Welcome to Avalon Wine Tours GuestbookThank you for visiting our pages. Please sign our guestbook!Back to Avalon's Home Page Read other people's comments:Holly & Peter, Well, we had a wonderful trip in the Southern Rhone and Mike was a fabulous guide! Our lunch at Le Grand Pre was the best meal I’ve ever had!! We ate at a couple of nice restaurants in Paris which I’ll share with you when I find my book under all the stuff we brought back! Bev Perry November 30, 2007 at 10:33 PM (PST)
Hi Peter, James and I would like to thank you and Lin for setting up a wonderful two weeks in France. We thoroughly enjoyed your guidance and company through Chablis and Burgundy, even though I was a bit of a light weight on wine tasting. You certainly have a wealth of knowledge about wine and strong contacts in the wine region. Mike was also an excellent guide and very knowledgeable as well.
All of the hotels were a great choice with beautiful locations and very luxurious accommodations and meals.
We both agree that it was our best vacation to date (as you know we travel every year).
Dear Peter, We just recently returned from our journey in Europe and I want to tell you how much we enjoyed our excursion through Avignon and the wine country. It was a wonderful day and Hans was a big part of that. He was highly professional and yet responded to all of our questions about life in France. We learned a great deal from him and he enhanced the experience of our travels. (We had never been to Europe before.) We also want to tell you how special Beaucastel was for us. Fabrice was incredible as he explained the entire philosophy of the vine and what we come to call wine. We were engaged throughout his presentation.
We so appreciate the tour and service that you arranged for us.
Peter, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your efforts setting up our recent 2-day visit to the Priorat region. Cindy and I have just come back from our 2-week trip in Northeast Spain, and we are still feeling the glow. The two days we spent with Rachel as our guide in the Priorat region were the highlight of the trip. Rachel is a bright, energetic individual who did a superb job setting up our visits and translating for us during our winery tours. She is very interested in the history of the area, and she is clearly networking with food and wine leaders in the area. We could clearly never have had this kind of trip without the language skills and connections of someone from this area. It was fantastic. We enjoyed all of our winery visits, but the most thrilling interactions were at Rotllan Torra (Jordi and Albert Rotllan Torra were both fascinating and clearly making outstanding wine), Cims de Porrera (wonderful barrel tastings with the winemaker), Scala Dei, and Rosa Bartholome. At Scala Dei we met an absolutely fascinating gentleman, Fernando Miro Rosello, who has been making wines in the Priorat region since the mid-70's. He is extraordinarily passionate about wine, and he related in an open, honest, and heartfelt manner his difficulties in producing the wines of his dreams (e.g. financial issues, current control by a large conglomerate, etc.). His first vintage was in 1974 and he related how that wine (100% old-vine Carinena) was initially very coarse and undrinkable, but is now singing beautifully. He indicated that he is holding onto the few bottles he has left even though offers of up to $1800 per bottle have been made to him. Yet at the end of our wonderful visit with him (approximately 3-hours of bottle and barrel tastings together with direct and revealing discussions), he kindly offered to share one of the 1974 bottles with us upon our next trip to Priorat. What an extraordinary visit !!! At Rosa Bartolome's, we met with Antonio Rodriguez and his father-in-law Josep Bartholome. They took us out to their vineyards of old-vine Garnacha and Carinena, and then gave us a very personalized visit at their "garage" winery. The wine from the barrels and bottles tasted absolutely wonderful. There was some discussion that you might be bringing some of his Primitiu de Bellmunt to the U.S. market. If so, let me know since I would like to obtain some. The food tastings were also extremely memorable, with the highlight being at El Cairat, where Juli Mestre prepared us an absolutely spectacular lunch together with very good paired wines from the region. Juli is a kind and creative individual that Cindy and I tremendously enjoyed.
Peter, through your efforts, we were able to have one of life's most amazing experiences, up close and personal. We can't thank you enough. Thanx, thanx, thanx.....
