A test that will reinvent your holidays in France
Grab your diary, here are three events to suit someone with your level of expertise:
La Foire aux Vins de Sancerre. The appellation’s 14 villages gather for this traditional wine fair, held on the mid-May bank holiday weekend. Each winemaker presents at least one of their wines, with a total of 450 available in all. Perfect for those who don’t like to do anything by halves! This is the world’s most comprehensive display of Sancerre wines, and is something you won’t want to miss.
July 14 and 15, 2017 mark the 80th anniversary of the Pouilly-Fumé and Pouilly-sur-Loire appellations, with vintners and wine lovers gathering in Pouilly-sur-Loire to celebrate the occasion. Come and discover the wines in the vineyard village; enjoy the culinary workshops and photo exhibitions; and take a walk in the vineyard. A festive weekend is promised for you to rediscover this great terroir and meet the producers.
The ‘Open-cellars’ event at Menetou-Salon. Every year, on the first weekend of August, twenty-two of the appellation’s estates open their cellar doors to the general public. This is the ideal chance to taste their most recent vintages and a great opportunity to restock your own wine collection, because you certainly won’t want to leave empty handed.
Info and reservations
In Menetou-Salon, near the château. The restaurant, which is a local institution, is celebrating its 80th birthday. It serves renowned traditional food in an old rustic family inn. The restaurant’s signature dishes are pike in a cream sauce and Charlotte au chocolat, accompanied by Menetou-Salon wines, of course.
Chavignol-Sancerre. A charming hotel and the perfect stopover. Spacious and luxurious bedrooms. A gastronomic restaurant and bistro on the ground floor. Don’t miss the thick tagliatelle with goats cheese and nutmeg butter.
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A veritable adventurer and explorer, you know better than anyone that there are all sorts of winegrowers. And you (like us) are delighted at this emerging…

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Grab your diary, here are three events to suit someone with your level of expertise: La Foire aux Vins de Sancerre. The appellation’s 14 villages gather…
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After 25 years of exemplary and loyal service, with an average of 35,000 visitors a year, the Maison Hennessy in Cognac has undergone a facelift. The walls…
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If we had to describe Renaud Limbosch, we’d say that he is the most Bordeaux-like of Belgians (or the most Belgian of Bordeaux’s inhabitants for that…
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You heard it hear first: the Champagne region only has eyes for Renoir in 2017. The great Pierre-Auguste Renoir, that is, one of Champagne’s iconic…
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The four-star Hostellerie des Clos in the centre of the village of Chablis isn’t just an enjoyable experience for gourmets and connoisseurs. It’s also a…
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Come on, let’s hit the road for some exploring and a bit of oenology! We’re heading off to the Basque country — the Mourguy estate in Ispoure to be…
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The Hameau du Vin in the village of Romanèche-Torins is Europe’s only theme park dedicated to wine. Located thirty minutes south of Mâcon, the Hameau du…
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Saddle up your horse, dear culture vulture, we’re going to see the Marquis at the spectacular Château de Brissac. At 48 metres high, the château is…
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Six sessions a year, and not a session more! It’s because they’re so few and far between that the tastings led by Jean-Pierre Rudelle are so popular,…
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It’s generally the rule that gourmet connoisseurs, by definition, give themselves a bit of leeway when it comes to the seven deadly sins, especially the…
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The Chanoine Rambert estate is just 2 km from La Roque-sur-Cèze, one of France’s most beautiful villages. It’s the ideal venue for the adventurous…
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Come rain or shine, Nîmes will be in party mood for the long weekend of November 17 to 19 as the winegrowers of the Costières de Nîmes AOC gather for a…
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“I treat my vines with hardly any chemicals. Ladybirds are the best insecticide I know.” It only takes Jean-Luc Martha a few minutes to bowl people over. To…
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Unthinkable, for a wine expert like your good self, to visit Bordeaux without “nosing” around the Cité du Vin. This is one of the most daring wine…
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Any self-respecting culture vulture will have saved the Pont du Gard on their GPS before leaving for the Rhône valley. But what if you’re curious to find…
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A visit to a building that is not a building, that’s our suggestion for a stopover in Bordeaux. Confused? Well, that’s how Philippe Starck describes one…

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We’re not going to insult your intelligence: as something of a wine expert, you don’t need us to tell you about Maison M. Chapoutier. On the other hand,…

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For a gourmet connoisseur, Dijon and the surrounding area are a playground that deserves more than a brief stopover. You can climb the city’s Philip the…

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An adventurous explorer such as you prefers a more meandering route on holiday, and this one will be right up your street, with a bike for transport, a…

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It’s eight in the morning, the kids have already come in and jumped up and down on your bed, your eyes are still itchy and you have no idea of where…

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As a gourmet connoisseur, you should make your way without delay to the spot where the Pyrenees and Mediterranean meet. Twenty-six kilometres before the…

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When you go to buy your wine, the last thing you want – the very last thing – is to look as though you’re still wet behind the ears. We know what…
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When it comes to wine, we know, you like to have a ready response — you’re not an authority and enthusiast for nothing, after all. That’s why we’re…
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One of the main reasons a visit to Château Haut Pezaud is unique lies in the personality of its owner, Christine Borgers, a Belgian adopted by the Dordogne…
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Perhaps you thought you’d tried touring the French countryside by every possible means: electric bike, maybe, or Segway or even on horseback. Well, think…
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Head to a place where the expression sleeping “dans les vignes (amongst the vines)” makes perfect sense. Dans les Vignes is also the name of this five…

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Crest Petit vineyard signposted trail: Explore an educational wine trail on foot in the Mediterranean garrigue, with explanatory panels along the route. At…
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We suggest you explore the area by visiting not one but 11 of the experiences included in the Dijon-Côte de Nuit Pass. Your appetite for culture is…
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The Patriarch winery is the must-see visit for culture vultures in Beaune. It’s a unique venue that offers a first-rate wine and cultural experience…
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Domaine Rion’s father and daughter team, Alice and Bernard, practice la lutte raisonée, or environmentally responsible management methods on their vines,…
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If you’re a culture seeker and you’re in Roussillon, we’ll send you blindfolded to the Byrrh winery for a well-chosen visit to one of the pillars of…
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For gourmet connoisseurs who love eating up the miles, Bordeaux has just launched its very own “Urban Wine Trail”, an innovative concept for discovering the…
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Whether you prune early or late, be sure to prune during the month of March! And there’s no reason at all why this saying, so familiar to amateur…
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A wine enthusiast such as you has at least two reasons to visit Clos Saint Louis in Fixin. Reason one: the superb wine estate. Located a stone’s throw…
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There’s no stopping the imagination of the people who design unusual accommodation. We’ve had tree houses, bubbles, caravans and igloos… and now they…
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It won’t have escaped your notice that the Hospices de Beaune is the star attraction in most of the region’s tourist brochures thanks to its “flamboyant…
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It’s not the most obvious of ideas, it’s true, so we thought we’d just slip it in there to see how you react… What about a small cruise-cum-bike…
