The Three Classics Wine Tour: to Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy (or Sancerre)

— We call this trip The Three Classic! It takes you to three of the most classic wine regions in France: Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy. And all this we fit in on an extended weekend, Wednesday to Sunday. This wine tour is for those who want to experience a lot in a short time!

“Three Classics” always includes Champagne and Chablis. The third wine district included is either Burgundy, the heart of the district, the Côte d’Or, or alternatively Sancerre. If we go to Beaune in the Côte d’Or or if it goes to Sancerre varies. Both will take you to taste some amazing, top notch wines, great vineyards and superb gastronomic experiences!

Program    |    Travel facts    |    Book    |    More on the tour

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Next tour to Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy:

• Contact us!

This is a sample program, an example. Every wine and food tour that we organise is different and specially adapted for the season and the circumstances. Details in the program, e.g. which producers we visit, will be different each time.

• This tour is sometimes available on our scheduled wine and food tour program: “Our Tours > Scheduled Tours”, or
• It can be designed specifically for you as a custom made private wine tour.

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If you want to experience a lot in a short time, this is the trip for you. But that does not mean we are in a rush. We have time for several interesting visits in each district and many, many wines to taste.

The journey starts in Paris. We meet on Wednesday afternoon at the Gare de Lyon in central Paris. Our bus is waiting to take us to Epernay in Champagne.

Champagne is the wine region closest to Paris. There is no other wine that so immediately makes you feel like celebrating as Champagne. The heavy bottle, the little plop and fizz when you open the bottle, the sound of the bubbles in the glass, the bouquet, the taste. Everything about champagne makes you happy.

But on this wine tour we will discover that Champagne is so much more than a drink only for celebrations. It is above all a high-quality wine! And it is only when you come here to Champagne that you can really understand how the magic sparkling wine is made.

We will do two or three visits to Champagne and enjoy a sumptuous champagne lunch. You will learn a lot about how Champagne is made and why sparkling wine made in this small region is different than those made elsewhere.

After Champagne the journey continues towards Chablis, a wine district 200 kilometres south of Champagne. We will drive thorough the beautiful French countryside after a lovely champagne lunch. In Chablis, we will stay in the elegant Hostellerie des Clos and we will have dinner together at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant. During dinner you will get a quick introduction to the wines of Chablis and to the region.

The next morning, it’s time to visit some famous Chablis producers. Here in Chablis the chardonnay grape gets a very special character: crisp, aromatic, clean, thanks both to the northerly climate and the absence (in most cases) of oak ageing, and due to the calcareous Kimmeridge soil. This makes the wines of Chablis into some of the most elegant white wines there is. You will get an understanding of the different wine styles and the quality levels that you can find here in Chablis.

On Friday, we visit some well-known and quality conscious producers in Chablis and get a close look at Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines and vineyards.

After lunch we continue south in Burgundy, to the Côte d’Or and the charming little town of Beaune. We arrive there early evening. You will have time for a bit of sightseeing before you head out to find your choice among Beaune’s many restaurants. Beaune is a gem among French provincial towns with a lot of interesting sites, cafés, wine bars and restaurants.

On Saturday, we drive north to the first vineyards in the Côte de Nuits. We pass villages with well-known names such as Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin… In Fixin, just north of Gevrey, we will have lunch at a small wine grower’s home and we will taste a number of his wines. We will spend the afternoon in the Côte de Beaune with a few quality conscious growers.

Sunday morning after breakfast we head back to Paris where we arrive no later than 13.00.

If we include Sancerre instead of Beaune on this trip it will be a little bit different:

We will stay in the small country-side town of Sancerre, perched on a hill-top with spectacular views of the surrounding vineyards.

In the morning we begin to explore the vineyards of Sancerre. Sauvignon blanc is a grape that has had a great success in many other countries in recent years. But here in Sancerre in the upper Loire Valley is where it really belongs and thrives, in the calcareous soil, actually almost the same type of soil such as that found in Chablis. A crisp Sancerre with aromas of elderflower, gooseberry and green apple is the perfect match with another of the region’s specialities, the French goat cheese called chèvre.

