Toast Tours, a wine-savvy and experiences-based tour company, is once again raising the bar in what people can expect from Paso Robles wine country. Recently named by TRAVEL + LEISURE as one of the “9 Best California Wine Tours for Learning, Sipping, and Sightseeing”, Toast Tours has partnered with local certified sommelier, Vanessa Igel, to teach guests what they need to know before coming to Paso Robles.

Toast Tours has always created tours that focus on wine education through fun and engaging experiences, and now they are taking that same passion to the virtual space. With a knack for teaching people about wine through humor, Igel leads guests through a virtual Wine 101 course. During the private, one-hour class, Igel shares all the basics about wine tasting including how to identify smells in wine, how to taste the differences between acid and tannins and what to expect from common lingo said in tasting rooms.

“I remember doing a lot of smiling and nodding in tasting rooms before I understood what was happening,” said Vanessa Igel, Certified Sommelier. “A wine tasting trip is so much more fun when you can relax and are able to understand what’s being said and what you actually like in a wine. Falling in love with wine is a journey and never should be intimidating or stressful. They are easy tricks that can be learned very quickly to enhance your experience.”

Through Toast Tours, guests can book the tasting experience using wines they already have at home or can select from a curated list of wines available in most stores. From there, they select a date and will join Igel virtually for a private wine lesson and experience. For more information and availability, click here.