Tours
What level of knowledge do I need to get the most out of the holiday?
We cater to clients at all levels of wine tasting experience. Interest and enthusiasm is more important than technical knowledge. Our groups are small so there is plenty of opportunity for any novices to “catch up”” with the tour tutor. Each holiday starts with a refresher briefing on the Systematic Approach to Tasting – the method used by the world renowned Wine and Spirit Educational Trust. This ensures that all guests share a common language for tasting during the holiday.
What qualifications do you have to provide wine education courses?
I have been teaching and training for many years in my other life as a director of a media agency; have successfully run wine tasting courses in the UK; and I hold the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust’s highest qualification… the Diploma. I am an Associate of the Wine and Spirit Association and a WSET approved wine instructor.
What wine is included in the holiday?
We include a lot of fine wine in the cost of your holiday. All wines tasted during domaine visits; all wines tasted . . . and drunk . . . with meals at your accommodation (many bottles from my personal cellar); all wines selected by me to accompany restaurant meals.
Guests will taste up to 50 different wines in the course of a 3 night stay
Will I be able to buy wine, and have it shipped?
If you are coming to us by car then the only limit is the size of your boot! Unfortunately, plane travellers will struggle given hand luggage restrictions on liquids and hold luggage weight limits etc. We can however help with having your wine shipped door to door via our relationship with the Avignon franchise of the US shipping company “Mail Boxes etc”. We will provide you with full details on arrival.
What is the pace of the course?
In the design of our itineraries we aim to balance as many great tasting experiences and Domaine visits as possible, with ample opportunities for you to relax and enjoy your stay in Provence with us. We limit Domaine visits accordingly to 4 per day. These visits last about 90 minutes. Make sure you have some comfortable shoes. We have air conditioning and cool water in the car. There is no rush to the start of the day – we always make time for meals which are an important feature of your holiday. Our tour day commences around 9:30am after a leisurely breakfast. You will have time to wind down, take a dip in the plunge pool, take a stroll around the village or just chill at the end of each day before dinner.
If the tour is private or restricted to group coming together who are in agreement we are happy of course to flex the usual format to allow for more sightseeing time in place of domaine visits.
Accommodation
What will the weather be like?
This is a notoriously tricky one to answer. The weather can be extreme in Provence and can vary remarkably from one day to another. Having said that we do have clearly defined seasons. It will be very hot in the summer months and it will snow for a day or two in the winter months. You will find a roaring stove when it is cold and a shady trees to sit in during the summer heat.
How do I get to the accommodation?
Arriving by car on the A7 autoroute ( Autoroute de Soleil) exit at Junction 22. This will take you the eastern perimeter of the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. Follow the signs for Chateauneuf du Pape village and park up in the Parking des Arenes - address: 8 D68, 84230 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The car park is on the right hand side of the road as you climb up the ruins of the Papal palace. A quick call to our mobile (0033677884970 and Jude and I will come and fetch you. PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO VEHICULAR ACCESS TO THE PROPERTY - IT IS LOCATED IN VERY NARROW STREETS IN THE CENTRE OF THE VILLAGE. But you will not have far to walk from the car park and we will help you
For parties travelling together (4+ guests) arriving at a single location we can provide a pick up/drop off service using our own transport. Let us know in advance of your plans.
What meals are included?
This includes all breakfasts served at your accommodation, which will be typically french: bread, croissants, pastries, homemade conserves, local fruit, eggs and fruit juice. Lunches will either be at your accommodation, or at a restaurant en route to a Domaine or prepared for you by a winemaker. Evening meals will be at your accommodation or at one of our favourite restaurants. Cooled bottles of water, coffee, tea, etc. will be available throughout the day. Restaurant meals and wines will be selected by us in advance, so please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements and please read the answer below.
I have special dietary requirements, can you accommodate me?
As far as possible we will try to accommodate special dietary needs. But the food served is typical of the region and so to a certain extent is defined by the produce, lovely as it is, available. Also visiting local restaurants is an integral part of your holiday. Many French restaurants are famously incapable of understanding the concept of vegetarianism, but we can work around this. Please get in touch to talk about your dietary needs, so that you can enjoy your holiday. So if you are a vegetarian, or eat fish but not meat, or can’t eat shellfish, or are allergic to wheat, dairy, or gluten, please drop us a line when you are thinking of booking your holiday.
