At the restaurant we went to in Beaune I asked what wine would go with the delicious meal, “this is from a small local vineyard, you’ll see it when you walk past the end of this road” I was told. “It goes perfectly with these ceps that chef picked this morning on his way to work”. It’s that attention to detail and enthusiasm to share that enhances the gastronomic experience.
The rep recommended Le Péché Mignon (the Cute Sin), Agencourt, near Dijon. With bucket loads of eateries oozing kerb appeal, this one stood out as it was rather muted. “Don’t be fooled” said the rep and I was amazed to find the chef was Michelin star, the menu was crazy cheap and the food was outstanding. The chef’s son came over and told me “the wine comes from a domaine about 10km away, the vintner is a good friend of my mothers and it is perfect with this meal". They only serve organic and seasonal” and utterly lush.
Go off piste or stick to the map. Stop when you feel like it and enjoy a day off in a town like Beaune or Dijon, built into the itinerary so you can relax. There are so many restaurants, wine cellars and shops doing wine tastings that the only difficulty for wine loving foodies would be what to pick. But that’s not an issue, Headwater have done all the work! They book the restaurant and even pick a menu selection so you can be sure to have a taste of the finest and most authentic Burgudian cuisine.
If you take your car, leave it at the first hotel and you’ll end up back there to collect it. I took the train from Paris (with Voyages-SNCF.com), about an hour and a half by high speed TGV and was met by the rep.
The support is unobtrusive, you can have more or less help as you want and it’s a flexible way of taking a holiday without the hassle of having to spend hours organising every detail.
The bikes are top quality, hand-made or electric bikes which you pedal but which give you a bit of extra va va voom when you want it.
A brilliant way to tour...