Private Insider Wine & Gastronomy Experiences Hosted by Chef Marcus & Jamie Guiliano

Champagne & Burgundy Grand Cru Experience

Legendary Cellars – Family Producers – Grand Cru Vineyards – France’s Culinary Capital

Private custom travel also available for groups, families, and culinary clubs.

Chef-led insider travel

Hosted by Chef Marcus & Jamie Guiliano

Travel from the chalk cellars of Champagne to the legendary Grand Cru vineyards of Burgundy, then end in Lyon, one of the world’s great food cities, with award-winning hospitality professionals who have visited 400+ wineries across six countries.

Travel dates

Destination

Champagne, Burgundy & Lyon, France

Experience

Wine, Gastronomy & Culture
Chef-led insider travel

Champagne & Burgundy through people, flavor, and place

Champagne and Burgundy are among the most famous wine regions on earth, yet most travelers only scratch the surface, and that is exactly why we go deeper — past the famous labels and tasting rooms into the cellars, long lunches, and vineyard roads where Jamie and Marcus have built relationships with the families who make the wine. The stories worth hearing rarely happen in tasting rooms. They happen over dinner, in cellars, walking vineyard roads with producers, and around tables after everyone else has gone home.

What you’ll see

Champagne, Reims, Épernay, Dijon, Côte de Nuits, Beaune, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Lyon, and the hidden villages that make France feel personal, layered, and alive.

What you’ll feel

Family-grower Champagne, underground caves, Grand Cru vineyard roads, historic villages, chef-curated dining, private tastings, food markets, long lunches, small group access, and slow travel shaped by chef-led hospitality.

Private travel

Private Champagne & Burgundy journeys by request

Explore Champagne, Burgundy, and Lyon through a private journey tailored to your preferred dates, wineries, and culinary interests.

Private Journeys By Request
Design a Private Journey View Itinerary
Private journey pricing is quoted individually based on travel dates, group size, hotels, and producer availability.
Why VIP Winery Vacations is different

No giant buses. No tourism departments. No rushed tastings. No cookie-cutter itineraries.

Instead, family producers, personal introductions, chef-selected experiences, private meals, village discoveries, long lunches, and behind-the-scenes access. Because sometimes the owner becomes your guide.

Champagne — Chalk Cellars & Family Growers

Cities & Region

Growers & Houses

Burgundy & Lyon — Grand Cru Roads & France's Culinary Capital

Burgundy & Lyon Cities & Region

Houses & Cellars

Restaurants & Tables

CHEF-DRIVEN DINING, VINEYARD LUNCHES & LYON GASTRONOMY

Champagne and Burgundy are tasted slowly

Expect chef-driven meals, vineyard lunches, long afternoons, and culinary moments shaped by the people and traditions of Champagne, Burgundy, and Lyon — from grower cellars and Grand Cru roads to Lyon’s legendary food markets.

8-day immersive itinerary

A slower way through Champagne & Burgundy

Each day is built around the rhythm of place: Champagne’s chalk and caves, Burgundy’s Grand Cru roads and ancient cellars, and Lyon’s legendary food markets.

DAY 1

Into Champagne

Leave Paris behind and watch the landscape slowly transform. Rolling vineyards replace city streets, stone villages begin appearing, and the pace changes. Tonight, Champagne flows as friendships begin forming and the journey officially starts.

DAY 2

The Growers of Champagne

Most people know the giant Champagne houses. Very few discover the growers. Travel the vineyard roads around Épernay and Reims where Champagne becomes deeply personal — cellars, stories, quiet villages, and the people behind the wines.

DAY 3

Hidden Champagne

Explore Reims and Épernay before heading down roads most visitors never see. Small villages, back roads, and unexpected discoveries — the side of Champagne guidebooks rarely mention.

DAY 4

Burgundy Begins

Today we enter Burgundy. The conversation changes, the wines change, and obsession begins. Walk Dijon and discover why Burgundy has captivated wine lovers for centuries. Tonight, Burgundy officially begins.

DAY 5

Grand Cru Country

Drive roads you’ve spent years seeing on labels: Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Fixin. This is vineyard country — Grand Cru country — the kind of places collectors dream about. Lunch at Au Clos Napoléon slows everything down, exactly as Burgundy should.

DAY 6

Beaune, Markets & Cellars

Slow down. Burgundy deserves it. Explore Beaune through markets, underground cellars, and long lunches. Wine here isn’t rushed. Neither are we.

DAY 7

The Côte de Beaune

Today we go deeper. Smaller villages, smaller roads, unexpected discoveries: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay, Pommard. This is the Burgundy most travelers never find.

DAY 8

Lyon, France's Culinary Capital

Welcome to Lyon. For Chef Marcus, this is sacred territory. Walk Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse and experience one of the great food markets on earth — seafood, cheese, pastries, charcuterie. Tonight, one final dinner. One more bottle. One more story. One more toast.

Wines + Grapes to Expect

From grower-Champagne precision to powerful, terroir-driven Burgundy

Expect wines shaped by centuries of tradition and some of the most coveted vineyard land on earth.

Champagne

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier lead, with rare heritage grapes like Pinot Blanc, Arbane, and Petit Meslier. Expect Blanc de Blancs, structured Pinot Noir, and grower rosé across the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Bar, and Côte de Sézanne.

Burgundy

Pinot Noir is Burgundy’s soul — red cherry, raspberry, violets, earth, and finesse. Chardonnay reaches some of its highest expressions here, from razor-sharp Chablis to rich Côte de Beaune whites. Look also for bright Aligoté and food-friendly Gamay in the south, across Chablis, the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais, and Beaujolais.

Questions before Champagne & Burgundy

What airport should I fly into?
Arrive via Paris (CDG) and depart from Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS), or as advised in your trip details.
Transportation options are tailored to your private itinerary and confirmed in your proposal.
Absolutely. Whether you’re deeply into wine or simply curious, this experience is designed for all levels.
Moderate. Expect walking through vineyards, historic villages, underground cellars, and uneven cobblestone streets.
Yes. Please notify us in advance.
Yes. We assist guests with purchases whenever possible.

Group size is tailored to your private journey and confirmed with Marcus or Jamie.

Comfortable walking shoes, smart casual dinner attire, layers for cooler evenings, and room in your suitcase for discoveries.
Because we built this through relationships, not reservations. We don’t simply show you places. We introduce you to them.

Inquire About a Private Champagne & Burgundy Journey

Private Champagne and Burgundy journeys are designed around your group’s travel dates and interests. Tell us what you would love to experience, and Marcus or Jamie will follow up with options.

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Your details are used only to follow up about your Champagne & Burgundy private journey inquiry.