I wish there were more stars. Steven was phenomenal. He was right on time to meet us, friendly, chill, and soooo knowledgeable. He had a ton of recommendations and ideas but wasn't pushy about any of them. We had a relatively good idea about where we wanted to spend the day and he was happy to oblige, filling in the gaps and adding a few highlights. And pointing out cool things like olive trees and snakes and artichoke bushes. =) We had brought food for a picnic, but had we not, he knew exactly where to stop and where the best picnic spots are. Feel free to go to wine country empty handed with nary a plan, and you can trust Steven to orchestrate the day. He also gave us some great recommendations for the following day, which ended up being just as much fun as the first (minus, of course, Steve himself). So yes, the man is friendly, smart, cool, and offers totally reasonable rates. We kind of forgot we'd hired him - it was more like having a friend along who knew everything. He's the perfect companion for a day in wine country. Hire the Wine Country Driver for sure. read more

Steve is the best! He picked us up at our B&B to drive our rental car for the day ($25/hr - very reasonable) and helped us round out our winery stops. Steve gave us all kinds of great info about the area and places to see - he even went and got us some amazing Mexican food so we could eat at an outdoor picnic area along the way. We will absolutely call Steve next time we're in Napa. read more

This is the way to tour wine country. Steven is punctual, courteous, knowledgeable about the wineries and incredibly affordable. He chauffeurs you around to the wineries in your own rental car so you can drink as much as you want and not have to worry about getting a DUI. Then he drives you back to your hotel. Steven met us at our hotel right on time. We took a brief detour to the Budget dealership so he could sign on as a driver for our rental car (no extra charge) and then we were on our way to the wineries. We had a few picked out but we also wanted his recommends. And the ones he took us to were top notch. It was raining off and on that day, so when we were walking out of one winery he was standing outside the door with an umbrella so we wouldn't get drenched walking to the car. What a gentleman! Steven was incredibly patient and we never felt rushed. He's also a native so he knows the area very well and told us a lot about various wineries and the vineyards as we were driving around. If you are looking for a driver in wine country, I couldn't recommend Steven enough. This really is the way to go. read more

We hired Steven Gardner with WineCountryDriver.Com to be our designated driver while touring wineries in the Napa Valley. Steven was prompt, courteous and offered suggestions on how to schedule the wineries we wanted to visit to optimize our time and best plan our route to and from our hotel. The best part about his service is Steven will drive your vehicle. (If you have a rental car -- you will need to make arrangements to add him to your contract in advance.) Once booked, Steven reviewed our itinerary and made suggestions. He encouraged our group to make appointments in advance. His assistance before our tour -- AND throughout our event -- was incredibly valuable. No one in our party had to sit out in order to be the designated driver -- with WineCountryDriver -- everyone can participate and enjoy the day. read more

Want to keep it simple - visit wineries that are off the beaten track, drink wine, and not worry about a designated driver? This is THE way to experience Napa without hiring a limousine. It's simple - give him your location, the hours you'd like to hire him (6 hr. minimum), ask for recommendations and a timeline, and get ready for a perfect day in your own car - he'll drive you! Not only providing outstanding service and industry insight, his winery recommendations were fantastic. Kuleto Estate Winery (and tasting) was one of the most memorable experiences we've ever had. Along with only one other couple, we had the place to ourselves, enjoyed a fantastic tour and received generous pours accompanying unbeatable cheeses. We would have never known about Kuleto if it hadn't been for Steven! Wine Country Driver - simply unbeatable! read more

Steve was awesome! As soon as we booked him, we knew this was going to be a great experience. We'd told him this was our first trip to Napa Valley, so he sent us a pretty detailed list of wineries and his recommendations. We decided that we would make an appointment for a tour at one vineyard, but we wanted to keep our day open and flexible and just enjoy our time out there. Steve met us at our B&B and hopped into our rental car with a cooler of water to keep us hydrated between wineries. We drove to the rental company location in town, spent about 3 minutes signing the release, and we set off on our Napa adventure (don't get too stressed about this part - Steve will walk you through everything). He is super easy to talk to and we immediately were comfortable with him. We told him some things we liked and what we were looking to get out of the trip, and he recommended a wonderful winery to start off our day, Plump Jack (check it out!). After that, we were off to get to our vineyard tour. On our way to all of the wineries, Steve would point out places that he thought were interesting, or tell us fun facts about the area or places we passed. And when we would get to each winery, he would walk us to the tasting areas and show us around a bit. It was pretty cool because most of the people there knew him. We were VIP! After we finished up our vineyard tour, Steve recommended two other wineries to check out, which were also awesome. We ended up pick up a few bottles from each place and assembling our case to ship back home (Steve also recommended a place in town that had good shipping rates). Steve even helped us with our dinner reservations that night. We told him we were thinking about a few places and he gave us the run down on each one. He knows the area so well and really gives you a fun experience. All in all, the whole day was perfect, thanks to Steve. His recommendations were spot on and really fun. And he's a great guy that was really fun to hang out with for the day! I would recommend him to anyone and everyone and we'll definitely be back again! read more