We will visit a selection of high-quality Sancerre producers. Late afternoon we will head north towards Chablis. We change not only wine region, but also grape variety. In Chablis we are in Burgundy and the grape is chardonnay.

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

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More travel information

Here are some useful pages and guides about this travel destination:

• Beaune City Guide
• Burgundy Region Guide
• Handy tips on tipping customs, shopping hours, restaurant etiquette, transport and more, France Country FAQ
• Burgundy: a short introduction to grapes and appellations

Even more info

We have written a lot about the Three Classics wine regions and about wine touring in these region, what to do and what to expect.

Here you can find more about travelling on the Three Classics tour.

You can also find more information on Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis, and Sancerre wines on BKWine Magazine.

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Some videos

A few video clips from this wine tour’s wine regions.

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Program — wine tour to Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy / Sancerre

This is a sample program, an example. Every wine and food tour that we organise is different and specially adapted for the season and the circumstances. Details in the program, e.g. which producers we visit, will be different each time.

Program overview

• Day 1, Wednesday — The journey begins in Paris
• Day 2, Thursday — Champagne
• Day 3, Friday — Chablis
• Day 4, Saturday — Burgundy, Côte d’Or (or Sancerre)
• Day 5, Sunday — Return to Paris, heading back home

Wednesday, Day 1 — The journey begins in Paris

At 5 PM our bus departs from Gare de Lyon in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. We head east, and after about 2 ½ hours we arrive in Epernay. We check into our three-star Hôtel du Champagne.

The evening is free to stroll around town and to explore the wine bars and restaurants of Epernay. Do not miss the Avenue de Champagne with its impressive series of private palaces that today are home to many of the big and famous champagne houses.

Thursday, Day 2 — Champagne

We check out of our hotel after breakfast and we begin our journey of wine exploration. Epernay is right in the middle of the wine district and we quickly among the vines.

We will visit a small family property not far from Epernay. They will give us an introduction to how champagne is made, the special techniques that are used. The visit ends with a tasting of the family’s range of champagnes.

We then continue further along the Marne River to the small town of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ where we will visit the prestigious house Champagne Philipponnat.

The house is known among other things for the vineyard Clos de Goisses, a more than 5 hectare big walled vineyard with one of Champagne’s most exceptional situations and exposures: a steep, sunny southern slope down towards the river Marne.

At Philipponnat we will also have a fabulous gourmet lunch with a selection of the house’s best champagnes, including the Clos de Goisses. After lunch we will go for a short walk up to the fabled Clos des Goisses vineyard. It might be nice to stretch your legs after some half a dozen champagnes or so and many delicious Champagne food specialities that you have been treated to during lunch.

We also look take a look at the new trend of champagnes without sugar, called ultra-brut, non-dosé or zéro dosage.

After lunch we will head to Chablis. It will be a nice rest in the bus after a lunch that will certainly have taken some time. The journey will take you through the beautiful French countryside, on country roads, through small towns.

At around 7 PM we check into our hotel in the centre of Chablis, the characterful Hostellerie des Clos. Here we will enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the hotel’s gourmet restaurant. During dinner we will taste several different Chablis wines and do some preparations for the visits the following day.

Friday, Day 3 — Chablis

After an excellent breakfast we set off into the vineyards of Chablis. There are several quality levels – Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis – and you will get to know them all.

We will visit two or three of the

most quality-conscious producers who will make you acquainted with the various Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards. One of the visits will be at Domaine Brocard, perhaps the most internationally successful of all Chablis producers.

Today it is mainly Julien Brocard, son of Jean-Marc, who runs the winery. Part of the production is now organic and biodynamic wines. The way Brocard works in the cellar, in terms of vinification and ageing, has changed a lot since Julien took over and the wines are now more complex and better than ever.

At Brocard’s we also have lunch with an extensive tasting of the winery’s wines.

After lunch we continue south to the heart of Burgundy, the Côte d’Or and the pleasant town of Beaune, perhaps France’s most famous “wine village”. We check into our hotel which is centrally located, close to the magnificent Hôtel Dieu, also known as the Hospices de Beaune, one of France’s major historical attractions, as well as close to all the restaurants.

