Europe wine travel questions

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
21

Hi David,

Don’t know how you far you have got in your plans for Burgundy but don’t hesitate to contact me if you need more information as I live here; There are plenty of places open to the public these days as Burgundy is finally waking up to wine tourism the big suppliers, Bouchard, Louis Jadot, Olivier Leflaive, Chateaux de Marsannay, Meursault and Pommard blah, blah, blah are all open to anyone that makes an appointment. They can all also organise shipping to your home with varying conditions.

The ‘famous’ names DRC, Comte de Vogue, Ettiene de Montille, Dujac etc do not open to wine tourists. All their wine is sold and they do not need to bother - fact - so they don’t.

The indépendant vignerons that make up the backbone of Burgundy, the guys that made Burgundy famous in the first place will welcome you provided you make an appointment and for the most part, that you can speak French as they don’t generally speak English. However, the majority will not be able to organise shipping, in that case, take contact with MailBoxes Etc in Beaune to arrange it yourself.

The final option is to take a private wine guide for the day. The guide will collect you from your hotel, make appointments in advance for you at wineries that are not usually open to the public, translate, arrange TAX FREE shipping for you (French tax is 20% so this generally pays for your shipping) and drive you around all day so you don’t have to spit at the tastings. A guide will also give you the benefit of insider knowledge and answer your specific questions all day long.

Hope that helps you with your planning, whichever you decide togo, Burgundy is an experience you will never forget.

22

I have never found an obligation to buy at European wineries. I like to, but the logistics often mean just buying what I’m going to drink that trip. Most wineries do not have styrofoam shippers. Plus, the wineries I like to go to in Burgundy would laugh if you wanted to buy something - just not available.

However, if you seriously want to buy, you can get wine shippers at the Cooperative stores that supply wineries. I think one in Beaune and one further north. And some places, like Lafarge, are screaming deals vs. what you pay in the US. This is true only at the cellar door; for current releases, I’ve found US prices to be comparable to regular retail stores in Europe.

23

I was in Italy during a gas strike. So sometimes they are closed for days. Reminds me of France. Don’t get me started. #publictransitstrike #airtrafficcontrolstrike

24

I don’t know if many wineries in Mosel are set up to ship to the US. However, we do ship a lot of Wine Check’s there for customers. Usually the correlation with that is that it’s either difficult or expensive to ship from that region.

25

I’d agree with Tracy Thurling above. Beaune is a beautiful ancient town to visit, and is gradually waking up to people visiting.
I think a blend of visiting some big name negociants such as Bouchard or Jadot with a few visits to smaller family growers gives you a good overview.
The restaurants in and around Beaune are fantastic.
There is no major obligation to buy, but Burgundy is a different scale to Bordeaux, so often the wines may be produced in minscule quantities.