Date: 22 - 26 March 2010

This superb tour stays in luxury hotels, and visits the great names of the Rhône, offering an excellent insight into the region and some fantastic gastronomic meals.

On the first day we will meet you in Lyons at our 4* hotel and dine at a nearby Bouchon for a traditional Lyonnais dining experience. The next day will be a master-class in Côte Rôtie and Condrieu with the guidance of an award winning journalist and expert on French wine, Stephen Brook. Our proposed visits are to Guigal's Château d’Ampuis in the morning, where Marcel
or Philippe Guigal hope to be with us and Georges Vernay in the afternoon. We lunch in Condrieu, where, their workload permitting, one of today's producers will join us at a local restaurant popular with the winemakers.

That evening we stay in the family-owned 4* Beau Rivage hotel in Condrieu and enjoy a Michelin * dinner in their restaurant with beautiful views of the Rhône river and the vineyards.

The next day is a sort of pilgrimage to the original kingdom of the Syrah / Shiraz grape. This morning we enjoy a fascinating tasting at Maison Chapoutier followed by a visit to one of the greatest of the Hermitage estates, Domaine Paul Jaboulet Ainé. We will then enjoy lunch at a Michelin * restaurant with Jaboulet Ainé's wines to accompany the menu.

In the afternoon we visit Domaine Clape, leading producer of the powerful Cornas and the Saint Peray white, for an informal tasting. The evening is free in the pretty town of Valence, our base for the rest of the tour. We are offering two choices of hotel here, a 3* or the famous 4* Pic. Valence is just south of Tain l'Hermitage and within striking distance of the Southern Rhône.

We have a day visiting the Southern Rhône. First, at Château St Côsme, we taste some of the best wines of the Gigondas Appellation then make our way to Châteauneuf-du-Pape to enjoy a light lunch at with côte de Rhône wines. We continue on for a tasting at Château de Beaucastel, one of the leading domaines in Châteauneuf du Pape. We return to Valence where this evening there is the opportunity to dine on the delicate feminine cuisine of Anne-Sophie Pic at the Pic's Relais Gourmand, Michelin*** restaurant.

The final morning's visit is to Alain Paret who owns vineyards in both St-Joseph and Condrieu (where actor Gérard Depardieu, a passionate wine-lover, is his partner). After this we take you up to Lyons for our final lunch at a Michelin* restaurant after which you can stay on in Lyons, or make your way home.