Black Forest Wine Tour Recommendations

You may get a better response from someone who knows the Baden wine region better than I... but from what I know about other German wine regions (including the one where I live), the German wine industry isn't like the French or Californian. Meaning, you don't have specific estates that belong to a single mark. Rather, individual growers produce the grapes on shared public-access land. The pressing, bottling, and fermentation usually takes place at a collective facility somewhere in town, and all the resulting wine gets marketed under a communal brand. Other than hiking through the vineyards (which I regularly do with my dog as an afterwork walk), there usually isn't anything to tour. The wine is usually extremely cheap and sold in local grocery stores, or directly from the collective.

But as noted, the Baden wine region may be different. I doubt it, though.

When in the BF in September, I was startled to try "new" wine. (Neuer Susser) This is not a fine-wine product, but a seasonal, un-shippable low-alcohol product. I think in Italy it's called Giallo (yellow). If you are there in harvest season, it's an interesting change, and very refreshing.

The best, and best-known, wineries in the Mosel require reservations for tastings. This suggests that you (in Rick's terms) pick at least one "Worthwhile Splurge" hotel, where their Concierge is known to the nearby cellars.

The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald) is a range of mostly forested hills stretching from Stuttgart to the Swiss border, in the state (German: Land) of Baden-Württemberg. There are no wine areas in the Black Forest, but there are in the foothills on the edges of the Black Forest. These are Germay's most southerly vineyards. On the eastern edge of the Black Forest is the Württemberg wine area. On the western edge, between the Black Forest on the Rhine, are the Baden vineyards.

I am more familiar with the Baden vineyards. These are a thin strip in the lower foothills, down to the valley floor, often less than 2Km wide, from Baden-Baden in the north, via Offenburg and Freiburg to the Swiss border at Basel. At Freiburg there is a off-shoot group of hills to the west of Freiburg called "Kaiserstuhl" which is very famous for its wines, look up the town of "Breisach" (http://www.breisach.de/html/seiten/startseite.phtml?nav=1&lang=en).
The area is best explored by car. The old main road (pre-Autobahn) runs along the valley floor, within sight of the vineyards. As you enter each village, look for signs "Winzergenossenschaft" (=Co-operative winery). These are where the local growers bring their grapes, and they usually have a shop attached with tastings (free), after which it is only polite to buy at least one case of 6 bottles of whichever you liked the best.
There are lots of good small hotels to stay at in the wine villages.
The local speciality grape is "Spätburgunder", which produces red, or sometimes Rosé, wine. Germany is not known for it's red wines as most of this is drunk by the Germans. It is too good for export!
I have never seen a guided wine tour of the region, but they must exist.

Facing the Black Forest, on the opposite side of the Rhine valley, are the Vosges hills. In their foothills are a similar thin strip of vineyards running north-south. This is the Alsatian wine area. You can visit both areas. Here the sign to look for is "Cave coopérative" (=Co-operative winery), or "dégustation" (=tasting). "Gewürztraminer" is Alsace's most famous grape variety. It produces white wine.

Spätburgunder one of the most memorable wines I've ever come across. I gave up finding an American importer thereof.

This tour company, "Stuttgart Steps" which is based in Stuttgart, comes highly recommended. It is the one that I would use. Good prices and a great guide. You can have them plan a vineyard tour for you.
http://stuttgartsteps.com/