Showing posts with label Michelin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michelin. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2021

Organizing your wine tour - what can you expect?

  • We normally do smaller groups between 2-8 people, but on request we can also service bigger groups
  • For the transport we use a car or minibus. This gives you a lot of flexibility.
  • In the villages we will do walking tours. You have to be able to walk about 30-40 minutes per village.
  • On the wine tastings you will taste different kinds of grapes from the area but also compare the same grapes from different wineries
  • We know the winemakers and many chefs personally
  • We do NOT do the same wine tour every day, but make appointments and reservations especially for you !
  • That is why we sometimes cannot confirm a tour immediately. But we do respond in < 24 hours. 


  • You will taste and compare many grand cru's and premier cru's and in Italy: Super Tuscan, doc's and docg's
  • We will taste and discuss with you
  • For lunch or dinner  we go to the best local restaurants, Michelin starred if wished so
  • We can assist you in shipping your wines



Monday, January 28, 2019

The Alsace Grand Cru tours in 2019

The Alsace Grand Cru tours
The history of wine making in Alsace goes back to old Roman times. Castles dot the landscape, villages, churches, vineyards and wines, cuisine and traditions all make Alsace a unique and magical European experience.
Did you know that apart from Japan, the french Alsace region has the most Michelin * restaurants in the world? Did you know that there are recognised over 800 soil types in Alsace? Given the fact that most winemakers in Alsace make their wines in the wine field and not in the wine cellar that results in an enormous variety in smells and flavors. It also means that the wine year really make a difference.
Did you know that the great white grand cru wines often have an enormous aging potential?


On this tour you will find it all out ! We offer you the biggest names and visit wineries like Zind Humbrecht, Deiss,Trimbach, Hugel, etc.
You will visit the Confrerie St Etienne at the Chateau de Kientzheim with its history and with a wine cellar with over 65.000 bottles going back to the 1800's.
We have our lunches and dinners in the finest restaurants often Michelin starred.
The Alsace Grand Cru tour is your chance to visit and taste the very best Alsace has to offer.
What you will do and see
We will start with an introduction and overview. You will learn about the grand cru system. Understand what happens and what it means when winemakers are not allowed to irrigate their fields.
You will taste from dry to sweet; compare young and old.

Each day you will be in a different area. We will be in "bas rhin" in the north and "haut rhin" in the south, but because of the changing shape and presence of the Vosges mountains, there are a lot of different micro-climates within those areas. The micro climates all leave their trace and signature in the wines.
Our lunches and dinners
As stated we have selected some great restaurants. Apart from their rating in the Michelin guide they are also chosen for their location. On your tour we do not want to waste time on unnecessary driving. Wines during lunches and dinners are for your own expense, except for the last evening dinner where everything is included.


Who will be on the tour?
You will meet wine lovers that "know their wines" and also have been in other wine areas. But you will also meet "beginners" and people that want to get to know Alsace and its culinary highlights. Considering age: there will be  younger and older people from diferent backgrounds.
In other words the groups are mixed, but the thing everybody has in common is wanting to "wine and dine" on a high level, get to know the area and meet other people that also want to share that same experience.
Stay in a selection of fine hotels
Depending on the tour we sometimes choose one hotel for all our tour guests. On other tours we use three of the best hotels in Colmar that  are on walking distcance from each other. That means that you book the room(s) you want yourself.
The tour bus will always pick you up and drop you off at your place. On some evenings we can walk to the restaurant and back to the hotel.
Costs
The tour rate per person is: Euro 995,=
Once your Alsace Grand Cru Wine Tour begins you can relax knowing that the tour rate covers absolutely everything besides your hotel and breakfast expenses.
So: guides, all lunches and dinners, all tasting wines, excursions, all entrance fees, tasting fees, tips, taxes and gratuities are dealt with. Tipping is neither required nor expected.
Last but not least: you are not obliged to buy any wines on the tour but "if" you do, we can assist you in shipping those wines.


Résumée - Alsace Grand Cru tour from Colmar 

  • 4 nights, 3 tour days 
  • Exclusive touring: minimum of 4 couples or 8 people, maximum 8 couples or 16 people
  • Air conditioned mini-bus with driver 
  • 7 tastings, more than 60 wines, compare many grand cru's 
  • 3 lunches, 3 gourmet dinners (one with Michelin *) 
  • Stay in one of three of our preselected hotels in Colmar 
  • Tour rate per person: Euro 995,,=,  
    • including all tour transport, all tastings, 3 lunches, 3 dinners 
    • excl. hotel and breakfasts
  • We can assist you in shipping your wines 
  • Your tour host : drs. J. Pieter Smits

Please check our Event planning for available tour dates​ in 2019 and 2020.
For Alsace book here!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Lunch or dinner on our Alsace wine tours - maybe in Ammerschwihr?

One of the reasons we ended up in Alsace in 1999 and decided to live there permanently in 2003, is the great choice of good restaurants.
In France a healthy and beautiful plate is always important. And of course the search for matching wines is a pleasure.
In Alsace we find German cuisine, French cuisine and a melting pot between the two. There is a high number of Michelin * restaurants. This probably has to do with several factors, like the European parliament, Germany being close, tourism, etc..

In Ammerschwihr in the heart of the wine area an interesting place opened recently: Restaurant "Julien Binz". Chef is the former cook of "La rendez vous de Chasse" in Colmar. He is also known as the writer and editor of "Le Journal de Julien Binz" (for the dutch: the "Horeca Misset" of Alsace) about culinary news in Alsace.

Maybe it is his reputation, maybe he just has his publicity machine in order, but Binz was on France3 the other day.


Julien Binz opens his own restaurant in Ammerschwihr

We hope to try out this place soon. Passing the village often when wine touring, it might be the beginning of a delicious partnership.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Tuscany Michelin star ratings 2015

The Michelin star ratings 2015 highlight a full six freshly starred restaurants in Tuscany in red here.
The gourmet temples with two stars remain four: Valeria Piccini's Da Caino, Bracali in Massa Marittima, Arnolfo in Colle Val d'Elsa near Siena and Viareggio's Piccolo Principe, which gained its second star right in time for the season 2015.

Il Pellicano on the Monte Argentario coast lost one out of two Michelin trophies since its talented chef left the famous hotel to bring the kitchen of the Mandarin Oriental up to scratch in time for the opening of Milan's Expo 2015.



Tuscany's gourmet classification is still led by Florence' Enoteca Pinchiorri created by chef Annie Féolde - the sole Tuscan restaurant with three Michelin stars.

Valeria Piccini is coming close though from the south of the region with her Da Caino in Montemerano tightly holding on to two Michelin stars, whilst Winter Garden by Caino - her new culinary outpost at the St. Regis hotel in Florence - already gained its first.

source: Mapitout Tuscany

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Alsace has the most Michelin Stars in France.

Alsace has 26 Michelin-starred restaurants, the most Michelin Stars in France.

Photo: © 2015 Upper Rhine Valley

Our job is of course to try them all out.
Cheers!
 
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