Burgundy vs. other wine regions

You will have the same problem in both areas -- you cannot drink and drive. The DUI laws are much stricter with lower blood alcohol requirements than the US.

Both of these areas are beautiful. I'd find a private guide or driver or small tour unless you plan to visit wine tasting houses within a town.

Thanks. We never drive when in wine country. We will either do a tour or maybe hire a driver. A bike tour is also an option.

I think you cannot go wrong.

Burgundy is perhaps a more prestigious wine region, but so what?

Both have excellent cycling options.

If you are genuinely on the fence, perhaps the tiebreaker should be logistical ease. Which is less arduous: Munich > Burgundy > Next destination, or Munich > Tuscany > next?

I love Pinot Noir and un-oaked Chardonnay so Burgundy is my preference. My husband, on the other hand, prefers Bordeaux and Tuscany because he fervently prefers their "big" wines. If it's not about the wine for you meaning that both regions offer wines that appeal to you, then I think either will be fine and you should literally flip a coin or decide based on logistics as suggested by Adam or go based on budget (in which case I think you will find that Tuscany is a bit less expensive).

JHK, that is interesting that Tuscany would be less expensive. I haven't done enough research yet to have looked at pricing. I also am a fan of un-oaked chards. However, I also like big wines. We looked at Bordeaux and it felt less "accessible" to us than Burgundy. We love small producers and off the beaten path experiences when possible.

Adam-next destination is home. We have only Saturday-Sunday for our travel. We are meeting friends for a reunion at Oktoberfest and then headed off to another destination on Tuesday. It kind of feels like 6 of one, half dozen of the other as far as travel from MUN to either Paris or Florence. We just want to find a place that we can stay in a small town or in the country, eat great food, drink great wines and spend some time outside either biking, hiking or strolling. While we might want to see some sites in Florence, we don't want to stay there. I've found quite a few wine tours all start in Florence so that seems to be a bit of an inconvenience for people trying to avoid driving too much.

Based on the comments here and on my Xpost, Tuscany is pulling ahead...

Thanks again, all! Cheers.

I think Tuscany will be less expensive or at least it felt that way last time I was there which was in 2012. Burgundy is the more generally prestigious (for lack of a better word) wine area of the two and is a prosperous region and as a result is more expensive. I'm not saying Tuscany is cheap just probably that the wines and restaurants and hotels will cost less than similar things/places in Burgundy. In my experience, generally France is a bit more expensive that Italy. Your lovely quandary got me thinking about wine which led to my husband and I opening a bottle of a super Tuscan to have with dinner tonight, which is something we don't do often enough. So, thank you.

Well, I'm a cheapskate traveler and don't find Burgundy to be super expensive. But maybe it would be, depending on your tastes.

Paris is not a feasible base from which to sample the region. For a short stay Beaune would be a good pick. If you get up at the crack of dawn on the day of your departure for home there is a train that will deliver you to deGaulle at 9 AM (3 hours, bypassing Paris, with an easy transfer in Dijon). At least, there is weekdays.

I am not sure that either destination is really a good fit with the time you have, once you factor in transportation.

Thanks, Adam. I wouldn't use Paris as a base. We would fly in there and then take the train (or rent a car) to Beaune or Dijon and stay in the area. I didn't check direct flights from MUC to Beaune. From what I have seen, it seems that 5 nights and 4 days would be enough in Burgundy or in Tuscany. You are saying that it is not enough, can I ask why that is? What might I be missing?

JHK: congrats on the Super Tuscan. I am glad you had a chance to imbibe!

Karen, 5 nights is plenty. I'm afraid I got lost when I tried to parse out your itinerary--my comment was in response to what sounded like 2 nights.

Sorry! I will stop spreading confusion now. You really can't go wrong with either.

Hi Karen,

My husband and I traveled to Italy for three weeks back in 2012 (we were in our mid-40s then) and stayed one week in Tuscany at Palazzo Bandino, a beautiful little winery: http://www.palazzobandino.com/Home/GB. We booked through In Italy Online (http://www.initaly.com) for a week stay and tours/wine tasting of various Tuscan towns. However, you can book directly as well. We LOVED this place and loved having someone drive us around and then letting us explore the various towns on our own (a couple wine tastings were included). Tuscany is a VERY special place and we love big bold reds and really enjoyed the wines in the area. I know you would not be disappointed!!

Stephanie

I've been to both. Both areas are pretty. I would have thought Tuscany would be prettier until I visited Burgundy this spring. I don't think it gets better. The wine of the two regions don't compare. Tuscany produces nice, drinkable, but forgettable wine. Burgundy produces the best wine on the planet. I stopped into a Burgundy restaurant and had a 3 euro glass of red with my meal. It was the best wine I'd ever tasted (but too small of producer to be available in stores). If wine is the driver, it seems silly to skip Burgundy in favor of Tuscany.