GRAPE ESCAPES – BUDGET WINE TASTING TOURS
Wine Tasting Tours, Holidays and Trips
Grape Escapes is a specialist European wine tour operator, offering a broad range of wine tasting tours and trips to the vineyards in the main French wine regions: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Rhône and The Loire and selected regions in Spain and Italy.
The Budget Breaks
Introduced in January 2009 in response to the effects of the Credit Crunch, our budget tours have proved very popular. Whilst these packages don’t offer the incredible dining experiences, the fantastic personalities of the Champagne and wine makers and the very wide range of Champagnes and wines that we taste on our other tours, they do include the opportunity to visit both a family run and a prestigious Champagne House / winery together with a wine / Champagne tasting lunch or dinner.
This year, we are delighted to offer budget tours in Burgundy and Bordeaux as well as Champagne. In order to keep the costs low on these tours, part of the trip will usually include walking to some of the local visits and a pick up from a central location for the transported part of the tour.
The Itinerary
In Champagne, you could choose to stay in the historical Reims or the prestigious town of Epernay, home of the famous Avenue de Champagne, where some of the grandest Houses can be found. If you chose to stay in one of the four 2-3* hotels in Epernay for example, your Budget tour would allow you to have free time on your day of arrival to explore the town and acquaint yourself with your surroundings. To get into the Champagne-tasting mood, a tasting session would be arranged in a cosy Champagne bar. Here, you would taste three different types of wines from family-run estate and the wine would be accompanied by a selection of cheeses and meats. Each of the Champagnes that you taste can be purchased from the extensive collection in the cellar.
On day two, you would meet your English-speaking guide in the morning, who would accompany you on a half day transported tour in the vineyards. This tour would include a look at several vineyards (with the possibility of getting your hands dirty taking part in seasonal activities!) and a visit to a small, family-run Champagne House for a tour of the fascinating Champagne-making process and tastings of at least two Champagnes.
A three course lunch (or dinner) would then be served in a premium restaurant in the town centre, where each course is accompanied by a different single varietal Champagne (one glass of Champagne made from just Pinot Meunier, one glass of Champagne made from just Pinot Noir and one glass of Champagne made from just Chardonnay).
Ending the day in style, you would visit one of Epernay’s prestigious Champagne Houses for a tour of the estate and tastings of at least two of their Champagnes. Options include Moët and Chandon and Mercier.
Details, Dates and Prices
For further information about our Budget Breaks in Champagne, please see our Budget Champagne Breaks page and prices can be found on the Dates and Prices page.
Other Champagne Tasting Tours
We also arrange many private wine tasting tours for individuals, groups and corporate clients. So, if the Premium tours are not exactly what you are looking for, please give us a ring on 08456 430 860, or email us at info@grapeescapes.net to arrange your perfect Wine Tasting Tour.