My family and I had an outstanding wine country experience with Lisa from Explore Wine Tour. Setting up the tour was easy as I dealt directly with Lisa who was most accommodating of my thoughts about the wineries to visit. Once the booking was made, she sent a lunch menu for us to make our selections. She picked us up promptly from our hotel and drove us to the Santa Ynez valley while giving us a quick history of the region and how it came to be a wine growing area. She picked three wineries for the tour, each of which was enjoyable in a somewhat different way. Lisa pretty much nailed what I had told her about our taste preferences. Lisa brought along lunch (per our choices) and laid out the table while we sampled the wines. She entertained us with stories about the wineries, how they were founded, what types of wines were each winery's strengths, etc. All in all it was a most enjoyable day and we have Lisa to thank for it. The tour is reasonably priced and includes the tasting fees, lunch, and transportation. read more

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Amazing experience with a knowledgeable, award-winning sommelier Lisa It was my friend's birthday and we did a tour for four. Lisa was absolutely amazing. She was so friendly and fun. Our friend left her sunglasses at one of our stops. Lisa called until she found them and then brought them to us right away Lisa even took our group's pictures all day and sent us a digital album with all the pictures she had taken I would absolutely recommend Explore Wines Tour to anyone looking for the perfect comfortable and safe wine day. read more

Explore Wines Tour - Wine Tours Near Me

I highly recommend booking with Explore Wines! Lisa was very flexible and catered this tour to best fit the needs of our group. She was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. She captured candid pictures of our group that were way better than our fuzzy selfies. We shopped around with other tours and this was the best price for a private tour. Thank you for a day that we'll never forget, Lisa! read more

Explore Wines Tour - Wine Tours Near Me

I would absolutely recommend Lisa for your wine tour needs. Our tour was personalized for our wine taste and for our event. She picked us up where we were staying in Ojai, gave us as much information that we wanted (and we wanted it all!) and took a ton of pictures for us because we were too busy enjoying our trip. I've used several companies in Santa Barbara and SLO. I will only use Lisa going forward. Thanks for making our sister's birthday a special day! read more

Lisa was fabulous from the minute she pulled up in her shiny sprinter. I highly recommend her services as a guide. She was terrific! Warm, welcoming & enthusiastic, she immediately started sharing her knowledge of wine in California and a few tid bits about the area. I lapped it up- I'm a history junky though, but she offers a disclaimer- she'll only tell you as much or as little as you're interested in learning. It's the Goldilocks rule- I'm telling you, Lisa is a pro at this and a consummate professional. My husband & I were discerning before booking this adventure. Having tasted quite regularly in Los Olivos and other parts of Santa Ynez, we wanted to pick a guide more knowledge than us who could bring us to places we hadn't ventured. We had guests in town who had never experienced the area so we also wanted to be sure they had a banner experience. We called multiple vendors rated through yelp, and after interviewing Lisa, felt as though we'd be in great hands. Our itinerary would be 3 wineries, all with outstanding wines- each with a distinct location, ambiance and style. The first would be more educational, the 2nd more experiential, the 3rd more commercial tasting room, & the 4th a bonus, adventure! I don't want to spoil the fun & name the wineries, or betray Lisa's agenda but I can say this much- we had some of the best wines I've ever tasted. That includes tasting in the multiple regions of California. I was floored by these jammie syrahs. They were incredible! Also a fact- we purchased wine at each location we went to. They were that good. Lisa is incredibly adept at putting together itineraries based on your goals. We wanted a mix- starting with an educational, off the main strip location. She delivered a beautiful spot with a magnanimous owner. Our next location brought us to a beautiful setting where we were able to off-road tour through the grapes. It was so fun! Bucket list - box checked. Our 3rd location was a place I've driven by time & time again but never stopped at. I was so happy to be introduced to this winery. Their wines were delectable! Our last location featured my favorite vitner of the day. A young, entrepreneurial wine maker getting his footing but who has all the markings for success. Meaning- killer vino. See Lisa Stoll with explorer wines tour. Her chariot, a large black Mercedes sprinter is cool & comfortable interlude between tastings & she is as friendly as the day is long. read more

