BKWine Tours | the wine and food tour specialist

Bordeaux, September 19-23, 2012

per — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:01:10 +0000

Bordeaux “a must for any wine lover”

Tasting wines in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

— In Bordeaux you find world famous chateaux and world famous wines but also a lot of new exciting initiatives – less famous but maybe more important for the future of Bordeaux! – and young enthusiastic wine makers. On this trip we will visit both some big, famous Grand Cru Class chateaux and smaller ones that are less known, but very quality conscious. We will visit the well-known regions like Medoc and Saint-Emilion, but also rising-stars among the regions, like Entre-deux-Mers. We will learn about viticulture, vinification and vintages and after this trip you will know quite a lot about what’s going on in Bordeaux.

Ripe grapes in the vineyard, copyright BKWine Photography

There will probably be a lot of harvesting going on and we will have a golden opportunity to see what happens both in the vineyard and in the cellar during the important season.

In all the chateaux we will get private tastings together with the people who are involved in the wine making and who are delighted to share with us their passion for fine wine.

We will stay four nights in the city of Bordeaux, an elegant and very beautiful city of just over half a million people. In the evenings you will have the possibility to explore Bordeaux, the sights and the many restaurants, at your leisure.

The splendour of Bordeaux, Place de la Bourse, copyright BKWine Photography

The city of Bordeaux is on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. You can read more about it in our City Guide to Bordeaux.

We will meet in Bordeaux, which is easy to reach. Bordeaux has its own airport and it is only 3 hours away from Paris by TGV-train. You will arrive on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning our bus will pick us up for our first visits in the vineyards. Sunday is departure day.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants, so register now!

Join us for a few unforgettable days in the world’s most famous wine region!

Programme

Preliminary programme. Contact us for more details.

Wednesday September 19: Arrival

Arrival in Bordeaux. Check in at our 3-star hotel, located in the city centre. Free evening.

Thursday September 20: Medoc

A classical Bordeaux chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

Our bus will pick us up at our hotel after breakfast. We will spend the day in Medoc, home to many of the big chateaux names and famous for its wines made primarily of cabernet sauvignon. Our bus will take us through the villages of Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac and up to Saint-Estephe and we will see many beautiful and famous chateaux on the way. It is a real thrill to see all these chateaux one has read about, in real life!

We will visit a few of these chateaux, some of them Grand Cru Classé and we will have a delicious gastronomic lunch in one of the prestigious chateaux.

Early evening we are back in Bordeaux. Free evening.

Friday September 21: Saint Emilion

Tasting wine in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

On the other side of the rivers Garonne and Dordogne are Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. The chateaux are smaller than those in the Medoc but the landscape is prettier with more rolling hills and green forests. It is in this region the most expensive wines in Bordeaux can be found.

We will visit some very interesting producers, for instance famous Chateau Franc-Mayne where we will also have the opportunity to admire the magnificent limestone cellar. We will have lunch in the picturesque town of Saint Emilion where you will also have time for a quick stroll before our afternoon visit. Saint Emilion is a wonderful medieval small town on the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

Early evening we are back in Bordeaux. Free evening.

Saturday September 22: Entre-deux-Mers and Graves

Time for lunch in the vineyard, copyright BKWine Photography

“Between the rivers”, in Entre-deux-Mers, the quality of wines is getting better and better. This is perhaps the Bordeaux district where quality has increased with the greatest leaps and bounds over the last two decades. Also, here you can afford to buy them! Look for superb wines under “simple” appellations like Bordeaux Supérieur, but of course, you have to know where to look. This is one of the places in Bordeaux where it pays to know exactly where to go, and when you do, value for money is assured. We will visit one of the “new wave” chateaux here where we will also have lunch.

We will end our wine tour in Graves and Pessac-Leognan where you find superb red and white wines. Here we will visit a family estate, well known for its high quality red and white wines. Graves is the oldest wine region in Bordeaux and some of the chateaux here were talked about already in the 17th century. The soil is very well adapted to cabernet sauvignon but also to the white varieties sauvignon blanc and semillon. They mix very well together, sauvignon gives the wine a nice aromatic touch and semillon adds fatness and fullness.

Early evening we are back in Bordeaux. Free evening.

Sunday September 23: Departure

Tour ends after breakfast.

Program may be subject to minor modifications.

Facts

Dates: September 19-23, 2012

Price: 1150 euro

Single room supplement: 150 euro

Included in the price:

4 hotel nights in double room, including breakfast, in the city centre of Bordeaux (3-star hotel)
Meals:
- 3 gastronomic lunches including prestigious wines (at least 2 of them at a wine chateaux)
Transportation in minibus for three days in Bordeaux
All vineyard visits
Private, high quality tastings (approx. 3 per day)
Interpretation from French (though many visits will be in English)
Wine and tourism guiding by BKWine wine expert

Not included:

Travel to Bordeaux

You travel to Bordeaux on your own (we are happy to give you advice on how to get there) and you arrive in the evening of the initial day, at the latest, at our hotel.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered at the “book before” date.

Book This Trip

Book before: June 1, 2012

Registration is confirmed by paying the registration fee of 250 EUR. Full payment should be received at the latest one month before the departure date (see our terms and conditions). Payments should be made by bank transfer to BKWine’s bank in Sweden. Details will be sent to you when you register.

You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:

phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
email: info-at-bkwine-dot-com
skype: bkwine

About the wine producers and wineries we visit

A winemaker tasting her wine, copyright BKWine Photography

Our aim is that you shall experience some of the best and most interesting that the wine region has to offer, both of wine and food. We put a big effort into finding and creating outstanding winery visits. Often it will not be the most “famous” and internationally well-known wineries that will give you the best and most unique experiences…

It is usually when you get to meet the winemaker or winery owner himself (or often herself) that the visits become really exciting, and perhaps we even meet the whole family at the estate. You start discussing and start to understand what it is they do and why in the winery and in the vineyard. Maybe we will also have lunch in the winery or at their home. Need we say we invariably have private wine tastings at the wineries?

That is why our trips are not “jam-packed” with visits at wineries. Nevertheless we often run short of time since the discussions – and the wine tastings – can easily become very engaging…

Our wine country tours typically include a mix of small family producers, exclusive boutique wineries and larger internationally well-known wine estates, all selected with great care so that it will give you a unique experience of the people and of the behind-the-scenes in the winery and a good understanding of the wine district’s characteristics, tradition and culture.

At the time of publishing a travel program not all visits have been finalised. We are continuously working on improving the program. The domaines / wineries / châteaux that we visit on a tour may therefore sometimes differ from what was written in the original program. Contact us if you want more details, or if you have any special requests.

On meals: food and gastronomy

Table set for lunch and a wine tasting at a château, copyright BKWine Photography

Wine and food are intimately linked. That is part of our wine travel philosophy; wine is an integral part of the gastronomy. A wine tour with BKWine will therefore also be a gastronomic experience. The meals that are included in a tour with BKWine are often on a gourmet level and of very high standard. Sometimes we will have a meal with a winemaker, perhaps in the wine cellar or at the winery, or even in their home. This is a unique experience that is generally not open to other visitors to wineries. It is an occasion to experience exciting combinations of food and wine.

Sometimes we will have a luxurious meal at a gourmet restaurant. At other times it may be not at a prestigious luxury address but at a local restaurant selected for its presentation of local gastronomic specialities, its atmosphere and its quality – a place where locals go. Or perhaps it will be a buffet lunch made at home by the winemaker and his wife. In all cases we want to show you local gastronomic specialities and the local food and wine pairings.

Do not expect a picnic with salad and sausage from the supermarket and wine in plastic mugs… Think instead of a wine-and-dine experience with specially composed menu with three or four courses and delicious wines. A wine tour with BKWine is also a culinary experience both for the wine enthusiast and for the gourmet. A gourmet wine tour!

Why travel with BKWine?

Wine slowly aging in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

We are experts and specialists in wine and food tours and wine tourism, but also in wine in a broader perspective. We write in specialised wine magazines and one of our books has won the prize as best wine book in the world. We are regularly called on to be part of judging panels in wine competitions.

We personally visit some 300 vineyards every year. We have organised several hundreds of wine and food tours with an experience going back more than twenty years. We are invited as speakers at wine tourism and culinary touring conferences.

We choose our tour destinations and winery visits with great care. Not because a winery happens to be carrying a “famous name” but because they will give our guests a unique and special experience. You may be looking for a short wine week-end holiday or a longer wine vacation – in all cases you can be confident that you will get a top quality tour, an experience for life. Or at least until the next time you come on a wine tour with BKWine. Many of our travellers are returning clients.

A wine and food tour with BKWine is always guided by a knowledgeable and experienced guide and tour manager, someone who knows the ins and outs of wine, of the local gastronomy, of the culture and speaks the language.

BKWine’s wine tours have been named “World’s Top Wine Tours” by Travel + Leisure Magazine, the world’s biggest travel magazine and are labelled “recommended wine tours” by Munskänkarna, the world’s biggest wine tasting association.

