While you are embarking on a wine tour, you are also going to plunge into a real French Culinary journey, as the best way to experience wine is with good food.

I typically stay away from starred restaurant, as I specialize in very very good restaurants that are more convivial and accommodating to my necessities than the ones that Michelin celebrates. While Michelin starred restaurants are in the guide, It takes me a lot of research in the field, to find the alternatives that will be able to deal with my standards, but I believe that in the end you will be really happy to dine in these less known but possibly more enjoyable restaurants, that take equal pride in what they serve, and in which you more likely to be surrounded by genuine locals.



GENERALITIES:

* If you have any food dietary or juste taste restrictions, please let me know before booking. I will encourage though about stepping out of your comfort zone, as traveling is about discovering other horizons, their cultures and food, and as has happened before, you may be thankful to discover unusual dishes, that could at first sound unappealing to you.

* Other than that, I fix the menus, typically ahead of time with the chefs or restaurant owners.

* I find important that everybody eat the same (save for dietary restrictions when manageable) as this provides a common experience that we may all discuss all tour long. It is one of the benefits of such a tour, that the others may add to the experience with their comments and analysis. This is especially true for instance about food and wine pairing. For these reason, as well as because a journey like the one you are going to embark in, is a perfect opportunity to explore, I suggest that you open your mind to foods that you otherwise would not consider, understanding that when I plan to serve a dish that could be "controversial" (oysters, andouillette, foie gras, escargots, for instance) I always give a choice ahead of time. There is one exception in this tour though, it is the day in Arcachon/Cap Ferret. Lunch there is almost strictly raw oysters with bread, butter, lemon, pepper. It is possible to get cocktail type of shrimp and paté, but really you don't go to this oyster shack for anything but oysters. It is possible on this day though, for you to go to a regular restaurant on your own, as we walk pass one, and I could make a reservation for you there if need be.

* I also have to decide what we are all going to eat in order to pair the wines accordingly. In essence the tour is a roughly 2 weeks long wine dinner.

* Since I know in advance where we are going to eat and what we could eat there, I am choosing dishes also in function of what the restaurant where we eat may have that is exceptional or uncommon, as well as seeking a diversity in the dishes along the duration of the tour.

* I will bring the wines for all our meals everywhere we go, save for a few meals in Paris possibly, notably on the Eiffel Tower. This is because we want to be able to taste the wines from the tour's producers as often and in as many different situations as possible. This means that I have to convince the restaurants that they are not going to sell us wine. This is the most difficult thing I do, but it helps that I speak their language, literally and figuratively.


At this point if you have any doubt or concern, you may certainly ask me any question you have. You may also want then to read this review, as I think it summarizes very well, what I try to accomplish and how somebody with slight concerns experienced it.




BREAKFAST:

* Breakfast is provided and included in this tour in Bordeaux and Paris.

* Please note that this tour has meals that are able to satisfy most people's appetite, and beyond actually. So breakfast is the easiest meal to skip in order to maintain a semblance of not overly indulgent diet. While the rumor is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, fasting a little bit here and there, also has healthy benefits, and if nothing else, I know that it helps looking forward to lunch.




LUNCH:

* All lunches are included in this tour, save for the free day in Paris on June 25, unless you are touring Paris with me.

* Lunches are typically 3 courses meals or more. I try for lunches to be the main meal of the day, especially when they are prepared by the wine makers, but in this tour it varies in function of the opportunities.




DINNER:

* All dinners are included in this tour, save for the free day in Paris on June 25, unless you are touring Paris with me or meeting us for dinner.

* As a general rule, dinners will tend to be lighter than lunches, but there will be quite a few exceptions, notably Paris.

* I am very proud of the restaurants we go to in Paris, and where I am able to keep serving the wines from the tour. These are formidable restaurant that will provide you with a fantastic experience of Paris' culinary scene.


All this means that you might want to go on a diet 2 to 4 weeks before the tour! 😮