FAQ

What language is the tour conducted in?

All of our guides who conduct our tours speak English and French fluently.

Small group tours: The tour will be run in English. If there are also French speaking guests on the day the guide will give the explanations in both languages. Other languages are only available on private tours.

Private Tours: As well as English and French, we also have guides who speak Spanish, Portuguese and German however with a more limited availability. For tours in these languages an additional fee is applied, please contact us for more details.

Possible interpreter at additional fee.

Is transportation included in the tour?

Yes, transport for the duration of the tour in one of our luxury vehicles (Volkswagen Caravelle, Mercedes V Class, Mercedes ML) is provided. Your guide is the driver of the vehicle.

Can you pick me up from my hotel?

Small group tours: Meet your guide at the Maison Divia in Place Darcy Dijon to begin the tour, return back to Maison Divia at the end of the tour.

Private Tours: Pick up from your hotel or the station in Dijon, Beaune or surrounding zone (within a 20km area)

Do the tours include lunch?

Small group tours: No, lunch is not included. For the Passion full day you will have 2 hours free time in Beaune for lunch and other activities of your choice. If you would like some suggestions for lunch, feel free to ask us.

Private Tours: Lunch is not included except on the following tours:

Grands Crus, the Best of Burgundy

Burgundy Gourmet – lunch at the truffle hunters included (Michelin star lunch is an extra cost)

Do you have any hotel recommendation?

You can find all of our hotel suggestions at the link below, simply search the location (e.g. Dijon) and type of accommodation you require. If you need any help booking feel free to ask us.

When do I make the payment? Do I have to pay a deposit?

When you book online via our website you will be asked to provide your card details as a guarantee, but the card will not be charged. You can pay the full balance directly to your guide on the day of the tour by Visa, MasterCard or in cash (Euros).

N.B If you are a group of more than 8 people a deposit may be required (in order to confirm minibus hire, if required)

Can the tour date be changed if I have a sudden change with my traveling schedule? How early in advance should I notify you?

We will do our best to accommodate last minute changes, where possible, however it will depend on our availability.

For private tours the guide, wineries and lunch may charge cancellation fees.

Please read and take note of our cancellation policy for small group tours:

3 days or more before services: no charge

2 days before services: 50 %

1 day before service, the day of services or no show: 100% of the total amount due.

In case of late arrival by the client, Authentica will wait 10 minutes after the departure mentioned with the other participants. After 10 minutes, the booking is considered as a no show.

Can I choose which wineries I would like to visit?

Small group tours: With a small group tour we are unfortunately not able to guarantee specific wineries (unless they are already one of our partners and compatible with the itinerary and program). As there are other guests on the small group tour we need to be sure of the type of tasting the winery organizes, the quantity and quality of wines included, the type of welcome extended to guests, something which is impossible for us to know with wineries that we do not typically work with.

If you would like a customizable tour we suggest choosing a private tour as we can be more flexible with the wineries visited and the tour itinerary, based on your preferences. We can also arrange pickup and drop off at your hotel. You would have the vehicle and guide to yourselves (no other guests). You can find full details of private tours we offer here.

Private Tours: If you have a particular request, feel free to let us know. We will be more than happy to confirm if the estate is open to the public and if a visit can be organized on your date. We will let you know of possible extra fees for tasting charged by the estate.

How can I contact my tour guide?

If you need to reach the guide at any time, please call our main number 00 33 (0)6 87 01 43 78. A member of our team is available every day from 8am – 10pm (French time, CEST). It is much safer to call this number, as opposed to the guide, who may be driving (or with other clients) and unable to answer the phone. We can pass a message to the driver quickly and easily.

How much is a bottle of wine in Burgundy?

In Burgundy it is difficult to give an average price as it depends on the winemaker, the vineyards where the grapes come from and the vintage. To give you an idea we would say that you can find basic wines from 10 €, our village classification at about 20 € for 1er cru from 20 to 100 € and from Grand Cru the average is about 90 € and there is almost no limit.

Which estates/wineries will we visit on the tour?

We like small family-run estates typical of the region, up and coming winemakers, Pinot Noirs made by female winemakers, great Négociants and famous Burgundy wine houses when they offer wines at a reasonable price (ranging from 10 to 300 € per bottle).

We make all our arrangements with the wineries and wine cellars about 1 week in advance of our tours and we never arrive without appointment. We don’t know the places visited in advance but we can confirm a few days before the tour when all bookings are confirmed.

We visit both estates where wine is produced on site, where we can see the winemaking facilities and wine cellars, where although there is no wine production we can explore the traditional cellars housing ageing bottles and oak barrels.

Can we visit Domaine de la Romanée Conti ?

The famous wineries such as Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Leroy, Comte de Vogüe etc. have already pre-sold their wine to importers and clients around the world and therefore simply don’t have any wines to sell, let alone taste… Most of the “Big name” wineries are not open to the public.

It is possible to see the Domaine de la Romanée Conti estate from the outside and to see its vineyard plots up close.

The only way to taste these types of wines is for us to source them from official retailers.

Which Grands Crus will we visit/taste on the Grands Crus, Best of Burgundy tour?

We usually visit vineyards such as Echezeaux, Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Latricières-Chambertin or Bonnes Mares, Clos de Vougeot, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Corton-Renardes, Corton-Bressandes. We also usually add a Chablis Grand Cru to the tasting to have an overview of Burgundy Grand Crus. Some alternatives can be found according to the producers’ availability on your date.

What can I do in the free time in Beaune (small group Charm/Passion tours)?

The Passion tour includes 2 hours of free time in the pretty town of Beaune, Burgundy’s “wine capital”. The free time is usually from 1pm-3pm. We usually recommend allowing about 1 hour for lunch (just ask the restaurant to serve you quickly when you arrive) and 1 hour for other visits or activities of your choice, for example the Hospices de Beaune, an extra wine tasting, mustard tasting (closed Sunday)or to simply explore the town and its boutiques. Please note any free time activities are at your own cost.

We can recommend some excellent restaurants in Beaune which could serve you quickly (within 1 hour) and give you some time to explore Beaune afterwards:

The free time in Beaune for the Charm tour is from about 4.45pm-5.45pm.

If you are already staying in Beaune your guide can drop you off in one of the surrounding villages for the free time instead. For the full day Passion tour we can even book lunch at a winery for you (subject to availability – closed Sunday)

Can I join or leave the tour in Beaune?

Small group tours: All of our small group tours start and end in Dijon. You can reach Dijon from the town of Beaune by train, the journey takes about 20-30 minutes and a return ticket costs about 15 € per person.

Only with the Charm tour is it possible to leave the tour in Beaune at the free time.

Private Tours: We easily pick you up to Dijon (or nearby) & drop you off to Beaune at the end of the tour. Just let us know if you have pice of luggage to use a car or mini van with enought space in the trunck.

Can my children do the tour with me?

Of course children are welcome to join you in the tour. Depending on their age we will provide the driver with a booster or a baby car seat. Because French laws are really strict about child safety policy on the road, we need to have one of those when the child is under 12 years old. Child counts for one passenger in the car. You cannot hold it during the drive.

Small group tour: Under 12 years old the price for the child is 50% off of an adult price.

Private tour: Children are free of charge.