Sonoma Valley, California
October 18 – 21, 2007  › Reserve Today

"Sonoma always had a maverick streak and a little more dirt under the nails, but if it was more untamed than Napa, it was somehow a lot more fun. I took to the place from the first day."
– Tim Fish, Wine Specator

California's premier wine country in the northern San Francisco Bay Area has been described as "America's Tuscany." Indeed, the valleys of Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa are linked to their Italian counterpart by many shared characteristics: a moderate and sun-filled climate, a philosophy of slowing life down to savor quality, and a passion for cuisine prepared only with fresh, local and in season ingredients.

Our sublime weekend package goes beyond the typical California wine tour. We will explore the less beaten path of the wine country — visiting smaller, super premium wine producers, dining at inventive and extraordinary restaurants and enjoying tastings and workshops at interesting kitchens and farms. For both the savvy connoisseur and the wine novice, this experience will be both educational and quite a bit of fun — as long as you ready to slow down, savor the flavors and eat very well.

Contact us today to receive a detailed itinerary.

Trip Duration: 4 days, 3 nights
Guests arrive at our 4.5-star, luxury boutique hotel in Sonoma Valley, located just one hour north of San Francisco, on the trip start date (a Thursday late afternoon). If you are flying into San Francisco International or Santa Rosa airports, Maverick can arrange for your transportation directly to the hotel.

Our four days and three nights in Sonoma will center around daily visits to super-premium wine producers (some large and some very small) as well as the cuisine experiences (featuring a range of eating from exquisite five-star cuisine to ultra-inventive gastronomy, and even outdoor, fresh-off-the-farm meals. Layered into the itinerary are more off-beat and active pursuits: olive oil tasting, day hikes, bike trips, farm visits and more.

On this trip, we emphasize an organic (pun intended), insider's experience to California's wine country — forget the tour buses pulling into the estates of the mega producers. So whether it is your first trip to California wine country or your fifteenth, we hope to create a truly memorable experience with you and your fellow travelers.

The Gaige House: a Thompson Hotel
The Gaige House is a luxury boutique property managed by the Thompson Hotel Group, well known for The Roosevelt in Hollywood and 60 Thompson in SoHo, among others. This property offers our guests the chance to enjoy the hotel's modern, high-quality amenities while maintaining the ambience of a smaller country guest house — at a time when California's wine country is over-saturating with pretentious, larger-scale resorts, properties like the Gaige House are becoming increasingly special and one-of-a-kind.

You have two options for rooms. First, the Deluxe Room in the main guest house with a country chic ambience, Sferra linens, bath products by Fresh, wifi, flat-panel television and Dean & Deluca pantry. Second, you can upgrade to one of the amazing Zen Suites, separate Japanese-style bungalows featuring modern zen furnishings and linens, private zen rock gardens and oversized luxurious bathrooms with double sinks, glass-tiled shower and granite soaking tubs. Upgrade to a Zen Suite today and each guest in the Suite receives a complimentary massage.

The foundation of our itinerary will be exquisite meals (all breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included) and wine tastings. Each meal, even breakfast, will be a gourmet's delight. The wine tastings will take place at some very carefully selected locations (including a few private, superpremium producers) with wine education incorporated into the tastings.

In addition, our itinerary will include several other options. The difficult part will be deciding how you want to spend your time. Choose among:

Afternoon of horseback riding through wine country

At nights, guests can enjoy the sublimely relaxing environment of the Gaige House to soak in the tub, watch the stars or mingle over a late night wine. Of course, there will also be the opportunity to go "into town" (i.e. Sonoma) to hang out at a local wine bar or pub to socialize and listen to live music.

California Wine & Cuisine
This tour is designed for anyone who loves great food and wine, yet wants to go beyond the typical culinary tour. We will have guests who are enogastronomic enthusiasts and others who simply know what tastes good.

Typical Maverick Guests
Maverick adventures are designed for adults 25 to 55, and our guests are predominantly 30s and 40s, with a great mix of singles, couples, solo travelers and small groups of friends — our active, social and adventure travel itineraries are designed for today's urban professionals who want it all.

Our Style of Travel
What is most important is that each traveler embrace the Maverick style of travel — we may have later mornings and definitely later nights than a typical tour, we choose stylish boutique hotels over the Four Seasons, we emphasize more active pursuits, and we embrace the authentic, local traditions over run-of-the-mill tourist experiences.

While we plan for a lot of "activity" on our itineraries, we strive for a constant element of flexibility and spontaneity. In other words, you have a lot of choice. Prefer to soak in the hotel's sauna over a museum visit? Fine. Prefer to spend the entire afternoon relaxing by the pool? Fine as well (some of us may join you). With smaller groups, Maverick trips aim to give you the sense you are simply traveling with a group of friends.

If you are interested in extending your visiting the San Francisco Bay Area (before or after the weekend), we can help you plan. You can choose from San Francisco, Napa Valley, the Mendocino Coast or even just longer in Sonoma Valley. We can ensure that you have top notch hotel accommodations, restaurant reservations as well as recommendations on activities and nightlife.

The fee for Sonoma Wine & Cuisine Weekend is:

• $1,785 per person, double occupancy (Deluxe Room)
  
• +$350 per person, single occupancy (Deluxe Room)
  
• $2,085 per person, double occupancy (Zen Suite)
  
• Meet/Depart: Sonoma Valley, California

SPECIAL — Reserve a Zen Suite and receive a complimentary massage for each guest in the room.

• Premier accommodations for the duration of the trip
• Taxes and gratuities for accommodations
• All arrival and departure transfers, as specified on the Trip Itinerary & Planner
• Private transportation throughout the weekend, including drivers (therefore never a reason to worry about too much wine tasting!)
• All superb gourmet breakfasts, lunches, dinners, wine pairings and wine tastings and other culinary experiences as specified on the program's Trip Itinerary & Planner
• All pre-planned group excursions, activities and events, including tickets, guides/sommeliers, classes, equipment, meals and transport

Availability:
There is currently availability for this adventure.

How to Reserve:
If you are ready to reserve your spot today, simply go to Reserve Now to complete the easy and secure online reservations process.

If you need to speak with a Maverick travel consultant, please contact us via phone (888-628-2386) or email info@maverickadventures.com.

Please enjoy the following articles:

› In Glen Ellen, Savoring Sonoma Beyond the Wine – Los Angeles Times (October 23, 2007)

› California Cheeses: the Next Wave – Los Angeles Times (July 11, 2007)

› Reflections on Sonoma – Wine Spectator (May 2007)

› Sonoma Diary - Tales from the Tasting Trail – WineCountry.com