Think Luxury Wine Experiences Are Beyond Reach? Think Again! with Andre Boada

Ever scrolled through dreamy images of private jets landing at hidden wineries or imagined sipping iconic wines in a vineyard villa—but figured it was all out of reach? Luxury wine travel isn’t just for celebrities! In this episode of Everyday Sommelier, hosts Kristi Mayfield and advanced sommelier Andre Boada, founder of VinoCadre and partner at Six Twist Sparkling, pull back the curtain on world-class wine journeys, from Napa Valley and Sonoma all the way to Fredericksburg, Texas.

Andre shares his blueprint for crafting exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences—think helicopter rides to private vineyards, behind-the-scenes barrel tastings with winemakers, and dinners curated by celebrity chefs. He reveals not only what goes into these ultra-premium wine getaways, but actionable tips every listener can use to make even a modest trip feel unforgettable.

Whether you’re dreaming of a luxury wine tour or just want to elevate your next tasting room visit, you’ll get sommelier-approved advice to avoid common mistakes, access hidden gems, and transform your wine travels—on any budget. Kristi’s approachable style ensures you never feel shut out of the wine world, and Andre’s expertise unlocks insider strategies.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• Top mistakes wine lovers make when planning DIY luxury trips—and how to avoid them
• Proven strategies to access exclusive tastings, boutique wineries, and unforgettable experiences (even on a limited budget)
• Why the right guide or driver can make or break your wine adventure
• How to incorporate luxury touches—from food pairings to private tastings—into your own travels, anywhere in the world

Don't forget to listen to Everyday Sommelier Episode 23 on Wine Travel to round out your guide to your next magical wine experience!

For more information regarding Andre's upcoming Luxury Wine Experiences go to VINOCADRE's Website?

Transportation by Bloom Wine Tours and aviation by Wine Flights VIP.

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Transcript

Kristi Mayfield (00:00)
do wine experiences with private jets, helicopter expeditions to vineyards otherwise unreachable.

multi-million dollar villas and celebrity chef dinners with ultimate wine tastings in places most people will never see sound completely unreachable to you. And maybe they are, but today's guest is going to walk us through what luxury wine travel can look like and also give you some tips and tricks and elements of exclusive luxury wine travel that you can incorporate into your

next wine experience. So let's go.

Kristi Mayfield (00:56)
I have to admit, while ultra luxury wine tours is not necessarily in my budget, I find myself scrolling through social media images of people in these amazing locations drinking luxury wines on trips that I can only dream of.

But there are elements of these trips I find myself being able to execute into my own wine travels just with some expert information on how to do it. And that's exactly what we are bringing to you today. I have a very special guest who not only cultivates, creates, and executes luxury wine travel experiences.

but he also is going to give you real tips to make your next wine travel experience ultra exclusive in its own right. So here we go.

Kristi Mayfield (01:51)
Today I have a very special guest joining me and our topic is very close to his heart because he has tremendous experience not only in the US but internationally creating magical wine experiences. With me today is Andre Boada He is the founder.

of VinoCadre and partner in Six Twists Sparkling in Fredericksburg, Texas. So Andre, tell us just a little bit about your background and why this topic is so close to your heart. Yeah, I've been doing this for quite some time, know, developing brands around the world. And what you notice when you develop a brand, always have initiatives to engage consumers, whether it be marketing or creating experiences that

resonate where they feel like they're compelled to be part of what you're doing. So if you take that a step further, you start integrating components to make it luxury driven. And there's quite a few toys to play with. As you as you know, Kristi we've been looking at some of the things I'm working on.

So I know you have a new trip, a new events concept that will be launching in early July, but

Let's take our guest, let's take our listener through sort of the fantasy land, the Disneyland of what a luxury wine or really an ultra luxury wine experience could look like. So leveraging the trip that you're planning right now, can you tell our listener what that looks like and what you experience? I like small groups versus large. Say I'm not carrying a sign around with a bunch of people in an army behind me.