We had the pleasure of hiring Steven for two days last week during our anniversary trip to Napa & SF. His local knowledge and skillful driving were really helpful, as this was our first trip to Napa. He's easy-going and funny, and we really enjoyed spending time with him. For anyone who might feel a bit awkward about hiring a "driver", don't, because Steven is really cool and laid back. Not snobbish or put-offish at all! Balance that with professionalism, and there you have it. A great trip, just what we wanted, just where we wanted to go, and a couple of surprise locations that were definitely hits. Hire him! He's totally worth it. :) read more

Perfect way to experience Napa! Knowledge and super-friendly service made the day stress-free. read more

Wine Country Drivers - Wine Tours Near Me

Yelp never disappoints... and this is yet another time that this site led me to an absolute gem! Steve is fantastic. I realized he doesn't have an unfiltered new(er) review on here so I thought I would post one in hopes that the Yelp gods that be realize this is a for real review and leave it unfiltered. He is professional, friendly, funny, timely, thoughtful, and I could go on and on. Cost is now $30 per hour, and completely worth it! Thinking of getting a driver to make sure you're safe and legal while enjoying the area? Look no further... and RUN, don't walk, to his website. You're gonna wanna book him right NOW! He helped make our trip one of our best long weekends ever. Thank you Steve! read more

Steve was AMAZING! I feel so lucky I found him online (thanks, yelpers)! He drove us around for a full day in Sonoma. He is so laid back and full of great information about the wineries. He not only told us about the wineries, but he brought us to this amazing little market in Glen Ellen (the Glen Ellen Market, actually), for lunch, and we got some tabouli, couscous, and a panini-- all of which were incredible. This is really the way to see Sonoma (or Napa). It took all of 5 minutes to get Steve added as a driver to our rental car (but I didn't know any of this until Steve told me -- right away, in our emails, he told me what would have to be done, he recommended wineries, he just took care of everything.) And he brought bottled water- which was muchhhh appreciated after all the wine tasting! Definitely go with him if you can get him! Also- just as a last note- Steve is incredibly responsive. He always got back to me quickly, which I appreciated very much! read more

Many thanks to Steve for being such a good sport, and a great driver for the two days we used him while we were in Napa this past weekend. It was a girls trip, and we decided to hire a driver to drive our rental car so that we could all drink lots without having to worry! Steve was phenomenal. He showed up right on time, knew exactly where he was going the entire day, and recommended a few wineries that weren't on our itinerary as well as an awesome lunch stop. My sister had a little too much wine and by the end of the second day was well on her way to the bad side of drunk, but Steve pulled over and let her do her thing. All with a smile! Great guy, and extremely knowledgeable about the area, not to mention extremely affordable. This is a very easy way to tour Napa without the hassle of dealing with a "tour".... I HIGHLY recommend him! read more

Steve drove us around Napa a couple weeks ago. He's extremely knowledgeable of the area, professional, and considerate. We will absolutely be calling him again next time we are in town. Thanks for a great day Steve! read more

It didn't make sense to me to pay for one of those generic wine tours when you can hire Steve for around the same price! He was professional, friendly and very accommodating. He knew the area and suggested wineries based on what we liked. Would definitely recommend his service! read more

My friends and I hired Steven for the day and it was worth every penny. He was so good at his job. Any time we stepped outside the door from the winery he was pulling the car up to pick us up. I would highly recommend him and will use him anytime I go to wine country! read more

