Felicity Long
The popularity of wine-themed travel has inspired scores of tour operators to add wine tastings to their sightseeing itineraries throughout Europe, especially in France and Italy.
Real oenophiles, however, for whom sightseeing just gets in the way of sampling regional vintages, may be more interested in a tour designed by a tour operator that specializes in wine tours.
Paris-based BKWine, as its name suggests, knows a little something about this niche. This fall, the company uncorked two scheduled wine tours, to Bordeaux and Burgundy, respectively, as well as a whole menu of customized programs.
The Bordeaux tour features private wine tastings at posh chateaus, accompanied by multicourse meals, and at family owned estates.
The Burgundy wine tour bypasses the well-known megaproducers in favor of small, individual wineries that produce terroir-specific, rather than blended wines. Participants will be able to sample famous Burgundies, including several Grand Cru wines, and tuck into three gourmet lunches.
“Our focus is … on individual growers with a strong quality reputation and not so much on the big and famous ‘brands’ that are well-known all over the world,” said Britt Karlsson, a company founder.
Karlsson, who visits some 200 wineries a year to ensure quality control, said that consumer interest in wine tours has rebounded despite the economy, judging from brisk bookings so far for 2011.
“We have seen two years where people have cut down on discretionary spending like travel, but this year is looking much more positive,” he said.
“We expect to do around 15 scheduled tours in 2011. But what is also very positive is the increasing demand we see for private, custom-made tours from companies, wine-tasting clubs and individual groups. In total we expect to do around 30 wine and food tours in 2011, a solid increase from the year before.”
The Bordeaux tour takes place Oct. 5 to 9; the Burgundy tour is from Oct. 19 to 23. Both include four nights’ accommodations and about 10 winery visits per tour. Rates are from about $1,760 and $1,592, respectively. Visit www.bkwinetours.com.