Full Itinerary and Tour details for

Alpine 8-day expertly guided Wine Tour

Prices starting from. Trip Duration. Max Passengers. 3600 € 8 days 16

Country.

Experience. Tour Code. Wine Tours Europe #B1/2394 Alpine 8-day expertly guided Wine Tour

Tour Details and Description

Undiscovered vineyards around the mythic Mont Blanc mountain: , and France, on the foothills of the Alps grow uncommon vineyards with enchanting landscapes. These grape varieties now produce rare vines of very good quality. We take you to the unknown places where these fabulous vines grow.

Included in the Alpine Wine Tour: • 7 nights in charming 4* hotels • Full board from dinner on Day 1 to Breakfast on Day 8, served in typical restaurants in-house selected 1/4 wine bottle during the meals • The presence of a professional and enthusiasitc guide during the tour • Transportation on a top quality air-conditioned bus • All tastings as described within the program: • Day 2 at the Geneva vineyard and the Lavaux vineyard • Day 3 at the Valais vineyard • Day 5 at the Val d’Aoste vineyard and trip to the Helbronner Peak • Day 6 at the Savoie vineyard

• Day 7 at the Jongieux vineyard and trip on Lake Annecy • All activities as described within the program: • Day 2 Scenic railway in the Lavaux terraces • Day 3 Entrance and guided visit of the Château de Chillon • Day 4 Guided visit of La Vigne à Farinet and entrance to guided visit of the Hospice du Grand St Bernard • Day 5 Cable car to cross the Massif du Mont-Blanc: Courmayeur – Helbronner – Aiguille du Midi – Chamonix (if the cable car is closed because of the weather, we go to Chamonix by the Mont-Blanc tunnel)

Check Availability Book Online Now Send an Enquiry 2/6 Alpine 8-day expertly guided Wine Tour

• Day 6 Guided visit of the Abymes and Apremont vineyards • Day 7 Private boat cruise on the Bourget Lake, Day 1 entrance and visit of the Abbaye de Hautecombe, private boat cruise on the Arrival in Geneva Arrival at our hotel in the centre of Annecy which is ideally located, being close to both Lake Geneva and the city centre. Our hotel offers the Not included in the tour: contrasting combination of heritage and innovation. • Personal expenses Briefing at 6 pm, followed by dinner with a delicious • International airfare menu composed of tasty and original ■interpretations of classic French brasserie dishes accompanied by Optional Geneva and Swiss wines. ■A wonderful gourmet moment based on respecting the generosity of • Transfers to Geneva on Day 1 artisan-style produce. • Transfers from Geneva on Day 8

• Additional night in Geneva Day 2 • Personal insurance Geneva – (Switzerland) ■This morning, we Minimum 6 persons leave for the Geneva vineyard, where we will be welcomed at its charming wine cellar. We will learn all about the wine producers methods of working , from the vine to the cellar, followed by a wine tasting and cocktail dinner at the vineyard. After this wonderful stop in paradise, we go to the Lavaux terraced vineyards, which are a UNESCO world heritage site. We will meander through the middle of the vineyards on a scenic railway. lt takes us to a wine cellar, carefully chosen by us followed by a wine tasting with stunning views over the mountains and Lake Geneva. There we have the chance to taste the following wines: AOC Lavaux, Le Gilles St-Saphorin AOC Lavaux, Oeil de Perdrix AOC Bonvillars, Tastegrain Ollon AOC Chablais, Gamaret AOC Lavaux. We will then go to our four star Villa Hotel in Montreux, on the shores of Lake Geneva. ■

Day 3

Montreux – Saillon (Switzerland) ■This morning we visit the Château de Chillon, a very important place of the former Duchy and Realm of Savoy. This Itinerary monument with over 1000 years of history, has

Check Availability Book Online Now Send an Enquiry 3/6 Alpine 8-day expertly guided Wine Tour

always inspired artists and writers, from pivoting cabins, to get us into the heart of the Massif Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo and Lord du Mont-Blanc glaciers. ■ We will have our lunch at Byron, from Delacroix to Courbet. Lunch is taken 2400m in a gastronomic restaurant, with the while enjoying the splendid views over Montreux, spectacular views over the Val d’Aoste and the Lake Geneva and the Alps. ■ During the afternoon glaciers. After lunch, Nicola will prepare a surprise for we stop for a magical meeting in the Valais vineyard. us... a little bit higher up, at the Helbronner peak at We enjoy a wine tasting overlooking the stunning 3466m (a truly unique moment!). The show never mountains when we can have more than a sip of the ends as we cross the Glacier du Géant by cable car following wines: Fendant, Petite Arvine, Ermitage, to arrive at the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). We then go Humagne Rouge, Cornalin, Pinot Noir ■We then to Chamonix Mont-Blanc, where we can enjoy the continue on to Saillon, where our four star hotel and facilities of the town easily from our centrally located thermal centre is located. We can relax thanks to the four star hotel. heated pools, the thermal river, the semi-Olympic pool, the spa, saunas and hammam. Day 6

