You have chosen to spend your vacation in a Wine Region And browse one or more wines. To have a good time, without stress, remember to organize the activities of your stay upstream. Here are some tips for choosing the vineyards to visit according to your choices.
Choose a wine region.
France, Rich in wine regions, leaves you with choice. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Languedoc-Roussillon, the Rhône valley, the Loire valley or Corsica among others, it's up to you to see, depending on your tastes or desires, the region that attracts you most To spend your vacation.
Travel alone or in a group.
There are advantages and disadvantages to choose if you want to travel in a group or if you prefer to be independent in your trips.
The main interest of being in a group is that you do not have not to take the wheel and that you can thus take advantage of tastings. Conversely, in most cases, you cannot select the castles yourself that you will visit. The main advantage of taking a wine route with your own vehicle is that you are completely free in the choice of your property visits.
Choose a means of transport.
Traveling independently or in a group leaves you several choices of means of transport. To start with interurban bus, whose main advantage is the price, often very attractive when it has 55 places, but much less intimate. the Minibus, perfect for a small group of four to eight people, it is a vehicle with enough space and a temporary temporary for circulate everywhere. The individual car that allows you to move according to your desires and at your own pace, whether it is your personal vehicle or a rental car.
You can also choose a private driver. The most comfortable solution is, but also the most expensive.
Book your visit to the vineyard.
Several options are available to you :
In the first place, directly with the vineyard Whether you have selected by contacting it directly by phone or via its website.
You also have the solution of websites of connecting with the winemakers. This solution allows you to have vineyard suggestions according to your geolocation. Several sites allow you to book directly with the winemaker without additional reservation costs.
Another possibility, a Oenotourism agency Where you will find several offers with different themes, so your trip is tailor-made and you only have to take full advantage of it.
What budget to plan?
It is best to think about your budget upstream. It will determine the level of services you can offer.
For example, a live castle visit can range from five to one hundred euros for the most prestigious. The average is between ten and twenty euros.
Count ninety euros on average for a visit to two castles on half a day with tastings. If you prefer a visit with a private guide, whether you are in a group or not, its service is billed between two hundred and three hundred euros per day, excluding tours of castles, meals and transport.
Your journey time between the different vineyards.
If you travel independently, choose a navigation application and Program your route To learn about the distances between the vineyards. This is the best solution to always be on time for your visits.
Leaving alone or accompanied?
In case you want to go on family vacation, the question does not arise. If on the other hand, you are looking for companions for your Viticultural theme getaway, you have to choose them well. Determine in advance, Depending on everyone's tastes, the vineyards that you will choose to visit.
What style of wine to taste?
This is a question you need to ask yourself. Even if it may surprise you, it would be a shame if you choose a style of wine that you do not appreciate.
Then red, white, rosé, sparkling, organic, organic, as for grape varieties, make the choice that corresponds the most to your tastes.
To What time go.
Organize your trip according to the seasons and what you want to discover in the vineyards during your visit.
In the spring, around April, you can see thedisbursement, then in May, the flower that will give the grapes, in June come the leaves.
The grapes will be trained in July, but still green, in August, it is veraison, The grapes go from green to red for red grapes and green to yellow for white grapes.
From September to October comes Harvest time, knowing that some vineyards are not accessible to the public during this period when work is the most intense. Finally, from November to March, the quietest wine tourism period and where the winemakers are generally the most available.
Have a very good vacation on French wine routes!
