Bordeaux Grand Crus Chateaus & Great Alsace White Wines Discover two of the most beautiful wine regions of France 10 Days, 9 Nights Your Travel Advisor: Eduar Lamprea, Email: info@ethakatravel.com, Phone: (817) 914-8601 This tour has been designed so that you may discover 2 of the most beautiful wine regions of France. The Bordeaux wine region first, a world-renowned destination for all wine lovers. Here, not only will you discover some of the most renowned appellations, but you will also have the opportunity to visit prestigious Classified Growth wineries and taste some of the most famous blends that this area has to offer. Your English-speaking wine guide will also be happy to share all his knowledge so that your Bordeaux experience is as enriching as possible. Then move on to the Alsace wine region. Here, you will taste some of the most significant Alsace wines crafted by passionate wine makers. All day tours & tastings have been carefully selected so that you may experience the best Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, Sylvaners, Pinots or Muscats. Even better, we will Page 1
introduce you to some of the most fascinating Grand Cru Alsace wines giving you the possibility of understanding the differences between the different Alsace wines, the grape varieties and terroir. Day One Arrival in Bordeaux, Hotel Transfer Meals included: none Pick up in Bordeaux upon arrival (Airport/Train Station) and transfer to your hotel. Check in to your centrally located hotel and night in Bordeaux. Day Two 1855 Classified Growth Chateaus of the Medoc, Lunch 9.30am pick up at your hotel. On this full day tour, you will enjoy the visit and wine tasting in 3 prestigious 1855 Classified Growth Chateaus of different Medoc appellations. Your tour will begin with the visit of the installations of the Chateaus so as to better understand the chemistry & technical complexity involved in the wine making process. The visits also point out the importance of the soil and weather conditions, which the French translate into Page 2
one word: Terroir. For lunch, we have selected a local restaurant that will introduce you to all the specialties this area has to offer. All tours are private and will be for our small group only. Your day will also take you along the Route des Chateaux so that you may admire some of the most famous estates such as Chateau Palmer, Chateau Margaux or Chateau Pichon Longueville for great photo opportunities. 6.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel Day Three Discover the Bassin of Arachon 9.30am pick up at your hotel. Today discover the town of Arcachon and its famous bay. After a walking tour of Arcachon, enjoy a lunch at leisure in front of the sea. In the afternoon, we take you to a relaxing boat ride to discover more of the area. A unique boat ride on board of a local "Pinasse", the traditional boats of the Bay of Arcachon. All built out of wood, mention of the boats date back to the 1500's at a time when they were used only for fishing. This pleasant ride will have you see the numerous oyster farms and admire 'Birds Island' with its "Tchanqués" huts built on wooden piles. 6.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel Day Four Merlot wines of Saint Emilion 9.30am pick up at your hotel. Today the wine region known as the right bank is on your program. Your main destination will be the Saint Emilion wine area where Merlot is the predominant grape variety. Here you will Page 3
first enjoy a private visit and wine tasting in a Classified Growth Chateau. Arrive in Saint Emilion and enjoy another visit of a Classified Growth Chateau followed by a special wine tasting session in the village composed of numerous appellations. Guided walking tour of the medieval village and free time for lunch and personal discovery. Finally, depart for a visit and wine tasting session in Classified Growth Chateau in a satellite appellation of the Libournais wine region. 6.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel. Day Five Culinary Experience, Lunch 9.30am pick up at your hotel. Today we take you to for a private cooking class followed by a lunch with the dishes you prepared. You will prepare a 3 courses meal with a private Chef and enjoy the meal, paired with local wines. In the afternoon, we take you back to Bordeaux to enjoy a private walking tour of the city. Coined the "Sleeping Beauty", the city has over gone a radical transformation leading it to be declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2007. During our private guided walking tour of Bordeaux, you will discover the most famous monuments and landmarks that the city has to offer. Bordeaux has been classified a City of Art and History and is home to one of Europe s largest collection of 18th-Century architecture. As you walk through imposing squares and handsome avenues, you will see big-ticket attractions such as the neo-classical Grand Théâtre, conceived as a Temple to the Arts and Light or Saint Adrews Cathedral where young Eleanor of Aquitaine married Louis VII. 6.30pm return to your hotel, overnight. Page 4
