Dear “Large Group” Guests:
When you book a tour with us consisting of 7 or more guests, you will have 2 different booking options to choose from.
First Option: Our “Deluxe Backcountry Wine Tour”, in which you use our Concierge service to plan, select, and reserve all your winery visits and tasting experiences.
Second Option: A “Casual Wine Outing” in which you select and reserve all your own appointments.
Please read through the differences below and be sure to select the right one for your group. They are the same price, but come with different policies for you to understand.
Deluxe Large Group Backcountry Wine Tour
This is the option to choose if you want us to put together an amazing, unforgettable day for you. We will use our deep knowledge of, and relationships with the finest, “best-of-the-best” wineries to put together a personalized itinerary for you that takes advantage of our special connections. It just comes with one special consideration – an expense commitment.
The Commitment: For this option, you must commit to being OK with $100 tasting fees. HOWEVER! Our partner wineries have agreed to WAIVE that tasting fee with just a $100 purchase. So, if you and your group are willing to just buy a little wine along the way, you will likely pay $0 in tasting fees. This is a perfect arrangement for “buyers” and collectors, as the terms for getting your tasting fees waived are very clear. You don’t have to buy wine, but any wine you buy will directly reduce the tasting fees due. Let me go through a few Frequently Asked Questions about this policy to help clarify:
“Why Are The Tasting Fees So Much?” Backcountry Wine Tours has always been committed to providing 5-Star itineraries at amazing, boutique wineries with very special experiences. In recent years, we have seen many of these types of wineries institute new policies and higher tasting fees because Large Groups tend to require lots of extra resources, time, and hospitality. These wineries need to know that if they are blocking out a swath of their day for you and your large group, that their efforts will be reasonably compensated – either through good sales, or at least a tasting fee that makes sense for them. Once you are here and experience what I’m talking about, you will realize that this is not a big fee after all, and really is the very least we can promise them as an incoming large group of guests. And don’t forget: It is SO EASY to get that tasting fee waived. Basically, 2 or 3 bottles of their wine will do it, and then you’ll have some delicious souvenirs to take home and share with friends back home.
“But We Flew Here – How Am I Supposed To Get All This Wine Home?” We help guests get wine home hundreds of times each year. It is not difficult. Helping you with wine transport solutions is part of our service to you, and we will be happy to assist. There are many different ways to get wine home. We will help you sort through the options and choose the best one for you on the day of the tour. Most guests compile all their purchases into one shipment, which we take to the shipping store for you. It’s not crazy expensive. There are also other potential options, but your guide will go over all that with you.
“What If I Don’t Like The Wine” With the caliber of wineries that we frequent, I highly doubt this will be the case. Honestly, you’ll probably like them more than you expect. But let’s just say, as a Devil’s Advocate, that you don’t like the wine at one of your stops. You are not obligated to buy anything. You can simply pay the $100 tasting fee.
“What If I Spend Less Than $100?” That’s fine – whatever you spend will reduce your tasting fee directly. So, if you buy just one $50 bottle of wine, then your tasting fee will be $50.
“What If I Spend More Than $100?” Great! That means you love the wine, and this is what happens with the vast majority of our guests. Anything you spend over $100 will be applied to the tasting fee commitments of others. In other words, if you spend $200 on wine, then the tasting fees for 2 people will be forgiven. And so forth.
In Summary: The “Deluxe” Tour is absolutely the way to go if you are a “wine enthusiast” who is coming here with the intention of purchasing wine. Your tasting fees will be $0, and doors will open to you for opportunities that few “casual” guests get to experience. This is the “heart and soul” of the Backcountry Wine Tours ethos, and you will be rewarded with an unforgettable day.
Of course, if you have any questions, just reach out. But I hope this option works well for you and your group, and I look forward to learning about the unique preferences of your group with our Intake Questionnaire so that I can personalize your itinerary to exactly what you are looking for.
Cheers!
Casual Large Group Wine Outing
This is a good option for groups of guests who just want to relax and sip some wine, and keep the expense to a minimum without having to purchase wine.
The main difference between the “Casual” and the “Deluxe” tour is that, with the Casual option, you do not have to commit to the elevated $100 Tasting Fees, but instead you will need to make your own winery appointments and reservations. We can provide some advice on which wineries to consider, but you will ultimately need to be the one who makes the phone calls and firms up the reservations.
“Why?” Things are changing rapidly in the Willamette Valley. It has gotten MUCH more popular – more and more people are coming every year, and in larger and larger groups. The wineries are responding by adjusting their pricing and policies for “large groups” and it has become too difficult for us to sort through all the various policies, choose wineries, consult with our guests about what they are comfortable with, go back to the wineries to confirm, (and then they want things like pre-payment, names of the guests, emails, etc, etc, so on and so forth.) Therefore, it is SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT for the guests themselves to simply look up the wineries, decide for themselves if they are comfortable with the tasting fees and policies in place, and then make the reservation and give the winery all the information they want about your group at the time of booking.
“Will It Still Be Fun?” Of course! And we will still be 100% committed to giving you our top-tier hospitality and service. You will likely wind up at more “casual” type wineries where the focus is more on just hanging out and visiting with each other.
“How Do We Know Which Wineries To Call And When To Make The Reservation For?” We will provide you with a list of potential options, and we can even suggest a short list based on what kind of day you are hoping to have. You will make 3 winery appointments: for 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. We will still provide a light lunch, door to door service, expert guidance and education throughout the day, and a lovely, memorable experience.
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