Pricing

What private wine country transportation costs

Most of this category answers that question with “call us”. Here are our starting hourly rates, a worked example for every vehicle, and an honest account of what moves the final number.

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Starting rates

Hourly rates by vehicle

These are the figures a day starts from — not quotes. Gratuity is added on top and shown separately, never folded into the hourly rate.

Starting hourly rates. Gratuity is added separately.
Vehicle	Capacity	From
Executive Sedan	Up to 2	$95/hr
Full-Size Luxury SUV	Up to 6	$110/hr
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Shuttle	Up to 14	$125/hr
Mercedes-Benz Executive Sprinter	Up to 14	$145/hr
Mercedes-Benz Limo Sprinter	Up to 14	$175/hr
Executive Minibus	Up to 22	$195/hr
Motor Coach	Up to 56	$275/hr

* Mercedes-Benz Limo Sprinter: very limited luggage space, approximately 1–2 suitcases depending on bag size and seating. For a day starting at SFO with bags, a second vehicle or a different configuration usually works better — tell us the luggage count and we will size it properly.

Maximum passenger and luggage capacity are not available at the same time — seats and cargo space compete. Tell us the bag count as well as the headcount and we will size it properly.

The arithmetic

What a 6-hour day starts at

The whole model is one line: hourly rate × hours, plus 20% gratuity on the base. Worked out below for each vehicle at 6 hours, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Executive Sedan

$95 × 6 hours: $570
20% gratuity: $114
Estimated starting total: $684

Full-Size Luxury SUV

$110 × 6 hours: $660
20% gratuity: $132
Estimated starting total: $792

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Shuttle

$125 × 6 hours: $750
20% gratuity: $150
Estimated starting total: $900

Mercedes-Benz Executive Sprinter

$145 × 6 hours: $870
20% gratuity: $174
Estimated starting total: $1,044

Mercedes-Benz Limo Sprinter

$175 × 6 hours: $1,050
20% gratuity: $210
Estimated starting total: $1,260

Executive Minibus

$195 × 6 hours: $1,170
20% gratuity: $234
Estimated starting total: $1,404

Motor Coach

$275 × 6 hours: $1,650
20% gratuity: $330
Estimated starting total: $1,980

Illustrative starting estimates — not guaranteed quotes. Each assumes the starting rate and nothing beyond base transportation plus gratuity. Final pricing is confirmed once we have seen the trip.

Credit-card payments add a 3% processing fee. The totals above do not include it, because it depends on how you choose to pay — Zelle is available without it.

Why quotes differ

What moves the final price

Six things, roughly in the order they matter. None is a surcharge — they are what makes one wine country day a different service from another.

The vehicle. A couple in a sedan and fourteen people in an Executive Sprinter are not the same job. Larger and more specialised vehicles carry higher hourly rates, and that gap compounds across a long day.
How long the day runs. Six hours and ten hours are different services, not the same service billed twice. Most of the difference between two quotes for the same vehicle is simply hours.
Where the day starts. A day beginning at a hotel in Napa or Sonoma spends almost all its hours between wineries. One beginning in San Francisco, at SFO or elsewhere around the Bay also has to reach wine country and come back, and that is part of the chauffeured day.
How many of you there are. Headcount decides which vehicles are even candidates. We would rather move you up a class than put six people in something that seats six on paper and four in comfort.
Luggage. The one people forget, and it bites hardest on days starting at an airport. A vehicle rated for a headcount will not always take that headcount plus their bags — most sharply the Limo Sprinter, which has room for roughly one or two suitcases.
The itinerary, and the date. Wineries spread across a county need more driving between them than three within a few miles, and a compact route leaves more of the day for tasting. Availability also shifts through harvest, weekends, holidays and large Bay Area events — not as a surcharge, but because what is free that day varies.

The vehicle question is worth its own read: how to choose a vehicle for a wine tour works through group size, luggage and road width together. Still deciding between regions? Napa or Sonoma settles that first, because it changes the driving.

Scope

What the rate covers

Included

We price the chauffeured transportation — the vehicle, the chauffeur and the driving. The ordinary running costs of providing that service, including fuel, tolls and applicable taxes, are part of what is quoted.

Anything unusual is named on the quote rather than assumed. An extraordinary parking charge, a special-event permit or a venue fee is disclosed before you commit, not afterwards.

