Wine Tours of Sedona did not happen overnight. Many years ago, 2004 to be exact, Sedona Hiking Adventures was in the formation stage. With the help of long-time friends, Adam Wayne and Robin Blakey, I expanded my love of hiking into a very successful business.

Before the business was named Sedona Hiking Adventures, the original name was Secret Mountain Adventure Sports Headquarters, SMASH Tours for short, that my friend, Adam, and his partners were in the process of starting. Due to circumstances, SMASH Tours never came to be, though Sedona Hiking Adventures was born out of that original idea.

I made a crucial decision, one that would change my life forever – Sedona Hiking Adventures would be the foundation and the beginning for my own tour company, one that would specialize in hiking tours, my passion and expertise of Sedona.
I sincerely thank both Adam and Robin for all their help and support since I started my tour company.

By 2004, I had only lived in Sedona for 3 years. It was at that time that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. I had heard the age-old advise that you should do what you love. I love to hike, and I am totally passionate about the red rocks. It was at that pivotal moment that Sedona Hiking Adventures was formed.

I guided people around Sedona. I am an environmentalist and avid recycler, so I shared those ideals with my clients. I customized hiking tours, making them uniquely personal.

My “adventure” led me to create tours for wine lovers. A request came from a client, asking for more than a hike – a tour to one of the vineyards in the area. I was more than obliged to customize this special tour for them.

My first and foremost concern is my clients’ enjoyment on all my tours. Whatever I can do to make you happy, I will do. Hiking was only part of the adventure. Now, wine tours are one of my specialties. It’s an experience that we share together. I interact with you and your family/friends. I strive for excellence on all my tours.

I live, work, and play in Sedona and the Verde Valley. I know all about the rocks, the geology, flora, fauna, and natural history, and also local vineyards and wine.

Since starting wine tours of Sedona, my own appreciation and fondness for Arizona wines has increased dramatically. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you.

There are all sorts of tours in Sedona. You can pick the one that suits you best. If you are looking for something a little more personal, something totally private, then Wine Tours of Sedona is just right for you. As each person is unique, so are all of our tours. I would be happy and delighted to customize an adventure to meet your precise criteria.

Now you know a little about how Wine Tours of Sedona came to be. If you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to meeting new clients, friends and those who like to travel the less traveled path on a tour as unique as Wine Tours of Sedona itself. This is one tour you do not want to miss!

Jim Reich, is the company founder and lead guide. Born on the east coast, Jim spent his childhood exploring suburbia (the suburbs of New York City), which at the time was all there was available to explore. Still, he was out every chance he got trying to get closer to nature, to be just among the trees and away from the pavement.

Back before mountain bikes were even on the market, Jim was biking through creeks and rivers on dirt trails with his good old three-speed bicycle. This was the beginning of what grand explorations would lie ahead.

Jim first came to Arizona on a family trip in 1982 and he loved every minute of it. It was then that he had his first taste of the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, and the four corners region. Upon graduating high school in 1988, Jim knew he wanted to go west, and Arizona was his top choice. Northern Arizona University and Flagstaff became his home almost immediately. It was among the San Francisco Peaks that Jim first learned how to mountain bike the epic single-track trails that scattered the area. Hiking and camping too soon became frequent activities. It wasn’t before long that Jim’s major changed from pre-law to photography. The logic was that photography would allow him to spend more time outside which is where he wanted to be.

In 2004, Jim founded Sedona Hiking Adventures. After spending nearly 5 years in Flagstaff and moving back and forth between the east coast and Arizona, Jim finally made Sedona his permanent home in 2001. Nearly 3 years after moving to Sedona, Sedona Hiking Adventures was born. From 2001 to 2003, Jim spent every spare moment hiking, swimming, and camping all throughout the Sedona and Flagstaff areas. Sedona Hiking Adventures became Sedona Red Rock Adventures after Jim continued to discover all that Northern Arizona had to offer. He felt “hiking” was too limiting to what the region had to offer, and wanted to share all of the adventures and joys that could be had.

