I have tour price reservation at SVI I will be cancelling (today?) as I'll be sharing a room and won't need it. If any are still looking for a room and may be interested, let me know.

[edit] reassigned to a tour #2 attendee.
I am the epitome of procrastination, some times it pays off, if not for me, others.

I'm happy to learn that our hotel is pet-friendly. I think I might bring my cats instead of boarding them. I think they'd rather hang out in the hotel room than be stuck in a kennel. Is anyone else +critters?

I am leaving my lice at home ...

chemvictim wrote: Is anyone else +critters?

rpm wrote:Although one cannot predict the future, the likelihood of future tours is low.

Wine.woot is evolving significantly and the community camaraderie aspect that has been so crucial in the origin and sustaining of the tours seems to be changing as well.

The future of the community we have all had a hand in building with Winedavid39 and his many wine friends like Peter W and Kent R and Scott H, is something all of us Tourists may want to talk about during the Tours.

I hope we can find time to discuss this during the tour, and there may be further discussion on the forum, as well. Personally, I'm not feeling the loss of the community camaraderie, I think it's still there amongst many of the long-time contributors (witness Aces219 continuing to follow this thread despite her inability to attend, for example). As the number of offerings/week has grown, and the number of more or less regular contributors to the multifarious fora has grown, as well, that core sub-group comprises an increasingly smaller percentage, but a number of newer folks have signed up for Tour 1. It will be interesting to see what sort of camaraderie builds with that group as the total newbies blend with the ones who have been around for a while and have had a chance to get together at various venues with some of us "older" folks.

chemvictim wrote:My kitty cats are driving me insane. Both have urinary...issues. Poor kitties. Poor me. Poor vet, 'cause I'm a very nervous pet parent. I need to drink a lot of wine, go to sleep, and hope not to dream of cat piss.

chemvictim wrote:I'm happy to learn that our hotel is pet-friendly. I think I might bring my cats instead of boarding them. I think they'd rather hang out in the hotel room than be stuck in a kennel. Is anyone else +critters?

Are you sure you want to bring them along? Expect to be leaving by around 8:00 each morning, and being gone for 12+ hours. Could be a hefty fee tacked onto your hotel bill.

ddeuddeg wrote:Are you sure you want to bring them along? Expect to be leaving by around 8:00 each morning, and being gone for 12+ hours. Could be a hefty fee tacked onto your hotel bill.

I'm still thinking about that. Hoping antibiotics have them mostly cleared up by then. Either way, it's good to have the option.

chemvictim wrote:I'm happy to learn that our hotel is pet-friendly. I think I might bring my cats instead of boarding them. I think they'd rather hang out in the hotel room than be stuck in a kennel. Is anyone else +critters?

Oh cute!!! If I knew Truffles would travel well, i'd bring her, too! Kitty!

rjquillin wrote:I have tour price reservation at SVI I will be cancelling (today?) as I'll be sharing a room and won't need it. If any are still looking for a room and may be interested, let me know.

[edit] reassigned to a tour #2 attendee.


I am the epitome of procrastination, some times it pays off, if not for me, others.

Excellent! I assume you reconsidered trying to stay for Tour 2 after my last post on the topic....

I'm with d-dog, I think the comraderie is there, and I for one will try really hard to make the next tour if it exists.

rpm wrote:Excellent! I assume you reconsidered trying to stay for Tour 2 after my last post on the topic....

Ahhh, were it all that simple.
I had a reservation for tour #1 dates that I failed to cancel when I roomed up with another tour #1 single.

SVI was out of rooms today, but I was able to change my reservation to tour #2 dates, which is the current reservation, and zTimothyBz and I will be sharing the new dates.

Unless I'm unsuccessful in joining tour #2 for a day or two.

In this case, not cancelling was a good thing for Tim, and possible me as well. Options, options, options.

zTimothyBz wrote:My vacation *finally* got approved. I'll send in the money as soon as I can figure out some way to get a room...

Sparky, what day are you heading back? (Is there enough space to put a sleeping bag in your car?)

If you have an email address that you can PM to me, I can send you an invite to the GoogleDoc for the tour.

I was just asked by my +1 for reading material to get ready for the beginner tour. This particular thread has gotten too muddled up for it to be useful. I'm gonna point her at TT's thread, but I seem to remember some interesting prep material for past tours.

Any suggestions?

