The Science Behind Successful Corporate Wine Tours

From business retreats to holiday parties to meeting clients, businesses everywhere are searching for ways to enrich the overall experience of their meetings and outings. That's why there's a growing trend of corporate wine tasting in the wine country of Paso Robles. Once considered a niche activity for connoisseurs, tasting rooms now cater to large parties for extravagant occasions. However, many professionals require more than just wine tasting, there's a need for an all-inclusive experience, and that's the missing piece we're going to break down for you. With years in the industry, we've identified the steps you'll need to take for a successful, all-inclusive wine tour.

Find A Qualified Transportation Provider

This cannot be overstated; a reliable, professional transportation is a crucial component to the success of an all-inclusive wine tour. The vehicle and driver will be the first and last thing your guests experience. An unclean charter with an unprofessional and late driver will spoil the day and the impression you’re trying to set.

Your transportation will also act as your liaison to the wineries and your event planner. This requirement makes it even more essential that you have an excellent transportation service that can correctly and quickly respond to both parties. We recommend Obsidian Luxury Services, but that’s hardly surprising!

Coordinate Your Logistics

With a moderate or large group, you will need to have one or two set pick-up points at the beginning of the day. This is usually a hotel if you are visiting, or your office if you are local. Make sure you book an appropriate Charter Bus or Limousine for your group and make sure each stop is clearly defined. Your transportation service’s booking staff can help you with the timing, but you will decide on the pick-up and drop-off locations for your wine tour.

Choose Your Wineries

While your transportation provider will be more than able to select the wineries on your wine tour, we always recommend figuring out the taste preferences of your group. With over 200 wineries, an understanding of what you’re looking for goes a long way in narrowing the selection. If you’re searching for wineries with high-quality vintages and unique architecture, we recommend Tooth and Nail Winery, Sculpterra Winery, Eos Estate Winery, Opolo Vineyards, Niner Wine Estates and Cass Winery.

Let’s Talk Lunch

With a large group, it’s imperative to keep everyone well fed to fend off feelings of hangriness or sleepiness. There are many different ways to keep your members full and happy during an all-inclusive wine tour. We recommend working with your transportation provider to have a catered lunch delivered to you at a winery. Here are some restaurants that we’d recommend for just this occasion, Red Scooter Deli, Old San Luis BBQ, or SLO Provisions.

Additional Amenities

Whether you’re going out with your team or clients, it’s important to remember the little details. Here are four things that you won’t want to forget for your all-inclusive wine tour.

1. If you’re going out with your co-workers, games on the charter and at the wineries are a must! You can bring playing cards, trivia, bocce ball among other things. Don’t worry though if you forgot, Sculpterra Winery has a game section outside, complete with ping pong, checkers and more.

2. Create a custom playlist, ahead of time. Music is crucial for the mood during a wine tour experience. Don’t leave it to chance!

3. Have snacks and other goodies waiting for you on the charter. Coordinate with your transportation provider to have champagne and snacks ready for you on the vehicle.

4. Visit Hearst Castle before your wine tour! We highly recommend this option if most of your group has not experienced the splendor of William Randolph Hearst’s estate. Walking through opulent halls and picturesque gardens sets the tone for the rest of the day’s experience.

Conclusion

When visiting Paso Robles for an all-inclusive corporate wine tour, planning ahead of time with a transportation provider is essential. By coordinating with a professional transportation service, you also avoid the risk of having your team or clients consume alcohol and drive when you use professional transportation. Please contact our booking staff at Info@ObsidianLuxuryServices.com, or give our office a call at (805) 457-5749 to book by phone.