Important information

Our groups are always small. The group size may vary, sometimes maximum 8, sometimes 20, but always of a modest size (we do not do “minimum 20, maximum 45″). Check the details in each program. This is important since it guarantees a quality experience and a personal welcome at the wineries we visit.

BKWine is a Swedish registered travel organiser. BKWine has a bonded travel guarantee deposit so that you can feel safe when booking with us. We fully comply with European and Swedish travel guarantee regulations. British travellers may be familiar with the ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) protection scheme which is a similar model. BKWine follows the code of conduct and financial safeguards defined by the Swedish Consumer Agency and The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (“Kammarkollegiet”, with a history dating back to 1539). Read more about this in our Booking Terms and Conditions.

Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!

You organise your travel independently to the destination but on location we take care of everything.

For more inspiration

Recommend this trip to a friend using the Share/Save (add-to-any) button below!

There are thousands of pictures from previous trips on BKWine Photography

Some wine videos from previous wine tours with BKWine

What do the customers say about BKWine tours?

Newsletter on wine

Subscribe to our free wine and travel newsletter, the BKWine Brief. Each month it gives you news from the world of wine, restaurant recommendations, tips on our favourite wine producers and much more. And keeps you updated on upcoming wine and food tours.

Custom Tours

We also do custom wine and food tours if you want to choose different dates or if you want something different than what we currently offer on our scheduled tours – for individuals, companies, professionals, wine tastings clubs etc.

Tuscany, October 10-14, 2012

per — Sun, 06 May 2012 10:28:39 +0000

A wine tour to Tuscany and Chianti with the wonderful wines and food of Italy!

A view over the landscape, copyright BKWine Photography

— Tuscany enchants you with the beautiful landscape, the wines, the olive oil and not least the gastronomy. the wine always takes first place on our tours byt here in Tuscany the local gastronomy also has a front seat. One of the days we do some hands-on cooking to get a real insight into the Tuscan gastronomy. The word Tuscany evokes rolling hills with rows of cypress tress, olive trees, and impressive renaissance castles surrounded by vineyards. And the wines are just as delicious as the countryside is beautiful.

This trip starts in Florence, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and takes you to the wine regions of Chianti and Montalcino, famous names where many a great wine hides. This could almost be called the heart of vinous Italy and has long been at the forefront of high quality Italian wine production.

Charcuteries and bruschetta to start, copyright BKWine Photography

In addition to visiting several wine producers this tour includes half a day of hands-on cooking. Together we will prepare our lunch-time meal with Tuscan specialities and you will be initiated in the secrets of the region’s gastronomy. It goes without saying that there will be some pasta but many other delicacies will also be on the table.

You arrange for your own air travel (or other transport) to Florence where we will stay the first night on this tour in a hotel very centrally located. The second night we will be in Siena and the third night is in Pienza, a charming hilltop village in the Tuscan landscape. It is a delight to stroll around in these wonderful Tuscan towns with their narrow alleys, cafés and restaurants. The fourth night we are back in Florence.

All the gastronomic lunches are included in the program, often with a wine tasting at table at the wineries we visit. Evenings are free for your own exploration.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants, so register now!

The tour is led by one of BKWine’s wine and travel expert guides.

Program – Wine Tour to Tuscany

Preliminary program.

For more details contact BKWine.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012: arrival in Florence

You arrive in Florence and check in to our centrally located hotel.

Free evening.

Thursday, October 11, 2012: Chianti and cooking

Making ravioli pasta in the kitchen, copyright BKWine Photography

Our driver picks us up in the morning at the hotel in Florence and we start our exploration of the rolling hills, the vineyards, and the olive grooves. We are in the heart of Chianti, in Chianti Classico. Chianti was among the first wine regions in Italy to be awarded the top quality designation DOCG. The wine styles can vary tremendously. You can find light and fruity wines to be drunk young as well as powerful barrel aged wines to lay down for many years.

Our first destination is just a short trip south of Florence. We will visit a magnificent Italian “villa” in Grassina, a small village, where we will spend all morning preparing lunch together. The villa was previously the property of the powerful Medici family. the garden is beautiful and even has a view over Florence. The estate makes wine and several different olive oils. Everyone can participate in the food preparation to learn some of the secrets of the Tuscan kitchen under the guidance of the current owner of the villa. All the products come from local farmers and producers.

We finish the visit with the lunch that we made ourselves.

After lunch we had further south. We will visit a Chianti vineyard close to Siena. It is a beautiful and big estate with 500 hectares (~1000 acres) of land. They have 75 hectares (~150 acres) of vineyards planted mainly with sangiovese, the great grape of Tuscany. they also have 5000 olive trees that produce Chianti Classico olive oil.

Late afternoon we arrive at our typical Italian charming and central hotel in Siena.

The evening is free for you to stroll around the narrow cobble stone streets of Siena, to visit the famous Piazza del Campo, some wine bars and of course a restaurant of which there are many.

Wine bottles aging in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Friday, October 12, 2012: Montalcino

Lunch in a family restaurant, copyright BKWine Photography

Our bus picks us up in Siena in the morning and we continue to Montalcino, home of one of the most exclusive Italian wines, the Brunello di Montalcino.

Brunello, just like Chianti, is made from the sangiovese grape, but from a special clone called sangiovese grosso. The clone was named “Brunello” by the famous producer Biondi-Santi who, in 1888, was the first to identify and isolate this high quality clone and to make wine from it.

Today Biondi-Santi is not the only producer of course. There are now some 150 different wineries. Brunello di Montalcino is undoubtedly one of the great Italian wines.

We will visit a few of the most interesting producers in Montalcino. Over lunch we will have the opportunity to taste how the local wines – Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – go with the local food.

Over our three days in the region we will have the opportunity to taste many of the gastronomic specialities: charcuteries, pasta, full-flavoured Tuscan stews, cheeses etc. We will taste a range of wines so that you will get a good understanding of how food and wine matches here.

Late afternoon we arrive at our hotel in Pienza.

The evening is free to explore the small hilltop village of Pienza, a Tuscan gem, and find a small family restaurant for dinner.

Saturday, October 13, 2012: Montepulciano

A Tuscan villa among the vineyards, copyright BKWine Photography

We continue south to the region of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano – the noble wine from Montepulciano. Just like Chianti, this wine is made from Sangiovese but here they use a different clone called Prugnolo Gentile. This is a region that have experienced many changes in recent years. Some time back it was accused of clinging to old and outdated winemaking methods but today it has adopted modern winemaking and rapid improvements have led to that some of the wineries are among the top estates of all of Tuscany. The old and gigantic oak barrels have been discarded in favour of small oak casks that are renewed regularly. Much emphasis is put on fruit, complexity and maturity. It is a very interesting wine district to visit – one of the great classics where old meets new and the wines are getting more and more exciting every year.

Wine bottles aging in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

We will visit a small, quite unusual, winery in the centre of the small village Montefolloncio and we will visit a big producer near the town of Montepulciano, who has received the much sought after “three glasses” (tre bicchieri) by the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso. We will have a very typical Tuscan lunch together with one of our wine producers.

Early evening we arrive back in Florence.

Evening is free to explore this splendorous city, on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

After breakfast in our hotel the trip is over and you can spend a few more days in Florence or return home.

Program may be subject to minor modifications.

Facts – wine tour to Tuscany and Chianti

Dates: October 10-14, 2012

Price: 1530 euro

Single room supplement: 150 euro

Included in the price:

4 hotel nights in double room, including breakfast, good quality mid-range European style hotel
Two nights in Florence, one in Siena, one in Pienza
One half day of Tuscan cooking class followed by lunch
Other meals:

2 gastronomic lunches including wines

Transportation in minibus for three days in Tuscany
All vineyard visits
Private, high quality tastings (approx. 3 per day)
Interpretation from Italian as needed (some visits may be in English)
Wine and tourism guiding by a BKWine wine expert

Not included:

Travel to Florence

You travel to Florence on your own (we are happy to give you advice on how to get there) and you arrive at the latest in the evening of the first day of the tour, at our hotel.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered at the “book before” date.

Book This Trip

Book before: June 15, 2012

You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:

phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
email: info-at-bkwine-dot-com
skype: bkwine

About the wine producers and wineries we visit

Diletta Malenchini, olive oil porducer and winemaker, copyright BKWine Photography

That is why our trips are not “jam-packed” with visits at wineries. Nevertheless we often run short of time since the discussions – and the wine tastings – can easily become very engaging…

On meals: food and gastronomy

Preparing a wine tasting and lunch

Why travel with BKWine?

Wine slowly aging in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Important information

Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!

You organise your travel independently to the destination but on location we take care of everything.

For more inspiration

Recommend this trip to a friend using the Share/Save (add-to-any) button below!

There are thousands of pictures from previous trips on BKWine Photography

Some wine videos from previous wine tours with BKWine

What do the customers say about BKWine tours?

Newsletter on wine

Custom Tours

“A wonderful experience with excellent food and wine, and good company!”

per — Sat, 05 May 2012 11:31:02 +0000

On of the guests on our wine tour to South Africa that took place in March sent us a short email:

A big thank you for the wonderful vacation that we have just had in South Africa! A fantastic experience with good food, excellent wines, and terrific company, not to mention the safari that we did after. Totally wonderful – many thanks for your work and for taking care of us so well!

