Reviews of Top Cat Wine Tours and Charters (Travel Agency)

Glenn Boyd

Our guide (Kelsie) was fantastic! Friendly talkative and very knowledgable. 1 star off perfect because the Trilogy tour is a bit light (only 4 stops)

Mandeep Jhutee

Did the 1/2 day Naramata wine tour with Top Cat for our anniversary trip. I cannot say enough about the service that they provided. They went out of there way to make the trip memorable. Also, the driver’s genuinely liked what they were doing and it showed. I will be using them every time in the Okanagan.

Adam Schlinker

Topcat was great. Got exactly what we expected. Went to 5 wineries, and tried about 6 wines at each place. The gourmet meal advertised was just that; Doug makes sure to take you to the good places. Also, on the subject of Doug, our tour guide: he was wonderful. Very friendly, knowledgeable about the area and history, and made sure we were taken care of. Thanks, Doug!

Phil Way

Went on a wine tour with top cats Doug was the driver/ tour guide. He was great very knowledgeable about the area and the winery's. He picked us up at home, vehicle was clean, safe and it had a fully functioning AC .

morg

We did the wine tours and our driver Denis was amazing, learned a lot of the history of wine making penticton.

Pierre Beauvais

I recently hired Top Cat Tours for my wife's 40th Birthday. WOW...top notch in every aspect! We had booked the stretch SUV limo since we were a group of 12 on a full day wine tour. Our driver, Tom was exceptional. First, he arrived on time at our resort in Osoyoos and had pre-booked the first couple wineries and also the lunch at the golf course. (excellent menu) Over lunch we had an opportunity as a group to discuss our next few stops and Tom was so helpful and made a few calls so we never had to wait and the wineries were always ready for us. Tom was very accommodating. He was also more than willing to take our 14 kids for a ride in the limo afterwards to get ice-cream. Definitely a highlight for them. Myles and Becky were also super helpful behind the scenes as the kids was a last minute request. I would highly recommend this company for a private wine tour for any occasion. Thank you Top Cat for such an amazing afternoon.

José Luis Lillo Alemán

We booked our (2 person) Naramata wine tour with lunch through TripAdvisor, understanding we could be picked up at Peachland (so we can enjoy the wine tasting without having to worry about driving) as the booking page suggested. For our own piece of mind, we called the day before to confirm pick up. Surprisingly, the tour usually does not pick up further than Summerland and Top Cat has been trying to get this modified at the tour's TripAdvisor page. Misscommunication issues aside, Milles resolved the issue diligently and amended our trip so we could be picked up at our location, as we originally expected. If that wasn't enough, we were extremely lucky because we had been partnered with a bachelorette, and Top Cat only want customers to have a unique experience so as things turned out, we got a private trip so we could get the best experience possible. Kudos for them! The tour itself was fantastic. Our wine knowledge was limited, and can only say good things about our driver and guide, Denis. His knowledge about the area and wine helped us to understand what to look for and overall build a good base knowledge that will be of use from now onwards! And the wineries we went to were sublime. The attention and time they invested on us really shows passion for what they do. Not to mention the scenary - simply breathtaking. Last but not least, we had lunch at Hillside. We sat in the upstairs patio and yet again, a fantastic location with excellent views. Denis joined us and we shared a good and kind conversation about a bunch of different topics. Our only con, which is not really such a thing, is that we were limited to a certain allowance for lunch, which still allowed us to get a decent main per person, but that was pretty much it. Should we have wanted anything else, we would have had to top it up. Maybe the concept "gourmet lunch" has to be revisited, however this is just an interpretation. We were pleased with the quality of food and were overall satisfied. To conclude, I can't recommend Top Cat tours enough, at least when it takes to their Naramata wine tour. Their costumer service was great, and the tour was an experience we will surely remember. Thanks guys!

Ayla Lucak

We were a group of 6 who went on an all day Naramata bench tour. Barry was an amazing tour guide! Super knowledgable about not only wine but the local area as well. Such a fun day! Would definitely book a tour again.