With Lisa in Wine Wonderland I wanted something special for my friends when I was searching for a wine tour. I nailed it with Lisa at Explore Wine Tour. Lisa's knowledge, flexibility and patience blended well with her passion for wine and winemaking. I asked her for a unique experience to include Santa Maria wineries. Our full-day journey took us from tasting on a sunlit patio at a private winery to meeting a winemaker at his production facility for a down-in-the-tranches, behind-the-scenes tour. The tour was a few hours longer than expected, but we're not complaining, as Lisa did not charge us for her extra time. Excellent wine all day long, generous people all around, and good humor on top of it. That was our day with Lisa in wine wonderland. Unforgettable. Thank you. read more

We LOVED Explore Wines Tour! Our day was everything we hoped it would be and so much more. Tour guide, Lisa, was so sweet. She was accommodating, informative, and so fun to be around all day. The van was large and clean. The food was AMAZING. The wineries were beautiful (and the tasting fees were all included in her price). It was the perfect day. We had a little extra time and Lisa took us to a fourth winery. Super flexible. She even took our group's picture all day and sent us a digital album with all the pictures she had taken and edited! I would absolutely recommend Explore Wines Tour to anyone looking for the perfect fun and safe wine day. I will absolutely be booking again!! read more

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We had a great day wine tasting with Lisa. Her knowledge of wine and the Santa Inez region was extensive and added to our experience.

Where do I even begin?!.... Ladies and Gentlemen, Lisa is back in action post COVID19 and boy she did not disappoint! She has such a warm and hospitable personality - being around her is like being wrapped up in a soft warm blanket while enjoying a glass of wine on a cool evening overlooking a vineyard. She's energetic and personable and will be as involved with your tour as you want her to be. She gave us moments of privacy to soak up sights, sounds, and tastes, and then splashed right back in at the moments you needed to tap into her expertise and hospitality. She loves to get photos of her guests and will happily provide those to you so you can walk down memory lane in following days, months, and years. She is a human encyclopedia full of wine knowledge! We learned so much about the Santa Ynez wine valley and how it fits globally into the world of wine. She broke down many concepts for us new and old, as well as offered up history and insights that you won't necessarily find online or in books. She is her own Google that won't return 404 errors or experience connectivity issues. Now onto the tour. Lisa curated a wine tour for us dubbed the "Reconnaissance Tour" due to COVID19. If you are open minded and want some adventure and elements of charming surprise I highly recommend you ask for this tour (Lisa - sorry but not sorry for publicizing this). She put together an itinerary based on our personal taste preferences but we also let her know that we really wanted to expand our tastings to include wines that go beyond our comfort zone and localized to this wine country. We had a smorgasbord of experiences that only someone of her caliber would be able to put together - there's no way we could have replicated the itinerary much less found the wineries she brought us to. Each winery was so special and offered generous tastings. This isn't Napa Valley folks - be prepared to do some serious tastings, spend some time, and revel in the stories that are unique to each winery. There were even a couple places she took us to where we were the only guests - super VIP status. One place even had goats that we were able to feed and pet!! (I'm a huge animal lover so this was a bonus for me). I can not say enough great things about Lisa and the memories she made for our trip. She incorporates lots of special touches to ensure you're comfortable and cared for during your tour. She is a Master Somm, Host and Story Teller. We are so fortunate to have found Lisa and Explore Wines. read more

My husband surprised me with this tour for my birthday last weekend. I have always wanted to go to Santa Barbara's wine country and his idea of taking a tour was perfect. Lisa, our guide and certified sommelier, was great! She had great information and history throughout our trip. The drive was beautiful and she made it even better by pointing out sights & sharing stories. In the beginning she asked us if we knew what kind of wines we enjoyed and from there she took us to our first winery. She made sure to observe what we enjoyed and disliked and tailored the rest of our trip to our tastes. She led us to what are now our fave wines (by the way, my husband and I have different tastes). We were picked up from our hotel and We went to 4 wineries. She also had us pick from a lunch menu before the trip and we enjoyed our delicious sandwiches at a picnic table at one of the wineries. She provided plenty of water and made sure to take a picture of us at every winery. Which, was great, because we kept forgetting to take pictures ourselves. During the tastings, she would step out and just let us enjoy ourselves. You can tell she has a good relationship with the wineries and we were able to take a behind the scenes tour through one of them. The ride was very very comfortable. I highly recommend this tour! They also have a wine, cheese and chocolate tour in Ventura, which we will definitely be going to someday. read more