– Eileen T, travelling on a wine tour in South Africa

We say many thanks to Eileen!

The wine tour to South Africa is a little bit different than most of our tour programs: it is a little bit longer. Travelling so far away it makes sense to take a bit more time to experience more of the wines, the food and other sightseeing. One is travelling for a relatively long time, 11 days, and it is perhaps not so often that one travels to South Africa.

The white lion, copyright BKWine Photography

The trip to South Africa obviously includes a lot of wine, several different wine districts, and many vineyards. Several of the gastronomic lunches that we have on the tours are also on the vineyards. It is actually not unusual for the wineries to have their own restaurants. But there is also some time to look around and to visit Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Franschhoek, to visit Table Mountain, experience some of the wildlife and the nature and other things. And enjoy the warm and sunny weather!

On top of that, for those who want, you can add two full days of wildlife safari at the end of the tour, something that we can warmly recommend if you have not been on a safari before.

Here are some (big) pictures from the wine tour to South Africa.

And some pictures from the safari, the add-on module to the wine and food tour.

If you want to know more about what our guests say about our wine tours you can read here.

The next wine tour to South Africa is scheduled for March 2013!

A barrel cellar at a winery, copyright BKWine Photography

Vineyards and mountains in Stellenbosch, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Dinner outside with friends in Franschhoek, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Etna on Sicily: the black soil and the elegant wines

Britt — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:07:00 +0000

It is an experience to travel to and visit the vineyards of Etna. The volcano Etna in itself is spectacular, especially if you are lucky enough to be here on a clear day.

In the vineyards on the slopes of Etna, Sicily, copyright BKWine Photography

Etna is one of many wine regions on the island of Sicily and the main grape planted here is nerello mascalese. The wines made from this grape are often very pleasant. Quite light bodied actually for a wine coming from hot Sicily. One might imagine it to be heavy and full-bodied wines.

The other day we had a nerello mascalese at home. Tasted blind it was certainly a surprise: quite light with a very refreshing fruit, quite high acidity, red rather than black berries, lightish colour. Almost made you think of a Burgundy. Not what you would expect from a wine made almost in Africa. Delicious and interesting!

But Etna has a very particular micro-climate. The aromas are often intense and concentrated thanks to the low yielding and hard working albarello vines (gobelet style pruning), struggling to survive in the black lava soil. It is a difficult region to make wine in but it is worth it, says the wine maker at Tenuta di Passopisciaro.

Etna is becoming more and more popular among ambitious wine makers in Italy who want to make wine with character and personality. It is actually becoming quite a trendy region and a lot of investments are made here also from people coming from other pars of Italy.

Curious to learn more about Sicily, the island of sun, good food and exciting wines? BKWine arranges wine and food tours to Sicily. Look in our program schedule or contact us to discuss a custom tour.

The black soil on the slopes of Etna on Sicily, copyright BKWine Photography

The winemaker taking a tank sample of Etna wine, copyright BKWine Photography

A vine struggling in the poor soil on the Etna slopes, Sicily, copyright BKWine Photography

Champagne, November 14-18, 2012

per — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:39:32 +0000

Champagne wine tour: luxury and gastronomy on the highest level

Thousands of champagne bottles in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

— Nothing else in the world of wine brings out the festive feeling as champagne does. But on this wine tour we will discover that champagne is so much more than a drink just for celebrations. It is above all a very exclusive and delicious wine!

The world has many sparkling wines but there is only one, some 75 miles east of Paris, which can call its wines champagne. During the four days in Champagne you will get an intimate understanding of what this sparkling wine is and why champagne is so unique. What makes champagne different from other sparkling wines? What is the terroir and the soil? Why is the northern climate so important? How do you “disgorge” the bottles? You will get answers to all this and much more.

The harvest has, most likely, been finished a little bit earlier in the season. The wine is fermenting in the cellars. People are busy preparing for the finishing touches.

The cathedral in Reims, copyright BKWine Photography

This wine tour will have a mix of visits to the big and famous champagne “houses”, that blend wines from different growers, and visits at small independent growers that only make wine from their own vineyards. Most well-known champagne brands come from a handful of very large wineries (houses). We will primarily focus on smaller, more exclusive and quality oriented producers on this trip – some that may be familiar to you as boutique wineries and some that you have perhaps never heard of although they make outstanding wines (another “secret” of champagne to bring with you home and share with your friends!).

Most of our lunches, if not all, will be together with the growers. This will give you excellent opportunities to explore how best to match champagne with food and how an all-champagne meal works (you will have several).

The most famous champagnes come from the three districts surrounding Epernay and Reims: Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs.

We meet the first evening in “the capital of Champagne”, Reims, located 95 miles straight east of Paris. In the city you can find some of the famous houses, such as Pommery with its Tudor-style mansion-winery, Taittinger, Veuve-Clicquot, Ruinart, Krug, Roederer and Mumm, just to mention a few. The Reims cathedral is one of the most beautiful and impressive in France and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It has survived much trouble since it was built in the 13th century, not least the bombings of the First World War. The stained glass windows are magnificent and you should not miss the modern ones by Chagall.

You arrange for your own travel to Reims (it is e.g. only a 35 minute trip with the high speed train from Paris) and arrive at the latest in the evening of the initial day.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants, so register now!

The tour is led by one of BKWine’s wine and travel expert guides.

Program, Champagne wine tour

Preliminary program

Contact BKWine for more details.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012: arrival

You arrive in Reims and check in at our centrally located hotel.

Free evening, perhaps to visit the Cathedral and explore the restaurants in Reims.

Thursday, November 15, 2012: Montagne de Reims

Your glass of champagne is served, copyright BKWine Photography

After breakfast our driver picks us up at the hotel. We drive south through the magnificent Montagne de Reims with its sloping hills, know for the excellent pinot noir grapes that grow here.

In the morning we visit a small grower who explains in detail the peculiar vinification and production process of champagne: why the harvest always is manual, the special way to press the grapes, the magic of the “second fermentation etc..

We continue south and have stop at another small and very exclusive “house” where we will have a delicious gourmet lunch with a selection of the best champagnes that the producer has to offer. We will finish lunch with a short walk to one of the most mythical vineyards in the region, with perfect terroir and micro-climate, to regain our energy!

In the afternoon we will visit a family-run champagne producer that produces excellent champagnes with a substantial portion of pinot noir in the blend giving wines with fuller body and more power than normally expected in a champagne. He will also explain the importance of blending when making champagne. The blending is a unique aspect of making champagne that exists in almost no other wine district.

Late afternoon we return to Reims. If you have not yet visited the cathedral, now is the time.

The evening is free. Perhaps a light dinner after after our magnificent lunch… Unless you want to try one of the starred restaurants in the city.

Friday, November 16, 2012: In and around Epernay

View over the vineyards and a village in Champagne, copyright BKWine Photography

After breakfast we travel down to the area around Epernay, the other major town in the Champagne region. It is home to some of the big houses in Champagne, for example to the biggest producer of the whole appellation, Moët & Chandon. In the morning we will make a visit at one of the big houses and go underground to explore the vast cellars where millions of bottles rest in abandoned quarries.

For lunch we will make a short trip to a grower just outside Epernay with a short visit in his winery before we sit down to another champagne meal.

The smaller growers often make more individualistic and characterful champagnes than the big houses, which need to keep a consistent style from year to year. In the afternoon our driver takes us to a family run winery where the whole family is involved in the production. They have 13 hectares spread out over several villages. They work according to organic principles and are very focussed on producing terroir wines that express the individual characteristics of the champenoise soils.

Late afternoon we return to Reims. The evening is free to explore the city’s night life.

Champagne corks in a silver bowl, copyright BKWine Photography

Saturday, November 17, 2012: Côte des Blancs

Vineyards in Champagne, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we travel further south, to Côte des Blancs, the part of Champagne that is reputed for producing the very best chardonnay grapes.

There are several Grand Cru villages here: Mesnil-sur-Ogier, Cramant, Avize,… We will visit three producers: two small wineries and one larger house. Today we have the opportunity to get to grips with the difference between a blanc de noirs (from only pinot) and the blancs de blancs (made from only chardonnay) that are the signature of this part of Champagne.

At one of the producers we will have lunch, the third occasion to taste all the gastronomic delicacies that the Champagne region has to offer. This gives us an excellent opportunity to discuss how different champagnes match different kinds of food.

After our third visit we will travel back along the Côte des Blancs and over the Montagne de Reims and will be back at our hotel late afternoon.

The evening is free in Reims.

Sunday, November 18, 2012: departure

After breakfast the trip is over and you return home, or continue your travels, on your own.

The program may be subject to minor modifications.

Facts – wine tour to Champagne

Dates: 14-18 November, 2012

Price: 1560 euro

Single room supplement: 120 euro

Included in the price:

4 hotel nights in double room, including breakfast, good quality mid-range European style hotel
Meals:

3 gastronomic lunches including wines & champagne, of which at least two private meals at wineries

Transportation in minibus for three days
All vineyard visits
Private, high quality tastings (approx. 3 per day)
Interpretation from French as needed (some visits may be in English)
Wine and tourism guiding by a BKWine wine & travel expert

Not included:

Travel to Reims

You travel to Reims on your own (we are happy to give you advice on how to get there) and you arrive at the latest in the evening of the first day of the tour, at our hotel.