Cierra Carlyle

My group had a wonderful time on the Naramata Bench with shuttle driver Marc. He did a fantastic job telling us about some local history, would take our purchases to the van for us, and safely got us from winery to winery. The lunch that was included in our tour was fantastic and delicious. Highly recommend Top Cat Tours!

Danielle Ingeberg

Did the Naramata Bench full day tour as a group of 4 and we all had a fantastic time! Dennis was a wonderful tour guide. Highly recommend.

Maria M.

Amazing experience, awesome patient driver. Highly recommend.

Avril Gardner

We were so excited for this tour and unfortunately it was a pretty big let down. The driver Doug picked us up on time and informed us that we were the only ones on the tour. Good day right? Nope. Right away we were told that he had to be done by 230pm as a wedding that had been cancelled the night before, some of the guests were still going to attempt to enjoy the venue so he had to be back to get them and bring them there. How is that our issue? Anyway, I'll get back to that. Within 5 min of leaving he had to pull over and take a call, we were now told that our bus would be meeting a group that would be doing a half day and would meet us at our second winery. No problem. Side note: I asked if there was bottled water on board (as it states will be provided)and he said no it's on the other one, we got the old bus. Too bad he says, the Mercedes you were suppose to have is really nice but you have the original one. Anyway, no biggie - only if I realized then that this was the theme - we start our day and enjoy the first place and head to the second destination Dirty Laundry a fun, busy, beautiful winery. Right away we are told that 15min is lots or we won't make our lunch reservation on time if we are longer and now the group meeting up with us isn't no longer coming. We bought our wine and took a pic and left. We proceeded to the next winery and was told again that he had to be done by 230pm and that this place we are headed to likes to show all their wine so maybe don't try them all. Hello, isn't that why we are here? We try them all - even if he was lurking nearby trying to hurry us. We leave and it was time for lunch and once AGAIN we are told that we need to hurry as he needs to make it back. I tell him maybe they should call someone else, just because you need to be done doesn't mean we need to rush we PAID for a full day. We eat lunch and by now he needs to hurry. Says ok last two have to be quick. We aren't happy. He proceeds down the hill and stops at a small subpar winery that only has whites, and maybe 5 at most. Yes to hurry us along of course. We leave and head to the last which of course is at the bottom of the hill so he can make a quick exit. We sample and leave, we weren't able to get full 5 stamps on our wine passports (the last place was new and wasn't participating in this contest - get 5 stamps and goes in a draw )and said he will swing past one more but only to fake sign last box and only to drop off. No time to sample. After that we were dropped off by 230pm, of course. We were looking so forward to this mom's trip for the past month and we felt hurried and not important as customers. They may do this everyday and it's boring to them but this was a trip we paid for and it was suppose to be fun and exciting. Not rushed. I would go with another company, hopefully you will have better luck. We will do another tour one day in the near future but not with this company!

Amber Henricksen

For the last few years we have used Top Cat Tours for all our wine, distillery and brewery tours. Over 10 tours with them and every single one is top notch! The drivers are all so professional, helpful and fun. The tour options have always been perfect. Top Cat is super accommodating and so easy to deal with. I’d highly recommend them!!!

Rob Willson

Booked a wine tour with them, confirmed the day before and then they never showed up. No call or anything, just didn't show.

Eli Zbar

Incredible service, top notch tours, 10/10 will use them next time!

stefan gonzales

We went on our first organized tour with Top Cat over the weekend - Dennis was our guide and he was amazing. Super upbeat and positive, and he made the day that much better! Answered all of our questions, seemed to know everyone at every place we went to and he told us the back story of each place we arrived at throughout the day. We were kept on schedule but we never felt rushed, and got in five winery stops on our day. Lots of curveballs with COVID restrictions and changes at each winery but Dennis helped us navigate it all and we had such a great day!

