Why use a wine Tour operator

Click image to find a tour

We have an abundance of riches in wine regions to visit in Australia, some with over a hundred wineries.

So many cellar doors.  Not a bad problem to have but we need to find our way through..

Traditional wine tasting tours

In the past most cellar doors were open on a free-for-all basis. No booking needed.  No tasting fees, just roll up.

This was gradually changing, and the along came the pandemic of 2020. The change accelerated.  Wineries built much more structure into their tasting arrangements.

Patrons were seated rather than breasting the bar.  Tasting fees were introduced, often refunded on purchase of a bottle or two.

What hasn't changed is that you need to plan to get value out of your visit.

Kerry and Simon - Expert wine tour operators

WHY USE A TOUR OPERATOR

If you have limited time to visit a wine region you might be best served by using a specialist tour operator.

Here are some advantages 

• Tour operators have specialist knowledge of the region. They know which wineries have the best tasting rooms and who gives the best visitor experience.
• Operators have built relationships with winemakers. Often they arrange exclusive behind-the-scenes features such as meeting the winemaker, private tastings, barrel tastings, museum releases and special pricing. 
• Many cellar doors are open only few days a week. Operators can use their knowledge and contacts with winemakers to plan your tour around these times or to negotiate 'open by appointment slots' for you. 
• You may also get the opportunity to see other attractions in the area to put your visit into context.
• Hiring a tour operator saves you the hassle of sorting out the logistics of your trip.  Where will you have lunch? Bookings required? 
• You can forget about having a designated driver. An important consideration for your safety.

Check out some of the offers

Here is a short list of some of the tours in the iconic regions of Australia

• Margaret River
• Barossa
• Adelaide Hills
• McLaren Vale
• Yarra Valley
• Mornington Peninsula
• Hunter Valley

Subscribers to Vinodiversity Community get invites to Darby's Special Taste and Talk Sessions.