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Alsace and Burgundy Wine Tasting

Posted by (Seattle, WA) on

C'est très compliqué ...

RS recommend Domaine Comte Senard for their tasting lunch ... which it turns out is unavailable to us on 23 September when we will be cycling from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Beaune; no reservations available. Their website looks like times are available, but when you make an "offer," you get a message back some hours later that they are full.

So, I started surfing the net and I see that some folks just "stumble onto" wine tastings while other wineries have reservation systems for tastings and may 'rudely' suggest that you go elsewhere if you do not have a reservation. (I don't know if it is really rude or not; if they have a system and limitations, it is not rude to say: Desolée, nous sommes complets.)

https://www.ruedesvignerons.com and https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187105-Activities-c36-t132-oa30-Burgundy_Bourgogne_Franche_Comte.html are pretty good starting points and I am finding a great many winery/vineyard suggestions. And I received other suggestions here, earlier. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/alsace-and-burgundy-wineries-degustitation. Still, I don't know if I need to reserve - or not.

So, I am trying to determine whether we should make winery reservations, or let serendipity guide us. We do have some wine bars on our radar in Ribeauville, Colmar, Dijon & Beaune, but a winery is different from a wine bar. We will be cycling Strasbourg-Obernay-Ribeauvillé-Colmar and then Dijon-Nuits Saint Georges-Beaune-Beaune (out past Mersault towards Santenay/Chagny and back)

What do you suggest and what are your experiences?

Posted by
53 posts

In France, I would always make a reservation. Many wineries are not warm to walk-ins. However, they are great when you make a reservation.

Posted by
108 posts

I've biked through both Alsace and Burgundy, and I did not schedule any tastings in advance. I preferred just 'winging it' and except for one winery in Corton, never was turned away. My wife and I mostly tasted at small mom and pop wineries and had some fantastic experiences, despite a language barrier. It was cute the way both the proprietor and us tried to communicate about their wines. If you decide to go to smaller wineries, be sure to buy at least one wine there. It will be very appreciated.

Posted by
587 posts

Interesting, Larry …

As I’ve looked around the forum since I posted this query yesterday, I saw your comment from May 2024:

Get a reservation. My wife and I were turned away three times while biking through the Cote de Nuits. Maybe it was our unstylish bike outfits or smell, but we were denied at certain wineries without reservations. …

As I said yesterday, C'est très compliqué …

I think I’ve landed on making reservations for wineries near Beaune and in Alsace. Today’s task.

I have never organized a trip to the extent I’ve organized this one. Yesterday, I made I a dinner rez in Lyon for 26 Sept - a month from today - at my second choice restaurant. No dining slots available at my top choice until mid-October. Yet still, I like to be open to serendipitous opportunities.

We fly away Sunday.

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