I’m planning a trip to burgundy in spring 2022 to celebrate a big birthday. Will be renting a big house/chateau or taking a block of rooms at a hotel, and then hosting a rotating group of friends and family over a two week period. At this point, I think my greatest need is for a concierge/guide/advisor who could help to organize and schedule all the tastings and lunches and dinners (and maybe suggest where to stay). Is there anyone you could recommend?
A couple of other questions:
–my birthday is February, which seems too cold, but summer is crowded. Would March or April be better in terms of pleasant weather and pleasant (less busy) winemakers/owners?
–will consult the person recommended above, but someone advised me that larger groups are much less welcome in burgundy than in Napa/Sonoma, and that we may need to split visits. What do you think is the ideal and maximize size of a group for a tasting at a good place?
Assuming things move forward, I expect to be back to ask for particular recommendations for restaurants and wineries this fall.
Hi Greg, I don’t really have any good information for you (other than to suggest you should search for previous threads on Burgundy travel). May I ask why Burgundy? The region is a relatively poor choice (IMHO) for larger scale wine tourism. Other regions, such as Bordeaux, are likely to be far better equipped (in terms of potential service providers / concierge, ability to do larger tastings etc).
I would think renting a house would be more ideal over a block of hotel rooms. You would have use of your own kitchen if you like to cook as you would actually be able bring stuff home from the outdoor markets to cook with. And outdoor space for dining and entertaining. I haven’t been in many years but from I remember it is very sleepy there if nightlife is important you might be disappointed. My first trip was with my culinary school and we did do multiple tastings, I think our group was around 20 people.
Thanks for those notes – prefer Burgundy to Bordeaux simply because I think we’d learn more; also, trying to find smaller places (why we prefer Sonoma to Napa). We are looking at renting a house, and will probably go that route, maybe with a hotel on reserve if we have too many guests for the house. Of course either house or hotel would come with a concierge who could help on scheduling, but I’m wondering if there is anyone out there whom people have used and can vouch for – both for knowledge and organizational skills.
I’d say that if you’re a group of more than two or three, you can forget getting a tasting at any of the “exclusive” (if we can put it like that) domaines. The big négociant houses, sure, because they have the infrastructure for that.
I love going to Burgundy. The food is fabulous and the whole region is just beautiful. Certainly, the larger the group, the less likely you will be able to visit small domaines, but I have visited small domaines with 6-8 people so it can be done. Do note, with some of these places, at least one person in our group had a long-standing relationship with the domaine. Alternatively, visit places like Drouhin, Bouchard or Jadot. Do note that unlike small domaines, these places generally charge for visits. Visit their websites for more information.
If you want a hotel that will not cost too much, the Ibis Styles is wonderful. ibis Styles Beaune Centre - ALL It is not at all fancy, but it is perfectly located on the ring road around Beaune so that you can walk every night to dinner in Beaune if you want to eat there. Plenty of restaurants in Beaune to keep one happy for years. I do recommend staying in Beaune because of the restaurants and the ability to walk after drinking lots of wine with dinner. A more upscale hotel in Beaune is le Cep.
Burgundy has a number of advantages over Bordeaux although I enjoyed visiting Bordeaux as well. First is the food. There are an unbelievable number of great restaurants in Burgundy, both in Beaune and in villages around the region. Second, Burgundy is such a more manageable size to get around than Bordeaux is. You can drive from Chassagne-Montrachet (pretty far south) to Gevrey-Chambertin (pretty far north) in about 45 minutes on country roads (likely faster on the major highway but then you lose getting to see all the vineyards along the way). Bordeaux is a great deal bigger and with a lot more traffic.
Beyond restaurants and wineries, go see the Hospice de Beaune, go walk around Beaune and other villages, see the Clos Vougeot, and also visit the Caveaus in various villages. I esp. recommend the Caveau de Chassagne-Montrachet, which has a wonderful assortment of wines from the village of Chassagne at pretty good prices. You can ship wines back to the US from virtually any winery or wine store through Cote d’Or Imports. https://www.cotedorpdx.com/ They do a great job.
