Day One

Your 12-day journey begins with a Cheese Journeys meet-up in the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott Hotel (Paris CDG location). Meet your hosts, Anna Juhl of Cheese Journeys and Andrea & Bryan of WineStyles. After a brief bonjour, you’ll board a high-speed train and head south to the French city of Lyon. Prepare for beautiful scenery – charming villages, rolling vineyards – as you make your way to your home base, Chateau de Montrevost, a magnificently restored estate that dates back 500 years. Monsieur Christophe Gay, his wife Sylvia, and a team of skilled craftsmen, lovingly transformed Château de Montrevost and seven other chateaus, into jaw-dropping five-star vacation homes.

You’ll arrive to a stunning welcome lunch, featuring dishes from the nearby Bourgogne-Comte region- one of many meals prepared by Cheese Journeys’ private chefs Sylvain and Milo. Unpack, relax, check out the pool, stroll the grounds, or even go for a bike ride during your free time. Join Andrea & Bryan as they team up with a local sommelier Emily Lester Fouilleroux for a guided Introduction to the wines of Burgundy, followed by a sumptuous welcome dinner featuring local cuisine.

Day Two

Today, you’ll have two signature experiences. We’ll break into two groups, 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 the Gay’s private château cellar for a once in a lifetime wine experience. Christophe, an experienced wine expert and collector of fine wines, has invited us 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. We’ll enjoy lunch prepared by the morning group of guests, and switch activities for the afternoon. After an active day of cooking and wine-tasting, you’ll have free time before the daily “wine chat” with Bryan and Andrea, followed by a fabulous dinner that – guess what? – you helped prepare! Enjoy your labor with plenty of delicious wine, and time to go for a late-night stroll around your very own château.

Day Three

Today may be hump day, but you won’t notice – you’ll be busy drinking wine and snacking through a French Cheese 101 Class with Jilly Sitch, a.k.a. “the Mary Poppins of Cheese.” (Yes, everyone wants to dress as breezily as she does and develop a British accent.) After lunch and your daily Wine Chat with Bryan and Andrea, dive into a short Food Photography Workshop that will assure picture-perfect photos from your trip! Yes, you will be sipping wine all day, so pace yourself: you’ve got “wine chats” before lunch and dinner. By now, you know your way around, and you’ve got new photography skills, so don’t hesitate to take some artful shots of the aperitif (oh, yes, Bryan will be serving cocktails!) before you tuck into a glorious dinner featuring local delicacies.

Day Four

Your day includes a winery visit, a vineyard picnic, plus an afternoon in the charming town of Beaune. Do pack your walking shoes and sweater since part of the day will be subterranean. After breakfast, you’ll venture off to Maison Shaps for a vineyard tour and tasting. This winery has a unique connection to the state of Virginia, where French-trained winemaker Michael Shaps also owns land and produces award-winning bottles. Learn about Michael’s international wine business and meet his wonderful daughter Hanna – a young wine-and-cheese expert who speaks perfect English and French. Learn about the unique and contrasting flavor profiles of wine made from grapes grown only a few rows apart and finish with a beautiful picnic overlooking one of the most renown wine producing villages of Burgundy.

Afterwards we will travel to the beautiful town of Beaune to visit a Dijon mustard maker (you’ll meet the only one who still works with locally grown mustard seeds!) Then you are free to continue shopping in Beaune. You may want to buy a copper pot or a French tablecloth, or join Anna for a visit to Cook’s Atelier, one of our favorite French cooking schools & culinary boutiques. When you return to the château, you’ll enjoy an aperitif with Bryan from WineStyles, followed by a gorgeous chef prepared meal by our private chefs.

Day Five

Hanna Shaps joins us after breakfast for a Deep Dive into the Cheeses of Burgundy. 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. Plus, Hanna will introduce you to a selection of regional artisan cheeses that never cross the pond. Enjoy a chef prepared lunch and now that you’re feeling like a local, enjoy a free afternoon. Explore the grounds, take yourself on a photo walk, or lounge with a book by the pool. Follow a pedestrian & cycle path at the gate of our castle for a visit to the local village of Cuisery. Explore all the essential shops (grocery, patisserie, butchery, bank or florist) and say hi to Theo and Angel, owners of our favorite brasserie Le Perron. Cuisery is renowned as the “village of books” and the “Grand rue” has about ten booksellers offering rare & old books at unbeatable prices. Tonight, enjoy your daily wine tasting with Andrea and Bryan of WineStyles, followed by a fabulous chef-prepared dinner using products from the region.