Explore Wines does more than just drive you up to the vineyards, Lisa Stoll is an amazing Wine Educator. She starts her introduction to Wine as soon as you get her lovely, comfortable van and begin your journey. Her knowledge of the wine industry is extensive and she presents it in a very enjoyable manner. She has relationships with many wineries and has preferred status so her guests can enjoy better service than most. She brings along a wonderful lunch/snack for you to enjoy at one of the many beautiful outdoor settings. Explore Wines did a fantastic job for me. All my friends were extremely impressed with the quality of the tour, the interesting facts we learned about wine and the fun, relaxing day we had touring the Santa Ynez Valley. Great job! I will definitely do this again and recommend her highly. Cheers! read more

Amazing! We came in from NYC and booked with Lisa, and it was an amazing day. Lisa took the best care of us, and we cannot recommend her enough. We have done tours in Australia and South Africa, and this was up there with them. She was an amazing guide, taught us so much, and was so great to hang out with and talk to all day. 5 Stars, can't wait to go back to SB and tour more wineries with her soon. read more

I was able to book a tour for just myself and a friend without it costing a fortune! We got the best personalized group tour around. We were able to get a history of wine making! It was a wonderful day! Lisa is truly an amazing woman to take a tour from! She took the best care of us showing us every part of the wine making process! Love love love! read more

Me and my significant other did 4 Ventura wineries, and on top of having a bunch of different wines to taste, we even got to punch down some Zinfandel. Lisa was very fun and informative, and she even went above and beyond by giving us a ride all the way to our next boat tour and got us there just in time :D will be coming back for her other tours, since she does different ones throughout the year!!! https://instagram.com/p/74Vx5gpAsH/ read more

Lisa is fantastic! Very informative/educational trip, she shared so much knowledge of the area as well as wines around the world. The snack she provided was fantastic, just what we needed to keep on going. I've been on other tours and this was definitely top notch! read more

Explore Wines Tour - This was taken at one of the wineries during our tour. Lisa is on the far right; she was an AWESOME guide! - Wine Tours Near Me

Can not say enough good things about Lisa and Explore Wines. Lisa organized a fantastic day for my small company - she picked us up, took us to a tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, and then we headed up to a few vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. It was obvious she has a great relationship with these wineries - we were treated like VIP everywhere. And while we drove from one destination to the next Lisa gave us an overview of the region's history with wine - very educational and entertaining. Highly recommend!! read more

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I am so glad I called Lisa of Explore Wines I had friends come into town that had never been to Southern California let alone a Wine Tour. They were very impressed as well as my Wife and I on how much information Lisa gave us on the surrounding areas along with her being a certified Sommelier. She was able to show our friends what it takes to recognize how to distinguish the smell and taste of red wines. She took us to the Santa Ynez Valley where there are many wineries and wine tasting rooms. I definitely would recommend her to my friends and family and anybody that reads this, you will not be disappointed. Gene O read more

As a birthday gift for my 50th my girlfriends hired Lisa for our very own personalized wine tour! Lisa was so much fun! She not only knows wine but she knows the winery's that she takes you to and the wine makers! Talk about a personal experience!! We were all thrilled beyond belief with our day! Lisa brought us to three winery's and provided a picnic soirée at the 2nd winery. I learned so much about wine and the wine making process! I even got to "punch down" grapes! Highly highly recommend Explore Wines for your next wine tasting excursion!!' read more

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This wine tour far surpassed our expectations! Lisa was extremely knowledgeable and a fantastic host. The three wineries we visited were all great and the owners were all very attentive to our group. Would definitely recommend read more

This is the tour you want for your Santa Barbara trip! It was my brother's birthday and we did a tour for four. Lisa was absolutely amazing. She customized our trip based on the types of wines we liked as well as what we wanted to learn. Her vast knowledge was amazing. She was so friendly and fun. My sister in law left her sunglasses at one of our stops. Lisa called until she found them and then brought them to us the next day! It was actually like hanging out with a new friend. read more