Since moving to Sedona, Jim also starting to learn more about the area by reading books about Sedona, local history, plant life, animals, geology, and the native people of this region. Today, Jim still spends a great deal of his spare time learning new things about the Sedona area by reading various publications and talking to other guides knowledgeable in local facts.

It was with this passion for the magic of the red rocks and for simply hiking that makes Jim smile every time he is on the trail, whether it is on a guided hike or simply with friends. Today, Jim spends 8 days a week on the trails and loves to share his enthusiasm about Sedona with clients from across the US and across the globe.

As our planet is evolving, so is business. In 2007, Jim discovered the wines of the northern Arizona and began offering wine tours. With this evolution, wine tours is now his primary focus. First offering wine tours to Echo Canyon Vineyard, he now goes to everywhere in the Verde Valley, and wine has became his passion. If you look in his personal wine cellar, you will only find Arizona wines. Allow him to share this passion with you.

A personal note from Jim:

I love this quote by Walt Disney. Who am “I”? I’m the owner of Wine Tours of Sedona and I started my company 20 years ago because I wanted to share my passion of everything Arizona with those visiting here. I may not be the biggest tour company out there. I don’t own 100 Jeeps, nor do I have a fleet of coach buses operating under different names but with one owner; but what I do have is my PASSION for Arizona. For me, it about allowing you to EXPERIENCE Arizona as I do, through my eyes, for that short moment that you are on a tour with me, Jim Reich. So, in the words of Disney, “if you can dream it, you can do it”; that’s how I operate my tours. That might sound cliche’ but it’s the truth. You tell me what you want to SEE and DO, and I will CREATE it just for you. I give you personalized service. For me me it’s not about how many people I can fit into a tour bus, but rather the quality of the tour, that’s why each tour is private to each individual customer. Whether you have two people or fourteen, I can accommodate you. By offering tours with the mindset of Disney, I give you flexibility that the larger tour operators just can’t offer. I invite you to book a tour with us. I promise that you will go home with a memory what will last a lifetime.

About Morgan
Morgan Craft is a twenty-year wine industry professional. Through experiences as a restaurateur in Miami and Los Angeles, as a hotel food and beverage director in Palm Springs, and as wine director of Napa Valley restaurant Cuvee Napa, he has been intimately immersed in the wine world. Working in tasting rooms across the Napa Valley and as a broker of boutique wines throughout California, he has a depth and breadth of knowledge on the wines of California and the world. As Wine Director of the Telluride Food & Wine Festival, he connected with wineries nationwide and brings a wealth of knowledge, including as an apprentice winemaker for Briceland Vineyards in Northern California. Morgan has a deep knowledge of Arizona wine and its history and was the tasting room and events manager for a local Verde Valley winery from 2017 to 2021.

My name is Josh Harbeson and my family has been in the Verde Valley for 6 generations. Growing up I split time between Phoenix and Camp Verde. I spent my twenties taking opportunities to travel. While traveling I developed a love and appreciation for wine. After meeting my wife I decided to settle down a bit and move back to the Verde Valley. I love working for Wine Tours of Sedona and showing people how amazing the Verde Valley is.

Josh is a Wine Tours of Sedona Guide Extraordinaire.

I first visited the majestic Red Rocks of Sedona Arizona in the winter of 1996. Within 12 hours of arriving in Sedona, a dear friend took me to an ancient ruin in Boynton Canyon and life revealed to me that I had found my new home in Sedona and the Verde Valley. I spent the next 5 days exploring the beauty of the land and the town and falling in Love! I immediately started planning my move date and I officially moved to Arizona in April of 1996.

