BEST OF BURGUNDY – A JOURNEY TO THE SOURCE
This is a sample itinerary of a tour we will be hosting in the fall of 2010. Join French trained chef Mark Rosenstein and French citizen and Certified Guide Alisa Hixson for a week long Burgundian immersion of wine tastings, cooking classes, chateau, abbey and market visits, vineyard walks, historic lodging and some of the best food you may have ever eaten!
This 7 day , 6 night trip includes all listed excursions: daily wine tastings, guided visits, historical walks, authentic French cuisine, 3 cooking classes, all ground tranportation within Burgundy (private transfers) 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners including a Michelin starred restaurant.
The Itinerary:
Saturday Day 1 – Afternoon - Cote D’Or – Meet in Dijon, Burgundy’s beautiful historic capital and transfer by private minibus to our accomodations: a privately owned 17th century stone Mill house. With water on 3 sides this stone house has been the favored site for family gatherings : weddings, birthdays and “fetes” for decades. Finally open for private use an elaborate restoration was completed in 2010. The “Gite” ( the french word for a family/private group style B&B) is ideally located in a tiny village in the Burgundian countryside in the heart of the famous Cote D’Or wine country between Dijon and Beaune. Upon arrival we settle into the “gite” and share a welcome “apero” . We enjoy a light dinner matched with local wines on the terrace under the stars.
Meals: Welcome drinks and light dinner with wine included
Sunday , Day 2 – Cote de Beaune- After enjoying a French continental breakfast, we head to the local “Marche” in Chagny, a typical Burgundian village along the Burgundy canal. We then head to Beaune and visit the world class “Hospice de Beaune” or Hotel Dieu as it is called locally, this national historic Monument built in 1443 has never been closed a single day in over 500 years. First a medieval hospital, then a hospice, finally a museum, it houses the Roger van der Wyden medieval masterpiece “The Last Judgment” a priceless treasure of the middle ages commissioned by the Dukes for Burgundy for the Hospice.
We wander though this charming town considered the wine capital of Burgundy . We find a place for a lunch in Beaune and enjoy a lunch on our own. After lunch we head to visit a local vigneron in the Cote de Beaune, for a private wine tasting, then wind our way though the Chardonnay capital of the world, through the villages of Meursault, Puligny- Montrachet and Chassagne – Montrachet. We return to the gite and enjoy a cooking class where we prepare an authentic Burgundian meal, enjoyed with local wines. Most likely we will dine outside and enjoy the peaceful and timeless French countryside. We sleep at the gite Mill house.
Meals: B, D
Monday Day 3 – Cote de Nuits – After a French continental breakfast, we may take an optional walk through the village to a nearby forest, use one of the bicycles available for our use or cast a rod for fish in the stream the “Courtvaux” that surrounds our stone home for the week. At 10:00 we begin a cooking class focusing on another regional specialty. After preparing our meal we head to a vigneron in the Cote de Nuits, where we enjoy a private wine tasting. We stop in the picturesque village of Nuits St. Georges and enjoy a ride and some photo opportunities through the scenic villages that make up this northern wine capital of Burgundy. Once a roman village and a camping spot on the notorious “Via Agrippa” that linked Rome to Paris, this town today boasts 4 ,000 inhabitants most of them wine growers. We return to the gite, read , take a nap or just relax in the sun and prepare to head to Beaune where we enjoy a free night dinner. Beaune has a large selection of excellent restaurants from bistro’s to Michelin stars. We return via our private minivan to the gite after dinner.
Meals: B, L
Tuesday Day 4 – Dijon Market day – After breakfast, we head to Dijon for market day. We enter the historic building designed by Monsieur Gustave Eiffel and savor the smells, sights and sounds of a market that has endured for centuries. Culinary historians agree that the magnificent and feast crazed court of French Sun King Louis XIV was based on the Dukes of Burgundy’s court, whose elaborate feasts lasted for days and almost bankrupt the duchy on more than one occasion. This market is only a few hundred feet from the medieval Ducal palace, which we visit after the market. 
Options abound in this historical city center whose entire downtown has Historical Register status. In fact the entire area we will be visiting between Dijon and Beaune is currently under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We enjoy a lunch on our own in Dijon and then head out to explore one of the many museum options available all of them free and all of them housed in historic buildings. Shop, stroll or sit and people watch at one of the dozens of café’s that line the cobblestone streets. Late afternoon, we have a visit to a local vigneron and taste in their “cave”. Tonight we have an included dinner at an exquisite Michelin starred restaurant. After dinner we return back to the gite in our private mini-van.
