Cycling & Tastings In the Vineyards in Burgundy

Tom Kevill-Davies knows a thing or two about cycling and eating. In 2005 he set off from New York and rode 12,000 miles to Rio de Janeiro in search of the perfect meal. After writing a book about his experience, he settled in Burgundy and added wine to the equation, turning a derelict 17th-century water mill in the village of Auxey-Duresses into The Hungry Cyclist Lodge. Guests can set off each day to pedal around the surrounding vineyards, winding between tastings and lunches, and relax back at the lodge (which has a swimming pool).

Bring a bike on the train (TGV from Paris to Dijon), then a short connection to Beaune and a 10km bike – or taxi – ride from the station. Or rent one when you get there (€22 a day for a hybrid). Next door to the lodge is a small vineyard of Gamay, where Tom’s family produce around 500 bottles a year of their Vin Du Moulin. Try it over a dinner that Tom whips up from fruit and veg grown in the garden and meat from the local butcher – in autumn this might include guinea fowl roasted over raisins and tarte tatin with fig leaf ice-cream.

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Tom Kevill-Davies knows what it means to be hungry and tired. The Brit has cycled tens of thousands of kilometers in his life. The longest journey he completed took him from New York to Rio de Janeiro. Kevill-Davies, who has also worked as a copywriter, travel journalist, and cycling guide, wrote a book about this journey: The Hungry Cyclist .

And that's also the name of the inn he opened in Auxey-Duresses, a village near Meursault in Burgundy. In 2012, Kevill-Davies bought a dilapidated mill there and converted it into a bed and breakfast. He also married the daughter of a winemaker, and so the inn is dedicated to cycling, good wine, and good food. The five guest rooms feature antiques, art and cycling books, and a stream flows through the garden. Ducks, chickens, and rabbits roam around the pool, and a 3,000-liter wine barrel has been converted into a whirlpool.

During the day, you can rent racing bikes or e-bikes and take excursions into the region. Some of the world's most expensive wines are grown in the area. However, the Pinot Noir that Tom Kevill-Davies uncorks in the evening comes from his brother-in-law's wine cellar. Kevill-Davies does the cooking himself, using vegetables from his garden. For dessert, there are stories about his cycling adventures in the Amazon, the Sahara, or Laos. Nobody goes to bed hungry here. And nobody bored, either.

This article featured in magazin.sueddeutsche.de

Enjoy The Video from @quantumfilmproductions

Romanée-Conti is the home of the world’s most expensive wine: a holy land for purple-mouthed pilgrims that is shrouded in fog, mystery — and scandal

Each season brings a completely new menu that celebrates the finest ingredients harvested directly from our garden. The ancient oven's radiant heat creates flavors impossible to achieve with modern equipment, infusing every dish with subtle smokiness and depth that has delighted diners for centuries.

Spring showcases tender asparagus and fresh herbs, summer bursts with ripe tomatoes and vibrant greens, autumn delivers hearty root vegetables and crisp apples, while winter features preserved goods and warming spices. Chef Rynkowski's creative interpretation of traditional techniques ensures each course surprises while honoring historical cooking methods.

The intimate setting accommodates only a limited number of guests, creating an atmosphere of exclusivity and connection. From slow-roasted meats tended for hours to delicate pastries & breads that showcase the oven's gentle embrace, every course tells a story of patience, skill, and seasonal abundance.

These special evenings offer more than exceptional dining – they provide a tangible connection to our culinary heritage. Experience how the marriage of historical technique, garden-fresh ingredients, and contemporary creativity creates unforgettable meals that honor both tradition and innovation.

Bookings for our next seasonal dinner open soon. Get in touch for details.

As December arrives, the historic towns of Burgundy transform with twinkling lights reflecting off cobblestone streets. The Christmas market in Dijon's Place de la Libération brings artisans from across the region displaying handcrafted ornaments, wooden toys, and regional specialties.

The true magic of a Burgundian Christmas lies in its culinary traditions. While Paris empties, Burgundy fills with French families returning to ancestral homes for elaborate meals that stretch late into the night.

A Burgundian Christmas centers around exceptional food, wine and the table. French families return to celebrate with multi-course meals that showcase regional specialties. The Christmas Eve feast typically begins with fresh oysters paired with local white wines, a classic combination that marks the start of holiday celebrations.

The meal continues with foie gras on brioche, followed by escargots in garlic butter. Poulet de Bresse, the celebrated AOC-protected blue-footed chicken, often serves as the main course, accompanied by local truffles. A selection of local cheeses might follow – Comté, Brillat-Savarin, and Époisses, before a long walk and then collapsing in an armchair by a roaring fire.