Dearest Peter, we are taking our first opportunity (just returned last night) to write and tell you our Bordeaux wine tour was AMAZING!!!!!!! It was truly special and Pierre was a delightful accompaniment! He was helpful, thoughtful, wonderfully entertaining, and quite knowledgeable, too. Everyone was welcoming and gracious, the tours were informative, and each one educational and distinctive in their own. And as you had suspected, our last tour with Remi of Domain Chevalier was a highlight, as was Chateau du Tertre, where the accommodations were enchanting, the grounds were immaculate, and we left with four bottles of their wine, two from each class, and our very own drinking glasses. =) Thank you a hundred times over, Peter! We can assure you we will share a glowing report of our travels with any and all and highly recommend your services. Furthermore, we are already eager to incorporate another wine tour for ourselves, just as soon as we pick the destination (Italy perhaps?).
Will be in touch soon.
Dear Peter, I'd just like to let you know that the trip you arranged for us was really great. We really enjoyed the mixture of small boutique wineries and larger ones The people we met at all of the vineyards were extremely nice and really knowledgeable nearly all of them dealt with Sweden so we should be able to easily find their wines. We of course bought wine when we could so we at least can make a start. The hotels were great especially Casa Real which was superb,food and service were excellent and the garden is magnificent. The museum was also interesting but by no means as fascinating as the one in Santa Cruz We were in the new part of the hotel which is built together with the museum and has an open view of a mammoth in the museum from the second floor of the hotel! We also got to see Lapostolle new facility which was really not open to the public yet. It is an architectural master it is so beautiful and peaceful, we also had a taste of their premier wine which will be made there and agreed that it really is a fine wine. Last but no least our driver Juan was excellent his English is great and his knowledge of history made the whole trip even better.
Thanks again for arranging the trip and we will certainly let all our friends know about your capacity for arranging a wonderful trip
Hi Holly, We just returned last evening; many thanks again to you and Peter for arranging a fabulous week for us. Everything went exceedingly well. It was a most memorable experience to visit the famed domaines such as Domaine Dujac, de Vogue, etc. , as well as the opportunity to drive through the renowned vineyards. Also, the dining, (Lameloise was spectacular), lodging and weather was wonderful. I would be remiss not to mention and again extend thanks to Pierre who we found to be most pleasant, knowledgeable, professional, and thorough - we would have been lost without his detailed maps and directions, but we had no problems with the two self drive days! I will send you a few photos when I get that organized. Best, Don Appleton Monday, June 13, 2005 at 23:07:29 (PST)
Dear Peter, Brian Pearson is an outstanding guide. During our stay in Chile in March 2005 Brian took us on daily tours of the various wine regions. He was creative, helpful, punctual and well prepared. We can recommend him highly. Klaus Werner
Our 2-week stay in Chile was very enjoyable and rich in experiences in great
part due to Brian and his personality. He was tested already on the first
day since we wanted to tour a winery under Norwegian ownership - Odfjell -
not on the itinerary. He rearranged everything without even lifting an
eyebrow, found a place for lunch etc. since we ended up in a different part
of the Maipo valley. He was also very helpful when Klaus got sick and made
no fuss about the daily changes but helped facilitate everything. He is very
resourceful and knowledgeable and fun to be around. He is clearly enjoying
what he is doing and it shows. I also have to thank you, Peter, for the
contact with Mr. Grand. He could not have been more gracious or hospitable
and Brian and I spent a great afternoon in his fabulous home. We were also
treated to a tour of the winery as well as his new apple freezer storage -
followed by tea back at his home!
