SOLD OUT!
The wines of Burgundy were revered by the Romans and Charlemagne but they have recently become unaffordable for most of us. Burgundy resident Merlin Holland, our first wine columnist, will be challenging this view on his carefully planned tour of the region’s famous villages, showing us just how affordable Burgundy can be – while allowing us a taste of the posh stuff for which we pine.
Merlin Holland writes, ‘In 2011, the Tourist Office in Dijon started an amusing publicity campaign in the Paris Métro: “In Burgundy there are no tourists: there are lovers of architecture, of history, of gastronomy, of wine and of nature, but no tourists.” Despite the delicious irony it seems the campaign was not a huge success, but Oldie-readers will know perfectly well what was meant and it still applies today. Come and join James Pembroke and me for an “untouristy” discovery of these Burgundian gems.’
We’ll also spend a day in Dijon and its UNESCO historic centre. We will be staying at the Hôtel de la Poste, in Beaune, within walking distance of the Hospices. And our stay coincides with the Beaune illuminations, which see the town’s buildings lit up with dramatic artworks at night.
ITINERARY
Thursday 1st July – arrival
Depart St Pancras at 09.31; arrive Paris Gare du Nord at 12.49; transfer to Gare de Lyon for lunch at Le Train Bleu, the most beautiful restaurant in Europe; catch the 15.52 to Beaune, arriving at 17.12. Dinner in the cellar of Le Conty.
Friday 2nd July – Beaune and Drouhin
Stroll to the cellar of the Dukes of Burgundy, now owned by Drouhin, for a tasting of six of their wines including a Premier cru. Afterwards, we will visit the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne, the town’s excellent interactive wine museum; lunch at the museum. And Merlin has insisted on a visit to the Quincaillerie Muratier, his favourite kitchen/hardware shop in the world, followed by a mustard-tasting at the Moutardierie Fallot. Dinner at Le Bistro des Cocottes.
Saturday 3rd July – Market day in Beaune
The market in Beaune makes one want to run to the river with cheeses and a rug to enjoy oneself (or, even better, someone else). Merlin will subsequently take us for lunch and a tasting at Château de Chamirey where he will demonstrate how Burgundy need not break the bank. Later, we will visit local curiosity La Villa Perrusson, for a fascinating look at the bourgeois life of a 19th-century French industrialist and the encaustic tiles and decorative architectural features he was manufacturing. Dinner at La Maison du Colombier.
Sunday 4th July – Sully and Autun
Morning visit to Beaune’s centrepiece, the Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to the Dukes of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. On to the splendid Château de Sully where we will have lunch in the orangery, before visiting the magnificent cathedral of Autun with its Romanesque sculptures by Gislebertus. Light supper at the hotel.
Monday 5th July – Dijon
Guided stroll around the historic centre, followed by a visit to the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, said to be one of the finest provincial museums in France. Lunch on the terrace of their Brasserie des Beaux-Arts, followed by a visit to and tasting at the old-fashioned Maille mustard shop. On our return to Beaune we will pass through Fixin and visit Le Réveil de Napoléon, the 1847 bronze sculpture by François Rude commissioned by Claude Noisot, faithful officer under the Emperor. Dinner on the terrace of Garum Table Vivante in Beaune, the unpretentious restaurant of a former Michelin star chef.
Tuesday 6th July – Les Grands Crus
By coach to the northernmost of the great Côte de Nuits villages, Gevrey-Chambertin, and back down the Route des Grands Crus paying our respects (about all we can afford) as we pass Le Chambertin, Le Clos St Denis, Le Musigny and Le Clos Vougeot, finishing with La Romanée-Conti. Wine-tasting in Vosne-Romanée at the Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, one of whose other passions is Burgundian truffles. On to Puligny-Montrachet, where we will throw an envious glance at the Le Montrachet vineyard followed by lunch at the restaurant of the same name. Dinner at L’Ardoise.
Wednesday 7th July – departure
Morning for shopping before catching the 12.00pm train to Paris and on to London, arriving at 18.30.
HOW TO BOOK:
Call 01225 427311 or please email Katherine at reservations@theoldie.co.uk. Price: £2,995 pp, including accommodation, breakfast, lunches and dinners with wine, coach travel and entrance fees. Train fares are not included; we can provide help with online booking if required. Single supplement: £500. A non-refundable deposit of £750 will be required, with the full balance due on 31st March 2027.
