Truffle, Foie Gras and Wine Gourmet Tour

In the South West of France (Périgord)

February 13-17, 2008

Travel on this three day/four night all-inclusive luxury tour
with wine, truffles, foie gras and duck specialities;
staying at the exclusive Château des Vigiers chateau-hotel.

Click here for press pictures.

Have you always dreamed of going truffle hunting? Now you have the opportunity. Join us in February on this trip to the south west of France – le Sud-Ouest. We truffle hunt, learn how to make foie gras and, of course, taste a lot of good wines too.

We spend a morning truffle hunting with a truffle farmer and his dogs - a unique truffle safari! We look for the tuber melanosporum, also known as the Perigord Truffle (and sometimes called “the black diamond” because of its high price). After a morning’s hard work in the forest we enjoy a magnificent truffle lunch.

Another very special event on this tour is our duck workshop and lunch. We visit a duck farm and learn how to prepare and cook a foie gras de canard (duck liver - by many gastronomes considered finer than the goose liver) as in the traditional French cuisine. During lunch we enjoy tasting the different duck specialities of the farm.

The vineyard visits on this trip take in both the classical Bordeaux vineyards of Saint Emilion (with its charming medieval village) and the wineries in the Bergerac districts – one of the “undiscovered gems” in this part of France.

We stay at the magnificent Château des Vigiers – a 16th century chateau called “La Petite Versailles” – outside the village of Monestier, near the town of Bergerac. The chateau-hotel has been beautifully restored and also produces its own wine. The hotel has two restaurants.

This is the tour for you if you are looking for a vacation with France's culinary highlights!

Program

Wednesday February 13 – Arrival

Arrival at the Château des Vigiers.

Dinner at the chateau.

Thursday February 14 – Truffle hunt and wines from Bergerac

Truffle farm visit, where we learn everything there is to know about black truffles and truffle hunting. Our truffle expert, "the truffle hunter", will take us on an excursion to his truffle forest and show us how to find the delicious mushroom with his specially trained dog (truffle pigs are rarely used nowadays - the pig is a bit too gourmand...). Afterwards we enjoy a delicious truffle lunch where more or less every dish is made with truffle.

(In parenthesis we might add that the black Perigord truffle, that can also be found in Provence, the Rhone Valley and some parts of Italy, should not be confused with tuber aestivum, the Bourgogne truffle found in Burgundy in the autumn. The season for the black Perigord truffle is short - starting at the end of November and lasting only to the end of February - so bring your warm clothes.)

The afternoon is dedicated to discovering the wines of the Bergerac region.

We will learn about wine making and tradition in the Bergerac area where we visit a well known and very dynamic wine producer – part of the generation that has revived this exciting region.

Dinner at the brasserie « Le Chai » at Château de Vigiers.

Friday February 15- Bordeaux, Saint Emilion

We visit a selection of wine chateaux around St Emilion in this beautiful part of Bordeaux stopping for lunch at one of the chateaux. This part of Bordeaux is best known for its small family estates, often making outstanding classic Bordeaux wine. It is also home to some of the regions most expensive wines. We plan to visit three different chateaux.

Dinner at the gourmet restaurant « Les Fresques » at Château des Vigiers.

Saturday February 16 – Foie gras and more wine

As duck is a speciality in this part of France - it is cooked in many different ways. We visit a duck farm to learn how to prepare a foie gras de canard. We have a hands-on foie gras workshop in the kitchen (this is well adapted both to the genuine novice and to the expert chef). A mini-gastronomic cooking school course. We then have the opportunity to taste the different duck specialities of the farm for lunch: foie gras, terrine de foie gras, grilled duck breast, smoked duck breast …

The afternoon is spent with a small family wine grower, producing top quality wine. We tour the vineyard discussing the different steps that are required if you are to ensure that only truly high quality grapes are harvested in September. The quality of a wine starts in the vineyard. And we finish with a tasting of the wines in the cave, of course.

Farewell dinner at the brasserie « Le Chai » at Château des Vigiers.

Sunday February 17 – Departure

Departure after breakfast.

Program may be subject to minor modifications. Contact us for more information.

Facts

Date: February 13-17, 2008

Price: 1240 euro, all inclusive

Supplement for Deluxe Château room: 150 euro per person

Singe room supplement: 200 euro

Included in the price:

Not included in the price: Travel from your home location to Château des Vigiers

Getting there: Travel to Château des Vigiers at your leisure, arriving, at the latest, in time for dinner on the evening of February 13. The closest train station is Sainte Foy la Grande, a town that has excellent train connections with Bordeaux and Libourne. You will be picked up by mini bus at Sainte Foy la Grande. If you travel from the UK the nearby Bergerac airport is also an option. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any travel questions.

Tour organiser: Britt Karlsson, BKWine

Britt is of Swedish origin and based in Paris. She has worked in the wine world for 15 years specialising in wine education, wine journalism and wine tourism. Over this period she has organised over 100 wine tours. She has an extensive network of contacts in the wine regions and an excellent knowledge of recent developments. This unique experience and expertise is your guarantee that a wine tour with BKWine is an exceptional experience.

Small Groups: To maintain a personal welcome and ensure quality all our tours are limited to approximately 18 participants.

Book this trip

Please register for this trip not later than November 15, 2007.

Contact Britt Karlsson in Paris: +33-1 58 88 04 66 or +33-6 80 45 35 70 or by email info@bkwine.com.

Registration is confirmed by paying the registration fee of 200 euros (full payment details follow registration). Full payment is required at least one month before the departure date.

Important

We always travel in small groups. The maximum group is usually around 18. This is to ensure that our visits are of high quality and that we receive a personal welcome.

For this trip to take place, a minimum of 10 participants must be registered by the November 15, 2007. Check with us before booking your travel.

Customers travel independently to Chateau Vigiers but from there we take care of everything.

BKWine is a Swedish registered travel organiser. Travel guarantee to The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (“Kammarkollegiet”) in Sweden has been made according to Swedish and EU law.

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General info on all BKWine Wine Tours

Our wine guides are enthusiastic wine people with a thorough knowledge of h wine , local culture and gastronomy. Plus, of course, language because some of our visits are in the local language (these visits are often the most interesting ones actually!) which we are then happy to translate into English as required.

Our wine cellar tours are usually planned around a long weekend (Wednesday evening to Sunday morning) so that you can plan your holiday to include other activities, such as visiting cultural sites, golf – or why not drop in to a few more wineries while in the region (we’ll be glad to give you a few names of our preferred vineyards!).

From a gastronomic standpoint, our tours always include some gourmet highlights with local culinary specialities – we often plan at least one gourmet lunch at one of the wineries or vinyards we visit..

Plan your wine country vacation with BKWine and we guarantee you an unforgettable wine experience.

PS: We also do custom tours if you want to choose different dates or want something different.

BKWine AB
51, rue du Chevalier de la Barre
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France
Phone: +33 (0)6 80 45 35 70
email: info@bkwine.com
www.bkwine.com 

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