We are departing from one point and going right to another in a private jet. So imagine going from Fredericksburg, Texas, small. Yeah. Regional airport. Regional airport. have commissioned a private jet, holds 10 people. Once you get onto the jet, I conduct a champagne seminar that I do at Six Twists on the route over. Okay. So you get over to Napa Sonoma.

into Santa Rosa and once there we have transportation luxury picking this up and we go to meet principals and winemakers at designated areas. To fly it over because of the champagne flight and the timeline we'll hit one winery before going up to this incredible villa it's called Marabella.

that's over in Glen Ellyn. It's a five bedroom. Every single bedroom is a suite. has every amenity you could ever imagine in the villa. You have game rooms, have a wine cave, you have vineyards. It's up on the mountain overlooking the vista. The kitchen is designed for celebrity chefs and top chefs. I'll be bringing in to do dinners nightly. Of course, wine education and personality

that I know in the area will be coming and hosting the dinner. So it's not just me with the group, but every day that you go out and the field, I'll be your guest, Samye, guiding you as the other speakers are talking. I'll give my insights as to why it's.

Why is he telling his story? And this is my story. So you have two viewpoints. And I'm advanced Sommelier from the Court of Master sommier, studying for the master. So my credentials are quite top in on the wine side. taste wines all the time. Like you. It's kind of what we do. And I work with top chefs. I just got back from Pebble Beach Food and Wine where I was the speaker working with the champagne producer, Bollinger.

the champagne of James Bond sometimes they say Bollinger but I like Bollinger okay but that's you know just one one little element imagine waking

We have a helicopter waiting for you. We fly directly to a single vineyard that nobody has access to. And when you get there, we have grapes for you to taste and then the finished wine. So you can compare how that wine has developed from the vineyard to the bottle and then into the glass. And you talk about the steps of what do you have to do from a mountain vineyard and growing grapes and making

that wine and the wine that I'm planning to do to do the first day is the upper barn chardonnay used to be used by Marcus on okay if you know the history of the vineyard now as part of

Stone Street winery, which I actually used to manage at one time in my life at the management of many different wineries around Napa and Sonoma because I have a 20 year history working in that area. Even though I'm here now, I go back and forth quite a bit because I have a home there and then one over here in Texas. And I really appreciate the fact that you describe not only the experiential elements of it, but for our listeners, Andre and I teach

together down in Fredericksburg. And it's really a fun partnership because I have the WSET language, he has the court language. And so I think it gives our participants of our courses a little bit of a different flavor. So me being the wine education nerd, I love that you're building that in because I think one of the missing elements, if you aren't conscious about creating that educational vein through it, you have these great experiences, but you walk away and you're like, well, it was a great experience.

but what did I, you know, what did I learn that I could apply in the rest of my wine journey? So, yeah, it's always good to have a good educator with you. It's just for insights and practical thinking because there's a lot of other things people don't know, right? And they want to learn and having a guest sommelier as part of your entourage of experiences, it's almost like you have a specialist directing traffic to help you get the most

out of what you're doing and quite a few times you know I see people trying to arrange you know trips like this and they get lost in the inertia of you know how do I even do it what's the cost they find somebody that's you know inexperienced and then you have a bad experience if you want to do this on your own and just maybe map out one day I can help you but always go for a veteran you know you don't want to have somebody that's novice the veterans actually

know the vintners and they can help you kind of guide your way through preferences of what you like and that's what I do too. I try to figure out here's my group what kind of wines do they like this is what we're going after and then you know the experience just elevates and when we do these experiences it's not common to you know to go into a taste room you're going into the vintners home he's making you lunch.

he's showing off his best wines maybe he's going into his library and pulling wines that he made ten years ago versus Gertrude. You can't find anywhere. Right and that's that's the real quality kind of driven persona I'm going after. I'm really they're like hidden gems that I know that will just blow you away along with all the fun little

propositions of helicopters and private jet and luxury cars and accommodations. Can't go wrong. Can't go wrong. So you did mention several cautionary notes or things that you've seen, mistakes people have made. I just did episode 23 where I was talking about some of the mistakes you can make just in general wine travel.

you know, going during the high season of harvest and expecting full attention from the winemaker only to discover its not going to happen. But what are some other mistakes that wine lovers, you've seen them make when trying to do this type of trip by themselves when they try to do that DIY versus leveraging to your point, a veteran expert, not just any wine expert. Well, typically people go online, start searching for ideas and they may make a list of

places they go or maybe they've been there before they were a wine club member.