New wine tour for Explore Wine Tour! Wine, chocolate and cheese.... Fun day all local in Ventura County. Meet the winemakers and relax and let Lisa do the driving. We had a great day visiting; Strey Cellars, Magnavino Cellars, and Rancho Ventavo Cellars. read more

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I had a tour with them recently and i have to say that the experience was above my expectations. Lisa is very nice and highly knowlegeable! I learned a lot about the wine country and the wine making, we visited some wonderful vineyards and were welcomed very well. Our gourmet lunch was set up on a outside table during one of our visit so everything was ready after the tasting, we even had the last pour with our meal. I highly recommend Explore Wines Tour, they are worthwhile! read more

Book your wine tour with Lisa at Explore Wines-- it doesn't get any better! From the initial point of contact on the phone, Lisa made it clear that she knows her stuff but isn't a snooty somm. She asked questions about what kinds of wine we like, what we usually drink, and took it from there. Even though she had a thoughtfully crafted itinerary when she picked us up (in a spotless Sprinter van, water bottles aplenty), she demonstrated her expertise and flexibility by noting what wine we were in the mood for and changing up the day on the spot based on our desires. We ended up going to 4 amazing wineries. It's clear that Lisa has excellent professional relationships with the people at each winery, and they totally bent over backward for us. We also ordered sandwiches ahead of time, and Lisa had the most adorable setup for our lunch for two. Depending on where you stay in town, there can be a fair amount of driving involved on an excursion like this. During the rides we peppered Lisa with all kinds of questions about just about everything: wine (naturally), the region, her background as a sommelier, places to eat in town, etc. There was nothing she didn't know. She was absolutely, 100% incredible, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for an amazing day checking out the killer wines Santa Barbara has to offer! read more

Lisa is an amazing wealth of knowledge and the tour was one of the best I've been on. Highly recommend!

Honestly I was skeptical with having a driver and a tour. But all the four girlfriends I went with opted to do this and I was game. Our driver Lisa turned out to be extremely knowledgeable about wine and not snobby about it. She took us to four wineries, one of which was only open to private tours (Pence), and another tour that took us on a tour of the property (Martian). After driving several hours to solvang, the last thing we wanted to do was worry about the driving. She even handled the little details like lunch with dishes, napkins, and tablecloths. The price includes all the wine tastings so at the end of the day, if you are going to hire a driver, the cost is similar. This was a perfect arrangement for a girls getaway trip. I don't recommend this for bachelorette parties though. read more

My fiancée and I stayed in Ojai over a weekend last Fall and were surprised to find that most of the wine tour companies did not serve Ojai valley. After calling around, we stumbled across Explore Wines. Lisa was very accommodating, asking us whether quality of wine or views on the tour was more important to us and drove all the way out into the sticks to pick us up. The tour was so much fun. We got a full-fledged history of wine making in California and as a card carrying sommelier, Lisa really knew here stuff. We'll definitely take another tour with her. read more

My wife and I took this tour because we did not know anything about wines. Lisa started by picking us up at our house and driving us to the wineries. Lisa was superb in educating us on wines and took us to several wineries so we could taste different wines from the different areas in Santa Barbara/Santa Maria. She is extremely knowledgable on the wines and the growing areas and she was very helpful in help us to find our tastes by tailoring the winery tour to us. I cannot say enough good things about Lisa. Take the tour with Lisa and you will really enjoy it. Thank you for everything Lisa! read more

Anyone with a bus can give you just a ride to some wineries (and so can Explore Wines actually from what I understand), but what makes me rate this tour company 5 stars is: reasonably priced comfortable transportation, as much or as little information that you arrange with her to learn. Lisa's company Explore Wines caters to her tour-goers with attention to the details. Her love of wine and her vast knowledge is enjoyably shared. Due to her connections to the wineries, we got the the VIP treatment. If you want to have a really good time and learn something (painlessly and enjoyably), this is the tour to pick! read more

Did this for my husbands 40th birthday. We learned so much from Lisa. She is an excellent sommelier! We are hoping to do the longer trip in the future. We found many wines that we enjoyed. read more