Day Six

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, picking up snacks and souvenirs, then we’ll split into small groups for tours of Alain Hess Fromagerie, an exquisite cheese shop with an extraordinary wine selection. You’ll have a personal shopper to assist you and a wine tasting and a special private lunch in the shop’s cellar.

In the afternoon, you’ll explore 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 linked with the economic and cultural life of Burgundy.

We will finish the day with a tour under the streets of Beaune, exploring the centuries old and vast underground caves, followed by a tasting at the historic Maison Joseph Drouhin. When you return to the château, you’ll enjoy an aperitif with Bryan, followed by another gorgeous meal by our private chefs.

Day Seven

After breakfast, your cheese & wine chariot will ferry you to the Chablis Wine Festival. Mingle with locals, meet makers, and enjoy lunch on your own from the stands of food artisans from around the area. Les Fêtes des Vins, as this event is called, attracts a mix of wine professionals and enthusiasts who come to sample, do business, and share in the conviviality of an annual festival that goes back to 1949. Walk the vines, taste wines from 40+ Chablis producers, sample the latest vintage, and observe the local brotherhood induct new members into their wine society. Tonight, you’ll debrief with Andrea and Bryan from WineStyles before sitting down to a luscious dinner.

Day Eight

Put on your boots – today you’re off to a local goat-cheese creamery, Chevrerie La Trufière, to learn about making goat cheese! When you sample this authentic chèvre, you’ll realize why people come to France just to each cheese. Meet the goats, pick up pairing ideas, and taste truly seasonal French goat cheese and shop for other regionally produced items. After a morning in the countryside, you’ll return to the château for a relaxing lunch, followed by a free afternoon to enjoy the chateau. Enjoy a rare experience to learn during a private evening with a wine expert from Albert Bichot and a chef prepared meal designed specifically to be paired with Albert Bichot wines.

Day Nine

Dijon is on the docket for the day! There’s much more than mustard to this lovely city! Get ready to daytrip to a city revered as the crown jewel of Burgundy cuisine. First stop- Les Halles of Dijon, often considered the best food market in all of France. This is your chance to indulge in some gastronomy on your own – will you have escargots for lunch, or boeuf bourguignon, or both? Don’t forget about the exquisite patés and terrines – so good when spread on pain d’épices (local gingerbread), and don’t forget THE CHEESE! Pick up some local specialties for your cheese boards back home – like brandied cherries from renowned local Auxerres cherries, or cherry blossom honey – before returning to your château for the evening. The chefs have prepared a lovely meal for you, once again.

Day Ten

Enjoy several deep dives into liquid intelligence today, starting with an introduction to the making of wine barrels. Learn about this hands-on art, then put your new knowledge to work at private tour-and-tasting experience hosted by a château-style wine producer. This afternoon, you’ll have free time back at the château before an aperitif tasting of Cassis, a liqueur made from black currants, featuring a special guest from local Distillerie du Clos Saint Joseph. Get all your distilling questions answered, while sipping delicious drinks. Hint: Cassis is wonderful when mixed with sparkling wine and served with a lemon twist (Kir Royale cocktail).

Day Eleven

For your last day in Burgundy, you’re going to want to eat some truffles! You’ll spend the afternoon with a specially trained truffle-sniffing dog who loves to root around in the forest, but first – you’ve got a slow morning to journal, snap photos, write postcards, or nap on the terrace. Enjoy a wine chat, followed by a lovely lunch, then collect your supper in the woods and learn about the truffle trade. When you return home, you can anticipate a magnificent farewell dinner, full of mushroomy aromatics, anecdotes from the day, and wonderful wine.

Day Twelve

You’ve got a lazy morning to pack, luxuriate over a chef-prepared brunch, or even make one last trip into the local village for souvenirs. At noon, you’ll load your luggage onto the coach and take one last look at your château, before heading to Paris and CDG Airport for a flight or hotel stay. The tour ends this afternoon, so be sure to exchange emails and addresses, or make plans to meet up with your new Cheese Journeys friends for a glass of Burgundy wine and a cheese board when you return home.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

Lodging for eleven nights, breakfast provided eleven mornings, ten noon meals, and eleven evening meals (alcoholic beverages served with meals) and additional food events and tastings. All transportation during the tour (including round trip from Paris to Chateau and day trips during tour), all classes, tour tickets, and day trips provided by local hosts, cheese educators, and chefs. Alcoholic beverages, other than those served at meals and tasting events, may be purchased separately from the host or at locations during the tour.

TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

Round trip transportation to and from home to Paris, hotel accommodations before or after the tour, personal shopping during time in Beaune, or any activities during free days, shopping, and personal sightseeing in Dijon.

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.