“Grasp all…” (or as they say in Sweden “he who bids for much…”) is a common saying. But sometimes you can actually aim more than ambitiously and manage it all with flying colours. Our wine tour “Three Classics” is such a thing. It takes you to three of the great, classic wine regions in France: Chablis, Sancerre and Champagne. It gives you an unforgettable experience, reaching far and wide, but where I am sure you will enjoy every minute of it!
When approaching Sancerre, the first stop on this magnificent tour, you drive slowly along the Canal Latéral à la Loire, i.e. is the canal that runs along the Loire. There are many canals that criss-cross France, built at one time in order to facilitate transport of goods, not least of wine. Often they run along the rivers which were unsafe to navigate.
Suddenly, almost unexpectedly, you can see rising a pointed hill and at the top is Sancerre. Up there you have a fantastic view over the countryside and vineyards, especially if you stay at the Hôtel Panoramique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYtsBI20IY
This tour is almost entirely dedicated to white wines. There is a little red in both Sancerre and in Champagne, but it is a minimal share of production. And in Chablis it is of course exclusively white wines, although some neighbouring communes also make red.
There will however be very big differences in character between the different white wines. We begin with aromatic, tangy Sancerre, made exclusively from sauvignon blanc. As we come to Chablis there will be more power and roundness. In the most exclusive chablis wines, there can even be quite a lot of oak character, even if the power mainly comes from the grapes and from the land they grow on. Chablis grand cru grows exclusively on a slope of no more than 100 hectares (250 acres).
You will of course have plenty of opportunity on the “Three Classics” tour to familiarize yourself with the grand crus, but not only. There will also chablis premier cru, chablis tout court and petit chablis. One of the interesting things with a wine tour is to discover the breadth and variety of the wines produced in the wine region. To only drink the most exclusive, the most famous and the most expensive is a pity. It does not exactly require any talent or knowledge to see what is the most expensive thing on the list…
On the other hand, it is exciting to discover the small producers, family firms, the young and talented winemakers who have not yet had time or possibility to make a name for themselves internationally. That is a thing you can really only do when you come here on-site, something that makes a wine region tour a special experience. At least I think so. I hope you agree.
(In contrast to many others who organize wine tours, who often focus mainly on the major well-known wine brands that are mass-distributed to major international buyers, and “famous” in foreign press, we at BKWine want to show you what is behind the façades, family firms that make great wines, the young entrepreneurs, the most talented independent producers.)
This Three Classics wine tour ends in Champagne with a number of visits to the wine cellars where thousands, even millions of bottles lie and mature. Champagne is not just a drink for celebrations to pop at the parties. It is also an exciting wine, at least if you know where to go to find the most quality conscious producers.
Champagne is also a great wine to drink with food. You will certainly get an excellent opportunity to try that on this trip. We invite you to a sumptuous meal at one of the champagne producers’ own place. No, do not ask for a red wine with the main course. Please. Instead, enjoy of the vintage champagnes that you get in your glasses. I think you will agree that they match perfectly the gourmet dishes that they serve.
There will be several delicious meals on this trip. To mention one more, a dinner at a starred gourmet restaurant in Chablis. The hotel where we stay in Chablis has a famous restaurant where we invite you to a real gourmet dinner. What you will drink? Chablis course! But exactly what chablis is less certain. The sommelier at the restaurant usually goes down to his cellar and look through the forgotten or hidden bottles in his collection, when he hears that it is us who arrive for dinner, and he usually always finds something exciting worthy of the delicious food in the restaurant…!
Here you can see a detailed sample program for a Three Classic, Sancerre, Chablis and Champagne wine tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdptZaCMLkw
