We are just returned from two weeks in France which started with a week in Burgundy. During our stay, we did two different wine tasting tours, both of which we enjoyed. I wanted to leave this post because of the difference in cost between the two. First, we did a day long tour with Max Renau, who is relatively new to the business. He can be found at www.dijon-rentalhome.com, or through his wife's email, beatricerenau@aol.com. Max is a native of Burgundy and very knowledgeable about wines. He took us to three vineyards, a fabulous lunch, and a tour of the Hospices de Beaune and Clos de Vougeot as well. There were four of us on the tour (I think his limit is six), and the cost was 50 euros apiece plus lunch. Max got into this business because he also rents apartments in Dijon, and he initially started putting together tours for his rental clients. His English is excellent, and he is warm, sociable, and flexible about timing, locations, activities, etc. All in all, could not have been better.
Our second tour, two days later, was with Burgundy Discovery -- www.burgundydiscovery.com. David and Lynne have been in the business for a few years, and they give an excellent tour. We did their Grand Tour, which included tastings at three vineyards and another wonderful lunch. The tastings were more elaborate than the ones Max put together (five or six wines instead of three or four), and the vineyards were a little more high end. David and Lynne are both very knowledgeable, and English is their first language. There were six of us on this trip as well -- again, that is the maximum number. By the way, we structured the tours this way for a specific reason: We were arriving in Burgundy a day ahead of our travelling companions and were staying in Dijon because the train connection was easier. We are also more interested in wine than our friends, so we thought we would take advantage of the extra day to do a little more touring. We originally asked David and Lynne about picking us up in Dijon, but they were unable to do so -- which is why we ended up contacting Max. He picked us up at one hotel in Dijon and dropped us off at another closer to Beaune later in the afternoon. In our opinion, his operation is a little more user-friendly than Burgundy Discovery.
Anyway, the cost of the Burgundy Discovery tour was 200 euros apiece -- quite a substantial difference. I am not making any judgment about whether Burgundy Discovery was worth the premium -- just saying that we really enjoyed both tours. Those with financial considerations should think about contacting Max for sure.
