Provence and the Rhone Valley 2015 Trip Highlights Three rich days of vineyard and winery visits including organic and biodynamic producers Experienced oenoguide who can give useful insight into all aspects of viticulture and winemaking Wine paired lunches Fantastic hotels These are our recommended hotels for your trip. The first property is located in the heart of Avignon and would be a great place to explore the town from on the evening of your arrival. The other options are our favorites for winery visits. You can view the location of the hotels HERE Hotel La Mirande - Avignon Ideally located in the heart of Avignon, this 5* property is housed within a medieval Cardinal’s palace. Affiliated with the prestigious “The Leading Hotels of the World” brand, this property conveys an elegance and charm of earlier times. Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 Hotel Option 1 - La Coquillade Located on a hill overlooking a winery estate, the Domaine de La Coquillade boasts exceptional views of the Luberon and Mont Ventoux. This charming hamlet contains six sumptuously furnished residences, the oldest dating back to the 11th century. Experience a blend of authenticity and ecology in the heart of the vineyards. Hotel Option 2 - Chateau Mazan Set in stunning landscaped gardens, Château de Mazan was built in 1720 and many of the original and later features are still apparent: the wonderful staircase, the 19th century tiled floors, the Franck brothers’ Enlightenment creation, the impressive Marquis’ library, the old Provencal casement windows, the Empire chimney… Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 The Rhone Valley and its wines The Rhône Valley has wine making history dating back over 2600 years and is the origin of two of the most important varietals in the industry. Thanks to the Popes moving to Avignon in the 13th century there was a surge in regional winemaking with the increased demand. The various AOC wines of the Rhône Valley region are produced by over 6,000 wine growing properties including 1,837 private wineries and 103 cooperatives. Syrah, which is believed to have originated in or close to the Northern Rhône region is the only red grape variety permitted in red AOC wines from this sub-region. The winery tours During the tours you will visit the vineyards and cellars of leading wine domaines in premium Rhone villages including the cru villages of Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Châteauneuf du Pape in the Southern Rhône and Hermitage, St Joseph, Cornas and Crozes Hermitage in the Northern Rhône. As we visit the scenic vineyards our guide will explain the local appellation and the local wine-growing culture - in particular the notion of "terroir". He will contrast the vineyard/terroir - driven approach of the Rhône appellation to the more cellar-driven approach of the New World. As you visit the cellars our guide will explain key elements of the winemaking process which are specific to the region. We will taste four to five wines per estate during which our guide will explain the tasting characteristics of the Rhône grape varieties, the ageing potential of the wines and the varying influences of the terroir and cellar methods on the wines that we taste. At the domains visited we will supply a small selection of cheese with which to taste and appreciate the wines. As seasoned wine tourists we will tailor our time together accordingly. Here is our proposed agenda Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 Day 1 Your day begins with a Comfort Class high speed pre-booked train trip to Avignon from Paris you will be met at the train station and transferred with your luggage to your hotel afternoon to explore the City of Avignon. Day 2 - Southern Rhône You will be met this morning at 9 am by your guide for the next 3 days Chauffeured private tour visiting the vineyards and cellars of four leading wine domaines in the Southern Rhône with a food and wine pairing lunch at Domaine la Garrigue / Les Florets in Gigondas (also producing Vacqueyras wines). Two wineries in Chateauneuf in the morning , then a winery lunch and a final leading winery in Rasteau. For Chateauneuf, we recommend any of Domaines Montpertuis, Vieux Telegraphe, Font de Michelle, Grand Veneur, la Janasse, Roger Sabon, Charbonniere, or Cristia For Rasteau, we recommend Domaine la Soumade which is the leading producer in this village. Day 3 – Northern Rhône Full Day chauffeured private guided day visiting the vineyards and cellars of three or four leading wine domaines in the Northern Rhône with a food and wine pairing lunch at Chapoutier. In the Northern Rhône we recommend any of Domaines Alain Voges (Cornas & St Peray + great sparkling!), Bernard Grippa (St Joseph), Paul et Vincent Jaboulet (ex-owners of Paul Jaboulet) and Chapoutier (possible lunch). Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 Day 4 Chauffeured private tour visiting the vineyards and cellars of four leading organic and biodynamic wine domaines in the Southern Rhône with a light picnic-style food and wine pairing lunch at one of the wineries, Chene Bleu in Crestet. We recommend any of Domaine Roche Audran (Biodynamic), Domaine Viret ("Cosmoculture"!), Chene Bleu (Organic with some Biodynamic) and Domain Richaud (Organic with some Biodynamic). Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 Terms and Conditions INCLUSIONS: 4 hotel nights 3 full days guided winery visit with transportationo and guide as mentioned in the itinerary Lunches as mentioned in the itinerary 4 breakfasts Comfort class high speed rail Avignon - Paris EXCLUSIONS: International Airfare Gratuities Dinners Anything not mentioned in the itinerary PRICING Price will varies based on travel dates and hotel choices click HERE to contact an advisor. A non-refundable deposit of 30% is required at time of booking Full payment due 90 days prior to travel and is non-refundable. Unless otherwise specified, no insurance is included in the prices we offer. Into the Vineyard suggests that you purchase travel insurance, against the following risks. Personal Injury, trip Cancellation, trip interruption, repatriation and loss of luggage Ask your advisor for a quote. No rooms or excursions have been held at the moment. Availability and price are guaranteed at time of booking. In case of cancellation of a booking, the customer must inform Into the Vineyard by a recorded delivery letter with acknowledgement of receipt, as early as possible: the date of the acknowledgement of receipt will be considered as the cancellation date in order to calculate the cancellation fee. For trips including land services (“a la carte” tours, itineraries for individuals) and travel packages, the cancellation fee will be as follows: Into The Vineyard – www.IntoTheVineyard.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 1 604 629 1173 | Fax: 1 604 899 9401 Suite 328 - 1085 Homer St. Vancouver, Canada, V6B 2X5 Into the Vineyard reserves the right to adjust the trip price based on market currency fluctuations, any variation in the currency exchange between currency of payment and currency of country(s) of travel posted by the Federal Reserve of America that is in excess of 3% at time of final payment can be added to the cost of the trip at time of final payment. To guarantee the aforementioned quoted price you retain the option to pay the full amount at your discretion. As far as possible, Into the Vineyard will satisfy amendment requests. If these requests concern an extension of the stay, an increased number of persons, or the purchase of additional services, these amendments will be charged in addition to the original price. For any other amendment, a fee per person will be charged. Some international and in-country or regional airfares have advance purchase and ticketing requirements which will be communicated at time of reservation. Additional payment to cover the costs of the airline tickets will be requested in order to issue the tickets. Airline tickets carry penalties as per rules of the fare. Penalties are also imposed for any changes to the air reservations made after ticketing. We reserve the right to request additional deposits if required by hotels and suppliers. This will be communicated at time of confirmation of booking. 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