limo companies also offer wine country tours throughout Oregon. A little further north takes you to Washington State, where the wine industry has seen a 400 percent growth over the last decade.
The state's Columbia Valley is its largest appellation and is serviced by many tour companies, including Bon Vivant Tours and A+ Pacific Limousine, which also offers overnight tour packages.
New York's Finger Lakes region has become a well-known Riesling producer in recent years, but it also grows many other grapes and produces both reds and whites. The Finger Lakes Winery Tours company offers a full range of vehicles and pick-up locations throughout the state, while Quality Wine Tours offers wine tours and hotel packages and picks up anywhere in the Finger Lakes area.
Long Island is another emerging wine-making area in New York, finding particular success with merlots. Tours of Long Island wineries can be booked through Long Island Wine Tours, which offers everything from intimate limo trips to huge luxury motor coach tours.
Another company, Long Island Wine Country, offers all-inclusive VIP tours that focus on wine education and includes a cheese tasting. The Hudson River Valley and Lake Erie, two more wine-producing regions in New York, also offer winery tours.
