#174 Le Clubs Travels - 9 days, 9 wine regions

In this episode, we'll tell you all about our nine-day summer vacation, during which we visited nine wine regions. You can read and hear more about it below—and in podcast 174.

Day 0: Reims

Actually, this stop doesn't count, because we won't arrive until around two in the morning. We'll have one more glass of champagne—it's a holiday, after all—and then go to bed. Early the next morning, we'll head to Beaune!

We drank Roger Manceaux Blanc de Blancs, Le Club's house champagne.

Day 1: Haut les Mains (Beaune)

It wasn't easy for everyone to get up early, but Le Clubs Travels has a schedule, and everyone has to stick to it. We have to hurry so we arrive on time at Haut les Mains, our favorite wine cellar in Burgundy. I wrote a detailed article about it last year.

Favorites at the fair:

• Chantereves (red jumped out)
• Phelan Farm by Rajat Parr
• Le Grappin ( I wrote about this before )
• Louis-Auguste Duband (juicy, energetic red)
• Wasenhaus (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Baden; available at Rieslinghuis)
• Laisse Tomber (strong Mercurey)
• Marthe Henry Boillot, Meursault (via Bolomey)

In the evening, we settled into L'Alentour in the heart of Beaune. Modern cuisine with lots of vegetables, a nice (though less classic) wine list, and friendly service. Jean Fournier's Marsannay was a hit. The tuna pairing with Olivier Horiot's Rosé des Riceys was fantastic.

We sleep in Hotel Alfred Beaune (city center, excellent rooms, highly recommended). In the living room downstairs, we share a bottle of Rajat Parr Champagne: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger . We're totally in the holiday mood now.

Day 2: Beaune → Chagny → Dracy

I've noticed that Beaune has become a lot more trendy. There's even good coffee, which is rare in France. Two tips: Zânta and Crème. These two serve as specialty coffee shops during the day and wine bars in the evening. At Zanta, we even spotted Raveneau Petit Chablis on the menu for a reasonable price. It was still early, so we decided to stick to coffee for now.

After that, we left the Côte d'Or, but not before making a quick pit stop at the Montrachet vineyards. JJ ran, while the rest of the group took the car. We gathered back in Chagny at Aaron Ayscough's new hangout: Cave du Centre . A nice, cozy bar with two benches in the façade, where you can relax and contemplate the next Burgundy to try. It ended up being the Saint Aubin from Vin Noé.

Be warned, Aaron is the ultimate natural wine fan. He's even written a book about it and isn't afraid of a bit of mousiness. Natural wine or not, the Saint-Aubin was a hit.

We stayed at Le Dracy (Dracy-le-Fort). It's understandable if you've never heard of it. It's a tiny village in the Cote Chalonnaise. The hotel felt a bit dated, but the wine list made up for it. Jean-Claude Ramonet's Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru was on the menu for a fraction of the Dutch retail price. We jumped at the chance – a memorable bottle, a memorable evening!

More tips? A wine fan in Burgundy .

Days 3–5: Beaujolais

The next day we have to move on again, because we're going to Beaujolais. We're actually repeating last year's trip. We're staying at the same B&B as last year: B&B De la Chambre au Jardin (beautiful rooms, lovely garden, and small pool) and lunch at Ephemère, a pop-up restaurant in the heart of the Vauxrenard vineyards. So idyllic.

We'll be staying here for three days, enjoying the wines we bought at Aaron's and at Haut les Mains. We'll also be delving into the local wines, of course. We did this primarily at the local wine bar: XVIII sur Vins by Céleste. All the Beaujolais classics are here.

On the last day, lunch is scheduled at Domaine Lachat in Régnié. We'll be running (part of the way there). It's quite a climb; Beaujolais is quite undulating. But hey, drinking that much wine takes a bit of effort.

Domaine Lachat is owned by a Dutch couple, and our friend Veerle also works there and invited us for lunch. Every Thursday, they host a cozy table d'hôtes with guests from the gîtes (they also rent out cottages on the estate). We were offered several wines, and the Régnié 2021 (from a magnum) stood out for its sleek style. We took a few home with us – so we'll be able to taste them at Vindict soon.

More tips? A wine fan in Beaujolais .

Day 5-6: Jura (Arbois)

JJ had never been to Alsace, so we decided to go there too. It's always further than you think, so we decided to make a pit stop in Arbois. A charming village, not very big. Everything you need can be found in and around the square, including the shop. André & Mireille / Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot.

If you're in the area, the best place to eat is Le Circus. We'd heard about this restaurant several times, but we were too late to make a reservation. We ended up at Le Comptoir. It was fine, but nothing special.

Day 6-7-8: Alsace (Gueberschwihr)

In Alsace, we stayed at Hotel Terravinum, a brand-new hotel nestled in the heart of the vineyards. A great place to unwind from all that bacchanal.

At the same time, we couldn't resist sampling some of the region. We found a great opportunity at Le Cercle des Arômes in Colmar, where they serve regional legends (Zind Humbrecht, Marcel Deiss, Trimbach, etc.) by the glass on Coravin. The service left a bit to be desired, but it's still worth a visit.

After three days in Alsace, we started our journey home. Along the way, we made a pit stop in Deidesheim (Palatinate) for a giant schnitzel and a glass of crisp Riesling.

More tips? A wine fan in Alsace .

Day 9: Ahr

Our last overnight stay was in the Ahr Valley, at the classic Hotel Hohenzollern. There we enjoyed a glass of Künstler Riesling on the terrace overlooking the vineyards. A lovely ending to an intensive but delightful wine trip.

More tips? A wine fan in Ahr .