Day Six Graves & Sauternes Region Wine Tour, Lunch 9.30am pick up at your hotel. The Pessac-Léognan wine producing area is on your program this morning. Some of the most famous wineries include lead 1er Grand Cru Classé Chateau Haut-Brion, Chateau Pape Clément, Chateau Olivier, Chateau Haut Bailly and many more. Pessac-Léognan is equally famous for both red and dry white wines, although red wine is still predominant. Here, we will visit and wine taste in 2 Classified Growth Chateaus of the appellation so as to discover these wines. After some time for lunch, we will head towards the Sauternes wine producing region. The area is famous for its sweet white wines with lead Chateau Yquem being the most famous winery of the appellation. Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines. You will enjoy the visit and wine tasting in a Classified Growth Chateau so as to better understand the technical process linked to Sauternes wine making. 6.30pm return to Bordeaux and night at your hotel. Page 5
Day Seven Departure Transfer, Flight from Bordeaux to Strasbourg Departure transfer from Bordeaux to the Airport. Arrival in Strasbourg and check in at your centrally located hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to discover this wonderful town of France. Night in Strasbourg. Day Eight Northern Alsace Wines Today, depart for a full day tour in the northern Alsace wine region - From Marienheim to Molsheim, a few kilometers from the capital of Alsace, lies the northern entrance to the Alsace Wine Route. Discover a magnificent view of the wine region of Couronne d Or and Piémont, and then experience its important architectural, medieval and religious heritage, such as the Carthusian Monastery of Molsheim, Mont Saint-Odile and the village of Obernai. Today we will take you to the most well-known wine producers of the area to begin the discovery and tasting of some of the most famous Alsace varietal wines such as Riesling, Page 6
Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer and many more. Visit and tasting in 4 different wineries and return to Strasbourg in the evening. Day Nine Southern Alsace Wines, Farewell Dinner, Lunch, Dinner Today, your tour will take you to the southern area of the Alsace wine region. Discover Riquewihr home to the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg, from which the most exciting wines of Alsace are made. Already Voltaire owned vines on this south-facing slope that has the most complex geology of all Grands Crus in Alsace. Most producers in the village have vines on Schoenenbourg, as well as on Sporen. The latter, situated between Riquewihr and Mittelwhir, is the home of magnificent, smokey Gewurztraminer and complex Pinot Gris. The bill regarding the Grand Cru system of Alsace was passed in 1975 and in was force from the 1983 vintage. In principle, the system is very simple. To date, 51 vineyards have Grand Cru status. Most of these have been recognized as outstanding since at least the 14th century. The smallest Grand Cru is Kanzlerberg with 3.2 ha (Bergheim) and the largest is Schlossberg Kientzheim / Kaysersberg), which is as large as 80.3 ha. Your day will include the tasting of several Grands Crus as you visit four wineries located in the area. This evening, we have organized a farewell dinner for all the group. Page 7
Day Ten Transfer to Departure station, either Train if going back to Bordeaux or Paris, or airport if flying direct from Strasbourg Transfer to train station or airport and end of our services. Inclusions 1. Arrival and departure transfers in Bordeaux and Strasbourg 2. 6-night accommodation in 4* or 3* Hotel, double room sharing in Bordeaux 3. 3-night accommodation in 4* or 3* Hotel, double room sharing in Strasbourg 4. Meals as detailed above 5. Services of an expert English speaking wine guide in Bordeaux and Strasbourg 6. Full day Medoc 1855 Classified growth chateau tour with 3 Chateau visits 7. Lunch in a local restaurant in the Medoc wine region 8. Full day Arcachon with boat tour 9. Full day Saint Emilion wine tour with 2 Chateau visits 10. Private wine tasting session in wine cellar of Saint Emilion 11. Private cooking class and walking tour of Bordeaux 12. Full day Graves & Sauternes wine region with 3 Chateau visits 13. Lunch in a local restaurant in the Graves & Sauternes area 14. Plane ticket from Bordeaux to Strasbourg Page 8
15. Full day northern Alsace wine region including 4 winery visits and tastings 16. Full day southern Alsace wine region including 4 winery visits and tastings 17. Travel in recent & fully equipped compact vans (2 to 8 persons) or coach (10+ persons) 18. Farewell dinner in Strasbourg 19. 1st Class Train ticket back to Bordeaux (5 hours) or to Paris (3 hour train ride) 20. Driver and guide. Exclusions 1. Meals, drinks unless specified 2. Drinks during the meals that are included 3. Personal insurance and expenses 4. Entrance fees to monuments, museums, attractions other than mentioned in the program 5. Eventual Gratuities Price Breakdown All prices are in US Dollars. Pricing based on number of passengers, 8-9 passenger minimum necessary for the trip to occur. # Passengers 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16 HOTEL *** 12,111 7,563 6,264 5,645 6,143 5,781 5,635 5,316 Page 9