Thanks, Peter, for the terrific tour you and your staff organized for us in Chile. Having found you with such little time before our departure, I was most concerned that we had not allowed sufficient time for you to make our arrangements. Much to our delight, the trip you so quickly organized was perfect. The winery selections were superb, the tours were personalized, and the accomodations you arranged were fabulous. Our thanks again. Aaron Fink Atlanta, GA USA - Wednesday, June 30, 2004 at 07:04:18 (CST)
I am looking for a trip to Italy and I was browsing your replies from your customers. It sounds as if you give that extra. I will be travelling by myself and I wondered how that fits in with your tour groups? Thank you for any consideration or information you could supply on this matter. Martha Martha Bangert <classee@adams.net> Bluffs, Illinois USA - Tuesday, November 04, 2003 at 10:23:18 (CST)
A little over a year ago, when my husband and I visited Burgundy, you and Fanny arranged a one-day self-drive tour for us with a wine escort/expert. We want to thank you again for an absolutely wonderful day! It was the highlight of a terrific vacation. Our guide was amazingly knowledgeable, so very helpful, and an absolute delight. We enjoyed the very informative tours and tastings that included a lovely lunch, wonderful conversations with Bernard Michelot, and a most memorable barrel sampling with Msr. Esmonin. Cynthia Leibson - Sunday, October 12, 2003 at 12:34:23 (CDT)
Ann and I just returned from an extraordinary trip to the Bordeaux region. We can unqualifiedly state that Peter and Avalon Wine Tours was the best investment we made in the entire vacation. It started out many months ago with the decision that I was giving Ann an “over-the-top” trip to France as her birthday present and it would include a stay in Bordeaux. Never having been to Bordeaux, I wanted to have a knowledgeable guide to help us make the most of our stay in wine country. Our friends who own a wine bar in Coconut Grove, FL, assured us that they would have one of their wine suppliers provide us with a wine expert to guide us through this region. We were contacted by a man living in SW France, and began a dialogue with him. After e-mailing him and checking his references I knew that using him was going to be a major mistake. The people I spoke with who had utilized his services were, at best, luke warm in their references. Then I did some research on the internet and found a “self-proclaimed and advertised” expert on the Bordeaux region whose home base was in southwest U.S. Great French accent! After some back and forth with him I came to the opinion that he was a dilettante and overly temperamental. Asking for more than one reference seemed to set him off. In addition, both of these individuals had vested interests in putting us in specific hotels (one without air conditioning – “you won’t need it” – HAH!). They seem to have "arrangements" with particular properties which do not take into account their client's preferences! They forgot who the client is! Then I came across the Avalon Wine Tours web site and I approached it with trepidation and skeptisim. After my first two experiences I had learned that a French accent, and experience with the Bordeaux region was not enough to qualify one as the best wine guide, educator and representative of my interests. I e-mailed Avalon and Peter Smith for information and promptly got a reply. I navigated his web site like a professional surfer devouring everything. I called Peter and we discussed my plans, intentions, hotel and transportation reservations that I had personally made. He asked intelligent questions and seemed sincerely interested in what we wanted out of this trip. He listened! Pre-trip planning with Peter was so easy. He, and his staff, responds immediately to every e-mail, phone call and each and every request. Here's a good example of service: While I had already purchased train tickets (from Paris to Bordeaux), Peter made sure that we had everything perfect (first class reserved seats, a map of CDG airport where we transferred from plane to train, etc). He even had Fanny from his California office provide us with great driving instructions from the Bordeaux train station car rental office directly to the front door of our hotel in St. Emilion. To say that Peter impressed me is an understatement. When I informed him which 5 star hotel I had selected, and the suite I had reserved, he knew the property well. He provided us with his thoughts on our choice (“fabulous décor, high end amenities, a very good Michelin rated restaurant, and a nice swimming pool." "But geographically", he opined, "it is out of the way”). He then suggested another property of equal ranking but located right in the center of St. Emilion. He clearly explained why he liked this alternative location. I liked his reasoning. Peter even suggested the specific room we should stay in at his recommended property. Peter takes care of everything! He called them directly for us, and secured us the reservation we needed. When we checked into the Hostellerie de Plaisance in St. Emilion, Peter had arranged for us to have the room in the hotel which they call “Pavie” (we highly recommend it). It has three