JOATMON wrote:I was just asked by my +1 for reading material to get ready for the beginner tour. This particular thread has gotten too muddled up for it to be useful. I'm gonna point her at TT's thread, but I seem to remember some interesting prep material for past tours.

Any suggestions?

http://wine.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2187870&PageIndex=1&ReplyCount=167
http://www.rpmwinetour.com/home.htm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Aroma-Wheel/155815930862?sk=wall

I believe all of these were posted previously (I bookmarked them from this page)

North316 wrote:http://wine.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2187870&PageIndex=1&ReplyCount=167
http://www.rpmwinetour.com/home.htm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Aroma-Wheel/155815930862?sk=wall

I believe all of these were posted previously (I bookmarked them from this page)

Oh thank goodness you found those, I started a search and went looking and fell down another rabbit hole here on wine...



Have fun on the tour everyone! I wish I could be there too.

North316 wrote:http://wine.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2187870&PageIndex=1&ReplyCount=167
http://www.rpmwinetour.com/home.htm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wine-Aroma-Wheel/155815930862?sk=wall

I believe all of these were posted previously (I bookmarked them from this page)

I refused to point her at the "cat died in my mouth" thread. Instead, I pointed her at the TT beginners tasting thread.

I had also pointed her at the rpmwinetour web site, even though it's four years old.

What about behavior? I know that in the past we've discussed proper behavior in a wine tasting room (don't badmouth the wine in front of the staff, etc.), but I can't find that thread.

Since very few of us have updated the GoogleDoc with flight times....

Is there anyone else that is landing in OAK between 3pm & 4:30pm on Tuesday, 7/24? I haven't looked at it in great detail yet, but if we can get multiple people to share a shuttle, it would be a decent price.

inkycatz wrote:I wish I could be there too.

So do we.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Since very few of us have updated the GoogleDoc with flight times....

Is there anyone else that is landing in OAK between 3pm & 4:30pm on Tuesday, 7/24? I haven't looked at it in great detail yet, but if we can get multiple people to share a shuttle, it would be a decent price.

If you guys have time, visit me and molarchae in SF before heading up!

CAGirl, check your email.

JOATMON wrote:

I get the refernce, but really?

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Since very few of us have updated the GoogleDoc with flight times....

Is there anyone else that is landing in OAK between 3pm & 4:30pm on Tuesday, 7/24? I haven't looked at it in great detail yet, but if we can get multiple people to share a shuttle, it would be a decent price.

Updated mine last night. Looking like shuttle for me, coming into SFO. Unless the TX-twosome might be interested in a passenger?

wkdpanda wrote:Updated mine last night. Looking like shuttle for me, coming into SFO. Unless the TX-twosome might be interested in a passenger?

PM for you.

bahwm wrote:CAGirl, check your email.

Replied back.

CAGrl wrote:Replied back.

Back atcha.

klezman wrote:If you guys have time, visit me and molarchae in SF before heading up!

You wanna come pick us up and maybe drive us up there? We get in just before 4, so really it'll be dependent on the time of the Tuesday dinner/intros.

cheron98 wrote:You wanna come pick us up and maybe drive us up there? We get in just before 4, so really it'll be dependent on the time of the Tuesday dinner/intros.

Doesn't seem likely it will be late enough to allow any visiting in SF. As it is, at that time of day you'll be dealing with some traffic as you head north.

What's the unofficial dress code for the tour? I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, so if any portion of the tour is more formal than that, please give me a heads-up.

chemvictim wrote:What's the unofficial dress code for the tour? I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, so if any portion of the tour is more formal than that, please give me a heads-up.

+1 for guys too. Shorts? Sandals?

Well every evening after the tour you need to quickly change and get dressed up in tux & gowns for dinner & dancing. The lunches you'll need platform shoes, stilts, hula hoops, & big goofy hats.

Think ya can manage that?

chemvictim wrote:What's the unofficial dress code for the tour? I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, so if any portion of the tour is more formal than that, please give me a heads-up.

IIRC, it was pretty informal during the day on the first tour. So shorts (no cutoffs) and t-shirts were fine, I think. Some wore sandals, but we did a lot of walking, some through vineyards, so tennis shoes were better.

We had dinner at two nice restaurants (last night was Tra Vigne), but I don't remember if we brought a change along.

Look at the pics from the first tour for an idea. If it's hot, you want light clothes.


