“ We want to thank you for the wonderful tour. We had such a memorable experience thanks to your knowledge and kindness. We have been seeking out Burgundy wines wherever we go, but nothing can compare to the tastings with the growers we visited with you. We are already planning our next trip. ”

Leah Berg and John Brown, Alaska, USA

Here is a quick summary about our tours and answers to frequent questions. For full information on our tours please click on Wine Tasting Tours and Cooking, Food & Wine on the top bar.

Who is Burgundy Discovery? Burgundy Discovery was founded and is run by David and Lynne Hammond, an English couple who moved to France permanently in early 2003 and started their business at that time. David and Lynne are knowledgeable, passionate and enthusiastic about Burgundy’s wine, food and lifestyle. What do you do? We offer personal, small group guided wine tasting tours (maximum of eight people) in English to carefully selected winegrowers and cellars in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise. We offer one, two and three day tours to the family-owned Domaines that are typical of Burgundy. We also offer a hands-on Cooking Class of Burgundy dishes. What level are your tours aimed at? Our tours are informative, informal and fun. They are for everyone who enjoys wine. Our guests have included winegrowers from other countries, wine collectors, WSET students and, most frequently, people who simply enjoy wine and want a personal, informative and informal experience of Burgundy.

What is included in a typical day tour?

•  Informative commentary, in English, on Burgundy wine from David and Lynne Hammond, founders of Burgundy Discovery
•  Guided visits to three winegrowers, meet the grower (including some great Burgundy characters), tour the cellars and taste the wines
•  Taste around 15-20 excellent regional, village and premier cru wines from the bottle and, where possible, barrel
•  Drive through Burgundy’s famous wine villages and vineyards with stops to take a close look at the vines and to take those all-important photographs.
•  Excellent 3-course lunch, with wine, in local highly regarded restaurants famous for their typical Burgundy cuisine.
•  Personal information pack, with tasting sheets
•  Pick up and return to your accommodation in or near Beaune, the wine “capital” of Burgundy or from Beaune station on the day of your tour.
•  Chauffeured throughout in our air conditioned Land Rover Discovery 3
•  Groups limited to a maximum of eight people for the personal touch

Our two and three day tours follow a similar format and provide an opportunity to tour and taste wines from either the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and/or Côte Chalonnaise wine areas of Burgundy. On our two-day tours we visit six winegrowers and taste around 30-35 wines and on our three-day tour we visit nine winegrowers and taste up to 45-50 wines. When do your tours run? We run our tours any day of the week except Sundays and French Public Holidays. The family winegrowers we visit close on these days preferring to keep them family days as is common throughout France. The Christmas and New Year period is also a very quiet time in Burgundy with many winegrowers, restaurants and some hotels closed. Consequently we do not run our tours from early December through to the second week in January. Advance reservation is essential and we recommend early booking as we often become full on a number of days some time in advance, particularly between May and October.

How much do your tours cost?

Our tours start at 185 Euro per person for our one day Classic Wine Tour. For full price information please click here or on Wine Tasting Tours on the top bar.

What are your terms and conditions? Since we began in 2003 we have always worked on the principle of mutual trust. We do not require a deposit at the time of booking and we ask our guests to pay us in Euro cash or Euro cheque drawn on a French bank on the day of the tour. For multi-day and/or multi-people tours we are pleased to accept Mastercard or Visa. We are unable to accept Travellers Cheques. Consequently, for people paying by cash we do not charge a fee in the unlikely event of cancellation. For credit card payments we process the charge in full 7 days before a tour after which we cannot offer a refund. We strongly advise all our guests to take out appropriate cancellation, medical and accident insurance before any trip abroad. For European Union residents the EHIC card offers free reciprocal medical care throughout the EU. Burgundy Discovery is a French registered business and holds public liability and motor insurance required under French law. Please note that it is a legal requirement in France for ALL car passengers to wear a seat belt. Many of the cellars we visit are centuries-old and have, naturally, been built to the conditions of the time and with the materials of the era. Many have seep steps, low beams, uneven floors and are humid even in summer. Visiting these cellars is part of the ambiance and charm of Burgundy and we ask all guests to take extra care when moving through or tasting in these ancient, but working cellars. We trust our guests understand that neither Burgundy Discovery nor the winegrower can be held responsible for any mishap while in the cellars.