They may get some added value as being a member. But it's, you know, to find something like what I'm doing, it's just, there's no way you can do it. Unless you really know the people behind the brand and have history working with them. That's why it's incredibly important to get a veteran, you know, that's a driver at least. The drivers can really make a difference in getting you from point A to point B and not zigzagging across the mountain range.

of Napa and Sonoma and Napa and Sonoma they're not small places like you can go from one end of Napa all the way to the top that's a 45 minute drive and then you have another appointment that's at the very bottom and then you have another 45 minute drive you gotta really think out right know where you want to go that's why I have a helicopter to take you avoid all the traffic yeah we fly over and land in

can't get into. It's like the most beautiful thing ever to have that access. And then we kind of figure out how to make it the most practical journey throughout the day with the lunches and

reserve wines and library wines and it's kind of the whole nine yards. Yeah. And I think to your point, think setting the right pace for this type of event is critical because this is an experience you want to luxuriate in. You want to linger in. Yeah. You don't rush. don't rush. And yeah. Another thing, you know, like you're talking about things that people try to do, they try to overbook. Overbook. Yeah. It's the most common thing I noticed. Imagine going

to five different wineries or even four. There's no way you can do it and enjoy your day. I would try to do two and two really good ones and take your time. Meet the people that are behind it. You know if you'd like the wine of course you want to support them but you don't have to you know it's like

When you're with me, when I build into price, all of the added value experiences are built in. It's all inclusive. You don't have to worry about, do I have to tip this guy or do I have to buy wine here? It's not like that. It's more, we want you to walk away saying that was above and beyond. And that's what I do. I mean, we do it all the time in my little sparkling wine lounge called Six Twists, where you get an experience and people walk

else in. I haven't seen anything like this, you know. So it's kind of magnifying what I do on a small scale to a large scale and making it as fun for me as it is for you because if I if I did this on my own this is what I would want. I mean it's kind of like the ultimate

and we're not looking down, we're just making the experience as high as I can get it. So pulling on that thread, mean, how does, you said you would do this for yourself. This is how you want to travel and experience wine. as an insider, how does, can you describe for our listener, I mean, how does this feel? What is the, what does this look like from the eyes of a guest? I mean, what are those wow factors that they're going to get? Well, it's

emotional, both visually, epicurean, tasting, education. You get a lot of value added.

because I mean it's one thing to drive in a car it's another thing when you fly over a vineyard to see where you're going or to meet the people who have actually made the wine that know the details what kind of additives what kind of oak barrels did they use are they buying fruit or is this their estate fruit I mean what kind of soil does that affect are there trees around the area that make an influence on the wine what's the climate like I mean you learn

10 times more by going to that site and tasting and experiencing with the people who are the principles. And in edition to that, not only do you get that information you can't get from any other source, but you also get their story. You get their emotive expression. Why this passion? Yeah. Why? is this? Wine is a passionate thing. You know, it's

You know, I've made wine, I've done everything there as a doing wine.

when you learn how to do that, I can talk to talk with the winemaker, the owner.

But my experience is very broad. can go and do anything, any part of the winery. And what I found the hardest place to grow grapes? Texas, for sure. If you can make a good wine in Texas, you can make a

wine anywhere in the world. It's a challenge. It's really a challenge. But Napa and Sonoma, probably the easiest and the best wines that have ageability other than maybe Bordeaux or Burgundy.

you touched briefly upon kind of what a day in the life of this luxury curated wine experience might look like. Can you add to that? mean, from the moment somebody who's participating in it wakes up.

you know, walk them through what a day might look like.

There will always be access to wine and things around the accommodations if you want to have a glass of whatever,

Activities, there's, you know, if you want to get up and get some exercise in, there's hiking, tennis, bocce, ping pong, game rooms. I mean, you can watch a movie in a movie studio, do yoga at this place, the Mirabella.