Lisa was a fantastic guide for our Santa Barbara wine tour. She picked three amazing wineries for us to visit that we never would have found on our own, each with a unique experience. She customized the day according to our interests and wine preferences. She was incredibly knowledgeable and shared fascinating stories about the history of wine. She was not at all pretentious and was very kind and friendly. The door to door transportation in her very comfortable van was great as well. She also provided a delicious lunch in a gorgeous setting. We will remember this experience for a very long time and would highly recommend her tour to any group looking for a fun, educational and very memorable day! read more

My friends and I booked a local wine tasting tour to celebrate our birthdays. Lisa came and picked us up and took us to 4 different local wineries. She gave us a history of wine making and wine making in our local area. Her knowledge of wines and wine making is amazing! We learned a lot during this adventure. It is also very apparent that she is well liked and respected at the wineries we attended! Super fantastic day! I am already looking forward to my next wine tasting tour with her! read more

Lisa was awesome! She picked our group of 6 up in Ojai (the only tour that even does that!). We spent the day going to three awesome wineries. Lisa took the time to explain lots of little details to us about the wine and how wine is made. Each winery had great staff and also took their time with us. The lunch provided by Explore Wines was DELICIOUS! Our group comes from NYC, so we though finding gourmet paninis on the west coast that were as good as NYC was going to be a challenge but they exceeded that! Lisa took us to Solvang to do a little exploring on our way back to Ojai. AND being without a car, she drove us to our final destination for the night. All in all, one of the greatest Cali experiences we've ever had! read more

Went on an outstanding wine tour today, hosted by Lisa. The information that was passed onto our party, combined with the wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley we visited, created a perfect and informative day. The wines we sampled were great, good enough that I joined the wine club at one of the wineries. Private attention from the owners of the wineries made things even more engaging and nice. Couldn't have asked for a better day! read more

I was searching for fun things to do in Ventura. Fortunately I saw several 5 star reviews for Explore Wines. Lisa the CEO of Explore Wines picked us up at our hotel. With over 120 wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley we left it up to our expert which ones we'd visit. Lisa is a Sommelier and a Blind Wine Tasting Champion. She could easily win the Wikepedia award for Wine Savant. She is fun, entertaining and incredibly down to earth. The perfect teacher for us "porch pounders." We passed through charming towns like Los Olivas and Solvang. The whole day swept our hearts away. Gods country!!!!! Will You Go Back?? Absolutely!!!!!!! read more

Lisa Stoll is our expert on wines, especially local ones! I took her tour about a year ago with my boyfriend and some other friends. Even though I'm friends with LIsa, I was simply blown away by her level of knowledge and professionalism on her tour. I became a fan of the Santa Ynez wines on that tour and would love to go back and tour with her. Whether you are hosting a corporate event, or simply hanging with some good friends, this tour is definitely a treat! read more

Lisa is literally the best guide ever! She is an impressively educated somm, plays fun games on the drive up, and is genuinely a wonderful person. More than a great wine tour - she loves what she does, and it shows. Can't wait to be up in Santa Barbara again! Thanks for a great weekend! Xo the ladies of MRD House. read more

Amazing experience with a knowledgeable, award-winning sommelier. Lisa taught us so much about the science and history behind wine, and so much we did not know about the region. A wonderful day, customized to what we wanted to experience. We could not have asked for more!! read more

I have to say that I was never more engaged and entertained at the same time! Very knowledgeable and personable driver - I would recommend this service to anyone! read more

My son and I took the "Explore Wine Tour" today. Lisa, a sommelier was incredible. Her knowledge of the wineries we visited and the history of wine was amazing. I learned so much more on this wine tour than any of my other previous California tours. My son, just 21 was just as fascinated by her knowledge of the wines and why certain foods taste better when balanced with the proper wine.. The wineries we visited, Brander, Demetria's and Koehler were all unique. The views were spectacular and the lunch delicious. It was a day to remember. Rebecca read more

A friend and I had an amazing wine tour by Lisa. I had been hoping to have more people on the tour but we really lucked out in the end with a private tour. Lisa took us to 4 wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley. All were great. Lisa is well informed about the wineries, the wine making process and the history of the area. Lisa is very accommodating and asks a lot of questions to determine which winery she thinks you would enjoy most. We couldn't have been happier with the tour! I look forward to touring with Lisa again and highly recommend Explore Wines Tour read more