Over the course of the last 27 years, I have had the good fortune to live in many gorgeous locations, such as the island of Kauai, the Redwood Forests of northern California and the sublime beauty of southern California. The red rocks of Sedona have always continued to call me home. I am proud to live here and have the opportunity to share my love of the Verde Valley with the wonderful people that come to visit on the Wine Tours of Sedona. I look forward to meeting you, sharing the beauty of the land with you, sharing the deliciousness of the blossoming wine industry and so much more!

Cheers,
Edward Benoit
Guide Extraordinaire

Juan M. Jijon Caamano is a native of Quito, Ecuador. His main home has been in Sedona for over 20 years. He was raised with both Catholic and Buddhist traditions growing up. Since he was a child, Juan has been interested in spiritual subjects, seeking intuitively to find a common truth to all beings. By age 18 Juan began pursuing the path of Traditional Chinese Medicinal, Martial and Meditative Arts. Juan has been teaching and studying Tai Chi and a variety of Eastern studies in Sedona and across the country for over 20 years. This has given him the chance to really connect with all kinds of people in meaningful ways. Wine Tours of Sedona gives Juan the chance to connect with people in a really fun and authentic way and the honor to serve as guide to the many wonders of this land with which he has a deep energetic connection.

Juan is a Wine Tours of Sedona Guide Extraordinaire.

Deborah discovered yoga in her early 20s and has been practicing and learning ever since, continuing to be amazed at the benefits she’s received and has seen in others.

Over these many years, she has experienced numerous styles of yoga, including Hatha, Bikram, Vinyasa Flow, Yin Yoga, Buti, Yoga Nidra, and Kundalini, and her teaching draws from these various sources.

Deborah had been a full-time elementary teacher at both Montessori and Waldorf Schools, with a yoga practice on the side as a means for health and wellness. Attending the hot yoga studios in Sedona and Cottonwood, she was grateful to have a regular practice. After many years, she shifted out of full-time elementary teaching, and around that same time, her local studio offered its first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification.

It became apparent that the moment had come to deepen her practice and prepare to become a yoga teacher.

Since the entirety of yoga is much more than simply the practice of the physical poses, she loves introducing the 8 limbs of yoga to others and includes pranayama (breathwork) and meditative practices in her classes.

She welcomes all students, at all levels of experience, and offers modifications and props for comfort and ease. She believes that yoga is primarily about aligning more deeply with the inner self and discovering more about the mind-body-spirit-breath connection. With her heart-centered guidance, she strives to help practitioners find inner peace, focus, greater well-being, and transformation.

Deborah has enjoyed incorporating yoga into her elementary classes with children in the past. She currently teaches at the Sanctuary at Sedona, which is a holistic rehabilitation center, and at the Cottonwood Hot Yoga studio. She is now a certified paddle board yoga instructor through the SUP Yoga Center, and also owns and operates her own Floating Yoga business at the convergence of the Verde River and Oak Creek.

We Are Different than other tour companies.

• All tours are PRIVATE to your individual reservation. You are never grouped with other reservations.
• We PERSONALIZE each tour to meet your individual interests, palate, and desires.
• Throughout your tour with us, we give you complete FLEXIBILITY to enjoy the tour at your pace, never rushing you along the way.
• COMPLIMENTARY pickup anywhere in Sedona. Nominal pickup charge in outlying areas.
• FLEXIBLE start times based on when you want to go on our tour.
• We serve ALL vineyard locations and tasting rooms along the Verde Valley Valley Wine Trail and Flagstaff too!
• All tours INCLUDE your wine tasting fees, so there is no hidden or additional costs (unless your purchase wine or extend your tour).
• On board vehicle WiFi for you convenience.
• Use promo code DOGFRIENDLY Receive a 10% discount when you bring your dog. Dogs have “puppy play area” with comfortable bed. Dogs are not allowed on our tours in Red Rock State Park, as it is a natural resource protection park.
• Sedona’s MOST EXPERIENCED wine tour company, operating since 2004.
• We are not the biggest wine tour company but we are the BEST. We believe in quality over quantity.

