My BIL planned a surprise girls trip for my sister’s birthday, including this tour. It was the first wine tour for all of us and we honestly didn’t know what to expect, despite reading the info provided. Because I don’t see mention of it in the reviews on this site, I wanted to be clear to others considering this tour: the wine tastings are NOT included. It vaguely mentions that you can purchase tastings at a few of the vineyards, but doesn’t explicitly state that tastings are not included in the price. This was a bit of a let down to all of us, as some of the vineyards are a bit more expensive than others and only one offered a discount for the tour groups.
The itinerary listed on the site wasn’t completely accurate, but it worked out overall as we visited- IMO, the best vineyard (DA Ranch)- last.
Some pros:
-we were placed with another couple on a ‘semi-private’ tour, so didn’t have to deal with a lot of people on a bus
-we got to be part of the engagement of the other couple! Super exciting!
-the scenery was beautiful
-we were able to distance pretty well and keep to ourselves
-it was great to just be able to sit or stroll for the hour or so we were at each vineyard
-the snack provided was a nice treat
Cons:
-tastings not included
-only one vineyard offered a discount on tastings and purchases, despite the tour companies LITERALLY bringing customers to them
-we were never offered a tour of the barrel room or grounds as noted in the description. (Maybe because we were part of the smaller ‘semi-private’ group?)
-I didn’t get the impression that masks were required, although we all kept them on in the vehicle. The driver even made a comment about us being the only group to still have our masks on at the end of the day. (The driver DID have his on in the vehicle and even offered us sanitizer.)
-many different tours seemed to be occurring at the same time. Which increased the number of people overall and detracted from the experience a bit
-the vineyards are, understandably, still open to the general public which makes it feel less personal and ‘special’. Plus, also adds to the crowded feel. And the amount of kids that were present was, not only surprising, but also a detraction.
Overall it was a good day. If we do another wine tour, we will definitely look for something more ‘inclusive’. I don’t feel the price of the tour was necessarily justified with tastings not being included. I would certainly pay more for the tour for a few tastings to be included, as well as be inclined to by bottles of the wines I particularly liked, as opposed to paying for the individual tastings.
Одговор домаћина
Dec 2020
Sedona Vineyard tours is the largest wine tour company in Sedona and the reason is we offer the best value for a wine tour in Sedona. The company took out 65 people on the day you went out on December 5th. You received a semi-private tour (unlike the other 60 people who went out) which is usually a $50 per person up charge which you got for free. You stated "I don’t feel the price of the tour was necessarily justified with tastings not being included." If you had checked other tour companies prices, you would have found them to be somewhere between $149 to $179 for the same tour. The tastings are not included for many reasons, some wineries don't have any sweet wines, some wineries don't have any white wines. For most people the option to buy a bottle of their favorite wine (instead of tastings) just makes more sense.
You stated "understandably, the wineries are still open to the general public which makes it feel less personal and ‘special’. Plus, also adds to the crowded feel. And the amount of kids that were present was, not only surprising, but also a detraction."
We are sorry you felt less "special" with the presence of children around however, the wineries are very children friendly and are welcome at all the wineries