Is there wheelchair access at the accommodation ?
Unfortunately wheelchair access is extremely limited, as the property is a typical Provencal village house. It has been extensively re-configured in recent years and therefore steps and changes in level are an integral feature of the building. So we regret that we are not able to offer our holidays to wheelchair users.
Payment
What is included in the price of the holiday?
Your holiday price includes your accommodation, all breakfasts, lunches and meals at the accommodation as well as meals at restaurants mentioned in the detailed itineraries, tutored tastings and briefings, and guided tours of all domaines. You only need to bring cash for souvenirs and any wine purchases!
What is not included in the price of the holiday?
Transfers to and from the accommodation in Chateauneuf du Pape are not included in the total price. However, we can help with organising hire cars or taxis. For parties travelling together (4+ guests) arriving at a single location we can provide a pick up/drop off service using our own transport. Let us know your plans in advance.
At restaurants meals and wines are pre-selected carefully by ourselves though there is always a choice for each course, we are generous hosts! – If you wish to order additional wines or further drinks it will be at your own discretion/expense.
How can I pay?
The easiest way to pay the deposit is by Paypal or credit card on-line. We will supply the appropriate Paypal address. For balances we much prefer direct wire (bank transfer) with all bank charges paid by the purchaser. We will send you details of our bank account for this transaction. It is possible to pay the balance on-line via Paypal/card but we ask for a 2.5% supplement to share bank charges which often exceed 5% depending on type of card. There is no supplement charged for the deposit by Paypal/card
How can I contact you?
Contact us directly with any questions at:
email: rhonewineholidays@googlemail.com
mobile: + 33 675788497
What are the Terms & Conditions?
Deposit
To reserve your three night holiday we require a deposit of 300 euros per booking , payable at the time of booking. If booking is less than 40 days before the start date of the holiday payment must be made in full at the time of booking. The cost of the holiday is the price on the website at time of booking.
Deposit payment must be in euros by Paypal or credit card. Once you receive your confirmation e-mail your holiday is booked and the contract between yourselves and Rhone Wine Holidays comes into force. The client must notify the company within fourteen days if the confirmation email does not confirm accurately the client’s reservation. The contract between the company and the client and any matters arising from it are subject to French law.
Payment of balance
The outstanding balance between the deposit and the full cost of the holiday must be paid 40 days or more prior to the start of the holiday. Payment by bank transfer ( see above) or by card/Paypal with a 2.5% supplement. Cash is an alternative. We will supply our full bank details prior to the 40 day due date.
Alterations by you
Where possible we will try to accommodate any changes you wish to make in your booking. But please see below regarding cancellations.
Alterations by us
We have carefully organised our holidays but from time to time it may be necessary to alter certain aspects such as restaurants or domains visited. In this case we will find other suitable alternatives of comparable standard and so we reserve the right to make certain changes to the itinerary of our holidays without notice. However we will try to inform you of minor changes before your holiday starts.
Liability
We want you to have a safe and enjoyable holiday with us and will endeavour to do what we can to that end. Rhone Wine Holidays is a SARL, a limited liability company subject to the laws of France. Our legal liability extends to us using reasonable skill and care in the provision of services and facilities and to being appropriately and adequately insured and controlled according to the laws of France.
Important
Cancellation by you
If we receive notification from you or one of your party cancelling your booking more than 60 days before the start date of the holiday, the relevant deposit paid will be returned to you less an administration charge of 50 euros per booking. Cancellation by you after the balance has been paid at 40 days prior forfeits 50% of the balance paid. If you cancel within 10 days of arrival we retain 100% of the balance paid. We need to impose this as our tours require considerable advance organization ( securing private appointments with vignerons).
Cancellation by us
We reserve the right to cancel your holiday although this will only happen in extremely rare and unavoidable circumstances. Should this happen, we will notify you as soon as possible and give you the option of booking any other available holiday with us, or a full refund. We do not have a policy of cancelling holidays due to low bookings.
Insurance
In the event of a cancellation made by either party, we will not be liable for any other costs beyond the cost of the holiday incurred or arising from that cancellation and we very strongly advise you to obtain travel and cancellation insurance. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid travel and medical insurance