Frequently Asked Questions

What is your Cancellation Policy?

When you book with us, we will either take payment in full or a $300 deposit – but whichever route we go, the cancellation policy is the same either way:  If you give us at least 48 hours prior notice, we will gladly refund your payments minus a $100 non-refundable booking charge.  (This is meant to cover time spent with correspondences, planning, making reservations etc)  If you cancel inside 48 hours prior to your tour, we will withhold $300.  Any other payments will be refunded in full.

What is your pickup area?   

We will pick you up at your location anywhere in the downtown Portland area, Newberg, Dundee, McMinnville, and Carlton areas.  Sorry, areas North of the downtown Portland area are out of our pickup zone.  People staying near the airport or in Northeast Portland will need to meet us at a pre-arranged meetup point.  (Convention Center area is OK)  Sorry, we do not service Vancouver, Silverton, Eugene, or Coast areas.  We will sometimes make exceptions for North Portland and Salem pickups but please understand it must be at our discretion.  We are happy to drop you off in a different location than your pickup if you like, within reason.

Which wineries do you go to?  

This is hard to answer concisely because we do not have a set route and every day is an adventure.  We have a repertoire of about 60 wineries that we frequent.  You can rest assured that they are all special and high quality in their own way.  We tend to focus on the smaller boutique wineries that are off the beaten path.  The overall focus is on high quality wines and friendly, informative staff.  Beyond that, we just try to offer some nice variety along with some of the valley’s most beautiful and breathtaking locales.  In short, we go to the good wineries.  🙂

How many wineries will we go to?  

The average tour is three winery stops.  This allows for a leisurely pace, taking in all the valley has to offer. I do not recommend four or more wineries in one day.  Keep in mind the types of wineries we frequent are more intimate, and offer a more in-depth, focused type of experience.  So it’s best to leave yourself plenty of tine to take it all in.  Also, “palate fatigue” is a real thing.  The wines will all begin to taste the same.  Remember, less is more.  You’ll be surprised how fast time goes once you’re out there and enjoying the visits.

How do you choose which wineries to go to each day?  

There are several considerations we take into account when planning the itinerary for the day.  When you book, we ask you to fill out an intake Questionnaire.  If you state any preferences on style we will factor that in.  If you have any specific requests on places to go we will try to accommodate those when possible.  If you just leave it up to us (which we recommend), we will put together a well-rounded day with a focus on variety, scenery, quality wines, and interesting, educational experiences.  Your best bet is to just sit back, relax, and let the day unfold and we will share our deep knowledge of the Willamette Valley with you.  I have written a more extensive essay on the subject if you’re still curious.

What is the duration of the tour?  

About 7 hours.  But please understand, this is an estimate, not a guarantee.  It may be more, it may be less – it really just depends on where we pick you up, your pace, and how the day goes.  Most of the wineries are open from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM and that is the time frame within which we structure our tours.  We pick you up at 10:00 or 10:30AM and drop you off usually somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30PM.  If you need to be back by a certain hour, please let the driver know and we will do our best.

Do you offer a half-day tour?  

Sorry, all tours are full day only.  There simply isn’t enough time in a half day to enjoy the breadth of wine country.  If you want your tour to be a bit shorter than our average, we can accommodate, but please understand that the up-front cost is the same either way.

Do you combine us with other people?  

When booking, you have two choices: Joinable Tour or Private Tour.  The Joinable Tour option (for groups up to 4pp in size) is more economical, and you may be joined by another small group.  In any case, we will not pack more than 8 participants in the van, as we still want to keep things intimate and personalized.  (Most “Joinable” Tours wind up being 2 couples, making a total group size of 4.)   The Private Tour option is just that:  Private.  Joinable tours are only available for groups of 4 or less.  Private tours are available to any group size.

What’s the largest group size you can accommodate?  

The short answer is 28, however in most cases we suggest keeping groups at 14 or under. Let me explain:  We have 3 tour vans in our fleet – two of which fit 14 people and one which fits 6.  If your group is 14 or under, we can fit you in one van.  If your group is larger than 14, we will have to dispatch 2 vans for you and caravan.  We prefer not caravan all 3 vans, as this starts to enter the category of “too large for us to do a good job.”

Why can’t I book a “Joinable” tour as a solo traveler?  

Group dynamics, and logistical considerations including pickup locations make it so that we must screen potential solo travelers before we can commit.  If you are traveling solo, you may book a “Private Tour” for yourself or, simply send us an email through our Contact form and tell us your preferred date & pickup location, and we’ll take it from there.

What Other Things Can We Do During our Stay in Portland?

Check out our list of recommendations here!