Edit: You can see on Day 2, I think everyone had shoes on. On Day 3 we brought a change of clothes along for Tra Vigne (and Nallie of course!). Since the hotel was back on the other side of the mountains.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Well every evening after the tour you need to quickly change and get dressed up in tux & gowns for dinner & dancing. The lunches you'll need platform shoes, stilts, hula hoops, & big goofy hats.

Think ya can manage that?

That was only for Tour #2. We only had the big goofy hats at Frogs Leap on Tour #1.

Unofficial Dress Code

It is important to be comfortable - I generally think that jeans (denim anything, for that matter) are too heavy for inland Sonoma and Napa counties in the Summer (except, perhaps, in the early morning or evening). Some people do wear jeans.

I usually do not wear shorts, preferring summer weight khaki or equivalent slacks. Many people have worn shorts. Since we're a mix of inside and outside through the day, and inside is usually air conditioned or cooler, I find I am most comfortable in lightweight long pants most of the time. YMMV.

I recommend collared shirts rather than t-shirts. One reason is that when you are outside, in the sun, it's nice to have a collar so your neck doesn't burn. For simlar reasons, I recommend against sleeveless t-shirts or thin-strapped tank tops for women. I also think it looks a bit better - I usually wear a polo shirt or a sport shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

Comfortable shoes for walking and standing is the best advice. Sandals are fine if you're comfortable walking in them, but do expect some walking.

My somewhat ancient view is that showing up dressed a bit more respectably than jeans/t-shirt shows respect for our hosts. I would generally avoid anything overly loud or political or anything with a message that some might find objectionable. Obviously, clothes should be clean and neat - not soiled or torn - and should convey the image you would want to convey to someone you hadn't met before, but hope would be happy to see you again.

In the past we have eaten more in restaurants, where it was important to dress up some. This year, all meals are al fresco or at wineries, so that's not as necessary as in the past.

Take a look at the pictures from the previous tours, some of can be seen on the www.rpmwinetour.com.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:Well every evening after the tour you need to quickly change and get dressed up in tux & gowns for dinner & dancing. The lunches you'll need platform shoes, stilts, hula hoops, & big goofy hats.

Think ya can manage that?

I thought we were very considerate dressing semi-formally for dinner....

Thanks, rpm. You saved me from typing a ton on my phone! Regarding sandals: it can be rather uncomfortable walking amongst the vines on hilly terrain with sandals. YMMV. However, it can also get very hot and sneakers can be uncomfortable, as well.

As a woman, I generally wear t-shirts at home, but on the tour, I prefer to dress in layers and have a light weight top as my final "hot weather" layer. Plus, this provides a more respectable-type look. Be sure to bring something warm. Temps can drop 30 - 40 degrees by nighttime.

MarkDaSpark wrote:IIRC, it was pretty informal during the day on the first tour. So shorts (no cutoffs) and t-shirts were fine, I think. Some wore sandals, but we did a lot of walking, some through vineyards, so tennis shoes were better.

We had dinner at two nice restaurants (last night was Tra Vigne), but I don't remember if we brought a change along.

Look at the pics from the first tour for an idea. If it's hot, you want light clothes.


Edit: You can see on Day 2, I think everyone had shoes on. On Day 3 we brought a change of clothes along for Tra Vigne (and Nallie of course!). Since the hotel was back on the other side of the mountains.

And here's my pics from the 2010 tour, and as you can see everyone seems to have dressed pretty similarly to how things look in the 2008 tour.

I actually had to review them all myself, since I had forgotten what I wore most of the time. I'm glad I had a few shots of myself from passing my camera off to other people. I see that it looks like each day I wore a light pair of pants and a nice short-sleeve shirt. I remember the mornings and some of the evenings were somewhat chilly, and I never really got overly hot. I know some of the vineyard walks and hikes I did get somewhat warm, and at times may have wished I had shorts, but overall I was happy with the way I was dressed. This year I may think about tossing a pair of shorts in a small bag to keep on the bus in case I feel like changing mid-day for a few hours, but we'll see.

HitAnyKey42 wrote:And here's my pics from the 2010 tour, and as you can see everyone seems to have dressed pretty similarly to how things look in the 2008 tour.

Perhaps just me, but Firefox 13.0.1 and OSX 10.6.8 are having 'issues' finding the tour.

rjquillin wrote:Perhaps just me, but Firefox 13.0.1 and OSX 10.6.8 are having 'issues' finding the tour.

Worked for me ...

MarkDaSpark wrote:Worked for me ...

could it be because you and HAK are buddied up on G, and I'm not?