Burgundy wine tours
 

My extended family and I will be spending the first week of July in Bourgogne and have rented a house a little south of Beaune. While we will be visiting wineries on our own we also want to do a full day guided tour of the Cotes de Beaune and Nuits, this way we won't need a designated driver.

I have been researching the various options and have a serious case of sticker shock! Prices range from 250 euros per head to around 700-800 for a group of 6, the latter without lunch. Some of the operators I have contacted are Burgundy Discovery and Authentica, the two most expensive; also Safari Tours, Burgundy by Request and Aux Quatres Saisons. Has any of you done similar tours, do you know these operators or can you suggest others? All of the above have been generally well reviewed but I'd like a personal thumbs up from my Fodorite family.

As for our DIY winery tour do you have any suggestions? Understand for the most part one can walk in to wineries in the Chablis area whereas it's harder in the Cotes de Beaune and Nuits. Of course I plan on calling ahead to schedule any visits. We will also be visiting a couple of places in Beaune for degustation, as you've probably figured out this trip is all about wine, lol!

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your comments and input :)

No comments or suggestions at all from anyone?! Am bumping this up, thanks in advance :)

Have no answers, but am interested in this, too. We will be staying a week in Beaune in September.

Have you done any research scdreamer, what do you think would be a good way to go about visiting the wineries, as well as dégustation? Am hoping some of the regulars will comment, I know Stu has visited this region extensively...

I've not been to Burgundy's heart for some years. When we did we used the central wine school to give us an in depth morning's training (didn't cost a lot and really helped), then we took introductions ot the likes of Drouhin so we could get a cellar visit and just strolled up to Chateau Fixin for their regular tour for E5 where they tried to show us off-wine... research is important and a certain flexibility. So we also visited "cave de haut cote de Beaune" where we bought a lot of their snail attacked older wine before inviting the staff to try a bottle with us (we paid for the bottle, they provided the glasses).
we arranged a few tasting lunches with wine producers.

But how it is in 2018 is beyond me.
If I was going again I'd be more interested in the region to the north of the heart and south of Chablis which looks better value and more familial.

There are many wineries that have tasting rooms in Beaune itself where you can tour the cellars and taste their wine. I think the tourist office would be able to provide a list. Also I would check with the people you are renting the house off of.

The Marche aux Vins also has broader tastings available in their cellars: Marché aux Vins ? A Beaune des Grands Vins de Bourgogne, et plus?

Well worth a stop!

While staying in Beaune I booked a vineyard & tasting tour at the Beaune Tourist Office. I thought it was excellent, inexpensive and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The English-speaking guide was knowledgeable, took us to places I'd never have found on my own, including an atmospheric intimate winery/tasting on a back street in Pommard, if I recall correctly.

The people at the tourist office were very helpful and I'd suggest getting in touch with them: https://www.beaune-tourism.com/

Thanks for the tips bilboburgler. Jamikins, I too was planning on visiting the Marche aux Vins, have only heard good things about them.

Mme Perdu, I did contact the tourist office and they gave me the names of several of these tour operators. Do you remember which tour you did?

The folks we’re renting the house from will be in Bourgogne for two weeks later this month and have promised to check and let me know too.

Thanks again, I still have more than three months to go, so there’s still time to research some more...

Great advice, MmePerdu! Thank you for posting this link. Did you make your arrangements ahead of time - or when you were there?

No, Geetika, sorry, to be honest I didn't pay much attention as the arrangements were made there in the office for the next day. But I didn't have the feeling it was an "operator" as in a company, more private guides they scheduled directly. I'd suggest that unless you find one that is just what you want, that you wait and go into the office on arrival, as I did. There may be options they can schedule for you when you're there in person as they did mine.

Scdreamer, in person in the office.

Thanks again MmePerdu, one of my first stops will be at the Beaune tourist office. I’ll also probably email them again to ask if they can tell me in advance about their guides/tours, thanks for the suggestion 😊