Meghan Walsh

Great customer service! Unfortunately we weren't able to experience the tour we had booked in September 2021, but we plan to rebook. Looking forward to it :)

Vanessa Raber

We absolutely loved the half-day tour! When our driver Al picked us up from the hotel he informed us that we would be the only guests on the tour. Along the way he provided us with interesting facts about the surrounding areas and the history of some of the wineries. He asked us for our wine preferences and adjusted the tour accordingly. We took our time at each vineyard and whenever we made a purchase, he helped us carry the bottles back to the van. Overall, a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend.

Carly

Professional and courteous drivers that offer an excellent experience. Our driver thought of everything (bottled water, boxes for our wine, etc). Would highly recommend Top Cat.

Sean Smith

Great fun tour. Knowledgeable driver provided lots.of extra tid bits. Great to have the meal included with lots of meal choices. Tour price was best with everything included

Misha Micheals

My girlfriends and I had a great time wine touring with Top Cat! The fun began from the moment we were picked up at our hotel. We visited a great selection of wineries and the lunch that was included in the tour package was tasty too.

Ashley Hunter

We had a lovely full day wine tour on the Naramata bench. Lunch was amazing with Chef Bongo from the Congo! We went to some new wineries... what a pleasant surprise! Highly recommend Nichol and 3 Sisters! Our driver Tom was organized and prompt. He was so informative and really got to know each of us. Thanks Tom & Top Cat!

Tina Lockhart

Barry was the bomb!!! We had the best group wine tour because of him. Barry was friendly, upbeat, and informative and he knew almost all the employees and wines at each stop. My friends and I felt so lucky to be in his group, especially since we travelled out from Alberta to enjoy this experience. A+++ would definitely use again.

monique driediger

Enjoyed the Naramata Bench all day wine tour with Marc as our driver and guide. Marc was extremely knowledgeable about a vast array of topics, a great conversationalist even throws out some cheesy Dad jokes! Our tour and stops were very enjoyable. Lunch at TIME was amazing!! Highly recommend the bacon grilled cheese and fries or the burger and fries. Be sure to bring your phone fully charged to take lots of beautiful pictures. Right from the point of booking the administrative staff were amazing customer service is excellent- happily answer my many questions and always returned calls even the ones I didn’t leave messages. I can see why they are one of the top wine tour companies. 10/10 would do again! Cheers Topcat Tours????

Irena K

We really enjoyed this tour. Not only we drank delicious wine but also learned a lot about the local area, thanks to our guide, Wayne.

Jeff Schaeffers

Recently worked with this company to plan some special details for a 40th birthday and they were fantastic. If you’re looking for prompt communication and customer service that goes above and beyond, you’ve found it.

Nick Washington

I surprised my girlfriend with a weekend getaway to Penticton and booked a wine tour with Top Cat. I had a couple of special requests for the tour at the time of booking, and Miles came through with each of them. My girlfriend was blown away with the day. Thanks Top Cat Tours!

Julia Roos

Had a very disappointing tour with Top Cat this past weekend. I had booked the tour months ago for a bachelorette; the tour was going to be the main event of the weekend but fell flat. After booking the company called me twice to push back the pickup time in order to accommodate their schedule, which I agreed to. Other than that, there was no communication about the tour beforehand. I was under the impression (based on a previous experience with them and based on the description of the tour on their website as "customizable") that the driver would ask us upon pickup if we had any requests or what type of wine we liked. Instead, when we got on the bus he informed us that they had pre-booked us at particular wineries without consulting us, and we would not be able to go to the wineries we had picked out. In addition, the "half day" tour only included 3 wineries and was an hour and a half! We were told we would not be able to go to the wineries on our own list and had to go to those 3. We did not like any of them, all of which served mostly sweet white wines which, if we had been asked, the driver/owner would know we weren't interested in. After speaking with the driver (who was somewhat sympathetic), he reached out to the owner to see if we could go to a 4th winery of our choice. In response, the owner (Myles) said they would not cover our tasting fees there, and that we had to go somewhere on their "usual route" that they had an agreement with. Clearly the company will only take you to particular wineries that they have this agreement with, so they don't have to pay any tasting fees. I think this is a misrepresentation of their statement that they "cover tasting fees," when really they only take you to wineries that don't charge tasting fees. In the end, after one of our guests spoke with the owner on the phone, they agreed we could go to a 4th winery. However they were incredibly rude and clearly did not care about our experience. This was not a customizable tour but just a crappy mode of transportation to get us from point A to point B. The driver did not give us any information about Naramata, and it didn't appear that he knew anything about wine. There was also no bottled water as advertised. Will not be using this company again.

