Like a sommelier who promotes fine wines with small tastes of the finest vintages, Backroads Active Travel Company is introducing cyclists to California Wine Country with a three-day getaway.

For Busy Travelers or Slow Weekend Getaways

Whether busy travelers have time only to slip away for a weekend or would prefer to incorporate a Wine Country biking trip with a visit to San Francisco, Backroads' three-day getaways are an ideal way to get a taste of the good life. From scenic biking routes to award-winning wines to exquisite cuisine, Backroads Wine Country Getaways are the perfect break.

As the world's #1 active travel company, Backroads has been crisscrossing California Wine Country for nearly three decades. Based in Berkeley, California, Backroads relishes the opportunity to share the pleasures of its beautiful backyard with the world.

Wine Country Weekend in California's Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley

Find out more about the Top 10 Wine Regions of the World, including California.

The Wine Country Weekend trips offer biking in three scenic appellations, with plenty of opportunities to stop and sample the best of each. Starting in Calistoga on Premiere Inn trips (or Guerneville on Casual Inn departures), guests will ride the quiet roads of Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys, biking among manicured vineyards, ripening orchards and redwood forests.

Come evening, bikers are rewarded with comfortable lodgings and can choose to indulge in a massage or spa treatment.

Trip Highlights for the Wine Country Weekend Getaway

• Ride from estate to estate in the Alexander Valley, the Bordeaux of Northern California, tasting superb merlots.
• Bike among vineyards, apple orchards and oak forests in the Dry Creek Valley, known for its fine zinfandels.
• Pass vineyards, pastureland and groves of 1,000-year-old redwoods as you cross the Russian River Valley
• Relax in charming Healdsburg at Madrona Manor, an elegant Victorian mansion with a spa and an acclaimed restaurant

Backroads Wine Country Weekends are so popular that the company plans to expand its offer of three-day getaways to the Loire Valley, Czech Republic, Tuscany, Bryce/Zion, Colorado, Puget Sound and the Canadian Rockies in 2009.

The cost of a Wine Country Weekend Trips starts at $998. Available dates in 2008 begin: Aug. 22-24, Aug. 29-31, Sept. 12-14, Sept. 19-21, Sept. 26-28, Oct. 3-5, Oct. 10-12, Oct. 17-19.

For more information, please visit: www.backroads.com.

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