Long Island Wine Country VIP Tours

Ever since the tour guides were deunionized these tours are awful. They were never anything special to begin with. Who wants to be on a hot bus in the blazing sun in insane traffic? Bleh

My friends and I parfticipated in a Long Island Wine Country Tour on 5÷12÷12 and we had a fantastic time. The tour started with a quick, but informative lesson by Chris, the owner/​CEO of the company, on the basics of wine tasting as such. As promised, we visited three vineyards where we were served five samples of their wines, with a little backround of each. A very knowledgeable sommelier accompanied our tour and was very knowledgeable thorough in her explanations, answering all questions and providing fun facts. Both Chris and the sommelier (sorry I couldn’t remember her name off the top of my head) were very nice and personable so the tour did not feel snarky or snooty at all as some wine tours may seem.
Lunch was served at a nice Italian restaurant in between the three vineyards. We received a salad, choice of one of three entrees and a bag of cookies to take with us as dessert. All was included unless you had ordered alcohol, which was fair. The food was very good and there was enough time to eat and relax in between vineyard stops.
The only issue I had was that the choice of samples were not to my liking, but this is not indicative of the quality of the tour by any means, just personal preference. Laurel Lakes Vineyards was by far my favorite with a more laid back setting (and my favorite samples as well).
Overall the tour was relaxing, informative and fun! I’d recommend the tour to friends or family interested in a fun day out.

What a great trip!
Timely pick up at all locations on a very nice coach bus. Driver was excellent– no fears!
Chris the owner and our guide was informative, pleasant and fun. To ensure that no one got to tipsy, Chris provided snacks and water to keep us full and hydrated. At each winery, of which there were 3, we learned more and more. I had no idea I prefer un-​oaked wine! Look Ma, I learned something! Stopped for a lovely lunch at A Mano– highly recommend the orecchiette with veal sausage.
The whole experience was just a pleasure and I highly recommend it. Good for couples, friends, or anyone who wants to have a fun day out in BEAUTIFUL Long Island Wine Country.

We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2010, along with our friends, by taking a Wine Country tour of Eastern Long Island. What an absolute treat! Chris is a wonderful tour guide and we had a perfect day. Terrific value for an entire day tour which included 3 wineries and lunch. We all agreed it’s something we would do again and again. I definitely recommend this tour.

A friend and I wanted to go check out the Long Island wineries w/​o the hassle of renting a car and driving. So we paid the overpriced tour group package price and I was sorely disappointed. Let’s compare what’s promised w. what’s delivered:
1. Promised: Round trip transportation in a luxury motor coach with expert tour guide.
Delivered: Tour guide went 1 way w. us, then on the way back told people at 1 stop to help the driver out w. directions because it was the driver’s 1^st time doin the trip. .. and tour guide wasn’t coming back w. us.
2. Promised: VIP tours and wine tasting at three prestigious winery estates.
Delivered: We sat around OUTSIDE in 90+ heat getting 5 shots of wine at the 1^st winery. No tour. The 2^nd stop wasn’t a winery, but some grape grower’s backyard, with not enough chairs for everyone, hello ground. Stop #3 was a real winery w. a real wine tour and an informative lesson where 50+ ppl fought to get their ¹⁄₁₀ glass of wine and where cheese, pepperoni & olives was paired w. a shot of Riesling and sparking white dessert wine.
3. Promised: Complimentary snacks and water served onboard the motor coach
Delivered: We got bottled water.
4. Promised: Gourmet winery lunch with a selection of three delicious entrees. Includes salad and bottled water.
Delivered: Boxed lunch w. limp Cesar salad and a croissantwich.
The «guide» Chris though, always had a full glass of wine, 1^st, in his hand, and seemed to have a GREAT time.
However, I came back sober and cranky. Never again.