Day 4 Chamonix Mont-Blanc – Le Bourget du Lac (France) ■Free time in Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Then we go to Saillon – Courmayeur (Switzerland – Italy) ■This the Combe de Savoie, close to Albertville, the town morning, we visit the worlds smallest vineyard which that hosted the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. A stop has only 3 vines on a surface of 1,618 sqm. La Vigne off in a famous vineyard, at the foot of the Massif des à Farinet is owned by the Dalai Lama. We will visit it Bauges for a tasting that includes rare varieties of walking on a pretty, and easy to walk on footpath with wines, including the following: Mondeuse Blanche, a local guide. We will then return to Saillon for lunch. Persan, Altesse, Jacquère, Roussanne. Tasting ■ ■Afterwards we will go to the famous Col du Grand served with local cheese and the “Buffet du Terroir”, St Bernard, at 2473m, on the border between Savoyard specialties. ■ During the afternoon, we Switzerland and Italy (Val d’Aoste). There we will visit discover legendary vineyards of the Massif de la the hospice and see the famous St Bernard dogs. Chartreuse and a wine tasting of two local vintage Descend into the Val d’Aoste to arrive at our four star wines. At the end of the afternoon, we will arrive at hotel in the heart of Courmayeur, emblematic resort the Old Town of Chambéry and its 14th century at the foot of the Mont-Blanc. pedestrian streets, which we will stroll around with our guide. We then go on to Le Bourget du Lac, the Day 5 biggest natural lake in France. We will spend the night in a charming four-star hotel overlooking the Courmayeur – Chamonix Mont-Blanc (Italy – France) lake. ■Free time in Courmayeur and a visit to the Mont-Blanc wine cellar in Morgex, which make Day 7 Europe’s highest cultivated wine. Nicola, the oenologist, will explain and show us the uniqueness Le Bourget du Lac – Annecy (France) Today, we go of his altitude vines. This tasting gives us the to the Jongieux vineyard, where we enjoy our tasting opportunity to taste the local cru: Prié Blanc de with a stunning view over the Lac du Bourget and the Morgex After the tasting, we embark on the new and Abbaye d'Hautecombe. The Lac du Bourget was dear incredible Helbronner Skyway cable car, with its 360° to the 19’ century romantic poet Alphonse de

Check Availability Book Online Now Send an Enquiry 4/6 Alpine 8-day expertly guided Wine Tour

Lamartine. The following crus are among the ones we taste: Marestel, Gamay de Chautagne, Malvoisie We then go to the Abbaye de Hautecombe, burial place of former Princes and members of the House of Savoy. This is a highly spiritual place, surrounded by magical views, it is totally isolated between the lake and the mountains. We have lunch at a typical inn in a charming village. We continue to Annecy, also called the “Little Venice of the Alps”. Walk through its medieval streets and lanes. Then in a private boat, we cross the lake with the purest waters in Europe. While onboard, we taste typical wines from Haute-Savoie: Chasselat, Ayze. We disembark at our charming 4* hotel on the shores of the Lake. Dinner and night spent being soothed by the magic of the lake.

Day 8

Annecy (France) After breakfast, we go to Geneva where our journey ends. The program can change and be adjusted according to weather conditions and wine makers' disposal.

Check Availability Book Online Now Send an Enquiry 5/6 WHY SLOW TOURS EUROPE?

Slow Tours offers a selection of tours in Europe for unique experiences, active or relaxed, so you return home feeling relaxed, refreshed & re-energised.

Connect with the locals, take time to genuinely experience another culture, relax with the easy flow of life, enjoy fresh air and freedom from crowds. Savour the experience of our hand-picked tours of Europe!

3 BIG BENEFITS OF BOOKING WITH US

Don't take our word for it Visit our Reviews page to learn why a Slow Tour is the Best Tour!

slowtours.com/blog/reviews

Have some questions? Find the answers on our Q&A page.

slowtours.com/questions-and-answers