Bonjour,
I apologize in advance for not speaking any French, but I%26#39;m extremely grateful to all who are willing to assist a couple of Americans looking to make the most out of our trip.
In September of this year, we%26#39;ll be heading to Germany for a vacation (we%26#39;ve spent much time in Germany). Due to some changes in travel plans, we found ourselves with 3 days a free time. We%26#39;ve never been to France so we decided to spend our three days in France. We understand this is less than ideal, but my fiance and I have always wanted to visit France and couldn%26#39;t resist this opportunity. I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll return later with more experience!!!
Anyways, we%26#39;re going to spend two nights in Paris and planned on spending a day in the Burgundy area. As someone raised in California, I%26#39;m really into wines, and find myself preferring Burgandian styled wines even in California. I%26#39;m not an expert on French wines, but I consider myself a near-expert on Californian wines.
It seems our plan is to take an early TGV train from Paris to Dijon (like 600-700am) and hire a car in Dijon. We planned on returning the car and finding a hotel in Dijon for the night and then waking up early and beginning our journey back to Germany.
In the past I%26#39;ve been cautious of tourist sites since they%26#39;re often run by advertisers, etc. I%26#39;ve found much more help on forums like these.
Given a day, how would you recommend we start planning our wine tasting? We considered doing a tour, but I wanted the experts here opinions on if those are worthwhile.
We%26#39;re most interested in tasting great wines and seeing beautiful vineyards and wineries. I have no qualms with paying a tasting fee, and I plan to buy a few bottles from visited wineries and bring them back to the states. I have no qualms about paying up to around 80EUR per bottle of wine, anything beyond that is outside my budget. The bottle would need to be exceptional at that price, as my comfort zone with wines is closer to 30-40EUR. I%26#39;m a big fan of Côte d%26#39;Or pinot based Burgundies. I also have a soft spot for Beaujolais, but I understand these two regions are very far apart so I%26#39;m not sure if it%26#39;s logistically possible.
Anyways, I%26#39;m sorry this is so long, but any help would be appreciated in getting us started on our planning.
Kind regards,
Brian
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I tend to agree that it%26#39;s very assuming to take a vendor/producers valuable time at a wine tasting without making a purchase which is why I do not mind paying a tasting fee.
However with only one day, you might maximize your time by using the services of a well known guide. These people are generally well thought of:
http://www.toursetdetours.com/
http://wineandvoyages.com/
General information about the region:
www.route-des-grands-crus-de-bourgogne.com/
The Office de Tourisme in Dijon may have additional information:
http://www.dijon-tourism.com/
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I agree with Sarastro about using an organised tour. We%26#39;ve been with Burgundy Discovery http://www.burgundydiscovery.com/ though they tend to concentrate their tours around Beaune/Chalon area. We went to some of the smaller producers who are typical of the area - as they didn%26#39;t speak much English, it was helpful that someone was there to translate if necessary. Another advantage about someone else driving is that you don%26#39;t have to worry too much if you happen to drink some of the wine!
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Diz,
Thanks for the recommendation. I checked out their site and it seems well suited for us with more focus on wines. Did you do the premier or the classic tour?
In hindsight, would you still recommend them based on them staying around the Beaune area? Do you feel that it is negative thing given only one day in the region?
Thanks so much,
Brian
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It%26#39;s 3 or 4 years since that trip and as far as I remember, there was only the one now called the classic. We visited two cellars in the morning, had lunch then went on to another in the afternoon. We tasted a selection of whites and reds in each, along with gougères (cheesy choux pastry balls), more or less at our leisure. We enjoyed it, but it%26#39;s the only organised tour we%26#39;ve done, so I%26#39;d hesitate to recommend it over others - try the search box on here for some feedback from others who%26#39;ve done various of the tours on offer.
I%26#39;d commented about them being based near Beaune because the vineyards we visited were south of Beaune, so not the Cote de Nuits which is the one most people have heard of, and also because it adds a bit to your journey time from Paris and probably involves changing trains in Dijon (though they may pick you up there?) On the other hand, Beaune is a lovely little town if you%26#39;re planning to stay overnight, and there is an excellent shop called L%26#39;Athenaeum which you might enjoy http://www.athenaeumfr.com
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Thanks Diz, I%26#39;ve done other searches in here and it seems they%26#39;re highly recommended here. I also read that the areas around Beaune are preferred. On the day we%26#39;re visiting, they already confirmed a Grand Premier tasting which focuses on Premier and Grand Cru wineries. We%26#39;re excited since that%26#39;s the one we were leaning towards.
I asked a bunch of questions and their response was immediate and incredibly detailed. I%26#39;m already quite impressed and and looking to utilize their service.
To all, thanks for all the help and the specific recommendations!
Cheers,
Brian
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another company to consider for guided tours: Wines Travel www.wines-travel.com
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Thanks, I%26#39;ve booked with Burgundy Discovery. I sent a comprehensive email with many questions about their service and their response was immediate and incredible detailed. It seems like the right outfit for us. I%26#39;d have never found them if it wasn%26#39;t for this forum.
I%26#39;ll definitely report back in late September on how the experience was.
Thanks again to all! I may be back in a month or so to determine a good place for dinner around Beaune.
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I agree with Sastro and Diz, a tour is the way to go since you are only there for a day. All I want to add is that we just came back from a weekend on the Côte d%26#39;Or, where we began our French life, and it was just as beautiful as we always remembered it to be. The wines are wonderful, the people charming, and I predict that you will want to return to spend more time in what I think of as one of the most beautiful areas in France.
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I%26#39;m sure we will. In fact, my parents and sister and her boyfriend have spoke of spending a week there for a Summer in the coming years, especially since my parents are retiring in 2 years.
This is sort of a trial run. Thanks again!
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