The days between Christmas and New Year bring peaceful reflection. The landscape, stripped to its essential beauty, invites contemplation during walks in the vines.

Christmas in Burgundy reminds us that the greatest luxury is time – time to savor exceptional food and wine, to connect with loved ones, and to experience a celebration deeply rooted in place. Join us in December and discover Christmas as it was meant to be celebrated – with authenticity, warmth, and the timeless pleasures of Burgundian hospitality.

The bare, twisted vines stand like sculptures against the winter sky, their silhouettes creating a delicate lacework across the landscape. Morning frosts dust the Côte d'Or with silvery crystals, while occasional snow blankets the hills in pristine white. The crowds have dispersed, leaving behind a tranquil countryside where you can hear the crunch of your footsteps on frozen ground and distant church bells echoing across the valleys.

After exploring the winter landscape, there's nothing more satisfying than returning to a hot bath and a crackling fire. Settle into a comfortable armchair with a good book and a glass of the region's finest Pinot Noir. The perfect atmosphere for reflection.

Winter in Burgundy is when the region's hearty cuisine truly comes into its own. The iconic Boeuf Bourguignon simmers slowly for hours, the meat becoming tender in its rich red wine sauce. Local restaurants that buzz with tourists in summer now offer unhurried, intimate dining experiences where chefs have time to chat and share special off-menu creations.

This is also when winemakers have time for visitors. The harvest is complete, the new vintage safely in barrels, and the pace of life slows. Doors to small family domaines open more readily, and tastings can stretch into hours of stories and shared passion.

Our winter retreats offer a different kind of cycling holiday—one where the bike might stay racked for days at a time as you surrender to Burgundy's winter charms. It's a season for restoration, for deep connection to place, and for discovering that sometimes the most memorable journeys happen when we stay still long enough to truly see what's around us.

Book your winter escape at The Hungry Cyclist Lodge and discover why those who know Burgundy best often cherish it most in winter.

In November this year the series aired on the BBC 2. If you are in the UK you can enjoy the show on the BBC Iplayer by following this link. Or you if you live outside the UK you can watch teh episode by following this link.

As well as featuring The Hungry Cyclist Lodge on the telly, Mr Stein also uses three recipes from his visit to Auxey-Duresses in his new book Rick Stein’s Secret France. Enjoy The Show!

It has been six years now since I took over the gardens of Moulin Prunier, and while every year sees change, perhaps this year I was able to see some of the structure I have been aiming to achieve in the previous years digging and planting.

As each season and year passes, another area of the garden gets more of my attention. The stock and diversity of plants grows and through division, replanting and hours of labour each finds its place and the garden finds its shape. It is a perpetual learning experience of which I am only at the very beginning, but I am happiest in the garden and so the learning goes on.

Enjoy the slide show below and if you are ever in Auxey-Duresses do pop in to have a look around.

I have no intentions of making wine (well almost), ill leave that to the experts and happily imbibe their efforts. But when I first laid eyes on this vast wooden vessel - my imagination filled it with happy guests resting tired muscles, while being engulfed by steam and hot water. I saw a HOT TUB. 

But these things take time and for over a year the vat has sat outside my front door. Neighbours have rolled their eyes when I told them my plans, but as Napoleon said. Imagination Rules The World...

After all what could be more fitting than having a long soak in wood-fired hot-tub, which in a previous life made the greatest wines on the planet. (Clothing optional).

• 20 asparagus spears, trimmed and peeled

• 1 tbs of dijon mustard

• 200g unsalted butter

• 1 egg

• 1 egg yolk

• The juice of 1 small lemon

• 150ml double cream

Put the butter in a small saucepan (preferably one with a pouring lip) to melt over a low heat. Place the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and seasoning into the bowl of a small food processor. Switch it on and allow the mixture to become very thick and pale in colour (about three or four minutes should do it).

Meanwhile, reheat the butter until it is just beginning to bubble, then remove any scum from the surface with a spoon. With the motor still running, slowly add the hot butter (it must be hot) to the egg mixture until it visibly begins to thicken. Once the butter has been exhausted and you can see a modicum of milky residue left behind, stop pouring. Tip the sauce into a roomy bowl and keep it warm.

Now, boil the asparagus in well salted water for about five minutes, or until it is tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Please don’t undercook it, as I think there is nothing worse than crunchy asparagus. Once the spears are cooked, lift them out with a slotted spoon and briefly drain them on a tea towel before placing them on a warmed serving platter.

Finally, briefly whip the cream (preferably by hand) until it is only loosely thick, so that it is just showing the shape of the spokes. Carefully fold the cream into the warm sauce using a spatula and then check the taste for a possible addition of both more lemon juice and more seasoning.