Meals:B, D
Wednesday Day 5 -Cussign No visit to Burgundy would be complete with out understanding exactly how “ “Burgundy” and her wines came about. Monks and the church played a huge role in creating what would become the most complicated and detailed appellations system in the world. For starters, the Pope once lived in Burgundy. Before St. Peters in Rome was built, there was a monastery in Cluny and the Pope resided there. We start the day with a visit to the Abbey of Citeaux, who have moved from wine to cheese making, We hear them chanting in Latin, buy some of their famous cheese and then wind through the vineyards of the Cote de Nuits, whose red wines have charmed Kings, Popes and journalists for centuries. We stop and visit the ancient Clos de Vougeot, the former Cistercian abbey who probably made the first red wine around the year 1000. We drive along wine roads bordering priceless vineyards- Vosne Romanee, Gevrey- Chambertin, Chambolle- Musigny, Nuits St. George. This epicenter of Grand Cru vineyards is considered by many to contain the finest series of vineyards in the world. We stop at a glorious vineyard site, prop our selves on the centuries old stone wall and enjoy a simple vignernon “casse croute”, then make our way back to the gite. We return back to the gite in our private minivan.
Meals: B, D,
Thursday Day 6- Valley de L’Ouche -Our final day in Burgundy. After breakfast and an optional walk we join a cooking class and begin the preparations of what will become our fabulous “Farewell to Burgundy” dinner this evening. After class we head for lunch to the spectacular scenery of the Valley de L’Ouche, one of the most popular canal sites in France. We glide through small picturesque villages following the canal and the Ouche river, passing barges and tiny lock houses. We head to the medieval hill top village of Chateuneuf en Auxois, considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. We enjoy lunch on our own and stroll though the village, enjoying the peace and charm of another time. We finish the afternoon with a private wine tasting and return to the gite for our final meal - a Burgundian extravaganza. We sip a final glass of the Burgundian grappa called “ Marc” and trundle off to sleep. We spend our final night of accommodations at our historic stone gite.
Meals:B, D.
Friday – Departure day. After breakfast, you will be shuttled via our private mini-van to Dijon where you can catch the TGV high speed trains to Paris or other parts of Europe. Au revoir!
Meals: B
PRICING
The trip is limited to 6 participants: there are three rooms each with bedding for 2 people. We have two “luxe” rooms and one “comfortable” room. There are 2 bathrooms in the gite. Both are shared and are outside of the bedrooms. In European style one of the toilets is separate from the sink and shower. All bedrooms are reached by stairs and share bathrooms.
Accommodations “luxe” $2900 per person
Accommodations “comfortable” per person $2700
Inclusive: Lodging for 6 nights. Check out Friday morning. All transportation from our meeting place in Dijon on a Saturday morning through drop-off at the Dijon train station the following Friday morning.
Meals: Continental breakfast each day, 2 lunches and 5 dinners; including dinner at the Michelin starred restaurant. All meals are inclusive of selected wines, service and taxes. All wine tasting & cave visits. Not included are the meals out, (and their associated beverages, service or taxes) on your own, as indicated in the itinerary. Any phone charges or personal items are not included.
Airfare and train (or other transport to Dijon) is not included.
Deposits and Cancellations: A non-refundable deposit of $1400.00 per person is required to secure a booking of this cooking vacation. Payment is requested by check. Reservations will be confirmed upon receipt of a signed booking form and deposit. If you make the initial reservations less than 45 days before the date of travel, full payment is due.
Final Payment: Final payment for cooking vacations is due by check at The French Broad 45 days prior to the first day of travel.
Cancellations: Deposit and final payment are nonrefundable and cannot be applied to another departure. The purchase of travel insurance, which covers cancellation due to medical reasons, default and/or airline strike, weather, etc., is strongly advised. Full refunds will be made if The French Broad cancels a tour.
The French Broad will make every effort to follow any published itinerary, but variances may occur due to availability and factors beyond the control of said operator.
Travel Documents: It is the responsibility of each tour participant to obtain and carry a valid passport, visa(s), and any other documents required by applicable government regulations. Non US residents may require special travel documents. Check with your local embassy or consulate.
-Alisa Hixson