How do you select which winegrowers to visit?

There are around 4,500 winegrowers in Burgundy and we specialise in visiting the small, independent family growers typical to the region.

Since we started in 2003 we have built a network, and strong relationships, with around 20 growers each different, but making excellent wine with great passion. The growers we visit are working wineries and the business of winemaking often goes on around us and many rarely receive the casual visitor. We make advance appointments with all the growers, and our choice is based on the type of tour we are running, the opportunity to taste as many different Appellations as possible, the different characters and style of cellars along with the availability of particular growers on any given day.

It is our business ethos not to receive any commissions from the growers we visit (or from restaurants we take our guests) as we believe, and our guests feedback that, the strong, friendly relationships we have with our winegrowers is an integral part of our tour. We are proud to call many of the growers we visit our friends.

What should I wear on a tour?

We visit, and often taste in, centuries old cellars. These can be chilly even in summer so we suggest that you bring a sweater in summer and a coat at other times of the year. We visit working cellars and the business of winemaking goes on around us. We recommend jeans and trainers or strong shoes as the floors are often uneven and can sometimes be damp and conditions humid. Weather-permitting we also stop in, and where possible, walk into the vineyards. Casual wear is the norm in Burgundy and is quite acceptable in the restaurants we visit at lunch.

Are your tours suitable for children?

We have found from experience that our days are really adult wine-tasting days. We are visiting working wineries often attached to the winegrowers private family home and it is difficult for parents and children to enjoy the day.

Can I bring my dog on your tour?

As animal lovers ourselves we are sorry to say no. We have to consider our other guests who may not be comfortable sharing the car with a dog. We often visit winegrowers that have a dog themselves who may be reluctant to let another dog into their cellars.

Is there any mobility restrictions for people wishing to take the tour?

The cellars we visit are often centuries old and accessed by stone steps with uneven floors. We try to be flexible in creating an enjoyable day for people who do have some difficulty in getting around but unfortunately, as in much of France, old buildings have not been built with wheel-chair access in mind.

“Can I be picked up from my hotel?”

Our tours are centred around Beaune which is in the heart, and is the “capital” of, the Burgundy wine area. We are pleased to pick up guests free of charge from any hotel, B&B or other accommodation in or within 15km (10 miles) of Beaune. We are also pleased to pick up guests in Autun who are taking our Cooking Class

It may be possible to pick up guests staying further afield but this does depend on our routing for the day, and where other guests are staying. We may have to make an extra charge for this, but please check when reserving your tour.

We are also pleased to pick up guests from Beaune station who are travelling down from Paris on the early morning train to take our tour.

We can also meet guests, who have their own car and are travelling from further afield, at a suitable parking area on the edge of Beaune where they can leave their car safely all day.

How can I find out more information or book a tour?

Please click on Classic Tour Programme or Exceptional Experience Tour Programme, email david@burgundydiscovery.com or call 00 33 (0) 3 85 49 51 34 with any questions you may have or for availability.

Click on Prices and Reservations and/or Contact.

Do your tours include accommodation?? No. We’ve found that our guests prefer to make their own arrangements to fit in with their schedule and budget. We are very happy to email suggested places to stay in and around Beaune and there are a large number of places on the Links page of our web site. We have personally visited everywhere we recommend. Will I still enjoy the lunches if I have special dietary requirements? We certainly hope so. Please let us know at time of booking so that we can select the best restaurant option for your tour. All the restaurants we visit can offer a vegetarian meal.

Can I buy the wine tasted? Yes. Some of the Domaines we visit sell direct, while others sell their wines through a wine merchant in Meursault whom we visit. Shipping can be arranged from many of the Domaines or through the merchant to most countries in the world including USA, Australia and all of Europe. How can I found out what others think of a Burgundy Discovery Wine Tour? Click on Guest Feedback on the top bar, visit www.tripadvisor.com and www.fodors.com where we have received many positive postings from happy guests.