Incredible wine tour through the Napa Valley! As two experienced wine connoisseur's Steve was beyond anything we could have hoped for. From his knowledge of the history of the region to his extremely professional demeanor we had one of the best Napa experiences possible. We were also very fortunate to speak with Steve prior to planning the trip (something I would suggest) and his recommendations for the wineries proved to be a great balance of fun and quality wine. We visited wineries we had never heard of, off the beaten path, and were very impressed. Kuleto was by far our favorite and the most fun! The glass is always half full at Kuleto! A driver is a must coming out of there! Steve also provided us with water, ice chests for our lunch, wine boxes and even drove our car! Initially we planned on a 5 hour tour and it quickly turned into 8. We look forward to our next wine adventure with Steve. Sean and Tracy read more

I most highly recommend Wine Country Driver. This service provides professional and personal attention at a fraction of the cost of hiring a sedan or limo. I happened upon Steven's website through Google and I couldn't be happier to have found him! We used Wine Country Driver for two days of touring in Napa/Spring Mountain district. Steve is a limo driver as well as operating Wine Country Driver, and it shows in his professionalism and attention to detail. He will meet you at your hotel or a pre-arranged destination and will be your "designated driver" in your personal car or rental car. He shows up exactly on time and will bring a cooler if you let him know in advance that you plan to bring a picnic lunch. As a local, he has a wealth of knowledge about the area and had great recommenations and insider information we wouldn't have had access to if we were touring Napa on our own. Don't hesitate to use Wine Country Driver. It was a great decision for us because we didn't have to wonder if we were spending too much money on a limo service and it saved us the hassle of trying to drive ourselves so we could focus on enjoying our wine tasting experience! read more

Steve was great! He had great suggestions for places to taste and to picnic. He couldn't have been nicer for the 2 days he drove us!

**Great Service, Great Price** Highly Recommend He knew everything about the area, was professional and was a fun guy to talk to. We would have wondered around and wasted a lot of time without him. My wife and I visited the Napa area for the first time on Valentine's Day weekend. A friend had told me to get someone to drive us around 1) for legal purposes 2) becuase we didn't know where we were going. Steve met us one time, knew everything about the area, knew which wineries were open and which ones needed reservations, where to eat, and which wineries were not worth going to. The cool thing is we didn't have a set schedule and weren't stuck with a bunch of people we didn't know or too many drunks. Plus for a wine "tour" you might not have a choice of where you are going and you'll end up paying a lot more. Our day was leisurely and at our own pace. It rained part of our day and Steve made sure to bring an umbrella. He also was present with the car whenever we were ready to go so we weren't wet. I have to admit, booking someone online was a little wierd at first. But I trusted the other reviews and advice of a friend. My wife and I were very happy we booked the Wine Country Driver. Thanks again Steve. read more

Didn't get to use the service, but Deanna was really great in helping us with reservation and subsequent change of plans due to one of our party being sick. Please use these guys, will make your Napa experience so much better read more

Steve was awesome! This review is a little delayed- we were in Napa in April 2011- but someone just asked me for a napa driver recommendation and immediately I thought of Steve and how great he was, so I had to log on and give him his well earned props. Before we even embarked on our trip to wine country, he helped us pick vineyards and prepared an itinerary for us via email based on a couple places that were a "must see" for us and a bunch that he knew were amazing. He picked us up at our hotel in downtown Napa and drove us in our rental car to napa and sonoma for about 7-8 hours. We would have stayed out longer but sadly the wineries close around 5pm. He was knowledgeable and reasonably priced, and every single one of his suggestions were spot on- better than our "must sees"! He even picked the perfect mountainside spot for us to have a picnic lunch catered by a delicious gourmet market he recommended. We will definitely book Steve again when we return to Napa- I wish we were going tomorrow! read more

Planning another trip to wine country this year and realized I never reviewed Steve from our trip last October. Steve was a huge success. His recommendations were spot on. I'm not sure how we would've found so many off the beaten path wineries without him. He made it super easy, was very knowledgeable and my fiancee and I enjoyed his company. Can't recommend him highly enough! read more

I booked Steve for a day in 2011, but I still recommend him to anyone I know visiting Napa. He showed up on time, with a cooler full of ice for our lunch and future wine purchases. We booked our own appointments and built our itinerary, but since we are mostly testers (not as much buyers) he added a few places to keep up going. When it rained, he'd meet us at the door with a giant umbrella. He'd open my car door. He brought us to a beautiful park to have our picnic lunch which had great views of the valley. I think if you use him as a driver and area expert you will have a wonderful and safe (and DUI free) visit to napa. read more

