Wine Afficianados,
Below is our itinerary from our last trip, to give you an idea of our trips


Gastronomique Tour 2005

Join Chef Denis and wife, Lisa, on a culinary odyssey of France and some of its’ wines.  Discover and visit the Burgundy region of France (Bourgogne in French).   Burgundy wines include Meursault, Puligny Montrachet, Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-St.-Georges.  Dotting this lush landscape are countless villages of golden stone houses hidden in the hills, some of France’s most beautiful Romanesque and Gothic churches and opulent palaces, once the home of the wealthy and powerful dukes of Burgundy.  You will sample wines so rare that you might never find them back home!  That, coupled with the stunning landscape and intriguing historic sites, places Burgundy among France’s best regions to tour.

Itinerary:

Sunday, September 4^th

Meet at the four start Sofitel Hotel in Paris, situated near the Champs Elysees.  Evening free to  explore and dine in Paris on your own.

Monday, September 5^th
Paris- Dijon

Travel in First class to Dijon from Paris by the high speed train, TGV-train à grand vitesse, where we will be met by our drivers.  We will have a guided tour of the city center of Dijon and also experience it by bus.  We will discover in the heart of this historic city, the medieval palace-Palais de Ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne, the church of Notre Dame, the parliament quarter, and the medieval streets.  Following a tour of the Museum of Mustard, we will continue on to our hotel le CEP****, in Beaune where we will also dine.  Hotel le Cep is Beaune’s best, this 49 room hotel is housed in a restored Renaissance mansion with the city’s walls.  A massive stone staircase leads from the interior roofed courtyard to the upper floors, and arched galleries overlook the courtyard on each floor.  Le Cep will be our home for five nights.

Tuesday, September 6^th
 La Route de Grands Crus

Departure to Vougeot.  Guided tour of Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, the very cradle of Burgundy’s wine making industry.  We will tour the chateau, including the wine cellars, the fermentation room with four gigantic 14^th century wine presses, an enormous 16^th century kitchen and a monk’s dormitory, whose high ceiling is supported by massive wooden beams.  Clos de Vougeot is the home of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive brotherhood of wine makers whose elaborate initiation ceremony involves dressing up in fancy robes and drinking lots of wine in the chateau’s original wine cellars.  We will venture on to Nuits-St.-Georges for a wine tasting followed by lunch.  Afternoon visit of the city followed by a gastronomic dinner at the Michelin Start l’Hostellerie Levernois. 

Wednesday, September 7^th
Les Hospices de Beaune

Breakfast followed by a visit to Les Hospices de Beaune, built in 1443 as a hospital and still a medical center today, though part has been converted to a museum.  The hospice still owns 61 hectares of vineyards that stretch from Aloxe-Corton to Meursault, much of which was donated by grateful patients who were cured there.  Puligny Montrachet is our lunch destination where we will sample 15 “crus” which will be explained by a professional at Maison Olivier Leflaive vineyard, nephew of the founder of the Domaine Leflaive.  After lunch, we will visit the Chateau de la Rochepot, an imposing castle, perched on a rocky cliff built in the 12^th century, the most distinctive landmark in the area.  Dinner at your leisure.

Thursday, September 8^th
Cotes de Beaune

Morning visit of the Chateau Savigny les Beanu: this fortified palace is surrounded by vineyards and also produces its own wines, take a peek at this chateau’s tiny museum of vintage cars while there.  Lunch and tasting in Aloxe-Corton at Domaine du Comte Senard.  Following lunch, a guided visit to an artisan mustard craftsman, Moutarde Fallot.  We will also make and taste our own mustard.  Dinner in a wine cellar setting.

Friday, September 9^th

After breakfast, we will travel to Arbois to the two Michelin Star restaurant Jean-Paul Jeunet where we will have a cooking class with Jean-Paul and enjoy lunch and a wine tasting in his restaurant.  In the evening, we will enjoy a traditional fondue at the Fondue Bourguignonne. 

Saturday, September 10^th
Paris

Breakfast and departure to Versailles.  Lunch.  Following lunch, guided tour of the Grands Appartements of the King and Queen.  Afternoon free to roam the celebrated gardens of Versailles.  Dinner followed by a nighttime sound and light show in the gardens of Versailles-lights, fountains, equestrian show and fireworks will light up the evening for us!  Back to Hotel Sofitel Champs Elysees.

Sunday, September 11^th
Paris

Breakfast and the morning at your leisure.  Lunch at your leisure.  Afternoon visit of France minature.  Dinner at Nos Ancestres les Gaulois.

Monday, September 12^th

Breakfast at the hotel followed by departure to the airport for your return flights.

Your 9 days, 8 nights tour includes:

·        Accommodations at 4 star hotels, double occupancy

·        8 breakfasts

·        6 lunches with regional wines

·        7 dinners with fine wines, including wine tours and tastings

·        Luxury air conditioned motor coach transportation

·        First class travel by TGV

·        All tips

$3,950 per person, double occupancy GROUP SIZE LIMITED

Reservations must be made before March 30^th, 2005