Valley SHD

Great Tour with Top Cat Wine Tours. We have done other companies other years and hands down we were glad we made the change to Top Cat. All inclusive tour the best deal we got 5 wineries, lunch at winery where we got to pick anything off the menu, a glass of wine and tasting fees all for 129 a person. To top the day off we enjoyed the luxury transport

Anne Bain

I would expect some communication from the driver while on the bus. We toured four different wineries and traveled through beautiful countryside. No information was provided. One of the ladies noticed a container that had water bottles in it but it was never offered to us. He was very courteous and stood by the door to make sure we all disembarked safely but I would say that was all.

Susan Felts

The perfect Okanagan experience! We went on a wine tour with Top Cat Tours in March and what a great day! Our driver Dennis was very knowledgeable of the area, and picked a great selection of wineries for us to visit on the Naramata Bench. We look forward to touring with Top Cat again this summer - maybe either in Summerland or down south.

Nate Phil

Awful owner ship.... avoid this company

E Watson

Went on the bottleneck wine tour in Summerland yesterday (Sep 9, 19) and it was awesome!! We had a fantastic time. This was my fiance's and my first wine tour ever and we are hooked. We will definitely be doing this again and will absolutely book with Top Cat again. Our driver and guide, Kelsey, was great... she was a perfect combination of knowledge and humour :) We can't wait for our next wine tour experience with Top Cat ???????? Thanks for an impressive and fun experience guys!!

Kristi Brink

The company overbooked and didn't even notify me to tell me that it was overbooked. When I originally inquired through email they said they had no room, however that same day I spoke to someone on the phone and he said that they did have room and then booked me in. I called them 9 days before the scheduled tour and at that time they then told me that it was overbooked and could not accommodate us. They didn't make any effort to try to arrange something else.

Amy Curtis

Dennis was amazing. Our day was perfect and he gave us recommendations for the next day that were amazing. All around great experience

Lauren Jonasson

I did not have a good experience with Myles at Top Cat Tours. It was difficult to get in touch with him and my wedding planner had the same issue citing that he was very reliable but not the best with communication. We hired Top Cat for a wine tour, along with bus transportation the day and night of our wedding along with a complimentary limo, which was one of the only things positive. The fleets did arrive on time for the wine tour, along with the transportation to the wedding (AC did not work on the buses though i must note), however, the end of night transportation turned into a nightmare. I had sent a detailed itinerary and email to Myles regarding the evening transport indicating we wanted two pickups in a 47 passenger bus. (Although i do believe a discussion with my wedding planner early on had indicated 3 pickup times in a 24 to be fair). HOWEVER, I received email confirmation from him regarding the pickup times i had indicated, along with another confirmation we had the 47 passenger bus for the evening, so it was scheduled correctly with confirmation from Topcat, so the error rest on them. For our final pickup, a 24 passenger bus was sent incorrectly when the 47 passanger was booked ( a 47 pass was sent in error at 10:30 with only 6 guests - sent in error), resulting in over 10 guests being left at our venue for over an hour (at 12:40am), not knowing if they were going to be picked up our not. This was huge stress the night as my wedding as I insisted on staying behind, being forced onto the bus in tears since i was the bride. I immediately emailed Myles the next day saying i was quite upset about it and how did this error happen. Absolutely NO communication from him so I waited to recieve an invoice. After 6 weeks of nothing, my father realized the bill for the wine tour (which he gave his credit card for) AND the wedding day transport was charged with no invoice or word from Top Cat, when they clearly made a mistake. I emailed Myles again last week to get a copy of the invoice and a week later still absolutely nothing. I would not recommend this company for your wedding activities as it's completely unprofessional. Perhaps a guided wine tour set out by them would be fine, but absolutely do not try to coordinate with this company your own plans as it's impossible. Extremely disappointed in this.

