Client entertaining
Small group, high expectations, and the host needs to be present rather than managing logistics. Usually one vehicle, a shorter list of stops, and more time at each.
Corporate & executive
Corporate wine tour transportation
This page is written for whoever has been asked to organise it — not for the people being driven. If that is you, here is what you need to decide and what we need from you.
The organiser's problem
What actually goes wrong on corporate days
Almost never the wine. The things that turn a good day into a stressful one are logistical, they are predictable, and they are nearly all decided weeks before anyone gets in a vehicle.
- The schedule was written for four people and used by twenty. A large group takes longer to seat, longer to settle up and longer to reassemble at every single stop. Three stops on paper becomes two and a rush.
- Nobody owned the timing. Wineries run to appointments; groups run to conversations. Somebody has to be watching the clock, and it should not have to be the person hosting the clients.
- The pickups were underestimated. Three hotels on the way out of the city is not one pickup — it is three, plus the driving between them, before the day has begun.
- The vehicle was sized to the seat count and not the day. Everyone fits, but there is nowhere for coats, bags or the wine that gets bought.
- The end of the day was never planned. Flights and dinner reservations decide when the last tasting has to finish, and that is a planning input, not an afterthought.
Quote preparation
What we need from you to quote it properly
Send as much of this as you have. Anything you do not know yet is fine — say so, and we will quote around it rather than pretending it is settled.
- Headcount, and how firm it is
- A confirmed twelve and a "probably twelve, could be sixteen" are different vehicles. Tell us which it is and when it firms up.
- Where everyone starts from
- One hotel, an office, several hotels, or an airport. Multiple pickup points are straightforward, but each one adds time before the day begins — worth knowing while the schedule is still movable.
- The fixed points in the day
- A lunch reservation, a dinner back in the city, a flight, a session that cannot start late. These anchor everything else and are much easier to plan around than to rescue.
- Which wineries, or that you have not booked yet
- Either is fine. If they are booked, send names and times. If not, tell us the region and we will tell you what fits — and flag where group size may be a constraint before you commit.
- Anything about the guests we should plan for
- Mobility needs, non-drinkers, dietary requirements affecting the lunch stop, a VIP arriving separately. None of it is unusual; all of it is easier handled in advance.
- What your finance team needs
- If procurement requires particular documentation, ask at quote stage and we will confirm what we can provide before you commit to anything.
On the day
One contact, however many vehicles
You are not the dispatcher
When the day runs across more than one vehicle, coordination between them is ours. You should have one number, not one per driver.
The schedule is built to absorb slippage
Not padded — planned. Realistic gaps between appointments so a tasting that runs long does not push everything into the evening.
Changes on the day go through us
If the group wants to stay somewhere longer or drop a stop, that is a conversation with your chauffeur, not a re-planning exercise for you.
Types of programme
The corporate days we are usually asked for
Team offsites and away days
Larger, more relaxed, and more likely to run late. The planning work is in keeping a big group moving without making the day feel regimented.
Executive and VIP travel
One or two passengers, a discreet vehicle, and timing that holds. Often attached to an airport arrival or departure the same day.
Conference and event add-ons
A wine country afternoon bolted onto a larger programme, frequently across several vehicles with staggered departures. Send the master schedule and we will work backwards from it.
Where to take them
Napa or Sonoma for a corporate group?
For groups, the practical difference is access. Napa's appointment culture means a large party needs to be booked in properly, but once it is, the stops are close together and the day is easy to keep tight. Sonoma has more outdoor space and a more relaxed feel, which suits a bigger, less formal group — provided the itinerary stays within one area rather than crossing the county.
Either way, confirm group size with the wineries before the itinerary is fixed. Small estates frequently cap party size, and finding that out late is the most common cause of a last-minute rewrite.
Questions
Questions organisers ask
Who do I deal with on the day?
One contact, for the whole booking, including when the group is split across more than one vehicle. You should not be relaying messages between drivers, and you should not be the person working out where the second vehicle is.
How do you keep a large group on schedule?
Mostly by building a schedule that survives contact with a real group. The usual failure is planning to a theoretical timetable — a group of twenty does not board in the time four people do, and that difference compounds at every stop. We plan fewer stops with realistic gaps rather than an ambitious itinerary that unravels by mid-afternoon.
Can we collect people from several different places?
Yes. It is common for a corporate day — some people at a hotel, some arriving by air, an executive joining from elsewhere. The thing to weigh is that each additional pickup point costs time at the start of the day, when everyone is fresh and the schedule still looks generous.
One large vehicle or several smaller ones?
One vehicle keeps the group together, which is usually the point of the day. Several smaller vehicles make sense when the roads are narrow, when a winery cannot take a large vehicle, or when part of the group needs to leave at a different time. We will say which we would recommend and why, rather than simply quoting the cheapest configuration.
What if the headcount changes?
Tell us as soon as you know. Changing vehicle class is usually straightforward with reasonable notice and progressively less so as the date approaches, particularly in the busiest months. A provisional number flagged early is far better than a firm number that quietly moves.
Can you handle a multi-day programme or a conference?
Yes — multi-day programmes, offsites and conference add-ons are all normal work. Send the outline schedule and we will tell you what the transportation side of it actually requires, including where the plan has more moving parts than it needs.
Send us the outline
Even a rough one. Headcount, date, where everyone starts, and anything already fixed. We will come back with a workable shape for the day and a straight price.
Request a Corporate Quote