FAQs

Short Answer - Yes ___________ (In some cases, wineries are requiring tasting fees in advance and have cancelation policies especially for larger groups)

Long Answer - Due to the high degree of customization our tours include, guests will often choose wineries which charge a fee. As the wine region grows in popularity most, if not all, wineries are charging tasting fees to cover the cost of the additional staff required and the wines they pour. Fees generally range from $15 to $65. The average is approximately $25.00. Many will waive this fee if you purchase wine or join their wine club.

LARGE GROUPS - Check with the wineries to see if they have bottle service. It may be cost effective to purchase a bottle of each wine in the flight instead of paying tasting fees. Often there will be some extra in the bottle for the 'After Party'

Please Note: We do not accept any gifts, kickbacks or compensation of any kind from wineries to bring you to them. Your guide is dedicated to catering to your requests or interests only.

Please book a tour with an open and adventurous spirit.

Reservations are being required for most all winery stops. Please keep requests to a minimum and include types of wines (red or white, cabs or zins, large or boutique or just surprise us!) as we cannot guarantee availability at any one specific winery.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Short Answer: All tours encourage requests from our guests .

Long Answer: A little background first: Many tour companies will choose the wineries for your visit without your input... OR They will limit the wineries available to only a selection in close geographic proximity. (Paso Robles has highly traveled corridors called Highway 46 East or West). To be sure, there are great wineries on these routes and they should not be ignored, however, to limit your day to only small selections of the 200 + wineries available in Paso may not be in YOUR best interest.

We are different - This is what makes The Wine Wrangler the BEST in the business!

Our First Consideration IS YOUR INTEREST. Every individual has their own likes and dislikes for their own palate.

We accept your suggestions and requests when you board the vehicle. Our Tours are kept small and intimate so we can customize them to you and the others on the tour.

ALL TOURS RUN DAILY

Full Day Tours

• Wrangler Adventure Tour - Depart approximately 11:00AM from Paso Robles (other rural areas and cities depart earlier by request depending on distance to Paso Robles)
  • Allow 5 to 7.5 hours (depending on pick-up / return location)
• Hearst Castle Tours - Depart approximately 7:45 - 8:00AM from Paso Robles (other rural areas and cities depart earlier - or later by request depending on proximity to Hearst Castle )
  • Allow 5 to 9.5 hours (depending on pick-up / return location)

1/2 Day Tours - Allow 3 hours pick-up to drop-off

• 1/2 Day Tour - Morning - Pick-up from Paso Robles only 10:00am - 1:00pm
• 1/2 Day Tour - Afternoon - Pick-up from Paso Robles only 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Private Tours - Small ~ Medium or Large Group

• All Private tours are based on your wants along with the time and location you wish to depart from.
  • Private tours - 5 hour minimum

• FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TOUR PICKUP TIMES CLICK HERE

• It's possible to make reservations the same day
• While we cannot guarantee availability, most often we have availability Sunday - Friday.

Saturdays and Holiday Weekends are generally very busy -We recommend booking ASAP

• If you are interested in touring on a Saturday/Holiday, it is recommended to make a reservation at least one month in advance, however, we sometimes have last minute cancellations, so please do check with us!

********CURRENTLY - ALL WINERIES ARE REQUIRING RESERVATIONS IN ADVANCE. *********

THERE IS LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE AT THE MOST POPULAR WINERIES so Substantial ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE SUGGESTED

Reserve your tour here: Book Now

Reservations for Solo Travellers must be made by calling our office. 805-238-5700..

Short Answer - Yes

Long Answer - For our Full Day and Private Tours, we pick up from most ALL San Luis Obispo communities. You can view pick up times for our other cities here

An additional fee may be required depending on the location.

We only pick up for 1/2 Day tours in Paso Robles.

Short Answer - Yes

Long Answer - Yes we can pick you up at the lodging of your choice in most instances. An additional fee may be required depending on the location.