This trip is limited to only 8 participants.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered at the “book before” date.

Book This Trip

Book before: 1 August, 2012

You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:

phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
email: info-at-bkwine-dot-com
skype: bkwine

About the wine producers and wineries we visit

A winemaker tasting his wine, copyright BKWine Photography

That is why our trips are not “jam-packed” with visits at wineries. Nevertheless we often run short of time since the discussions – and the wine tastings – can easily become very engaging…

On meals: food and gastronomy

Preparing a wine tasting and lunch

Why travel with BKWine?

Wine slowly aging in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Important information

Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!

You organise your travel independently to the destination but on location we take care of everything.

For more inspiration

Recommend this trip to a friend using the Share/Save (add-to-any) button below!

There are thousands of pictures from previous trips on BKWine Photography

Some wine videos from previous wine tours with BKWine

What do the customers say about BKWine tours?

Newsletter on wine

Custom Tours

Picnic in the vineyard at La Spinetta in Piedmont!

Åsa Johansson — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:54:09 +0000

Our latest wine tour to Italy was a real Tour de Force: Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Trentino! Four different wine regions in one wine tour.

Wine tasting at La Spinetta in Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

One of the great memories from this trip wine tour was the spectacular vineyard picnic we had at La Spinetta in Piedmont. The daughter in the family that owns the winery, Manuela Rivetti, greeted at the estate and took us around the cellars and to the picnic. Her aunt, Giovanna, had prepared all the food… Plenty of wonderful Italian preparations that we enjoyed together with the wines from La Spinetta, sitting on a traditional picking blanket with a view over the beautiful Piedmontese landscape. There was even a peach tree giving us some well needed shade this hot spring day.

But don’t be fooled that it was all leisure and relaxation. When we were finishing lunch aunt Giovanna told us that now it was time to get to work!

Our task was to remove unwanted buds and shoots from the vines so that the remaining branches would get more strength and eventually better fruit. That is a task that may look simple but that requires both precision and experience. We did our best. Giovanna seemed happy with what we had done but we only had time for a few rows of vines so perhaps she was just being kind or diplomatic.

In any case, it was certainly fun and an very different experience. Not your average wine tour visit! Not even in Italy

A vineyard in the Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

In the wine cellar at La Spinetta in Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Manuela Rivetti at La Spinetta in Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Wine tasting at La Spinetta in Piedmont, copyright BKWine Photography

Chile & Argentina, 4-19 February 2013

Britt — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:44:50 +0000

New tour: South America, the wine tour to Argentina & Chile!

Join us on a fantastic voyage of discovery in the vineyards of Chile and Argentina! And a breath-taking trip over the Andes.

— Chile and Argentina. Two wine countries on each side of the Andes mountain range. Both with grandiose scenery. And some of the very best wines in the New World. Imagine The Pampas extending to the horizon and the snow covered tops of the Andes, but also beautiful vineyards, impressive wineries, and a pulsating Buenos Aires. We will visit several of the very best vineyards including some very high quality producers that have not yet reach world fame. This tour also includes many other tourist and historic attractions. Outstanding wines that match the local gastronomy perfectly. A unique wine and food tour that will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

To print this program in a printer friendly format, use the Print button at the bottom of the page.

On the border, welcome to Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

All this and much more is on the program of this two-week trip to South America. The focus of the tour is of course on the wines, the vineyards and the gastronomy but we will also have plenty of time to experience other things: Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Santiago de Chile, and Valparaiso.

We will visit a traditional estancia with horses and gauchos and we will enjoy a top-quality tango evening in Buenos Aires. We will taste Chilean pisco sour and will certainly have many occasions to enjoy the delicious Argentinean meat.

The tour is led and managed by Britt Karlsson, BKWine’s internationally well known wine expert, wine personality of the year 2011, and author of the book “The Creation of a Wine” that was named World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals. We will also have a local South American guide on the trip. (Britt has also been wine judge in several wine competitions in both Chile, and Argentina, as well as in Uruguay and Brazil.)

Both Chile and Argentina are wine countries in transformation. Much is happening and much has changed in recent years. New wine regions emerge, new grape varieties are discovered or introduced, new ideas are tested and launched. More and more producers talk about the importance of the work in the vineyard. Of harvesting perfectly ripe but not over-ripe grapes. To achieve balance and elegance. The consumers are demanding wines with more freshness; they do not want heavy over-alcoholic wines. We will see all this in detail when we visit the vineyards. There is an intense energy and experimentation and the wines have never been so good.

Over the course of the tour we will have many wine tastings at some of the very top producers, both well established stars and young ambitious challengers. Perhaps you have not heard of all of them since some have not yet been discovered by the international markets! We have been several times to South America, both Chile and Argentina, but also Uruguay and Brazil, so we have had many opportunities to discover and hand pick the most interesting producers.

Vineyards in Argentina with the snow capped Andes, copyright BKWine Photography

We will start the voyage in Buenos Aires where Europe and the Americas blend in an exiting mix. Sometimes you may think you are in Paris, sometimes Milan. But it is definitely South America. There are some world class restaurants as well as cosy bistros, you can stroll around the city, have an espresso at one of the many cafés.

From Buenos Aires the metropolis we take a plane to Mendoza, Argentina’s biggest and most important wine region. Two thirds of all Argentinian wine comes from here. Mendoza is impressive, the snow capped Andes in the background, almost like a stage set, and the brilliant sharp blue sky.

Wine tasting at a restaurant in Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Argentina is a country with a long tradition in making wine. It is considered a New World country but it is very influenced by “old world” winemaking. It has always been the biggest wine consumer in South America and wine has a long history here. And with all the Spanish and Italian families that one can find here that should not come as a surprise.

After a few days in the vineyards and wine cellars of Mendoza we will leave the region and have a very memorable day. We will take the bus across the Andes, to Chile on the other side. Yes, it is a long bus trip (but comfortable) but well worth it! It is spectacular with the zigzagging roads and mountain tops. A very special experience.

The Chilean wine regions await us on the other side of the Andes. We start the exploration in Maipo that is close to the capital Santiago de Chile. Then we continue to Maule and the beautiful Colchagua Valley. We will finish with the much more recent, but exciting wine district Casablanca that is very close to the coast.

After a visit to Valparaiso and Santiago it is time to return home.

The trip takes place in February so it is nice and warm summer weather. The wine harvest is approaching; the grapes are almost ready to be picked. As always on our wine tours, food will also be prominently featured. We will enjoy many gastronomic lunches at the wineries we visit. It is almost just as much a gourmet tour or foodie tour as a wine tour! We will try the local specialities, not least the outstanding meat of course, often grilled over open fires. And both Buenos Aires and Santiago have many high-class restaurants. Excellent food is an important part of a wine tour, is it not? We certainly think so!

This tour will have a maximum of 22 participants.

A modern winery in Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Program – wine tour to Argentina and Chile

Preliminary program.

There may be changes to some details of the program, e.g. which wineries we visit. As always on our wine tours we put a great emphasis on that the visit will be exceptional and memorable. We do not always visit the most well-known or “famous” wineries (those that have half a dozen guides employed) but instead those that will give you a unique experience.

For more details, contact BKWine.

Monday 4 February – departure for South America

You leave from your home destination. (Departure and arrival will be different depending on what your departure location is!)

Tuesday 5 February – arrival in Buenos Aires

The flag of Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

The morning of the arrival day may vary according to your departure country/arrival time. Contact us for more info.

Once arrived in Buenos Aires we will start the South American experiences with lunch at the Italian-inspired restaurant Sorrento La Recova. We kick off with an aperitif followed by lunch and some time to go over the program together.

After lunch we check in at our Buenos Aires hotel, the Intersur Recoleta Hotel **** (www.intersurrecoleta.com.ar).

We will stay here during four nights. The hotel is very central, located in the Recoleta district, a historically interesting and elegant part of the city. It is also close to the main shopping areas and several museums. It has a nice bar, a restaurant, a spa and a roof terrace.

The afternoon and the evening is free, perhaps to recover from the long journey or to start exploring the city.

Wednesday 6 February – the sites of Buenos Aires, a south American metropolis

The Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, copyright BKWine Photography

After a much needed night’s rest we will start exploring the city in the morning. Our bus will take us to some of the most famous sites, like the Plaza de Mayo with the pink presidential palace called, naturally, Casa Rosada, the impressive congress, and colonial churches such as Santo Domingo. We will also explore the colourful La Boca district.

At the end of the morning we will go for lunch in the Puerto Madero district, along the river La Plata, recently completely renovated. The big redbrick buildings are now home to trendy restaurants and cafés.

After lunch you can stroll around the city on your own, have a strong Argentinean espresso in a café, or a glass of wine, visit a museum or rest. The evening is free to explore the restaurants and night life of the city.