There's so much you can get into swimming, spa, we have a masseuse that can come to you and give you a massage before you even go out. That's kind of what's happening around the villa, but once you go either in a helicopter or be picked up by a luxury

Sprinter van, we go into the very best gems that I can find. And typically these wines are getting great press, not that press makes a big difference, but they are some 100 point wines that we'll be tasting, which is not easy to get and library wines. So you can see how the wine not only stored well, but how well it ages or a good red. And that's kind of a cool thing to do too, because you know, so

often we're tasting the current release, we don't get a chance to go back 10, 15 years and not have access to doing that. Yeah. And that is a such a unique experience.

it's magical. It is. I there's nothing like it. Some of the best tastings I've ever done were

going back and comparing the best vintages and maybe you mix in one that's not a good vintage and you just see how the wine is ready to drink center. It's not a bad thing. You know, like I went to Krug of all places in Champaign and they don't do a vintage. They don't do a non vintage. They do an edition right? And the edition is the master blend of the best they can pull from their cellar from anywhere in their property. And I went and tried 10 different

editions

so you got to see how the aging process can kind of parlay into what they do from a magical process and having that kind of tasting it just makes you appreciate ageability and wines and I definitely will be doing this with our groups

It's just matter of how much we can take in one day. That's why we only want to do like one or two and then you get back to the property and the property has everything you need. You don't want to go out after two beautiful experiences and some of the best of the wine country here and where they are in Napa and Sonoma. it's one day it's gonna be Napa, one day it's gonna be Sonoma and then whatever we can find in between.

lot of little secret surprises will come in the I know, you're not going to reveal everything on this episode, are you? So for someone who is considering making this type of investment, and it is an investment, but I think you have to think beyond just the dollars, what makes it worth it?

How do guests walk away feeling like, wow, this was so worth the investment I made in it, not only the time, but also the financial investment and from an experience perspective. Yeah, well, so you That nobody else can replicate, It's like going to a safari and sleeping next to a lion. You don't get these kind of things. You have to know who the right people are.

have experts that are guiding you throughout the process and we're not trying to be in your way we're trying to help you get to where you want to learn and when you learn the appreciation factor goes up you meet the personalities behind a brand this is just a win-win for everybody you know it may sound like a lot of money but

when you go to the top tier, you want to really drive it to the top tier. And, you know, don't take shortcuts. Expand on every possibility. You know, if you go to a vineyard maybe you have somebody playing a favorite, your favorite song on by guitar. wow. Yeah. Yeah. Things like that. know, touches, the touch points. Yeah. Yeah.

persona exercise before you go out just to kind of see what you like dietary restrictions not everybody wants to eat meat like you like me yeah some people don't like sparkling wine so maybe shame on them yeah maybe we mix in you know their preference on the airplane so that they have all red wines being tasted and I got him through that and that happens all the time too so we're flexible

we want to make sure everything is going be at the highest level. That's pretty much the bottom line. So the attention to detail. there are going to be listeners, I don't know what percentage, but probably a high percentage of visitors that sitting there thinking, sounds magical, but it may not be something I can ever actually do. So Andre, what are some tips that you can give to people who may not be able to be one of the 10 people on that private jet

to elevate their wine experiences when they do travel, whether it's preparing well in advance, like we talk about in episode 23. if you could give them three tips that can elevate from a great experience to an unbelievable

Okay. Well, think about what you like from a varietal standpoint. So if you like white wines, look for the best wineries and go for the small wineries. Don't go for the big ones because big ones are mass producing. try to go to the artisan producers. Number one,

Think about wine club from Avenue to get more leverage for behind the scenes kind of things because typically when you're a wine club member you maybe it's better glassware maybe is a private lounge that they offer or they give you a complimentary class every time you go or you can bring a guest at no charge a lot of a lot of added values for being a wine club it's a commitment you know you got to think of like that because most most people want you to

be part of that for a year. But just a thought, know, wine club is a great point. It's a added value component that, you know, for me, I don't need it because I get invited to all these wineries and it's pretty much carte blanche to do whatever I want. for you, it's not that easy. That's why you want to come with me. So I can get things that are closed or not with Andre.