Short Answer: Anything outside Paso Robles City Limits.

Long Answer: The Town of Paso Robles is a small area, but the greater region as defined by the designated Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA), is huge. The area outside city limits has many fantastic B & B locations and Vacation Rentals; so many in fact, in more than 17 years of business we have not yet picked up at all of them. We are dedicated to keeping our on-time arrival and starting times for each group to serve customers in the best way possible. Therefore, our standard pickup window for Rural Paso is 10:30 - 10:45AM. This allows us the time needed to meet, greet and board all of our guests in an efficient and orderly manner.

Mixed Group or "Public" Tours

• Payment: For our Wrangler Adventure, 1/2 Day, and Hearst Castle Tours, payment is required in full at the time the reservation is made.
• Hearst Castle Tours: Changes to tours are not accepted without an additional payment of $15.00 per person.
• Cancellations: For our Wrangler Adventure, 1/2 Day, and Hearst Castle Tours, if we receive a cancellation notice more than 72 hours before the tour, a refund of your payment less a fee of $15 per person will be applied.
• No shows or cancellations with less than 72 hours notice will not be refunded, for any reason.
• Tours Run Rain or Shine.

• Note - Paso Robles Wine Club - Members in good standing do not pay any cancellation fee on mixed group tours when cancellation notice is at least 24 hours in advance of the tour. Full payment at their discounted rate is required if cancelling within 24 hours of tour start time.

Private Tours

• Payment for Private Tours - A $100 advance deposit is Non-Refundable. The Full payment, for the contracted amount, is due and payable 7 days in advance of the first scheduled use date. The final payment, if any, will be based on actual time (unless otherwise noted), and will be billed at the conclusion of the event.
• Cancellations 7 days or less in advance of the tour or event will be charged the full contracted amount due regardless of reason for cancellation.

• Note - Paso Robles Wine Club - Members in good standing will be charged only the Non-Refundable $100.00 fees if they request cancel at any time before the tour departs. Full payment is still charged 7 days in advance of the tour and once the tour is in progress any payments made are not refundable.

Short Answer: Very Likely

Longer Answer:

When planning your itinerary, we take the following into consideration:

• Group Size:
  • Small Groups of 2 - 4 people an appointment is always a great idea. ALL Wineries require appointments currently. Tasting time is usually 45 minutes or more due to seated tastings.
  • Groups of 5 - 8 will take approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour to taste at the average winery. ALL wineries are requiring appointments, some requiring a credit card on file in advance to reserve tasting.
  • Groups of 9 - 12 will take approximately 1 hour - 1.25 hours to taste at the average winery. All wineries are requiring appointments, some requiring a credit card on file or complete payment in advance to reserve tasting.
• When we plan the lunch stop we usually add 30 – 45 minutes to the 2nd winery stop(varies with each group)
• Most wineries charge a tasting fee of $15 - $85 per person. The Average is $25.00 - $30.00 pp. Some may waive with purchase.
• Some wineries may request deposits or full payment for tasting fees in advance.
• Please consider keeping to wineries close in proximity to allow for more tasting, less driving.
• Many of the popular wineries are requiring 45 days advance reservations for groups, and you can expect 60 days requirements for EVENT and HOLIDAY WEEKENDS.
• Once we have a completed reservation we can send you an Itinerary Planning Guide to organize your priorities and it may help with the reservation process.
• Please return the completed request list to us 45 days (60 days for holidays & event weekends) in advance of your tour.

There are two possibilities:

1. Itinerary Planning can be completed by the guest (best if you are members of the club at specific wineries)

At your request: We will send you an Itinerary Planning Guide which will assist you in organizing your day.

or

2. The Wine Wrangler can take all of the extra work away and make all of the arrangements based on your input.

In this case: We will send you an Itinerary Planning Guide so you can assist us in organizing your day.

