She doesn't have a brand.
She has a van and a phone.
That's not a marketing line. Vivian Dahl is one person, with one SUV, who answers her own phone. If you call, you'll probably get her. If you text, you'll definitely get her.
Vivian grew up in a small town outside Sacramento. Her grandmother kept a two-bottle cellar in the basement and a gallon of Carlo Rossi on the counter, and the rule was that family dinners ended when the Carlo Rossi did. Her first real glass of wine was a 1995 Stags Leap Petite Sirah at a friend of a friend's anniversary party, and she remembers it the way other people remember first concerts.
She worked at a tasting room in Napa through college, then drove for a small tour outfit for five years, then started her own business in 2009 with a used Toyota Sienna and a phone with her real number on it. The Sienna died in 2017. She's on her third late-model SUV. The phone number hasn't changed.
The thing she's best at, and the reason people book her twice, is matching people to the right three wineries. Anyone can drive you to Opus One. Vivian can drive you to the small place two miles up the road where the owner is in the tasting room, the cabernet is half the price, and you'll leave with three bottles and a standing invitation to come back.
She does about 250 tours a year. She caps the calendar at four days a week. She does not work Mondays. She does not work the Sunday after a busy Saturday because the van needs a wash and so does she.
A Chrysler Pacifica, kept like a friend's living room.
Late model. Black. Leather. Cold air. Quiet on the highway. Six seats with the second row captain's chairs, so even a full car has elbow room. Trunk space for six full cases of wine, which has happened, more than once.
It's cleaned every Sunday, restocked with cold water and warm hospitality. Vivian doesn't drink on the job — you do, as much as the wineries will pour you. By the end of the day, you'll have a designated driver who's been sober the entire time and has a story for every back road.
See the tours →Ready to meet her?
The first call is free — she'll tell you whether she's the right fit for your day.