And that's true too, like many times.

you know, you'll go to a property and maybe they're not open, but the owner will have his keys and they say, on in, drivers are a big part of it too. know, drivers I'm sure you're going to do research and try to figure out who are the best.

Ask questions. When you're out and going to a restaurant, hey, what have you heard is the top new winery? What makes it unique? Is it the vineyard? Is it a blending seminar? There's a place called Raymond over in Napa.

They do a blending seminar where you walk in, they give you, it's like going into a lab. They give you a white jacket like you're in, in a little glasses, and you make your own little Cabernet, Merlot, Cap Franc, Bordeaux blend. And then they bottle it for you. They put a little label on it for you. And customize it. And you can buy a bottle, you can buy a case, you can buy a palette. You know, it's kind of like they have it set up where you can walk out.

with that wine, the wine you made. That's the kind of things I'm doing. know, it's going to be things that you don't think about that create an experience. Maybe it's tasting a grape versus a wine. Maybe it's food and wine.

being paired perfectly, things you don't think about, artisan epicurean food from celebrity chefs.

there's all kinds of things you can do. Yeah, those are great tips. And I totally am a fan of the artisanal kind of small boutique wineries because they do, you know, they're not on the beaten path. They're not getting the type of traffic, the big ones right in the valley in Napa or the big name brands are. And they want to tell you their story and you get so much more out of it. Yeah.

When they farm, they know how to farm. And look for a history, Here's another thing that watch out for. The new wineries, I mean, they're fun to go visit because they're new, but they're spending a lot of money to be new. The older guys that have been around for a long time, I'll give you a good example, Chappelet they're up on Pritchard Hill. They're in their third generation of ownership in that area.

They don't have bills, know, they pay their bills. So the cost of the wine is not as high as somebody's new upstarts that are going out and they spent. Right. They're spending 20 million dollars on a tasting room. And some of the I think some of the folks you're talking about that I've been to as well. I mean, you're literally drinking wine on a barrel top of a barrel in a barn. And it is some of the best wine. And I think that is is definitely a great recommendation because you are paying for the

luxury experience of that new tasting room for these new places and it's become a competition. And it's not cheap to go out to Napa these days. it's not uncommon to be a hundred dollars. that's a lot of money.

Well, I love those tips. So going going more of the boutique wineries Definitely, I think the the tip on finding the right driver because they in edition to you knowing the winemakers They know the winemakers too They can give you some good guides and get really open some doors because they can make some of those phone calls for you

and get you in the door. And then, you know, knowing what experience you want. And that's something we talk about in episode 23 is if you don't have a goal and what you want to experience, you could have a very luxury experience, but it doesn't at all fit you personally. those are great tips. I will actually put the link to the travel in the show notes, but I know it's going to be magical. know that those are 10

Very very lucky people who are gonna be on the plane with you. Yeah, we have yeah one trip in July and then we have two in August Leaving from Texas and then we'll probably do some some other trips from California going to Texas And if you haven't been to Texas, you need to come see what's on. Yes. It's definitely growing At warp speed it kind of reminds me of 30 years ago and Sonoma and like where I spent most of my life, you know, there was

100 wineries back then. Now there's four or 500. Same thing in Napa.

500 wineries in Napa and back in the day, you know before the bottle shot kind of went through the movie Concept where the judgment of Paris kind of made things happen in the 80s. They weren't resorts in Napa They were little motels. Yeah And they weren't restaurants or little side street cafes and now look at it. It's like it's like a Mecca and Yonkville's incredible

St. Helena is gorgeous. But it's tough to navigate if you don't know where you're going. you know, pick the right person. If you get a driver, see if he has credentials as a song, you know, that helps because they probably taste more wine that way. That's another good tip.

But enjoy wine, that's the main thing.

Well, this has been so much fun. And so the next time you want to wine travel, go luxury or take some of the elements that Andre talked about and move that forward. So, okay. I hope to

out there. Alright, cheers.