Caldwell Vineyard in close second place
One of the joys of visiting America's wine regions is the opportunity to learn more about the winemaking process while sampling local wines. Many wineries offer tastings, but fewer allow visitors behind the scenes and into the vineyards and production facilities themselves to deepen their wine knowledge.
We asked 10Best and USA TODAY readers to vote for their favorite winery tours from a pool of 20 nominees, and the competition was fierce! California's Napa wine region proved dominant, with a battle for first place between Chappellet in St. Helena and Caldwell Vineyard in Napa. It was an extremely close contest between two very worthy wineries.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Winery Tour are as follows:
- Chappellet - St. Helena, Calif.
- Caldwell Vineyard - Napa, Calif.
- Tamber Bey Vineyards - Calistoga, Calif.
- O'Brien Estate - Napa, Calif.
- Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery - Galena, Ill.
- Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard - Peconic, N.Y.
- King Family Vineyards - Crozet, Va.
- Wollersheim Winery - Prairie du Sac, Wis.
- Ladera Vineyards - Angwin, Calif.
- Hendry Ranch Wines - Napa, Calif.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Jill Barth (L’occasion) and Jil Child (Wine Tours of the World) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of U.S. wineries and wine travel.
Other wineries nominated for Best Winery Tour included Archery Summit Winery, Byington Vineyard & Winery, Comstock Wines, Jarvis Estate, John Anthony Vineyards, Jordan Winery, Lancaster Estate, Paul Hobbs Winery, Petroni Vineyards and Repris Wines.
Congratulations to all our winning wineries!
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The Experts
Jill Barth
Jill Barth is a contributor for Forbes digital and... Read More
Jill Barth is a contributor for Forbes digital and USA Today 10Best. She’s also a Provence Wine Master Level through the Wine Scholar Guild, a Symposium for Professional Wine Writers Fellow and the founder and author of the award-winning blog, L'Occasion.
Jill Barth
Jill Barth is a contributor for Forbes digital and USA Today 10Best. She’s also a Provence Wine Master Level through the Wine Scholar Guild, a Symposium for Professional Wine Writers Fellow and the founder and author of the award-winning blog, L'Occasion.
Jil Child
Jil earned a B.A. in Economics, with an emphasis... Read More
Jil earned a B.A. in Economics, with an emphasis in business wine, from Sonoma State University and is a certified Sommelier. She is a partner and co-owner of Wine Tours of the World, a full service global wine tour company specializing in custom wine vacations. She has worked with and consulted with wineries and is an expert in many different positions including sales, distribution, education, events and private wine tasting tours. She teaches Tasting Room Management at Sonoma State University and is a professional wine judge for various wine competitions throughout the U.S.
Jil Child
Jil earned a B.A. in Economics, with an emphasis in business wine, from Sonoma State University and is a certified Sommelier. She is a partner and co-owner of Wine Tours of the World, a full service global wine tour company specializing in custom wine vacations. She has worked with and consulted with wineries and is an expert in many different positions including sales, distribution, education, events and private wine tasting tours. She teaches Tasting Room Management at Sonoma State University and is a professional wine judge for various wine competitions throughout the U.S.