We booked the Kings & Queens of the Crooked Lake Tour (Keuka Lake) with Crush Wine Tours for July 4th. I had a question prior to booking the tour and my email was answered promptly. The booking process was very easy. The tour information and pickup instructions provided were clear.
Tony was our amazing driver. He was delightful, informative and extremely helpful without being over bearing. He would come into each winery with us, arrange for our tasting, and then seemingly disappear and reappear to help carry our purchases out to the vehicle (and we had a LOT). Timing was perfect. We never felt rushed. It was such a relaxing, easy and FUN day!! Tony really put it over the top!
The tour we took was exactly as described, but more than we expected. I purchased the cheese/meat board which was presented to us at our second winery (Heron Hill). Wow! We were blown away at the different choices of cheeses and meats, a mustard and crackers. The only sad part was that the mustard is not available for purchase. It was so delicious I wanted to take some home! Tastings were all included in the price (except we upgraded the Dr. Frank winery to include the sparkling and reserve wines for $10 per person).
We visited another winery, and then went to Bully Hill for lunch. You get a gift card that pretty much covers lunch (depending on what you order), a glass of wine, and a tasting at the winery after lunch. If you order something expensive off the menu, it might be a few bucks more than what is on the card. Bully Hill does a very nice lunch. You can sit out on the covered porch or inside.
Here’s another perk of the Crush Wine tour: There is a bit of a hill from the parking lot to the restaurant and tasting room at Bully Hill. I have a knee injury, so it’s a little difficult for me to walk long distances or do hills. Tony just drove the van right up to the restaurant door and then picked us up right at the tasting room. Since we also had a couple of bottles that we purchased, this made it very easy and comfortable. Tony was also always there to give me a hand while climbing in or out of the van. It was a very easy step onto the van, but it made me more secure.
I honestly can’t say enough good things about Crush Wine Tours or Tony. It was a day that we will remember fondly for a long time!