Day 1

Your 12-day journey begins with a rendezvous at Edelweiss Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland. We highly recommend that you arrive a minimum of one day early, to get acclimated and take advantage of the sights. After a brief bonjour, we’ll travel to Lake Annecy for a relaxing day in one of the most romantic spots in all of France. Enjoy market shopping, then sit back and enjoy a scenic cruise around the lake before departing for Burgundy.

En route, you’ll see charming villages and rolling vineyards as we make our way to our home base, Château de Montrevost, a magnificent restored estate. Monsieur Christophe Gay, his wife Sylvia, and a team of skilled craftsmen have lovingly transformed Château de Montrevost (and several other chateaux) into jaw-dropping vacation homes.

Settle in, explore, and prepare for a glorious chef-prepared meal.

Day 2

After a restful sleep, and a leisurely breakfast, enjoy a morning to explore the world of artisan cheese! Taste and learn from the best as Patrick and Hanna Shaps team up to teach you how artisan cheese is made and what makes French cheese so special! Prepare to taste some exquisite raw-milk Époisses, the area’s most celebrated monastic cheese, along with a local triple crème that will change how you entertain forever.

Remember, a trip to Burgundy is also a deep-dive into the world of wine culture. After lunch, get ready for some hands-on fun as you have a local lesson on how to make wine barrels. Later on, it’s an evening of Burgundy wine, with a tasting presented by local wine expert Emily Lester (@pariswinegirl) and Patrick.

Day 3

After breakfast, you’ll have two signature experiences. One group will enjoy the morning in a hands-on cooking class with Chef Sylvain (a Frenchman who speaks perfect English) and the other half will visit our host’s private cellar for a once-in-a-lifetime wine tour and tasting. Christophe Gay, a local wine expert and collector of fine wines, has invited you to a private Grand Cru Tasting. You’ll be sipping wine from his private stock, a collection of over 9,000 bottles of rare Burgundies and other French wines that never make it onto the market. Enjoy lunch prepared by the morning group of guests, then you’ll switch activities for the afternoon. After a busy day of cooking and wine-tasting, you’ll have free time before the daily “wine chat” with Patrick, followed by a fabulous dinner that – guess what? – you helped prepare! Enjoy your labor with plenty of delicious wine, with time to go for a late-night stroll around your very own château.

Day 4

Ready to build a cheese board and learn about serving wine and cheese at home? Settle in for a morning workshop with Patrick and Jilly, followed by a spectacular cheese-board lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll have time to stroll around the village, read by the pool, or head out for a little Brocante shopping or a visit to one of our favorite wineries. Tonight, you’ll enjoy a favorite cocktail with Patrick, followed by a wine chat and sumptuous dinner.

Day 5

Grab your market basket and prepare for a shopping day. You’ll start the morning at the much-lauded Beaune Farmers’ Market. Stroll the stalls for snacks and souvenirs, and be sure to visit Alain Hess Fromagerie, an exquisite cheese shop with an extraordinary wine selection. You’ll have time to select the perfect brasserie for a classic French lunch, and in the afternoon, you have many options for shopping. You may want to buy a copper pot at Cook’s Atelier, (a well-known French cooking school & culinary boutique in Beaune) or a French tablecloth. Have fun exploring the city’s historic Hospice de Beaune, a museum preserving the great history of Burgundy wine and learn about the renown international wine auction which takes place every November. The institution is one of the best and oldest examples of historical, philanthropic, and wine-producing heritage, and has become deeply linked with the economic and cultural life of Burgundy. Travel back to the Château with shopping bags in hand, for a relaxing evening, aperitif and classic French dinner, featuring… cheese!

Day 6

Ready for more Burgundy wine? Emily Lester returns with a few special bottles and pro tips you can take home, from preferred glassware and tools, to wine storage and serving etiquette. Wondering when to decant a wine or which winer opener a sommelier prefers? Emily will answer all your questions and boost your knowledge about all things involving French wine culture, including how to pair wines with different meals.

After a little wine, enjoy a chef-prepared lunch followed by a free afternoon to enjoy the French countryside. Then, step outside for an aperitif with Patrick followed by tonight’s chef-prepared dinner.

Day 7

Your day includes two winery visits, a vineyard picnic, and a little mustard tasting in the charming town of Beaune. Do pack your walking shoes and sweater since most of the day will be outside. After breakfast, you’ll meet up once again with our friend Hanna Shaps at her father’s winery, Maison Shaps, for a tour and chef-prepared picnic and tasting in the vineyard. This unique estate has an interesting connection to the state of Virginia, where French-trained winemaker Michael Shaps also owns land, and produces award-winning bottles near Anna’s home. Hear stories of Michael’s international wine business, and how his American-born daughter, Hanna, became a wine and cheese expert in France. Learn about the unique and contrasting flavor profiles of wine made from grapes grown only a few rows apart and finish with a beautiful lunch in one of the most renown wine villages of Burgundy.

