Modern wine tastings are safer now that guides are fully vetted to make sure they know unique wine facts and have never bricked up a tour in a Venetian catacomb. Comfortably tap casks with today's Groupon: for $125, you get admission for two on a wine- and spirit-tasting tour of Long Island's North Fork from Hampton Luxury Liner and breakfast (a $300 value). Tours lake place on Saturdays with pickup locations in New York City, Plainview, and Ronkonkoma.

Hampton Luxury Liner fine-tunes a fleet of luxury motor coaches that shuttle passengers on a pleasant journeys throughout the region's scenic sights and entertaining attractions. The wine and spirits tour winds through Long Island's North Fork and makes stops at three locations for tastings and guided tours. After a breakfast served on the coach, travelers explore the 500-acre Pindar Vineyards, where they can imbibe five of the vineyard's 23 different varietals ranging from pear-kissed chardonnays to syrahs that shook hands with Ronald Reagan. Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard centers around a 150-year-old farmhouse that hides a bistro-style wine bar and outdoor tasting deck to savor pressed grapes surrounded by fresh air and natural scenery. Long Island Spirits sates mouths with a taste for something stronger with its craft-distilled vodka served in a complimentary shot glass to commemorate the occasion. The idyllic, 80-acre potato farm attempts to create the finest vodka possible through secret fermenting techniques and tricking other distilleries into becoming melted-ice manufacturers.

During the ride, trip takers can recline their leather seats—each equipped with a personal electric outlet—and use the free WiFi to search for wine flavor profiles and impress sommeliers with compliments about how their ties imply notes of toast and black pepper. Riders may also choose to borrow some reading material from the rear-galley library or simply plug into the headphone jack and lose themselves in the en-route movie, viewable from five flat-screen televisions.