© S. Peter Smith, 1997
Maybe the earliest since ……?
By the time you read this we will be watching over the gathering of this year's harvest in Burgundy - or we might be in Bordeaux's Harvest by now if we're not in the Rhone or Chateauneuf. This year's harvest may be one of the earliest in many years, and hopefully one of the best also!
I was just in California for a brief visit. What a difference between Orange County in August and France's countryside in September! I love them both: the energy of the States is invigorating, and the relaxed culture and lifestyle of rural France is the perfect complement.
Yes, I love my work - but our guests are what really makes it exceptional. We do things on our tours that others can't, because the winemakers know that our guests are worth the effort. This is what makes a tour great, especially when we have a Wine Club staff member along to add to the knowledge base.
Many of The Wine Club's customers have already partaken of the hedonistic pleasures we have come to expect on our tours. Many more are going to be joining us this fall, several for a repeat visit.
As I passed through Burgundy in the first week of September I was firming up several new additions to our itinerary - mostly growers who don't often accept visits, and therefore can't be mentioned here. (If you want to know who, call Avalon Tours for the itinerary; I'm sure you'll be looking for the first plane out to France!)
You may be missing Jeff Cochran by now if you're a Santa Clara Wine Club customer. Jeff was the lucky recipient of the Wine Club Employee spot on the September Bordeaux tour. He is probably enjoying a 6 course, 12 wine lunch at the Confrerie of St. Emilion right now!
Erin Giambalvo is the representative from the Santa Ana Wine Club Store scheduled to come out in October, and he's just as excited as Jeff.
Who's coming to Burgundy for the cream of the fall's tours? Our more experienced past guests have already signed up for this really special trip, so call us now to secure your place!
If you've been on a tour, thanks for letting us share a little of France with you - if you haven't been yet, try it: we think you'll really like it - ask those who've been!