Thursday 7 February – Las Pampas, a visit to an estancia

Preparing a juicy Argentinea steak, copyright BKWine Photography

Estancia is the Argentinian name for a big farm on the huge Las Pampas plain (much bigger than France or Texas), stretching from the Andes to the Atlantic. Las Pampas starts almost at the outskirts of Buenos Aires and we will make a day trip to explore.

The fertile soil gives birth to much fruit and vegetables and, of course, feeds and is home to the cattle producing the world famous Argentinean meat. It is also the home of the gauchos, the Argentinean “cowboys”.

When we arrive at the estancia we will have the opportunity to taste something that is a speciality of both Argentina and Chile, the delicious empanadas, like small stuffed bread. Lunch will of course be a traditional asado, the Argentinean barbecue, with various kinds of local grilled meat.

The afternoon will be spent on the estancia where there are many different activities: a horse show, riding on you own (there are horses for all levels), go for a swim in the pool… And don’t miss the afternoon tea.

Late afternoon we are back in Buenos Aires. The evening is free to continue exploring the restaurants of the city (if you still have some room after our asado!).

Friday 8 February – Boat on the Delta del Tigre and tango night

It is time for an excursion to the delta of the Paraná river delta, the Delta del Tigre. It is some 30 kilometres north west of Buenos Aires. The Delta del Tigre is a maze of canals, lagoons, and gardens with big, Victorian villas. This is where the people of Buenos Aires go to rest from the buzz of the big city.

The Delta del Tigre is special, actually quite unique, since the Paraná River does not end in the sea but in another river, the Rio de la Plata (the Silver River!). Our boat takes us around the island in the delta and we can admire the elegant villas along the shores.

Tango dancers on a street, copyright BKWine Photography

We will have lunch along the river at the Restaurante Gato Blanco, the White Cat. After lunch we go back to the hotel for some rest before it is time for this evening’s attraction.

Around 5PM we gather in the lobby and our bus will take us to the San Telmo district in the city. This is one of the oldest parts of Buenos Aires. Before the Yellow Fever, in 1871, this was the favourite place for the upper classes. Today it is where you find many artists and antique dealers.

San Telmo has a lot of charm; colonial houses painted in white with colourful shutters along narrow cobble stone streets. We start our evening here in San Telmo at the El Querandi restaurant. It is in a building erected in 1860, redecorated in the 1920 in a typical Art Deco style that has been well preserved to this day.

We start the evening with a small wine tasting followed by dinner. Then we will go upstairs to watch a spectacular tango show.

Tango is something that is very, very Argentinean and at El Querandi they will show us the development of the real Argentine tango from the beginning in the 1920 to today. It is a small tango place full of character, quite different from the big “tango shows” that are often put up on big stage for visiting tourists.

Today we think of tango as something elegant and glamorous but originally it was the working class and the brothels that pioneered it. The upper classes saw the daring moves as quite shocking. We can promise you a very special, artful and skilful show with dance, music and song.

Saturday 9 February – wine in Mendoza, the Luján de Cuyo region

A barrel cellar in a winery in Mendoza, Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we board a flight to Mendoza, some 1000 kilometres (620 miles) north west of Buenos aires. We arrive at lunch time so we start with a meal at Ocho Cepas, that aptly means eight vines, with some good wines to kick off our exploration of the wine regions in Mendoza.

Our first visit will be at a small winery (if you only have 100 hectares / 250 acres you are small in Argentina) but a very high quality one, Bodega Tempus Alba. It is a family company that aims to make the perfect malbec wine!

After this introduction to the great grape of Argentina we head for the city of Mendoza. We check in to our hotel, the Hotel Huentala, an elegant 4-star boutique hotel. We will stay here for three nights.

The evening is free to explore the many restaurants and bars in Mendoza.

Sunday 10 February – wine in Mendoza, the Maipú region

Today we have two winery visits on the schedule. We start with the welcoming Zuccardi family estate. They experiment a lot and have, for example, numerous different grape varieties and yeast strains (all coming from their own vineyards though). They want to use the best techniques from the Old World and mix that with the best of the New World modernity. The result, you will see, is very, very good.

We will have lunch at our second winery of the day.

After lunch we return to Mendoza city to give you some more time to explore the capital of the region.

Evening is free for your own exploration.

Monday 11 February – wine in Mendoza, the Luján de Cuyo region

The peculiar winery at Catena Zapata, Mendoza, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we head towards Luján de Cuyo, the most important region in Mendoza. One of the estates we will visit is the Finca Flichman winery, owned by the Portuguese company Sogrape. The total production of Finca Flichman reaches around 5 million bottles, from some 400 hectares (990 acres). The put a big emphasis on the work in the vineyard. As an example they take great care to not give too much water to the vines. Yields should be kept low to maximise the quality.

At Finca Flichman they also make wine at high altitude, in Tupungato in the mountains. One of their well known cuvées is Gestos, a blend of cabernet sauvignon from different altitudes.

Our lunch is at Bodega Norton, a winery established in 1895 by Edmund Norton. He was an engineer that arrived in Mendoza when the railway was constructed. He was clever and foresighted and realised that they stony, gravely soil, the slopes and the cool winds would be perfect to make wine. Today Bodega Norton makes, for example, an excellent malbec, a grape that the winemaker Jorge Riccitelli is particularly fond of.

In the afternoon we will visit Catena Zapata, not only famous for its wines but also for its spectacular winery building that has been inspired by the Mayan pyramids. At the end of the visit we return to our hotel in Mendoza. The evening is free.

Tuesday 12 February – bus across the Andes

On the border, welcome to Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we say goodbye to Mendoza and to Argentina and board our bus that will take us to over the Andes to Santiago de Chile. The trip will take the better part of the day. Not all of it is spent in the bus though since the border crossing can take quite some time. In total the trip will take 6 to 8 hours.

It is a really spectacular trip, well worth spending a good part of the day in a bus. Heading towards the Chilean border we will get higher and higher and at the border we will have reached 3500 metres (almost 12 000 feet). We can see in the distance Aconcagua, the highest mountain tops of the Andes and of the whole of South America with its 6959 metres (22 831 feet).

The roads across the Andes are very good but very winding. 27 curves on one mountain side is the record. We pass ski resorts, mountain ranges of varying colour and shapes, deserts, small villages, rivers and spectacular views. The landscape changes all the time.

We will stop for lunch on our way shortly after passing the border to Chile.

When we arrive in Santiago we check in to our hotel Torremayor where we will stay one night (www.hoteltorremayor.cl).

In the evening it can be nice to go for a walk and stretch your legs after the trip. The evening is free in Santiago.

The winding road across the Andes between Chile and Argentina, copyright BKWine Photography

Wednesday 13 February – Maipo and Maule

Vineyards in Chile with an environmentally friendly transport, copyright BKWine Photography

We check out from the hotel in the morning and begin our exploration of the Chilean wine regions. We start with Maipo, not far from Santiago.

We will have one morning visit and a lunch visit in Maipo. We will visit the beautiful Viña Tarapacá in the Isla de Maipo where the Tuscan style villa is surrounded by 600 hectares (1500 acres) of vineyards and a park.

After lunch we continue to another of the famous wine districts in Chile, to Maule and the small town of Santa Cruz in the sub-region of Colchagua.

We check in to the Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza (www.hotelsantacruzplaza.cl), a beautiful hotel in hacienda style. We will stay here for three nights.

The evening is free and if you don’t feel like going out on town the hotel has several good restaurants.

Thursday 14 February – Maule and Colchagua

Alpaca lamas at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

Today we will spend all day among the vines of Colchagua (pronounced kolchawa).

We start with a visit at Bodegas Torres, the famous Spanish winery that has had a tremendous success with their Chilean wines. This bodega was actually one of the pioneers in making high-quality wines in Chile.

We continue our trip to Viu Manent and have lunch in their top-quality restaurant Rayuela Wine & Grill. We will be treated with local food specialities that match perfectly the wines from cabernet, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and malbec from the winery.

After an afternoon visit we will return back to Santa Cruz.

The evening is free.

Friday 15 February – Maule, Colchagua and Rapel; “blend your own wine” seminar

Vineyards in Chile with carmenere vines, copyright BKWine Photography

Again we will have a full day among the vines and wines of Chile. But first some practical exercises!

We start the day at Montgras where we will learn the art of blending wine. You will start with “raw material” in the form of tank samples of different grape varieties and the task is to make the best possible blend of it. Just like the winemakers do. How do they get the perfect blend? Easy or difficult? You will judge for yourself!

We stay at Montgras for lunch at their restaurant.

In the afternoon we will visit Cono Sur in Chimbarongo, well known for their excellent wines abut also for their efforts in developing organic and sustainable wine growing. They have geese in the vineyards that much on some of the dangerous (for the vines) insects. They have planted trees in and around the vineyards to improve the biodiversity. They will tell us much more about their work with the environment.

The evening is free.

Saturday 16 February – Santiago de Chile

We checkout and leave our hotel in the morning and head for Santiago. Just before we reach the capital we will make a stop at a vineyard in Maipo and have lunch.

After lunch we check in to our hotel Torremayor where we will stay for two more nights.