Afterwards, you will travel to our favorite town of Beaune to visit the wine caves of Joseph Drouhin, under the streets of Beaune. These caves have belonged to the Canons of Beaune, the Dukes of Burgundy, and the Kings of France, with Roman remains dating back nearly 2,000 years. You’ll finish the day at France’s premier Dijon mustard maker (the only one who still works with locally-grown mustard seeds) for an interesting tour and hands-on mustard-making experience. When we return to the Château, you’ll enjoy a gorgeous meal prepared by our private chefs.

Day 8

After breakfast, it’s a morning for relaxing or bring your pen and notebook to the kitchen and you’ll find Chef Sylvain leading a sweet demonstration on making mouthwatering chocolate ganache and truffles.

After a chef prepared lunch, it’s time for a once in a lifetime chance to go behind the scenes for an inside look at cheese production at the Monastery Abbaye of Citeaux. Founded in 1098, you’ll meet the lovely herd of Montbéliard cows which graze around the Abbey and learn how the monastic tradition of Bourgogne evolved into onsite cheesemaking today.

Returning to the Chateau, join Patrick for an aperitif tasting of Cassis, an artisan liqueur made from black currants, produced from a local distillery. Cassis is wonderful when mixed with sparkling wine and served with a lemon twist (Kir Royale cocktail). Enjoy a special chef-prepared farewell dinner event with live music performed by Lena & Alexis – two brilliant musicians Anna first met in Paris. An evening you won’t forget!

Day 9

It’s time to say “au revoir” to Burgundy and travel east to the beautiful Jura countryside where the world of Comté cheese awaits. Imagine: lunch near a picturesque lake at Malbuisson before meeting up with old friends at Fort St. Antoine to explore the King of French Cheese. Fort St. Antoine, once a famous military fort, was built at the end of the 19th century and is now home to over 100,000 enormous wheels of cheese! Here, you’ll meet a team of affineurs (experts in the art of cheese aging) to see how they work their magic.

After a tour of the “Comté Cathedral,” enjoy Marcel Petite’s finest cheeses paired with unique regional wines, such as Vin d’Arbois. Then, travel on to the day’s final destination: the Swiss Alps!

Day 10

Get ready to open a window and breathe in fresh mountain air! After breakfast, you’ll meet up with our Alpine guide to indulge in some natural beauty. A morning hike is the perfect way to work up an appetite for your next tasting: an introduction to Swiss wine and cheese, hosted by our educator Patrick McGuigan and our local wine expert. You’ll learn all about the grapes and Switzerland’s up-and-coming wine scene. Then, after a light lunch, you’ll set off to explore a boutique Swiss winery with spectacular lake views. Enjoy a tour and tasting, then grab a bottle to enjoy during the last days of your mountain sojourn.

Day 11

After an early breakfast, you’ll head to the mountains to experience alpage cheesemaking, something few people ever witness. “Alpage cheeses” are the true Alpine cheeses that define the category. Trust us, you may have tasted Gruyère, but it’s unlikely that you’ve ever been offered Alpage Gruyère from the high mountains of Switzerland. This rare cheese is still made by families who bring their cows to the high meadows each summer, part of an ancient tradition known as “transhumance.” You’ll arrive just after the morning milking and see Old World cheesemaking in action. Learn why alpage cheese is so prized and why farmers are still passionate about bringing their herds to these grazing lands. Hint: you can taste the meadows in the milk.

After a hearty farm-restaurant lunch, you’ll have a free afternoon to relax and explore the charming Swiss town of Gstaad. Shop, hike, or head out for a photography walk to capture some final glimpses of idyllic scenery before a celebratory final dinner as a group.

Day 12

Today, you’ll become part of village life in the nearby hamlet, where you’ll join locals for the annual cow parade – a traditional celebration that welcomes farmers and their herds down from the mountains. First, you’ve got a private invitation to join a Gruyère cheesemaker as he and his family prepare the cows with colorful floral headdresses and hand-forged bells for the procession down the mountain to the village below. This defining moment at the end of high-grazing season is a centuries-old practice and a key part of Alpine Transhumance. For cheese lovers, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. What a perfect way to conclude a Cheese Journey!

You’ll spend the day at the festival, enjoying lunch, and shopping before driving to the Geneva Airport for a final farewell. Get ready to exchange photos and addresses after these unforgettable 12 days!

Disclosure: To the best of our ability, this tour itinerary is final. However, if, due to unexpected extreme weather, a schedule emergency with hosts, or limitations due to imposed travel restrictions, etc., Cheese Journeys reserves the right to substitute an event if needed. During the tour, you have the option of declining a particular excursion or tour, but we are unable to make refunds for any missed meals, classes, or events. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details.