The evening is free.

Saturday, Day 4 — Burgundy, Côte d’Or, alternatively Sancerre

The distances are fortunately quite short here in the Côte d’Or, so we will have enough time to visit three different producers on this day.

We start in Gevrey-Chambertin, in the north of the Côte de Nuits, known for its full-bodied red wines and for its many Grand Cru vineyards.

Here in the northern part of Côte d’Or pinot noir is the man grape variety. It gives complex and elegant red wines.

We continue to Fixin where we first go for a short walk to look at the vines and to talk about the all-important work in the vineyard. We will get an introduction to the importance of provenance and terroir.

After the vineyard walk our hosts will invite us to a true home-made buffet lunch at home in his wine cellar.

After lunch our tour continues south, towards the famous Corton Hill where we will visit one of the small high-quality growers in Aloxe-Corton.

We end the day with a tour of the vineyards in Meursault and in Puligny-Montrachet in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune. Her you find the famous (and very expensive) Le Montrachet Grand Cru as well as many Premier Cru wines. The southern Côte d’Or is primarily known for its white wines made from chardonnay grapes.

The evening is free to further enjoy the small-town atmosphere in Beaune and perhaps one or two more glasses of wine. For being such a small town Beaune has an impressive variety of restaurants, ranging from the simple brasserie to excellent sushi to high-class French gourmet restaurants with reaching absolute top quality.

If instead the tour schedule includes Sancerre the details will be somewhat different:

Our hotel in Sancerre is beautifully located on the edge of the small town and certainly deserves its name, Panoramic.

We will visit a selection of high-quality producers in Sancerre and will learn what are the key factors in producing this crisp, aromatic and elegant wine.

Our visits include the superb producer Henri Bourgeois and we will have lunch right next to the winery at the La Côte des Monts Damnés restaurant in Chavignol. Chavignol is also known for its small round goat cheese, le Crottin de Chavignol, a special kind of French chèvre. The restaurant is run by the chef Jean-Marc Bourgeois who is, of course, par of the wine producing family.

You will also get the opportunity to take a walk in the vineyard to inspect the vines and marvel at the surprisingly steep slopes where this wine is produced.

Sunday, Day 5 — Heading back home

Departure.

After breakfast we go back to Paris and the Gare de Lyon. We expected to arrive no later than 1 PM.

Program may be subject to minor modifications.

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Tour Details — Wine Tour Three Classics: Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy / Sancerre

Dates: This is a sample program. Look in the menu “Our Tours > Scheduled Tours” to check what scheduled tours are currently on the program or contact us to discuss a custom made private wine tour.

Price per person: This is a sample program. Look in the menu “Our Tours > Scheduled Tours” to check what scheduled tours are currently on the program or contact us to discuss a custom made private wine tour.

Included in the price:

• 4 hotel nights, double occupancy, including breakfast, at good mid-range hotel:
  • 1 night in Epernay
  • 1 night in Chablis
  • 2 nights in Beaune
• Meals as described in the program (*):
  • 1 gastronomic and luxurious multi-course lunch, all champagne, with the Champagne house’s wines, including wine
  • 2 gastronomic French multi-course lunches with local specialities, with a tasting of different wines, at a winery or a local restaurant, including wine
  • 1 gastronomic 4-course dinner with a selection of Chablis wines in a gourmet restaurant, including wine
• Start and end point: Paris
• Bus: Paris – Champagne – Chablis – Beaune – Paris
• All vineyard and winery visits
• Private, high quality tastings at wineries, approx. 3 per day
• Translation as needed, some visits may be in English, others in French
• Wine guiding and wine tutoring by an expert BKWine guide during the whole trip

(*) See below for more important information on our meals.

Not included:

• Travel (flights) to the destination and back from your home location.

You organise your travel to Paris yourself. If you want assistance with organising your flight tickets etc, please contact us.

We warmly recommend that you plan a few extra days here if you have the time! It is a very interesting place and well worth some “non-wine” tourism too! We can assist you with booking additional hotel nights if you want.

For this trip to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered at the “book before” date. Maximum number of travel guests: 8.