A totally enjoyable Beaujolais Village with strawberries aromas on the nose, that are followed by deeper aromas of spice & jammy red fruit. This gamay is perfect for washing down a plate of charcuterie, shared with a grilled bavette or as a last bottle before bed. 

Drop into The Wine Beagle online store today and get your hands on the perfect Apres Velo! 

As the year goes bye I am never without the handy camera on my mobile phone, and below is a chronological collection of photographs I have posted on Instagram.  As the year comes to and end and the garden once again goes to sleep it is rewarding to look back at the images of the garden over the past year.

As well as a providing a useful reference as to what is growing where, what works and what doesn't it also reminds me of what a pleasure it is to look after and share this special corner of Burgundy. Enjoy the gallery and do click on the images to enlarge. 

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This recipe would make most French chefs turn in their graves as it replaces a real beef stock with Bovril. But using Bovril, above a laboriously prepared beef stock, saves time and also reminds me of home.  As a young boy, sniffling with cold, a warm cup of Bovril was better than any medicine. 

Developed in Canada, by a Scottish entrepreneur, to feed French troops, this dark and salty gloop of boiled down beef bones, provided an easily transportable source of protein for fatigued troops in the Franco-Prussian War. Bovril continued as a 'war food' in the trenches of World War One and as a result quickly became a British household name. If you don't have bulbous jar of Bovril to hand, beef stock makes a fine substitute. 

• 6 onions
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• Brown sugar
• 1.75 litres Bovril (or beef stock)
• 1 glass of chardonnay
• 1 baguette
• 1 bay Leaf
• a small bundle of fresh thyme. 
• 200g Comte
• Salt & Pepper

1. Peel and thinly slice the onions and leave them to soften in 50g butter over a medium heat. Stir them regularly until they are soft, sticky and amber in colour. Add a heaped teaspoon of brown sugar and keep turning gently until the onions are caramelised and browning at the edges.  

2. Boil the kettle and in a jug add 1.75 litres of boiling water and three tablespoons of Bovril. Stir well. 

3. Deglaze the onions with your glass of chardonnay and take one for yourself.  Stir in a couple of tablespoons of flour and cook for a further three minutes before pouring in 1.75 litres of the Bovril liquid or stock. Drop in the bay leaf and thyme, partially cover with a lid and leave to simmer for three quarters of an hour. 

4. While the soup is simmering away, slice six thick slices from your baguette. Pour some olive oil in a saucer and dip each slice in the saucer to mop up a little oil. Place on a baking tray and cook under the grill until toasted.  

5. Season the soup with salt and ground black pepper and ladle the gubbins and liquid evenly into six deep, ovenproof ramekins. Place a slice of toasted baguette into each ramekin and cover with sliced Comte.

6. Garnish with a little thyme and black pepper and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or grill until the cheese has melted and is browning at the edges. 

Served at a communal table back at the domain, this is a moment to drink, recharge and refill. Four course are served generously and washed down with unprofessional amounts of wine, before everyone staggers back into the vineyards for the arduous afternoon shift.

As well as working in the vines herself, day after day, Aude's mother miraculously rolls out faultless four-course feasts for the 20 strong team of dog-tired workers slumped around her table.

Her food is exceptional and a standout dish amongst the loyal workers, who return year after year, is Parmentier de Confit de Canard. Unctuous, filling and restorative, it has legendary status amongst the team.

Serves 6

• 800g potatoes

• 4 legs of duck confit (1 large tin)

• 4 shallots

• Fresh thyme

• 1 bunch of flat parsley

• 50 cl milk

• 2 tbsp tablespoon of duck fat

• 200g Comte

• salt & pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 220 °C. 

2. Peel and wash the potatoes, cut them into large pieces. Cook them for 25 minutes in boiling water with a good pinch of salt. Drain them and crush them while gradually adding the milk to obtain a lumpy mash.

3. Empty the tin of duck confit into a heavy pan. Warm over a gentle heat and the fat will run away from the duck legs. Pour away the duck fat into some jam jars and save for roasting potatoes. 

4. Remove the skin from the duck thighs. Pull away the duck flesh in your fingers making sure there are no more bones.

5. Peel and chop the shallots and brown them gently in a little duck fat with plenty of cracked black pepper. Once the shallots are golden add a glass of pinot noir and the chopped parsley.

6. Add the duck meat to the mix and stir until all the ingredients are well combined. 

7. Grease a baking dish or circular cookie cutters, arrange the meat mixture at the bottom, then cover with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle some grated comte on the top and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with plenty of well-dressed green salad.