Frequently Asked Questions

Question:    Do I need to be a wine expert to take a tour?
Answer:      Not at all. Wine lovers span a wide range of expertise. Some simply love wine, others have taken wine appreciation courses. All our visits include educational components that add to everyone’s enjoyment of wine. We are careful to cater to everyone’s specific needs. (Back to Top)

Question:    How much wine is included in the tour?
Answer:      This is a wine tour for wine lovers. We aren’t going to cut you off after a half bottle of wine at dinner. All of our meals feature different wines at each course and you’ll have plenty of quality wines at each meal. If there’s a certain extra bottle you would like put on your tab, we are happy to help you select it. (Back to Top)

Question:    What are custom wine tours?
Answer:      In addition to our regularly scheduled wine tours in France and Italy, we custom tailor wine vacations for many budgets and interests. We have excellent contacts in Spain and Portugal too. Just tell us a little bit about where you'd like to go, and we'll take it from there. (Back to Top)

Question:    How do I choose a wine tour company? (or better yet, why Insider Wine Tours?)
Answer:      There are several things to consider when choosing a wine tour company: The two most important are:

  • Access to Great Estates –With Insider Wine Tours you will taste some of the greatest wines in the world. Many European wineries are closed to the public. With Insider Wine Tours you will not only be able to visit them, but you will be a welcomed guest, accompanied by an expert with years of history with the winery.
  • Experience leading tours, caliber of guides – Our combined experience in the wine and tourism business goes back decades. Our guides have been wining praises for years. At least one owner of Insider Wine Tours accompanies every trip. (Back to Top)

Question:    Do you consider your wine tours luxury tours?
Answer:      With Insider Wine Tours you will visit the crème-de-la-crème top of the top estates. But you will visit lesser known, down-to-earth wine makers of exceptional quality too. Our tours are about the wine. We don’t like to consider them “luxury” tours. Anyone can choose the top rated wineries and restaurants. For us, the ultimate culinary and wine-related experiences are the one’s we’ve spent decades finding. You will get the best wineries, highest rated restaurants, and most comfortable hotels on our tours. But we choose them for their quality, not for their name. Our tours are not for the snobbish or pretentious. We are in this for the love of wine! (Back to Top)

Question:   What is the general group size of the tours?
Answer:      Our wine tours generally have about 14 people on them. Only by special request are there fewer than 8 or more than 18. This is the optimal size range. It’s just large enough to encourage excellent and varied socialization, and not so small as to tire. For those desiring smaller groups we specialize in arranging custom wine tours.
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Question:    What is a single supplement?
Answer:      The posted tour price is based on two people sharing a room. If you are traveling alone and prefer to share a room with another single traveler of the same gender, we'll do our best to find you a roommate. If we are unable to find you a roommate, the single supplement charge will apply.

(Please note, the cost of the single supplement is in no way meant to be punitive, it simply reflects the extra costs involved) (Back to Top)

Question:    Does the tour package include air fare?
Answer:      Our wine tours usually start and end at the hotel. Air fare varies substantially depending on when you travel and where you come from. You and your travel agent will get your best air fare. You probably have a preferred airline for your frequent flyer miles too. If you would like help arranging your travel, we have an excellent travel agent to recommend. We also send you our ‘Insider Travel Tips’  to help you  plan your travel. (Back to Top)

Question:    How are group meals organized?
Answer:      We are passionate about the meals we arrange. We choose varied menus that reflect the local culinary specialties. We are happy to arrange up-to-par alternatives for those with dietary restrictions. (Back to Top)

Question:    Is there a dress code?
Answer:      The most important thing is that you are comfortable. The châteaux we visit deserve a certain respect, but certainly don’t require stuffiness. Men will be comfortable in slacks and a buttoned down oxford or polo shirt. You can leave the jackets and ties at home if you wish. (Back to Top)

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