Not included

Winery tastings and wine. Tasting fees and anything you buy are arranged and paid directly by you unless your reservation specifically states otherwise.
Meals and accommodation. Lunch, dinner and hotels are yours to book.
Winery reservations. We do not book your appointments as a matter of course — and tasting availability is usually the harder constraint, so book those first and the transportation around them.
Third-party experiences. Private tours, cave visits and hosted experiences are billed by whoever provides them.

Booking terms

Minimums, deposit and payment

Minimum booking. Most private Napa and Sonoma wine tours are booked with a six-hour minimum. The requirement can vary with the vehicle, where the day starts, the itinerary and the date. A day beginning in San Francisco, at SFO or elsewhere around the Bay usually runs longer than one starting at a hotel in wine country, because reaching the wineries and returning is part of the chauffeured day.
Gratuity. A 20% chauffeur gratuity is added to the base transportation rate. It appears as its own line on your quote — it is never folded into the hourly rate.
Deposit. A 50% deposit holds the vehicle and confirms the reservation, with the balance due by the service date. Where a deposit is not required for your booking, your quote says so.
Payment. Major credit cards and Zelle. Credit-card payments are subject to a 3% processing fee; Zelle is available without the credit-card processing fee. Whichever you choose, the amount appears on your quote rather than being added later. Zelle transfers are effectively final and carry none of the dispute protection a card gives you. Approved corporate accounts may be able to arrange direct billing.
Running over. A short overrun is normal on a tasting day and is not something we penalise. Beyond a ten-minute grace period, additional time is billed at the same hourly rate as the rest of your day, in one-hour increments. An extension depends on chauffeur and vehicle availability and cannot be guaranteed once the day is under way.

Cancellation terms depend on the vehicle — a Sprinter held for your date is one we have turned other work away for, so it carries longer notice than a sedan. The full terms, cancellation included, are on the terms page .

Starting point

Starting in San Francisco or at SFO

This is the single biggest reason two groups choosing the same vehicle receive very different quotes. A guest already staying in wine country spends the day moving between wineries. A group starting in the city is also buying the journey in and the journey back, which makes a longer chauffeured day before a single tasting happens.

It is not a penalty and there is no city surcharge — it is simply more hours of the same service. If your day starts at the airport, tell us the flight and the bag count when you enquire; luggage changes the vehicle answer more often than headcount does.

Both routes have their own page: SFO to Napa and SFO to Sonoma . For groups and corporate days, group wine tours and corporate wine tours cover how those are planned.

Questions

Common questions about pricing

Are these prices guaranteed?

No — they are starting rates. What you pay depends on the vehicle, how long the day runs, where it starts, the itinerary, how many of you there are, how much luggage comes along, the date, and what is available. Send us the day and we will quote it properly.

Is gratuity really added on top?

Yes, and we would rather say so here than surprise you at the quote. A 20% chauffeur gratuity is added to the base transportation rate and shown as its own line. Every example on this page already includes it in the total.

Why is there a minimum?

Most private Napa and Sonoma wine tours are booked with a six-hour minimum. The requirement can vary with the vehicle, where the day starts, the itinerary and the date. A day beginning in San Francisco, at SFO or elsewhere around the Bay usually runs longer than one starting at a hotel in wine country, because reaching the wineries and returning is part of the chauffeured day.

Do you book the winery tastings?

Not as a matter of course. Tasting fees, wine, meals and winery reservations are arranged and paid directly by you unless your reservation specifically says otherwise. What we price is the chauffeured transportation.

What happens if the day runs long?

A short overrun is normal on a tasting day and is not something we penalise. Beyond a ten-minute grace period, additional time is billed at the same hourly rate as the rest of your day, in one-hour increments. An extension depends on chauffeur and vehicle availability and cannot be guaranteed once the day is under way.

How much is due up front?

A 50% deposit holds the vehicle and confirms the reservation, with the balance due by the service date. Where a deposit is not required for your booking, your quote says so.

For the wider picture — what a whole Napa day costs once tastings and lunch are counted — see how much a private Napa wine tour costs .

Tell us the day and we will price it

The date, how many of you there are, and roughly where you want to go. We will come back with a real number rather than a range.

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