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West 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 three. 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: open-topped, 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 full-bus charters up to 28 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 Gundlach Bundschu, with rotation among Toje, Anaba, 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.
Founder & CEO
Lauren Kershner bought West Wine Tours in February 2025, acting quickly after seeing on Instagram that the vintage-VW-bus company was set to shut down. A Glen Ellen entrepreneur — she also runs Goodness Gracious Catering and the Songbird Parlour, and was named to North Bay Business Journal's Forty Under 40 in 2022 and Sonoma Valley Business of the Year in 2024 — Kershner acquired the business to keep a familiar piece of Sonoma Valley's landscape running. Under her ownership the company continues its by-the-seat and private-charter tours of Sonoma and Napa, pairing boutique, family-owned winery stops with hand-packed picnic lunches from Sonoma Market. The buses run on the slow-lane character that has defined the brand since 2017.
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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 28, by-the-seat options daily.
West 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 three. 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: open-topped, 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 full-bus charters up to 28 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 Gundlach Bundschu, with rotation among Toje, Anaba, 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.
Lauren Kershner bought West Wine Tours in February 2025, acting quickly after seeing on Instagram that the vintage-VW-bus company was set to shut down. A Glen Ellen entrepreneur — she also runs Goodness Gracious Catering and the Songbird Parlour, and was named to North Bay Business Journal's Forty Under 40 in 2022 and Sonoma Valley Business of the Year in 2024 — Kershner acquired the business to keep a familiar piece of Sonoma Valley's landscape running. Under her ownership the company continues its by-the-seat and private-charter tours of Sonoma and Napa, pairing boutique, family-owned winery stops with hand-packed picnic lunches from Sonoma Market. The buses run on the slow-lane character that has defined the brand since 2017.
Round-trip vintage VW bus transportation with a driver, a hand-packed picnic lunch of seasonal favorites from a local chef, and pre-booked tasting reservations arranged by the West Wine team.
Winery tasting fees (typically $35–$50 per person, sometimes higher) and driver gratuity, which is not included — roughly 18–20% is customary, paid by cash or Venmo.
Private tours are paid in full at the time of booking; refunds — or downsizing to a smaller bus — require more than 30 days' notice before the tour date.
Restored vintage Volkswagen buses across multiple vehicles for tour fleet. Each bus seats small groups for boutique winery routes; multi-bus full-charter configurations seat up to 28 passengers across the fleet. Vintage aesthetic without modern climate control — summer tours start earlier and run shorter routes when needed.
Not ideal for travelers requiring climate-controlled vehicles in summer (VW buses run hot without A/C), guests prioritizing the big-name Napa appointment circuit, or anyone uncomfortable with vintage vehicle aesthetics over modern luxury sedans.
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