Mark Lantzer

Great day spent on the Naramata Bench. Comfortable Mercedes bus with cool AC, our driver Christian was great, picking us up and dropping us off at our hotel. Nice selection of wineries, and a tasty lunch. Would recommend Top Cat Tours to those interested in an Okanagan wine tour - you get your money’s worth.

Parise Burton

The tour was amazing. My friend and I had such a wonderful time. The lunch that was included was great and Robin our tour driver was amazing and super friendly. We had a mix up with Groupon but Top Cat tours was incredible and fixed it for us while groupon would not help at all. Amazing customer service. Would recommend anytime and will do another tour with them the next time I'm visiting the area.

Alex Logan-Phelan

Wayne was personable and friendly. Had great information about the area and took care of all us. We wanted to a visit a specific winery and he made time to make sure we made it. Cheers guys!

Kyla Marsden

Do not book this company for your wedding or large event! Unfortunately we did not have a good experience with this company. We tried to be understanding that mistakes do happen, but we had multiple issues with this company on our wedding day. One reason that we booked this company was because they provided air conditioned vehicles, only to have a bus that had NO A/C for our wedding party bus! It was a hot Okanagan summer day so this was not a good experience. In addition, there were about 20 of our wedding guests that did NOT get picked up, including the groom's parents and immediate family. Errors and miscommunications do occur, but the lack of communication between drivers was a huge issue here. Finally, at the end of our wedding night the bus that we were supposed to take back to Kelowna from our venue in Peachland BROKE DOWN. We then had to wait for taxis and a second bus to come from Penticton - not how I pictured the end of my wedding night. The company did cover the costs of a few taxis, but there was a large group of people who had to wait even longer for the second bus. I discussed all of this with the company and they were mostly just defensive - I expected much better service and a higher level of professionalism from this company! There are multiple concerns here with proper maintenance of their vehicles as well as effective communication. I hope this does not happen again to anyone else in the future.

Sher Ladell

I’m severely disappointed with this company for the lack of communication the office has confirming bookings and sending out invoices. It’s a shame- we did have a great time with our tour guide and wanted to book a private charter for next year, but their lack of professionalism has swayed us away. Since our booking, I had to call the office 4 times that week leading up to our tour explaining they never sent an invoice or charged my credit card and without confirmation we were concerned if the tour was going to take place. After each phone call, he insisted they put through the charge and the invoice, but will resend the invoice if I haven't received it yet. He was always persistent in telling me everything was handled so I eventually trusted him it was going to work out and the charge was a delay on my credit card. Now, I sit here writing on day 56 since the booking call with still NO INVOICE even though it was requested 5 times with no call back from this week explaining why it took 45 days for my credit card to be charged! I would be very wary of this company getting a hold of your credit card information knowing they have free range to charge whatever and whenever!

Dark Hurtz

We booked our group tour on Thursday, September 10th. My husband and I were traveling with friends. Right on time, Barry, our guide arrived. He was friendly and ushered us into the van. Much to our surprise, our "group tour" turned out to be only the four of us, so we had the benefit of a private tour for group prices...BONUS! Barry was so knowledgeable, not only about the wineries we toured, but the area as a whole - from Penticton and the "Golden Mile". Not bad for a North Vancouver boy. ;-) The wineries we toured were great (as our numerous cases of wine we purchased could attest). We thoroughly enjoyed our day! Imagine our surprise when my husband, friends and I bumped into Barry on the Saturday at the Moraine Winery on another tour he was conducting. He greeted us warmly, like we were lifelong friends and then he was off with his group. I highly recommend this company and, if we're in the neighbourhood, we'll ask for Barry again. He's truly an asset to your company!!

Jacqui Sloan

Our tour was cancelled an hour before it was about to begin. Still waiting on my refund of 625 after 5 days...