It helps to know:

• Which wineries you wish to visit
• Types of wines you wish to try (Paso has 60 or more different wine grapes planted)
• If you are planning a special lunch stop or dinner location following the tour.
• Other details regarding your tour such as anniversary, birthday, etc...

Itinerary planning is included in all tours!

Our tour professionals are very knowledgeable about the wineries and wines available in Paso Robles. Your guide for the day is your driver also and can add commentary and information along the tour route. The price per hour includes the hourly rates for the vehicle, all taxes, basic gratuities to the guide, and a complimentary consultation with you regarding a route and timing.

Many guests will have a specific route and reservations already made before reserving our tour. When that has not happened in advance, we offer the service of making reservations based on the consultation with you. We will plan the itinerary, and make the reservations. If reservations at specific wineries are not available then we must discuss with you the options and continue to create the schedule as appropriate.

Tasting fees themselves are decided by the wineries of your choosing. There are more than 200 wineries in the region and the tasting fees vary between $15 and $80+ per person.

Mixed Group Tours: Gratuities are not included. Your guide will make every effort to create a memorable day and if you feel she or he did a particularly wonderful job for you, any display of appreciation is cherished.

On Private Group Tours: Gratuities are included in our hourly rates. Again, if you feel your guide did a particularly wonderful job for you, anything additional is gratefully accepted.

Short Answer - Yes!

Long Answer - We offer our Public Tours ( Full Day or 1/2 Day Wine Tours ) on a Per Person Basis and as such have limited seating capacity. Since there needs to be a seat for each individual we charge for each of the seats being taken. Seat Requirements: Children under 5 must be in a car seat or booster and older children may require a booster based on their physical size.

Our Private Wine Tours are billed on an hourly basis, not on a per-person basis, therefore the number of seats needed dictates the hourly charges. For these tours, the Seat Requirements noted above remain the same.

ALL TOURS: If there are any individuals under the age of 21, open containers of alcohol or consumption of alcoholic drinks are NOT allowed on the vehicle at any time.

Also, please be aware young children generally get bored on our wine tours because there is not much for them to do. We expect them to be respectful of any other guests who may be on the tour.

The Wine Wrangler is not responsible for any items lost or stolen on our tour or in the wineries. Please take care to gather all of your belongs when you leave, including any wine or merchandise purchased throughout the day.

Items taken to our lost and found will be returned to the guests at their request and expense.

• Charters are the equivalent of our Private Tours noted above and they are customized to your groups requirements entirely!

• We provide Event Shuttle Transportation Exclusively for members of our Paso Robles Wine Club.

Some of the wineries our members have requested transport for include: Tobin James Cellars, Eberle, Le Cuvier, Castoro, Justin, Silverhorse, Calcareous, Villicana, Opolo, Mondo, and many more!

Other local events our members enjoy: Brewery events for Firestone Walker Brewing and Barrelhouse Brewing, along with Wine Country Events for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance and Vina Robles Amphitheater Concerts

Please send an email or use our online chat for additional information.

Yes. We are registered, regulated, and licensed by the State of California Public Utilities Commission(CPUC). The CPUC requires insurance and vehicle inspections as a condition of licensing.

Our license # is TCP18003A.

Drivers Licenses in CA

In California, vehicles that carry less than 10 passengers including the driver do not require a special license. Vehicles carrying more than 10 passengers including the driver require a Class B Commercial Drivers License and a Passenger Endorsement. Testing is completed through the California DMV.

We focus on your enjoyment of fantastic wine and tour experiences by keeping your interests at heart. With over 50 years of local history and knowledge, we offer the most extensive selection of tours in the region. We have a tour that will fit your needs. All our tours offer exquisite experiences, by cost, customization, or time restrictions. Our staff is immersed in the local wine culture and we are locally owned and operated. The company has dedicated the time and energy to create a world class tour company. We strive for 100% customer satisfaction. Don't just take our word, ask around locally....