Wine tours have become all the rage right now as the concept of wine tasting emerged. Planned right, they can be an incredible opportunity to learn more about wines and open up an interesting conversation with your guides. If you haven’t been on one before, here are some things you should keep in mind when planning that tour:

Diversity

When planning out your tour, choosing a diverse number of Yarra valley wineries will help you gain the most of the experience. The older wineries will have far more history but the newer ones will have a modern edge that can still add plenty to the tour.

Preferences

Before the tour itself, take a minute or two to outline your preferences. Do you enjoy red wine or white wine? If any preferences come to mind, then you can organize your tour around this. Do your research and find out which wineries produce the wine you’re fonder of.

Season

Next, you have to decide if you want to go during peak season or off season. The most popular time for wine touring is in the summer and fall so if you want to make a trip then you’ll have to start pretty early on in the day to avoid any hustle and bustle. For a more secluded session, you can always go during off season. Make sure to contact the winery well in advance and get information on the tour times, costs and tastings.

Timing

You’ll probably plan out your whole day, visiting winery to winery. Don’t forget to account for multiple stops along the way for you to get some rest and also record the travel time to these places when sorting your schedule. Keep in mind that it’s highly likely the more popular locations will have souvenir shops as well so allocate a little time towards shopping or at least browsing as well.

A Driver

You’ll be attending multiple tastings and will definitely be served more than a single tasting per visit so you’ll need to get your hands on a driver that will take you from winery to winery and then back home safe. Contact a driver from reputable car services for the occasion.

An Empty Box

If by any chance you decide to take a bottle or two home, you’ll need a box to transport them safely so that they don’t roll around and break.

Limit Your Choices

Don’t allow yourself to visit more than 3 or 4 wineries in a day. You don’t want to leave a single stone unturned and to have the fullest experience so you need to actually be able to spend enough time at each place.

Be Inquisitive

If you have a lot of questions about any wine, then don’t hold back from asking them. These tours can be quite a knowledgeable experience if done right! You can even jot down some questions beforehand.

Keep these things in mind when planning your wine tour and you’ll have a successful day ahead!