Marilyn Foster: The perfect pairing: Wine and Provence

You will have the opportunity to enjoy biking in the Burgundy vineyards.

You will have the opportunity to enjoy biking in the Burgundy vineyards.

For those who enjoy wine, gourmet food, and beautiful scenery of miles of vineyards while being spoiled on board a 4-star Emerald Cruise Lines longboat, read on!

The Chamber is offering a cruise for the oenophile — or would be oenophile — at a price that is truly affordable when you consider four wine experts from around the world will share the subtleties of their craft teaching you how to impress your family and friends back home. The professional sommelier won’t have anything on you after you learn from the best of the best.

You will enjoy wine-tasting and the experiences of British Master of Wine Tim Atkin who has been tasting and writing about wines from all over the world for the past 33 years.

D.J. Kearney, who lives in Vancouver, B.C. is a wine educator, writer, judge and a classically trained chef so she can give hints on what wines to pair with what foods. She trains professional sommeliers for the International Sommelier Guild and will train you as part of your experience.

Robin Stark is based in Southern California and is a longtime wine collector and enthusiast and as owner of Starkland Cellar Services provides management consulting to hundreds of restaurants and collectors throughout the country.

Andrea Pritzker is an independent wine consultant living in Australia and has earned a diploma in Wine Commerce in Bordeaux, France.

Departing on July 26, 2019 out of Reno, you’ll begin your wine journey in Arles, France – a UNESCO World Heritage Site — where you will embark the luxurious Emerald Liberte unpacking only once as you spend the next seven nights enjoying all meals and wines with many guided daytime touring options in this beautiful region.

You’ll be touring Arles, the famed spot of artist Vincent Van Gogh. Then on to beautiful Avignon, known as the City of Popes, where seven popes resided between 1309 and 1376 when this city was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Here you will take a walking hike through this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 5 finds you in Viviers, home of the oldest Cathedral in France. Day 6, you’ll take a walking tour of Tournon known for its vineyards, and you will walk through the vineyards with Pritzker. You can sign up for a guided bike tour to Glun, a commune of about 750.

Then it’s on to Lyon where after your tour of this ancient city, you will enjoy a dessert wine tasting masterclass.

No tour of Burgundy would be complete without a private wine tasting hosted by Kearney at the 12th, 14th, and 16th century Château de Meursault. Here are stored 2,000 barrels and over 800,000 bottle of this famed wine.

You will have the opportunity to work off any calories if you choose to take the bike tours – bikes are provided free — that will have you pedaling through some incredible vineyards, many of which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This region was honored in July 2015 by UNESCO because it is a model of local wine production shaped by 2,000 years of history and, today, the model for many winemakers. There’s opportunity to hike through the vineyards as well.

You fly into Nice and out of Lyon. If you wish to arrive earlier or stay later, that can be arranged for an extra fee. At present, there is free air for those who book prior to Jan. 31 if booking Category C or above. Those booking categories D and E on the Riviera Deck pay $395 per person for air. Be sure to check out the full itinerary and rates on the Carson City Chamber Travel Club page found on their home page under the Spotlights section.

Don’t miss out on this incredible journey to one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world.

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