We serve:

All 8 vineyard locations
16 tasting rooms
12 micro-breweries
2 gourmet raw chocolate shops

We go everywhere in the Verde Valley and Northern Arizona.

We have been providing wine tours longer than any other tour company in Sedona. Our longevity speaks for itself. We encourage you to check out our reviews on Google business.

We pride ourselves on how we operate our business – with integrity, morality and ethics. What we say is what you get, there are no hidden costs or variations from your personalized itinerary. As the owner, I take this very seriously. I want you to have the best experience possible. Need recommendations? Just let us know.

Your tour is personalized specifically for you. Have a favorite winery? We will customize your tour for the wineries and tasting rooms that you are interested in. Not sure where you want to go? We will recommend locations that meet your palette. We are completely flexible. Our tours cater to you and are designed around your interests.

How does this differ from other wine tour companies? We do not offer large group tours where you are placed with people you do not know, and that may not have the same interests as you.

We feel that your interaction with your guide is what makes our tours awesome. Unlike other tour companies who simply pick you up and drop you off at each location, our guides are with you for the entire duration of your tour to ensure that you are getting the most out of your experience.

Our tours are conducted in the comfort of fully enclosed passenger vehicles, which are climate controlled for maximum comfort. This is quite different than other tour companies, who use open-air Jeeps, exposing you to the climate and elements.

Need a ride to a restaurant? We offer transportation to any Northern Arizona restaurant, so that you get the most out of your experience with us. No worries about who is going to drive after your wine tour.

Want a unique dining experience? We even offer in-house gourmet chef services, who can prepare an incredible meal just for you while you are on your tour!

Are you traveling with your dog? Four-legged friends, and/or children, are free of charge. They may join you on any of our wine, micro-brew or chocolate tours.

Vegan, gluten-free, or diet restrictions? We offer several food options on all of our tours, and we are not talking a basic deli sandwich either. We cater to your food choices to meet your diet and wishes, whether it is an amazing hamburger, incredible vegetarian food, or a 4-course gourmet picnic – we include the best, most delicious food for your party.

What does it mean to be “owner-operated?” I can, and will, do anything to earn your business. This isn’t just my job, it is something I truly enjoy doing. It’s not just about a tour – it’s about being a small business that supports other small businesses just like my own – Local First Arizona. I want to share my knowledge of Arizona wines, micro-brews, raw chocolates and sights with you. No matter what your budget may be, we can work with you on price. You will receive the best value for your money.

Complimentary digital photos – We take photos for you on all of our tours. Relax, sit back and enjoy your time, while we make sure to capture it all for you to relive again when you return home. This is something that none of the area tour companies provide.

The activity and experience we offer is by far superior to other wine tour companies.

We provide comprehensive wine tours with experienced wine guides. We stay with our clients to provide a continuous level of service. You could pay less elsewhere for a quasi-guide, but they would only drive you from place to place like a taxi service.

We have enclosed, climate-controlled vehicles, unlike the open air Jeeps where you would be subjected to the extreme heat, wind, dust and weather.

We provide complimentary digital photos on all of our tours. No other tour company offers this.

We are owner-operated – The owner/guide has a higher vested interest in the quality of the tour, as opposed to an employee for a big tour company.

You get what you pay for – You could shop around for the best price, but is it the best value for your money? For a small fraction more than the big tour companies’ prices, you will receive your own customized personal tour that fits all of your interests, giving you the ultimate experience well worth the price.

Personalized attention – Our professional guides are at your service for the entire duration of your tour, unlike other tour companies who drop their clients off at the vineyards. We create the ideal experience specifically for you.

Quality food – We meet your dietary needs, offering gourmet and specialized foods, not the standard ordinary food offered by others.

Variety of wineries and cities – Most tour companies only offer limited wineries and cities to their clients, leaving them without options in large tours. We service all of Northern Arizona, a large variety of wineries, and if you wish to stay longer at any particular place, we will accommodate you.

PRIVACY POLICY
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