The afternoon is dedicated to discovering Santiago. Our bus will take us around to the sites. We will visit the historic districts around the presidential palace and the lively Plaza de Armas with its Baroque cathedral and the beautiful post office (!). We will go up to the Cerro San Cristobal where you have the best view over the city and over the Andes and where we can admire the gigantic statue of the Virgin Mary keeping watch over the city.

In the evening you can spend time discovering some of the restaurants or cafés in the city.

Sunday 17 February – Valparaiso and Casablanca, Gran Final Asado Campestre

In a restaurant at a winery in Chile, copyright BKWine Photography

We make an early morning start to drive out to the coast to visit the historic harbour city of Valparaiso. On our way we pass the wine region called Casablanca that has recently become famous for its excellent white wines. Some experts say that the peculiar micro climate here, close to the coast, is perfect for growing grapes.

There are not only vineyards but also e.g. lemon grooves and flower nurseries.

Valparaiso is the most important port city in Chile. It has a special character, built on 42 hills. They have unique trams that take you across the city and colourful houses line the incredibly steep streets.

After a morning of sightseeing in Valparaiso we leave town and head back towards Santiago. But we make an important stop along the way, in the vineyards of Casablanca. We make a visit to the very interesting organic and biodynamic wine producer Emiliana.

At Emiliana we will have a farewell lunch in their garden. It will be a magnificent Asado Campestre, an country style barbecue with lots of different kinds of local goodies to start with, three different types of meat on the grill, salads of different kinds, chervil potatoes, saffron and rosemary rice, and a dessert buffet with pies, puddings and fruit. It will be a fitting and very enjoyable gastronomic and oenological end to our tour.

Late afternoon we return to Santiago and the rest of the day is free. Perhaps some shopping still to be done, a visit to a wine bar (or two) for some tapas after our “rustic” Gran Final lunch?

A juicy Argentinea steak, copyright BKWine Photography

Monday 18 February – Leave for home

You spend the morning at your leisure. Some last minute shopping, a last museum visit or just relaxing. At 2.30 PM we leave the hotel for the airport.(Confirm exact details with us, depending on your flight.)

Tuesday 19 February – Arrival back home

Arrival back to your home location, depending on flight arrangements.

The program may be subject to minor modifications.

Fact sheet – Wine tour to Argentina and Chile

Dates: 4-19 February 2013

Price per person: to be confirmed

Single room supplement: to be confirmed

Subject to changes of airport and flight taxes and changes in the dollar exchange rate.

Included in the price:

Flight: Buenos Aires – Mendoza
Buss transport from Mendoza (Argentina) – Santiago de Chile, across the Andes
13 nights in hotels (suite room or superior) at 4-star hotels, including breakfast
Meals (*):

All meals as described in the program above, including wine, in other words: 13 high quality gastronomic lunches and one dinner, including tango show

Day excursion as per the above program, including entry fees when relevant
All winery visits including extensive private tastings, according to the program above (approx 20)
Buss transport during the whole trip
Local, English speaking guide
Wine guiding and wine tutoring by an expert BKWine guide: Britt Karlsson

(*) See below for more on our meals.

Not included:

Travel to South America and back from your home location.

If you want assistance with organising your flight tickets, please contact us.

Please note: this tour is also available as a package including the flight to Buenos Aires and back from Santiago de Chile with Air France, departing from Copenhagen. Contact us for more details.

Guiding is in English.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 16 participants registered at the “book before” date.

Special booking conditions

For the Chile and Argentina wine tour special booking conditions apply, different from those in our general Terms & Conditions.

Cancellation of booking can be done according to the following:

More than 61 days before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays a fee equivalent to the Booking Fee
46 to 60 days before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays a fee equivalent to 75% of the total price
45 days or less before the beginning of the trip: the Traveller pays the full fee

Please note: BKWine does not sell “cancellation insurance” or “travel insurance”. We advice you to contact you regular insurer or a travel insurance specialist.

Book this trip!

Book before: 1 October 2012

Registration is confirmed by paying the registration fee of 600 EUR.

Full payment should be received at the latest sixty days before the departure date. Payments should be made by bank transfer to BKWine’s bank in Sweden. Details will be sent to you when you register. See also our terms and conditions.

You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:

phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
email: info@bkwine.com
skype: bkwine

About the wine producers and wineries we visit

A winemaker tasting his wine, copyright BKWine Photography

That is why our trips are not “jam-packed” with visits at wineries. Nevertheless we often run short of time since the discussions – and the wine tastings – can easily become very engaging…

On meals: food and gastronomy

Preparing a wine tasting and lunch

Why travel with BKWine?

Wine slowly aging in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Some accolades we have received

“World’s Top Wine Tours” by Travel + Leisure Magazine, the world’s biggest travel magazine
“Recommended Wine Tours” by Munskankarna, the world’s biggest wine tasting and wine appreciation association
“World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals” as well as “Best Wine Book of the Year in Sweden” for the book The Creation of a Wine
“Wine Personality of the Year” by Munskankarna, the world’s biggest wine tasting and wine appreciation association

Important information

Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!

You organise your travel independently to the destination but on location we take care of everything.

For more inspiration

Recommend this trip to a friend using the Share/Save (add-to-any) button below!

There are thousands of pictures from previous trips on BKWine Photography

Some wine videos from previous wine tours with BKWine

What do the customers say about BKWine tours?

Newsletter on wine

Custom Tours

“What a wonderful trip! So perfect!”

per — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:58:55 +0000

Last week we had a wine tour in northern Italy: both Piedmont and Veneto, including the very popular amarone wines were on the program. The weather was excellent, much better than here in grey Paris. There were many wine tastings and even a pick-nick on the slopes of the Piedmontese hills.

We received a mail one of the tour guests, Linnéa, who has just arrived home from the trip.

Now we are back home from Italy. What a wonderful trip! I want to say a big thank you for organising everything so perfectly. Åsa was an outstanding guide and tour manager. Knowledgable, diplomatic, funny and easy going. I can keep on with more superlative if you want! We have learned a lot of exciting things, above all about wine but also about food, gastronomy and Italian culture. Everything went perfectly smoothly and at each visit we were excellently greeted as if we were part of the family. Thank you again, I will be glad to come back on another tour in the future!

— Greetings from Linnéa, on a wine tour in Piedmont and Veneto with Valpolicella amarone etc

Many thanks for the positive words! (And we can not help wondering what “diplomatic” is about…) It is great to hear that everything went well!

If you want to see more on what tour guests have said about our wine tours take a look here.

Landscape, a village and vineyards in Piemonte, copyright BKWine Photography

Bottles of Barolo, copyright BKWine Photography

A winetasting in Barolo, copyright BKWine Photography

New issue of the wine newsletter out, BKWine Brief 104

per — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:33:05 +0000

We have just published a new issue of our wine newsletter, The BKWine Brief #104, April 2012. In it you will find lots of information on wine, gastronomy travel (and in particular wine travel of course) and other things. On James Bond’s favourite drinks, wine regions in Austria, our new wine tour destination in South America, restaurant recommendations in Paris, Italy, and Portugal and much more.

Subscribe for free!

If you do not already receive it, sign up for a free subscription to the wine newsletter here!

Sommelier India writes about BKWine Tours

per — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:43:16 +0000

The leading wine magazine features our wine travel

Sommelier India wine Magazine is the leading Indian wine magazine dedicated to wine and wine lovers. Contrary to what the name may suggest it is not only for professionals but very much also for the wine loving public.

Tasting a few wines of various vintages at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

In their just published issue they have an article dedicated to wine travel and wine tourism. The title of the article is Trailing the Vine and it is written by Carol Wright.

Carol starts the article with this:

One of travel’s great pleasures is time to enjoy local wines, discovering unknown but pleasing vintages. So it’s no surprise to learn that wine holidays are not just for would-be Masters of Wine, but also for those who want to learn a little while relaxing a lot and enjoying the scenery.

It is certainly hard not to agree wholeheartedly with that!

One of the wine travel organisers she writes about is BKWine. This is what she has to say about us:

BKWine Tours, founded in the 1990s by Britt Karlsson, a Swede living in Paris, is now jointly run with her husband Per. The couple also produces a wine magazine, has a wine photography library and runs about 30 tours a year for wine enthusiasts and professionals. Per says, “We are seeing a strong interest in discovering and visiting the producers that are ‘off the beaten track’.

A Tuscan villa among the vineyards, copyright BKWine Photography

Our travellers become really excited and enthusiastic when we take them to, for example, the small family-owned Champagne wineries to meet the people behind the wines, as well as taste wines with more personality and just as outstanding quality, or when we have a luxurious private lunch and wine tasting together with the winemaker in a Bordeaux château. We can do this kind of behind-the-scenes event because we know the winemakers. We try to share our passion and knowledge about wine.”

BKWine Tours has added two new destinations this year: Tuscany at harvest time and Champagne. One of their special custom-designed tours is wine and truffles in Croatia, a wine region that produces white truffles.

Many thanks for the attention! We are certainly happy to have travellers from India – or from any other part of the world!