As for me, I have been to Bordeaux one time and had a wonderful time. I have been to Burgundy in 1984, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 and hope to visit in 2022. It is a wonderful place to visit. Sexy as hell!
There is a small B&B in the hills above Beaune that is quite nice. La Terre d'Or Luxury Bed and Breakfast in beaune We stayed there in 2007 and really liked it, but decided in future trips to stay in Beaune itself so we could walk back after dinner. We had visits to wineries lined up before we came there on that trip, but my recollection is that Jean-Louis there (who was quite nice and helpful otherwise) would arrange visits for people. Don’t know if he still does that or what it costs for that or anything.
Also, didn’t there used to be someone (from Australia I think) on this board who had a place around Meursault of somewhere with multiple rooms or apartments. If someone can remember the person, the OP might try contacting them.
You should reach out to Nicholas Harbour. He’s the owner of Maison Harbour in Savigny-lès-Beaune, a board member and and really fantastic guy who makes killer wine. Can’t say enough about him and his wines.
There are also times when journalists, wine buyers, trade appointments happen in spring and they are busy. Smaller producers will actually be out in the vineyards and probably won’t have much time or interest to see you, especially as this sounds like you are going to have friends/family/ etc who are NOT wine geeks. The small houses are not running tourist operations and the great ones don’t need the business…they already have tons of buyers for many, many, times their supply. Suggest you go to the big locales, Chateau that have staffs and can schedule appointments way in advance. They don’t mind casual wine tourists and places like Drouhin and Bouchard also have great wines. (Really are competing very well with the boutique producers at this point)
Might I suggest a totally different alternative? The Loire Valley offers many interesting areas to taste wine, interesting dining ( not quite to Beaune level, but still quite good) and for non wine geeks, really great history and sightseeing. And accommodations will be more plentiful and there will be fewer crowds. Beaune was never really set up for mass tourism, it is an intimate place focused on wine to practically the exclusion of everything else. Just a thought…
I have mostly gone in July and August but the one time I went in May the weather was wonderful. Beware of French holidays whenever you go. There are many of them.
Nice! It also appears the Macon is a short drive into Beaujolais proper. It’s about an hour from Rully to Fleurie with Julienas, Chenas, and Moulin a Vent along the way. I’m sure there’s a worthwhile stop or two in there.
Thanks for all the help. BTW, when I initially signed up, I didn’t know that one’s username should be one’s real name; I’ve gone back to try to change it, but the username appears to be the only thing that cannot be edited. Or maybe I know as little about usernames as I do about burgundy…
Greg Baer
Lot of people on this board have posted either in this forum or on the travel forum on trips to Burgundy. You will learn a lot from these threads, although remember many of these people are long-term customers of small wineries and you will not be able to replicate their itineraries.
As for your name, add a “signature” to your posts and put your name there.
The two places in France that are really set up for tourism are Cognac and Champagne, neither a vacation wonderland. Cognac is close to the ocean and you could visit war sites and Reims cathedral inChampagne.
May is a good time to visit but remember May 1 and 8 are holidays often turned into four days weekends. Then you have Ascension Day and Pentecost. If you ask what the religious significance of these days is they will say, They areHolyDays. Early June might be good.
More than ten people?? At least two houses and/or a hotel. As far as winery visits are concerned, I would check in with the Beaune tourist office. Every wine region promotes wine tourism so these people can be helpful.
Other ideas:
1/Alba in the Piedmont: Barolo and barbaresco people are relatively delighted to see people and the food is great. Much less expensive than Burgundy. In a way, going to this area reminds me of going to Burgundy 40 years ago.
2/Around Avignon…In addition to Gigondas, Ch Neuf du Pope, etc there are many places of great touristic interest all around: the Camargue, Arles, Nimes, Pont de Gard, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Roussillon etc.
