Do we need a "driver" in Wine Country?
 

We are going to be staying in Healdsburg and visiting wineries in Napa and Sonoma and the Russian River Valley. Is it worth it to pay a drive? How much do they charge? ARe there any good clusters of wineries that we could make a good bike trip out of?

It is worth it, considering the .08% BAC versus the cost of a DUI and a ruined vacation - and potentially more ruin.

Please hire a transporter and completely relax.

Agree with Rex. Police in the wine country are attuned more than elsewhere to aberrant driving, you may well get stopped for something that would go almost unnoticed elsewhere, like one wheel briefly crossing the center line, or taking a turn a bit fast. They definitely do not cut a break because you're just wine tasting.

Also, this weekend is the Memorial Day holiday, so there will undoubtedly be sobriety checkpoints deployed.

hello Wingfoot, I too agree with rex and sequoia and their advice. The price to hire a limo when you and your group can completely relax and not have to drive is such a better decision than visiting wineries and then driving on country roads and having the possibility of getting a DUI at a minimum or if you cause an accident counting on jail time. A limo and a driver is money well spent.

Those who have lost love ones will also appreciate you doing this!

What is the going rate for car and driver? We are heading to Napa in June.

Here's one possibility:

http://www.reservewinetours.com/details.htm

You can find others by Googling on Napa Valley Limousine services.

Happy tasting!

We went to Napa in March and were very surprised by the increased police presence. Frankly, we did not get a driver. We planed on keeping the driving to a min. by visiting the wineries in clusters according to their proximity to one another, took along lots of water and munchies to help slow down the effects of the wine and spread out the tasting over several hours. However, I did see someone get pulled over (may not necessarily have been a DUI) and became a little nervous myself.

side note : a DUI on a bicycle is the same as a DUI in a car in California. I'm a cyclist.

Here's the article with taxi cost information - straight from Napa.

http://www.napanews.com/templates/in...C-50CEBC249BB7