WineSelecTOUR

BURGUNDY biking

Posted by Collette | Uncategorized | Posted on May 22nd, 2012

Activity Level: M Start / Finish: Dijon / Dijon

In Vino Veritas

We’ve been biking en Bourgogne for almost forever, but each ride feels as great as the first time. This is French wine’s ancestral home, where grand cru vineyards are our most trusted landmarks. Here, you’ll bike to the top of the gorgeous Hautes Côtes, sip vintages in the fields where they grew up, spend the night at Abbaye de la Bussière—the region’s most exclusive hotel—and, with the help of our local guide, explore the unhurried pleasures of Beaune, our adopted hometown, and its unique relationship with wine. To Burgundian locals, time is measured by the season. For us, it’s calculated by the kilometre, the meal and the vintage, the yardsticks of greatness.

Day 1 Receive an informal lesson in Burgundian wines with a professional at a small private vineyard in Morey St. Denis
Day 2 Tour medieval Beaune with our charming local guide
Day 3 Cycle through the fiercely proud villages of La Rochepot, Chassagne-Montrachet, Volnay and Pommard
Day 4 Dine on superb culinary creations at Michelin-starred Abbaye de la Bussière
Day 5 Bike past the magnificent Castle of Châteauneuf en route to a leisurely picnic in Les Jardins de Barbirey, a 19thC garden
Day 6 Breakfast in La Bussière-sur-Ouche and au revoir in Dijon

When comparing France’s two top wine regions, everyone comes out a winner. We tapped a pair of bike touring experts—Burgundophile David Butterfield and on-site Bordeaux aficionado Dylan Roche—to contrast the subtleties of their respective wine kingdoms.

Ah, Burgundy… idyllic land of medieval majesty, flavourful fare and the grandest grapes. Winemaking has been in the blood here since Imperial times, and the passage of history is measured not against the clock but by Mother Nature’s calendar. The soul is in the soil, which has served as battleground for conniving kings and dueling dukes, and weathered the bootprints of marauding armies of Huns, Spaniards and oenophiles alike. Clearly, Burgundy is the spiritual homeland of French wine.

Bordeaux … idyllic land of charming châteaux, Baroque beauteousness and the grandest grapes. Viticulture is a business, sure, but the local practitioners go about their work like fine artists and master alchemists. Prestigious names like Latour, Haut-Brion and Lafite-Rothschild maintain permanent residence here, and there is year-round talk about the annual Bordeaux Wine Festival, a weeklong vino-palooza. Clearly, Bordeaux is the spiritual homeland of French wine.

Which ever side of Frances wine region you want to travel the ‘slow’ way through or even choose both!  Call for expert help in setting this ultimate wine trip up!