ilovelabs2006

My DH and I are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to France in April of 2007 (yes, I know it's early . . . I'm a planner). Anyway, we went to Paris in April of 2004 and if we go to France, we would like to visit Paris again and another destination. We will have 9-10 days this time, so I wanted to split the time, perhaps visiting Paris on either end and some other place in the middle. We love wine, so visiting one of the wine regions and exploring quaint, small towns was an idea that I had. I don't really need help on the Paris trip planning, but I have no idea about the wine regions, or which ones are not TOO far from Paris. I also have no idea how the wine tasting protocol differs from say, California, where there are wineries all over and all you do is pop in for a taste. Can anyone give me a starting point begin researching?



TIA!

adeben

Try the Alsace region if you like white wines. There is the famous Route Des Vins which runs from about Thann in the south to about Obernai in the north. Along this Route there are lots of 'Caves' where you can just 'pop in for a taste'. It is also one of the most scenic drives in France as it runs along the foothills of the Vosges with the Black Forest visible in Germany on the other side of the Rhine, passing through some of the most charming villages in France. (Riquewihr, for example, is apparently the most visited village in France.) You also end up near Strasbourg where one of the great Gothic cathedrals is located.The Alsace Grand Cru Riesling and Gewurztraminer wines are in a class of their own.

SuzieC

or, you might train down to Dijon then tour the beautiful country and taste incredible wines of Burgundy. The food is not too bad either!

SAnParis

We are planning a similar trip next Spring & will also be spending some time in Strasburg (to fulfill my DW's Germany fetish) & visiting the Champagne region en route.

ira

Hi il,

There is also the region around Bordeaux.

The TGV will get you there from Paris in 3 hr for 25E (PREMS fare).

LoriNY1

DH and I just love Burgundy. A great website to utilize is www.burgundy-tourism.com

LoriNY1

I should also mention that Dijon is 90 minutes from Paris by TGV. I would pick up a car at the train station, and head towards Beaune. You may want to use Beaune as your base to explore.

SAnParis

Perhaps if we knew what kind of wine you liked ??

Trudaine

Ilovelabs :

For an overview of French wine, you could check the following on line guide :www.terroir-france.com (English version available)

There is no single French "wine country", with California-type wineries. There are several traditional wine producing areas around the country, with very different types of businesses (small independent producers, cooperatives, large "chateaux" and "houses&quot

There are no sgnificant wineyards close to Paris (which is located at what is considered the "northern limit of the vine&quot. From Paris , you have to reach the Champagne region or the northern Burgundy wineyards.

As to scenery, bear in mind that in April the wineyards will still be leafless, or just starting to bud, especially in the more northern locations.

Travelnut

When do harvests begin in Burgundy..? I'm thinking about going there for our next trip, and considering September. I'd like to time our visit when vineyards still have grapes or when the harvesting is in process (as opposed to arriving later, after the 'action' is over).

This website has some good information:
slowtrav.com/france/wine/regions.htm

Travelnut

Also, a good site (with suggested itineraries):

http://abcoffrance.com/burgundy/itineraries.cfm

Kate_W

We've found the Eyewitness Companion to French Wine to be an excellent investment. It provides an overview of French wine and wine-making, covers the major regions and gives opinions about the major producers, provides ideas for driving tours in many regions, and includes a list of key contacts (hotels, restaurants, wine shops, wine-oriented tourist information centres, wine tasting courses) for each region.

Another book you might find useful, even if you don't speak much French, is Hachette's publication, Chambres d'hotes au Chateau dans les vignes. It has detailed listings for B&Bs and chateaux (nice photos, a description of the hosts, details about rooms and prices), plus information about local wines, restaurants, etc. There are regional maps to help you figure out where the places are, and some information about distances (e.g. how far away the closest train station is, or how far away the chateau is from a major city, plus information about which highway to take). You could order it from the international section of amazon.com.

Currently, we're planning a short trip to the champagne region for the upcoming weekend. It's quite close to Paris. We could have done it in two days (even one day), but we've decided to stretch it out to 3 days/2 nights. For this trip, we'll drive from Paris (about 90 minutes to the wine region) - this will also allow us to make a pit stop at the outlet malls (La Vallée Village or in Troyes) during the trip. (I have a patient husband.)

The weekend after this one, we're going to Bordeaux for 4 days. We'll take the train to city of Bordeaux (its more than 500 km away, but only a little more than 2 hours on the high speed TGV train), and then rent a car when we get there.

The Loire is also quite accessible from Paris.

ilovelabs2006

Thanks for all of the quick responses! DH and I LOVE red wine, so we probably would want to focus on an area famous for its reds. It sounds like Burgundy would be a great place to start researching! I have been to Alsace (including Strasbourg), albeit in HS for an exchange, and the scenery was lovely, but most of their wines are whites.

Thanks for the suggestions on the books as well. I really want to educate myself on French wine before we go!

ilovelabs2006

Oh, and I know the scenery will not be that great in April, but since we are teachers, we are restricted to travel at Christmas, in February, April, and summer. Truth be told, I want to avoid Europe in July if I can! We were in London and Ireland last July, and though the weather was lovely, it was VERY crowded, especially on London.

blackduff

http://www.aquitainevillage.com/refemilion.htm

This is a good site about the Saint-Emillion wines. It gives a lot of information and it mentions taking bike tours, small car tours, etc..

It gives a really good view of French wine manufacturing.

Blackduff

Underhill

Burgundy has the advantage of having excellent wines, food, and scenery/sightseeing. I'd head there in a heartbeat.