Back in the Day,  touring Napa and tasting some of the premier wines of the country was an inexpensive day. Pack a picnic, stop at a couple Napa Vineyards, and you were in business. But the wineries have learned to weed out the freeloaders and the free tastings are history. Now bring your credit card if you want to tour and taste Napa’s finest. 

This is not  all bad though. It allows the  wineries to invest in their tours and do much more for the customer that is stepping up and paying for the Napa experience.

But today, many vintners are making it clear: There is no longer room at the inn for Bermuda-shorts tourists who drive from tasting room to tasting room with Aunt Betty and belly up to the bar for another swig of sauvignon blanc. Now, some wineries charge as much as $25 for tastings, offer pricey VIP packages, require appointments and credit-card numbers for visits. No-shows get charged if they fail to cancel 48 hours in advance.

Valet parking, intimate tours, wine-tasting with famous cheesemongers and elaborately set tables can all be part of the experience — for a price. “There was a time that the tastings were free because wineries were just so glad that people were taking an interest,” said Larry Stone, the general manager of Rubicon Estate in Rutherford, a winery known for its cabernet sauvignon-dominant wine. “Then wine got very popular. Now, we’re trying to be creative about how to attract the real wine enthusiasts and not the partygoers.”

About 10 years ago, some of the wineries began charging a nominal fee for pourings. These days, it’s hard to find a winery in Napa that doesn’t charge, and the custom is catching on in Sonoma, considered Napa’s casual cousin. But what is new is the trend toward selling a lifestyle of expensive wines, fine foods and luxury service. via The Columbus Dispatch