Glen Ellen-based vintage VW bus tour operator running Sonoma and Napa boutique winery routes with picnic lunches from Sonoma Market. Private bookings up to 26, by-the-seat options daily.
LocaleTerroir AI-produced county- and industry-inspired placeholder imageWest Wine Tours runs a fleet of restored vintage Volkswagen buses through Sonoma and Napa wine country, operating from Glen Ellen at the center of Sonoma Valley. The company started in 2017 with a single bus and grew to four. In early 2025, after a months-long pause that nearly ended it, the business was bought by Glen Ellen entrepreneur Lauren Kershner, already known locally for Goodness Gracious Catering and the Songbird Parlour, who acquired it specifically to keep the buses on the road. The vehicles are the point: slow, unmistakable, a deliberate counter to the limousine. Buses seat small groups for boutique winery routes, with by-the-seat pickups from downtown Sonoma most mornings and private charters for up to 26 across the fleet.
Each tour visits three boutique wineries selected for small-production character and family-owned operations rather than the big-name appointment circuit. Sonoma itineraries typically anchor at Bartholomew Park, lunch at Winery Sixteen600, and conclude at Anaba, with rotation among Toje, Cassidy Ranch, or Three Fat Guys. Napa itineraries follow Saintsbury, Pestoni, and Regusci or James Cole. Lunch is hand-packed from Sonoma Market: sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, often farm-stand sourced. The buses have no air conditioning, so summer tours start earlier and run shorter routes when needed. Bachelorette parties and girls-weekend groups are a steady part of the bookings, drawn by the vintage VW buses as much as the wine.
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