Burgundy: Anyone been on a guided wine tour with "Burgundy Discovery" or "Wine and Voyages"?
 

Hi, I'll be visiting Beaune & Dijon in May 2006. First time travellers, no car. I personally is no wine connoisseur, but my boyfriend is interested in taking a guided wine tour to get familiar with the great Burgundy wines.

I know there are buses that go to the vineyards, but since we don't speak any French, we're afraid that we'll get turn down by wine growers. Plus, I'm not sure how welcoming these growers towards someone like us, who is really looking to "discover" Burgundy wines and not necessary buy cases and cases of them.

Both the Dijon and Beaune tourist office organizes wine tours. The cost is about 35 euros/person for a 2-2.5 hours tour on either the Cote du Nuits or Cote de Beaune, all tours finish with a tasting in a cellar.

What our concern is, these tours will only take us for "drive-by's" in the vineyards, with really no time to enjoy the scenaries or even to get out and take pictures.

I look at two other private tour companies, and we would appreciate any comments from people who have been on them.

1) Burgundy Discovery - 125 euros
http://www.burgundydiscovery.com/index.php?sub=v
One day wine tour on Cote de Beaune (Santenay, Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, Meursault and Monthelie); includes 3 course lunch with 1 glass of wine (not tasting lunches); visits to 3 small family owned domaines to taste around 20 wines.

The owner of the company are a British couple. And I get the feeling that they're trying to market their wine tours as "premium" tours for wine lovers. Just look at price!

The big downside for us is that the tour is in Cote de Beaune and not Cote de Nuits, where we really want to be. And another small setback is that the guide can't pick us up in Dijon and we'll have to train to Beaune for the tour, which is about an extra 1 hour roundtrip for us.

2) Wine and Voyages - 50 euros
http://wineandvoyages.com/daily_tours.html
Cote de Nuits (Nuits St Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-St-Denis and Gevrey-Chambertin) tour; 2-2.5 hours; ends with a wine tasting.

Lonely Planet mentioned this company, but we haven't contacted the guide, so we don't know if it's one of those just "drive-by's".

Anyways, so SORRY for my long post, but really, if anyone has taken any type of wine tour in Burgundy, please let me know. I really would like to read about some of your comments.

Thank you so very mcuh!

Bonjour Leelee :-)
Have you read those comments on TA?
http://tinyurl.com/gncsr

http://tinyurl.com/hpy9m

Got your email, I will answer you later, I'm leaving now. I'm going to Chateauneuf and its medieval castle.

Lovely sun here((#)), temperatures getting higher..B-)

ttt :-)

Did you find a tour that you liked?

I will be staying in Lyon (to the south) and want to drive into the Beaune area and visit several wineries/chatueax. I, like you, don't intend to buy & ship cases back to the US, but do want to take in the beauty of the area and enjoy the wine.

Any info would be helpful!

Matt01

Hi,
I hope Leelee will come back with a trip report.
We were supposed to meet and to spend last sunday (the 21st) afternoon together but she called me to say her wine tour had been delayed and was starting at 2.30 and they wouldn't get to Dijon before 7pm only. what a pity!

Don't know if they're back now. Hope she will tell us about her wine tour((D)) and the rest! :-)