For anyone who has taken this Eastern France tour - what was the champagne house that this tour visits in Reims, the winery in and around Kaysersberg and the "domaine" for lunch in the Cote d'Or area? I know that prior tours ended up in Nice and not Aix-en-Provence and can't see any information as to what was done in this town. Any information would be appreciated as I am researching this tour (have already booked) and just don't want to miss anything of interest that is not covered on the guided tour itself. Thanks.
Posted by
Portland, OR
1127 posts
In Reims it is Martel. In Provence it is Domaine Mourchon. I can’t remember the winery in Alsace though and it ended in VilleFranch sur Mer the first time I took it and Marseilles the second time.
Posted by
Washington
470 posts
We took this tour the end of September, 2017. Here are a few tips. Feel free to PM me for more specific information.
We arrived in Reims 2 days early, and were very glad we did. Our first free day we took the bus to Epernay and toured Mercier. The next day before we met the tour group we did the tour of Tattinger in Reims. During free time on the tour we visited the Museum of Surrender. It was well worth the time. We went with another tour member and discovered that we both had uncles who were in the Battle of the Bulge.
I don’t recall the names of all the wineries, but we did many tastings. In the Alsace it was at the end of a walking tour of the vineyards. In Burgundy it was at a small winery with extensive education and tastings. We also had a great tasting at a Count’s home where we had a picnic indoors because of rain. At Mourchon the vineyard and winery tour / tasting was capped off by an idyllic lunch at the owner’s villa. We did an olive oil tasting in Provence and had a presentation of the owner’s business creating santones. ( unique and personalized nativity scenes). All the wine was great, but since sparkling wine is our favorite we were glad for the extra time in Reims on our own.
We ended in Aix-en- Provence. The hotel ( Costa Negra) was really great. Modern, spacious, well located and beautifully appointed bathrooms. If you decide to stay longer and are at this hotel you will be very comfortable. We left VERY early the morning after the final dinner. Because of the early hour we had to take a cab. Since no one else on the tour had the same flight we could not share a cab. The cab was 72 Euro! We loved this tour but consider ending in Aix so far away from the Marseilles airport was a weak link in terms of how expensive that airport transport was.
Powerful visits to Verdun and Fort Douaumont. It was shocking to me that one of our tour members wrote in his review that he thought Verdun should be skipped. Honoring the service of war heroes and taking time to reflect on the lessons to be learned from war was not only respectful but timely given the conflicts in our world today.
So much good food and distinctive to the diverse regions you will visit. When you find yourself craving a burger/fries you must try Quickly Burger in Vaison. The young couple that owns it has a most interesting story and could not be more friendly.
Hope this is useful. Just PM me with more specific questions. You are going to love this tour. And I haven’t even mentioned Chamonix and the Alps yet...
Posted by
Gator country
176 posts
I took this tour in the fall of 2016. The winery we visited in Alsace was Vins d’Alsace Cave Jean Geiler. Website: geiler.fr As noted above, the winery at Vaison was Mourchon: domainedemourchon.com
On my trip there was an opportunity to have Mourchon’s wine delivered to the USA. Mourchon had 2 merchants in the USA, one could order and pay at Mourchon and Mourchon would have one of their USA merchants ship the wine to my home. I believe the merchants were located in Chicago and the Boston area. Or, they passed out an info sheet with the names of the USA merchants and one could order from the merchants upon return to the USA. I opted for the second option; however, upon returning home I found it was more expensive to order on my own than it was to order while at the winery. So, learn from my experience.