We hired Tom Paynter as our driver and he was excellent. Tom knows Napa Valley well, where you need reservations or not, what others liked, places close by, etc. Tom was very reliable, always on-time (early actually), never any confusion about the plan. Tom drove our Hertz minivan with 4 of us, great conversation. It was perfect, we would hire Tom again. read more

Steve is an excellent driver and guide if you want to ditch overcrowded bus tours and have a real, local expert give you a personal tour of wine country. We aren't the "limousine" type of folk. So this service is an excellent alternative to the overpriced and impersonal tour buses and limousine services. Steve asked about our wine interests and worked with us to plan a wine tour. As part of our tour package, Steve drove all the way down to Oakland to pick us up. The tour package we chose includes Steve driving OUR car (he has a professional chauffeur license). He took the driver seat and we were off on our all-day tour of wine country. Steve is a real wine country expert and we had great conversation between wineries. He directed us to some excellent on-the-path and off-the-path wineries (including a non-traditional winery called Roshambo that I highly recommend!). He is a real professional, and I highly recommend his services. read more

We just spent the day touring the Russian River Valley with Steven. We booked with him after reading his awesome reviews on yelp and they were spot on! We had not been to the wine country before but knew of the various options in and around Sonoma. Steven created an excellent itinerary for us based both on our tastes, and the desired vibe at various wineries. Steven is clearly knowledgeable about the wineries in the Napa/Sonoma region and we enjoyed his company throughout the day. He drove our rental car and had advised us ahead of time which companies had local offices near our hotel where we could easily add him on as a driver. The whole add-on process took 3 minutes and we were on our way. He was professional, friendly, punctual, he brought us waters and he picked out an excellent take out spot for a picnic lunch at one of the wineries. We highly recommend Steven and will definitely use him again next time we venture into the wine country. read more

Am wondering what I did wrong to have had only a 3 star experience with Steve. He was punctual and knew the area but compared to other personal guides that I have used, offered very little value added experiences even basic ones like making a lunch reservation. I was told it would be easier if I did it myself...well yeah, for him. (He did make the appointments at the wineries we chose.) read more

I highly recommend Steven Gardner if you're considering a driver to get around Napa or the surrounding area. Steve was professional, polite and very knowledgeable about the local region. He took us to a couple of wineries that were a little 'off the beaten path', and which it is unlikely that we would have found without his suggestions and help. I'd definitely consider using Steve again if I'm ever back in Napa and looking for a driver. read more

If professional could be mixed with friendly and easy-going with a touch of panache, that would be Steve. Yes, he's punctual (as other reviewers have mentioned) and gave great suggestions for wineries to tour, but moreover he really listened to the numerous emails we sent about our tastes and interests and moved us in the right directions. We ended up caravanning with a group of friends and they made one winery suggestion that Steve politely pooh-pooed. Had we trusted Steve and gone to the winery he thought would be better to end the day with, we would have been so much better off. We ended our drive at one of the only smokers dive bars still left and had an absolutely blast. We finally left there (and left two of our friends behind because they needed another couple of hours to hang) and were returned happily back to our b & b. We chose to have Steve drive our own car (very reasonable) in order to be more frivoulous with our wine purchases. Please let him steer you in the right direction. This man knows his stuff! read more

Steve is great! We have used him the past two years in March 2010 and June 2011 and are now disappointed that he's not closer to drive us as I'm trying to plan our next wine venture this fall. He is extremely knowledgeable of the area and has great recommendations if you don't have your own agenda. Many made our last trip one that we would like to repeat some day. I echo what another reviewer said and that he's more like having another friend along than a driver. He knows just exactly when to jump in and take or suggest a good photo and when to just hang back and let us enjoy our time. He chose great lunch spots for us and always had are food ready for us when we returned to the car after a tasting. He also had great wineries in mind if we had some time to kill in between appointments. Would highly recommend hiring a driver if you're on the fence. We drove through a check point last year late one evening after a winery dinner in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We had to wait in the line quite awhile while they were arresting some one in front of us. Not only is Steve very reasonable, but more than worth it! read more