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Loire
The Loire Valley, playground of royal hunting parties, is studded with romantic castles and
lush vineyards. Not far from Tours, there’s a 17th century chateau, still in private hands,
where you can experience firsthand the luxury of chateau living as you taste the valley’s
finest wines and visit its noble estates.
4 or 6 nights — Available year-round on request.
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Rhone Alps/Provence
Just beyond the walled city of Avignon, between the broad, slow-moving Rhone river and
the rugged Dentelles du Montmirail, lie vineyards dotted with medieval perched villages.
A lovingly restored farmhouse just outside the community of Pernes-les-Fontaines will be
your base for this exploration of the region’s lively, medium-bodied wines.
3 nights — Available year-round.
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It’s the most unusual vineyard soil in France: caves, “swallow holes,” natural springs. And
perhaps its most fragrant setting: lavender, olive groves, chestnut trees. It’s the Ardèche, a
vast natural reserve on the right bank of the Rhone. Your base is a charming Bed &
Breakfast surrounded by stone terraces and lush greenery.
3 nights — Available year-round on request.
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In this two day workshop, visit the Aix marketplace and cook with the freshest
ingredients, then learn about food and wine pairing from local oenologue Jean-Luc
Chauvet followed by a wine tasting.
2 nights — Available on request.
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Three nights in an authentic Provencal home, exploring the wonderful wines of the Southern Rhone Valley.
Enjoy trips to
Chateauneuf du Pape and Mont Ventoux, while staying just outside charming town of Tavel.
3 nights —
Available on request February through December.
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Southwest France
The Méli and Rousseau families invite you to their wine estate,
Chateau Bujan, for a delightful eight-day exploration of regional
French wines, their delicious accompanying dishes, and the vineyards,
villages, and markets of the Bordeaux region.
7 nights — Available April, May, June, September and October, and other months on request.
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Overlooking unspoiled stretches of the Mediterranean whose only visitors are pink
flamingos, the higher elevations of the rugged Corbières hills are covered in the aromatic
scrub called “garrigue.” The lower slopes are planted with vineyards that produce bold,
fragrant red wines.
3 nights — Available year-round on request except July & August.
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Join the harvest, lend a hand in the cellar, help prune the vines at Baronnie de Bourgade, a
historic estate in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Visit neighboring vineyards and medieval
villages, taste the wines of the sunny south of France. No experience necessary, no
transportation required.
3 nights — Available September through May.
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Relax at the foot of the fortress town of Carcassonne, and explore the wine villages to the
south. The Languedoc-Roussillon, of which the surrounding hills are a part, is the largest
wine-making district in Europe, and the range of wines is vast.
3 nights — Available year round on request.
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A true voyage of discovery: the vineyards along the Lot River Valley, from the medieval
wine town of Cahors to three tiny upriver appellations on the central plateau of France.
You’re going deep into the ancient volcanic center of the country, a land of beauty and
grandeur where vineyards are planted on the hardscrabble limestone causses of the Massif
Central.
3 nights — Available year round on request.
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Based at the Abbey-Hotel at Sorèze, in the Tarn Valley, this exploration of southern France
introduces you to the wines of a relatively isolated region on the southwest flanc of the
Massif Central, the country’s central plateau. You’ll be delighted by the quality and value
of what you find!
4 or 6 nights — Available year-round on request.
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