| Norman abbeys, châteaux with their glazed rooftops, ducal towns and charming villages make Burgundy a historic region with a glorious heritage.
It is a land of rolling hills, waterways and of course vineyards.
Renowned for centuries, not just for its wine, but for the quality of its cuisine, Burgundy has much to delight the visitor and the image of the vines crammed onto every square foot of land around the villages on the Côte de Nuit will stay with you for years to come. |
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Grape Tours
With every Grape Escapes trip comes the opportunity toenjoy some great wine and food. What makes Grape Escapes tours different is the flexibility that is offered to allow you to choose when to arrive, how you travel there, which accommodation you would prefer and which of the tours you wish to include.
The programme of events during each tour allows you the opportunity to make the most of your trip. Unlike other companies, you will not be herded around in a group of 30 or 40 as we feel that this does not give us access to the best properties and that our guests do not get the quality of tour they deserve – we limit the number of guests on each trip to 24 and a typical group size is between 12 and 18 people.
The 2008 Burgundy tours will be as follows:
Friday
The day will start in the town of Beaune, the undisputed capital of Burgundy wines, where you will visit one of the many wine merchants who are based in the town. You will have the opportunity to explore a little of the many miles of cellars that stretch beneath the town before tasting a few of the wines from the region. You will then head south from Beaune to the famous village of Puligny Montrachet. As the guest of one of the big names in the village you will start with a tour of the winery before sampling many of the wines over a grand tasting lunch. The owners and staff are very gracious hosts and the wine tastings and meal usually prove both enjoyable and enlightening. For the final visit of the day, you will head back towards Dijon to a top quality producer situated in one of the premium villages of the cote de Nuits (usually Vougeot). The final visit will start in the vineyards to understand the terroir of the wines that will be tasted, before visiting their cuverie (where the grapes are fermented and pressed) and cellars before tasting 4 of their wines.
Saturday
You will start the day in the village of Savigny Les Beaune with a visit to a specialist Burgundy wine merchant with a broad range of quality wines across all price ranges. The introduction to the lesser known wines of Burgundy will be at the hands of the owners. In their small cellars, they will introduce you to the peculiarities of the Burgundy wine trade, the role of the negotiant and provide a first hand account of the hospice auction. You will enjoy a tasting of 6 of their wines, carefully selected to provide a benchmark for good value Burgundy across a range of prices. It is likely that you will be able to taste one of the Hospice 2006 wines direct from the barrel. Your day will continue with a visit to a wine maker in the small village of Aloxe-Corton, the only village in Burgundy to boast both red and white grand cru wines. You will see their vineyards and historic cellars, and end your visit to them with a 3 course lunch accompanied by 8 of their wines (including 5 grand crus and 2 premier crus). For the final visit of the day, you will move on to a wine estate straddling the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune. This estate has been focussed on delivering high quality wines and their hard work is being recognised by many of the world’s foremost commentators who are giving the estate a consistently high rating. The manager of the estate will lead the tour through the vineyards and the winery before a final tasting of their wines from across the premium villages of the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune.
Dates
The 2008 Burgundy tours will run between the 15th and 18th May and the 23rd and 26th October. As with all our trips, the emphasis is on making the ideal trip for you, so you can add nights as you wish. If you wish to extend your trip, we will provide you with details of the local area and additional places that are of interest to visit, along with restaurant recommendations. |
| Dijon, once the prestigious seat of the Dukes of Burgundy, is now a delightful city full of historic buildings and excellent restaurants. It has no less than 8 museums including a nationally renowned art museum, an architectural history museum and a museum of life in Burgundy. It is also known around the world for its mustard.
Beaune is the undisputed capital of Burgundy wines and the red and gold colours of the wines are reflected in the flamboyant rooftops stretching across the town. The Hotel-Dieu in particular is spectacular. The former mansion of the Dukes of Burgundy is now home to the Burgundy Wine Museum which traces the history of vine and wine from antiquity to the present day, relates the traditional way of life of Burgundy’s wine-growers and presents the crafts and symbolism associated with wine.
The countryside of Burgundy offers extensive opportunities to get out in the fresh air. Whether you choose to walk, cycle or ride a horse, the views from the hill tops will reward the adventurous.
Brochure Download
Please click on the link below to download our 2008 Brochure. See pages 6-7 for Burgundy. You will need a pdf reader to view the pdf file and you can obtain a copy here if you do not already have one.
2008 Brochure (0.5MB)
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