On Carol Wright: “With honours degree in history, worked in public relations for eight years before becoming a freelance travel and food writer; author of over 30 books on travel and food. Also writes about shopping, and garden travel. Has twice been chairman of the British Guild of Travel Writers”, http://www.bgtw.org/carol-wright.html. She has written for or participated in House and Garden, the Daily Mail, Hong Kong Tatler, BBC Good Food Magazine, The Independent and many other media. She has written some 30 books.

More on Sommelier India Wine Magazine: http://www.sommelierindia.com

(PS: if you look closely you can see that Britt is in the big picture on the second page.)

BKWine in Sommelier India Wine Magazine

“An absolutely wonderful wine tour!”

per — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:09:54 +0000

Lunch with wine at Nitida, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Earlier this year we arranged a wine (and a lot of food!) tour to South Africa. it is nice to think back and remember a day like this when weather is more like winter; all the sunshine and nice weather, all the excellent wines and delicious food, and great winemakers…

We just received an email from one of the travellers on the South Africa wine tour. This is what they thought of the trip:

We would like to say a big and heartfelt thank you for a absolutely wonderful wine tour! It was definitely a great experience in many ways.

Excellent program, fantastic food, wonderful landscape, very cosy hotels, and a great group of people to travel with. With your tour management and wine guiding and in the hands of our guides Anki and Chris, with the most able Jakob as driver, everything worked perfectly.

We have learned a lot and had an exceptionally enjoyable time!

- Ulrike & Paul R, travelling on a wine tour in South Africa

We say a big thank you for the positive words and look forward to the next time!

Vineyards in Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Enjoying a glass of sparkling wine on the beach on Cape Point, copyright BKWine Photography

A day in the Medoc: wine, food and Phelan Segur

Britt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:58:41 +0000

Bordeaux is not only many aristocratic chateaux but also excellent wines and nice people

For a visitor, Bordeaux can give the impression of a very unwelcoming place: few winery tasting rooms, few signs at the big chateaux proclaiming “open for wine tasting”, no winery restaurants… And very aristocratic with all the impressive châteaux. But if you know where to go it can of course be a fabulous place to enjoy both wine and high gastronomy. On our Bordeaux wine tours we can promise you some very special experiences. We have been there a quite few times (we usually have four or five wine tours to Bordeaux each year), and written about Bordeaux both in articles and in our books for many years, so we know which doors to knock on. Here’s a story of one of the chateau we often visit.

Medoc is probably the region where you find the biggest quantity of chateaux per square meter. Surprisingly many of them can be seen from the small country road D2, also called la route des chateaux. You should however make a detour now and then to get a chance to see some others that are hidden away, out of sight from the road, Château Margaux not least.

A tower in the vineyard, copyright BKWine Photography

But many of the other prestige chateaux are lined up along the way: Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Pichon Baron (more or less facing each other on different sides of the road), Beychevelle, the “tower” of Château Latour, Palmer, Lafite-Rothschild, Cos d’Estournel, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Branaire-Ducru and others. If you go up and down the D2 a few times you will get a pretty good handle on the most famous chateaux.

It goes without saying that you don’t just walk up to one of these chateaux and ask if you can do a wine tasting. Or perhaps it doesn’t. Bordeaux is very different from many New World wine regions where the wineries have tasting rooms, souvenir shops and even restaurants. You don’t find that in Bordeaux. It is a much more “confidential” wine region. But if you prepare a visit well in advance, closed doors will open for you.

Fabrice at Chateau Phelan Segur, copyright BKWine Photography

A visit to a beautiful Médoc chateau for a tasting and lunch can be a real experience. Especially if you are lucky enough to have lunch at, for example, Château Phélan-Ségur in Saint Estèphe. It is a prestigious chateau but with easy-going and very welcoming people. On our wine tours to Bordeaux we often plan a morning visit and lunch there.

A visit to Chateau Phélan Ségur is one of our favourite stops on our Bordeaux wine tours. The visit often starts in front of the 18^th century chateau. It stands in an enormous garden with a splendid view of the Gironde. Fabrice, the wine maker, will tell you a little bit about the history of the place. In Médoc the history behind a chateau is always interesting. It often involves kings, noblemen, mistresses and bankruptcy. In the case of Phelan-Segur the strong man who built the reputation of the chateau was Frank Phelan and the owners of today, the Gardinier family, honour him by calling their second wine Frank Phélan.

After admiring the chateau, a tour of the cellar will follow. You will have the opportunity to admire the brand new sorting machine that will make it even more difficult for bad grapes to enter the fermentation tanks. There’s a lot of technological innovation going on in the wineries these days!

And then we are off to the tasting room. Everything is prepared for us, glasses, 4 different vintages of Château Phelan-Segur, spittoons (you can drink if you like of course). Fabrice explains the different vintages; we notice the evolution of the wine, see how it changes. A very instructive tasting. The quality is always high but the wine must also express the characteristics of each vintage.

Tasting wines in the tasting room, copyright BKWine Photography

We do not linger too long in the tasting room. Lunch is waiting. We start with the aperitif, a glass of Champagne which is a natural choice here at Phelan-Segur. The Gardinier family has a glorious past in Champagne as former owners of Pommery and Lanson. And the family is also passionate about food. The chateau has its own private chef and, because the family also owns two Michelin-starred restaurants – Taillevent in Paris and Les Crayères in Reims – he has done some high level gastronomic training. During the lunch this is very evident!

The pigeon de Bresse and the ravioles de foie gras are absolutely delicious. We taste Frank Phelan and a few younger vintages of Château Phelan Segur to start with and we finish with a 1995 or 1996. So by the time we reach coffee we have had the occasion to taste une petite dizaine, as they say in French, of wines from Phelan Segur.

It is a very happy and content bunch of people that leave the Chateau Phélan-Ségur after lunch.

This is just one of the things you can experience on a wine tour with BKWine to Bordeaux. You will enjoy many private wine tastings at the chateaux and fantastic meals. Take a look at the Scheduled Tours program or contact us to discuss a custom designed tour.

NB: All photographs in this article are from actual BKWine Tours visits at Chateau Phelan Segur (except the one of Chateau Latour of course).

Tasting a few wines of various vintages at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

Wine barrels in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

A modern grape sorting machine, copyright BKWine Photography

Some champagne for apertif before lunch, copyright BKWine Photography

Tasting a few wines of various vintages at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

Lunch table set at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

The lunch menu prepared at the chateau, copyright BKWine Photography

A starter with scallops tartare, copyright BKWine Photography

A creation with pigeon for lunch, copyright BKWine Photography

One of the wines served for lunch, copyright BKWine Photography

Chateau Phelan Segur in the Medoc, Bordeaux, copyright BKWine Photography

An opulent lunch at Champagne Duval-Leroy

Britt — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:22:10 +0000

On our champagne wine tours you learn how it is made – and how it is drunk

Champagne is a popular destination for our wine tours. It is conveniently close to Paris and, of course, it is a very interesting region to visit. To fully understand the way champagne is made you have to go there and see for yourself.

Lunching in Champagne, copyright BKWine Photography

When we visit Champagne with our groups one of our favourite houses to visit is Champagne Duval-Leroy. The house is situated in the southern part of the Côte des Blancs, in the village of Vertus. Last time we were there we talked a lot about Duval-Leroy’s sustainability program. We looked at the solar panels that cover the walls of the cellar and we also tasted one of their organic champagnes.

On top of a very interesting visit we also had a delicious lunch. I don’t remember everything we ate but I do remember everything we had in our glasses which was a selection of the very best from Duval-Leroy.

We started with the vintage 1999 as an aperitif. And what a start. Full-bodied and complex, yet elegant, it drinks perfectly well now.

It was followed by the Brut Premier Cru with the starter, fresh, with minerals and a long, dry finish. For the main course we had the lovely Femme 1996 with grand cru chardonnay and a touch of pinot noir aged in oak barrels. 1996 was a superb vintage. The long ageing on the lees gives complexity, creaminess and a hint of toast.

We still had some room for cheese. The organic AB (agriculture biologique) Brut with 100 % pinot noir was a perfect match. The grapes come from a single village in the Aube district and the champagne shows the typical pinot characteristics with quite a lot of power and concentration but also fruit and freshness.

To end the meal in style we were served Lady Rose with the dessert. This is a slightly sweet rosé champagne made from pinot noir. The colour comes from skin contact and not from adding red wine to the white; an unusual (and perhaps more “true”?) way of making rosé champagne.

A perfect ending to a perfect meal. Don’t you just love French lunches?

But to be honest, I could almost (but only almost) say that this was “just another lunch in champagne”. The meals we have on our Champagne tours are … just fabulous.

And drinking champagne all through the meal? You bet!

The new barrel cellar at Champagnes Duval Leroy, copyright BKWine Photography

Serving from a double magnum, copyright BKWine Photography

Organic champagne in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Carole Duval-Leroy, owner of Champagne Duval Leroy, copyright BKWine Photography

South Africa wine tour: venture outside the familiar!

Britt — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:31:51 +0000

A visit to Nitida in Durbanville

On our most recent South Africa wine tour we expanded the reach a bit. We added Durbanville as a new region on the program, in addition to the classics Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl. Nitida was one of the producers we visited in Durbanville and very interesting it was! All our travel guests were charmed. Britt explains.

Jacus at Nitida, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Durbanville is not as well known as Stellenbosch or Franschhoek but it is a region well worth a visit. Especially if you go to Nitida, the smallest winery in the region. From 16 hectares (+ a little bought in grapes) Nitida makes superb white wines from sauvignon blanc and semillon. “Sauvignon used to be very green here”, says wine maker Jacus Marais, “we have come a long way since.” They do 14 (!) different pickings, starting very early in the season, to get complexity in the wine.

50 % of the semillon is barrel aged 3-4 months with batonnage. The remaining 50 % is made in a reductive style. The blend gives a fresh, harmonious wine, not too full bodied, with a nice citrus character.

Durbanville is situated north east of Cape Town, not much more than half an hour’s drive away actually. The view of the table mountain from the vineyards is magnificent; it is worth going there for the view alone. And if you go, do stop at Nitida’s restaurant for lunch. It is called Cassia (http://www.cassiarestaurant.co.za/) and we had a delicious lunch there with prawn and smoked oyster risotto to start and Asian marinated pork fillet with Szechuan pepper and egg noodles to follow. It all went very nicely with the Nitida wines.

More on Nitida: http://nitida.co.za/

You can read more about South Africa by clicking the tag below and on BKWine Magazine on South Africa.

You can travel with BKWine to the wine regions of South Africa. It is an exciting wine country where much has changed in recent years. Take a look at our scheduled tours or contact us to discuss other travel options, e.g. a custom designed tour.

Harvest of red grapes at Nitida, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Tasting wines at Nitida, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Nitida wines, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

Lunch with wine at Nitida, Durbanville, South Africa, copyright BKWine Photography

The first visit when you arrive in Cape Town for a South Africa wine tour may not be wine

Britt — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:36:11 +0000

A wine tour in South Africa doesn’t have to start with visits to wine estates. Especially if you arrive with the over-night flight on a Saturday and your first day of action is a Sunday. A tour around the Cape peninsula is a perfect Sunday activity and that is exactly what we did. The scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive took us to Cape Point and The Cape of Good Hope where ostriches were walking around on the beach, quite a striking sight. The whole tip of the peninsula is a fabulous nature reserve.

Ostriches on the beach on the Cape, copyright BKWine Photography

Continuing on a small side road, usually not found by tourists, we stopped at a quiet and not so windy beach. To go for a walk, Chris, our local guide said, but it turned out that he had a surprise for us: chilled MCC, or champagne as he called it. You can’t say champagne, I pointed out, but I think Christ felt quite safe, being many thousands of kilometres from Epernay. And on the beach, who cared?

Enjoying a glass of sparkling wine on the beach, copyright BKWine Photography

Anyway, MCC, Methode Cap Classic, is the South African quality sparkling wine, made with a second fermentation in bottle. And especially good looking out over the cool Atlantic Ocean way down on the southern tip of South Africa.

BKWine organises wine tours to South Africa and to many other of the world’s wine regions and wine countries. Take a look at our scheduled tours or contact us to discuss a custom designed tour.

The Cape Point, copyright BKWine Photography

Harvest wine in Bordeaux in September

per — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:49:46 +0000

In September we have a three day wine tour of Bordeaux where half a day is dedicated to manual labour in the vineyard: harvesting grapes.

Harvest time in the Bordeaux vineyards, copyright BKWine Photography

This is a tour that we currently offer on our scheduled program for Scandinavian wine travellers and that we offer as custom tour in English. But don’t worry – we have other things to offer you. Read on!

This Bordeaux tour includes one half day of harvest at a wine château, where we also get a quick introduction in how you evaluate if the grapes (and stalks!) are ripe and how to do the sorting of the grapes to increase the wine quality. (If it’s raining we may do a blending exercise in the winery instead…)

The tour also includes two exceptional lunches. Not that the third one is particularly humble but the two are rather special. One is a gastronomic voyage with sweet sauternes wines all through the meal! We will see how that works with about a dozen different dishes – which food and wine pairing works best? It is much, much better that one would think! We promise. The wines we taste is a series of sauternes wines from the same château – we start with a young wine and go back through vintages. The other extraordinary lunch is in the private dining room of a château where we will be served a lunch prepared by the house chef (I guess we should say chateau chef) who sometimes works at a Michelin starred restaurant (well, actually two different ones). Utterly delicious, starting with some champagne as aperitif and then a series of wines from the chateau.

But apart from these gastronomic, let’s not say excesses but rather feasts, and the harvesting we will of course also have a number of exciting winery visits with private tastings. We will show both some of the famous names as well as some smaller, family-owned estates. In most cases we will be received at the winery either by the owner or the winemakers – they all know us so they receive us as old friends bringing their friends.

But to tell you the truth – you don’t have to be sorry about missing the harvest work. The English language wine tour to Bordeaux that we have scheduled for September 19-23 is pretty much identical, except for the half day harvest, which is only on the Scandinavian scheduled tour. You know how the Scandinavians love outdoor life! (But of course we can do it for you too if you really want!)

Grapes with noble rot just harvested, copyright BKWine Photography

Carefully sorting the grapes at the sorting table, copyright BKWine Photography

Our newsletter on wine out with issue 101

per — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:26:48 +0000

We have just published the new issue of our wine newsletter, the BKWine Brief, with news and reviews on wine, the issue number 101: restaurant reviews, 17 good organic wine producers, on the world wine productin and consumption, and much more. Click on the link to read it.

Or subscribe here to get your own copy of the Brief.

Travel to the wine with BKWine, says Scandinavia’s biggest food magazine

per — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:52:01 +0000

A hawk-eyed traveller and friend of BKWine who was trawling through a pile of old food and wine magazines found an article on wine travel in the biggest Swedish food magazine (Allt om Mat) in an issue from 2009.

In the magazine there is an article about wine tourism and wine travel and one of the tour operators that they mention is BKWine.

Britt Karlsson is Swedish but lives in Paris. She is an experiences wine tour organises with her company BKWine. Since some ten years back she organises wine tours with a personal touch that often extend over a long weekend. Thanks to her many contacts she can arrange visits at small, exciting wine producers. Price example: Bordeaux 8,800 SEK. That includes four hotel nights in double room, three lunches with different wines, buss transport on location, winery visits and wine tastings, interpretation and guiding by a BKWine guide.

We say thank you for the attention!

Read more on what the press has to say about the BKWine wine tours here.

Issue 100 of our newsletter in December

per — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:11:17 +0000

Nr One Hundred – celebration for the BKWine Brief

In December we celebrated the 100th issue of the BKWine Brief, our newsletter on wine, food, gastronomy, and travel. It has been a long and exciting voyage that is far from over. We have already started on issue #101…

Read more about the history of the newsletter, how it all started, and some excerpts from the very first issues (some still quite relevant information) here: BKWine Brief reaches 100 but continues to grow, The BKWine Brief story from the start to today on BKWine Magazine.

If you do not already receive your free copy of the Brief you can sign up for a subscription to it here.

Restaurant recommendations in Tuscany

per — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:00:15 +0000

Italian wine and food is not only pasta, pizza and wine in a straw basket

There are many good restaurants in Tuscany, anything and everything from starred gourmet restaurants to the simplest taverna and wine bar. Here are a few suggestions among our favourites.

An old hilltop village overlooking the vineyards, copyright BKWine Photography

Even if most people are familiar with the round bottle in a straw basket it is mostly a myth today. The bottle, called a fiasco in Italian, is said to be the origin of the expression that something is a fiasco – a failure. If that is true or not I don’t know. But I do know that if you buy a fiasco bottle today it is quite likely that the wine inside will be a fiasco.

If you travel to Tuscany and want to find a restaurant with fiasci on its wine list you will be looking for a long time, unless you go to a very touristy place.

There are of course plenty of exciting and excellent restaurants in Tuscany both in the big cities, Florence and Siena, that attracts hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of travellers every year, or stay in one of the small towns, like for instance the charming town of Pienza, where we often stay on our wine tours.

Our first recommendation to anyone who travels in around in the Tuscan vineyards is to look for restaurants that are at leas a few hundred metres away from the biggest tourist attractions, like the Piazza del Campo in Siena or the Duomo in Florence.

Wine bottles aging in the cellar, copyright BKWine Photography

Here are some of our restaurant recommendations (and wine bars) that you might find useful if you are planning a trip, be it a wine and food tour or just plain vanilla vacation, to Tuscany:

You can read more about all these restaurants on BKWine Magazine under Home – Reviews – Restaurants & Wine Bars – Italy Eats.

You will soon find more restaurant reviews under that menu heading. Do spend some time browsing the menus also, on BKWine Magazine that is, not in the restaurants. You will find plenty of interesting reading there.

Do you have some other suggestions for good restaurants in Tuscany? Write a comment below and tell us which are the ones that you like the best!

BKWine organises several wine tours to Chianti Classico and Tuscany this year, both on our scheduled published wine tour programs and as custom made travel. On our English scheduled program we have a wine tour to Tuscany with Chianti Classico in the autumn. In addition to numerous winery visits, this tour also includes half a day of hands on cooking where we learn how to make some of the Tuscan gastronomic specialities.