distinct and commanding views of the St. Emilion wine region, the village of St. Emilion and its historic landmarks. The hotel management and staff knew Peter personally and went overboard giving us the VIP treatment. Finally we met Peter for our first day of vineyard private tours/visits. Who knew you start tasting wine at 10:00 in the morning! Glad we had breakfast. Peter had made appointments for the three of us to be met, privately, at each incredible Chateau by a knowledgeable representative. It was so wonderful to have the estates to ourselves, and not be waiting on lines, or corralled into groups. I have since learned that the general public might be able to make such private appointments, but 'it isn’t the same thing'! Without Peter’s incredible knowledge about each vineyard, their particular idiosyncrasies, wine production methods, and the like we never would have picked up one-third of the understandings we left France with. His ability to compare and distinguish each individual Chateau from one another was exceptionally helpful to us. Peter’s ability to communicate, translate, and interpret what the various vineyard representatives were telling us was absolutely essential to our taking away all that was potentially offered. They all spoke English, but in varying degrees of fluency. He made it seemless. In addition, Peter knew many of the Chateau representatives intimately! He chatted away with some about their children, their spouses, and even mutual friends who had retired, etc. They loved him. So after days of meandering through the Bordeaux region with Peter Smith, Ann and I have an incredible appreciation of what goes into making Bordeaux wines. While driving from one vineyard to another, throughout meals, etc., Peter took every reasonable opportunity to educate us about what we were experiencing. And to top it off, sort of the crème de la crème, Peter Smith is a truly nice and personable individual! We think the world of him. Ann and I highly recommend Avalon Wine Tours, and Peter Smith. Do not hesitate to contact us. Amicalment, Ann and Howard Kane July/August 2003 Howard Kane <hjkane@bellsouth.net> Miami, Florida US - Thursday, August 14, 2003 at 10:18:32 (CDT)
We just got back from a fantastic tour of Tuscany, and I wanted to publicly thank Peter, the Avalon staff, and our two guides Donald and Filippo. We did two days in the Chianti area, and two in the Marema area, and had an amazing time. If there's anyone out there who is worried about traveling right now because of anti Americanism or any other reason, I can assure that we were greeted with nothing but warmth and welcome in Italy. We have done two other trips with Peter - one in Bordeaux, and one in Burgundy. Every trip has been so much fun, and planned flawlessly. I can't imagine a better way to learn about wines, or to travel in France or Italy. I can't wait to try out Spain! Jessica Friedland <kashumba@yahoo.com> Chicago, IL - Tuesday, April 29, 2003 at 13:42:05 (CDT)
This comment is long over due, but I'm not sure I could have left a comment back in the spring of 1999! I discovered Avalon I think in a guide book while I making plans for our family to go to France. Booking an apartment for five nights in Paris was easy, but not speaking French and trying to make arrangements to visit Bordeaux was looking like a problem. I called Avalon and explained that the party included my husband and myself and two kids age 13 and 11. He did a great job finding a hotel, arranging dinners (one night with the kids and one night without), vists to the Chateaus. He also give us directions to the oldest light house in Europe (my son collects lighthouses). We loved the Chateas and the wonderful lunch we had at one of them, we still talk about my daughter, eating the pate and drinking the white wine. She liked that part! However, we will remember Peter for bringing back to the states my son's jacket. Our trip was in April and the day started out rainy, after lunch it got very warm and my son just had to go outside with a ball and play. It wasn't until we were at the train station the next afternoon we realized - no jacket. Oh, well!! He got lucky - were we headed to Paris and then London and lucky for him the weather was 65 and clear! I was amazed when four months later, Peter called to tell me that the jacket was now back in the states and he would mail it to me. This is customer service!!! Peter, my husband and I are thinking of going to Italy without the kids for our twenty wedding aniversary in the fall. I will be calling. Kathy & ron <kwnek@verizon.net> - Thursday, March 13, 2003 at 17:27:13 (CST)
Thanks for your extraordinary guidance on the '02 Bordeaux tour (for such novices as Anjell and I). I have some good books now, all I need is "time" to soak them up - along with some good vino! Craig Bruck <craig_bruck27@hotmail.com> Birmingham, MI USA - Tuesday, January 28, 2003 at 16:16:53 (CST)
Just a note to tell you how much we enjoyed our tour. May-Britt is a wonderful person.We feel that she enhanced our visit to the Chateau's. Thank you for choosing her ,she was perfect for us. She is extremely knowledgeable of wine and all the chateau's that we visited. I do recommend however that you specifically ask your clients if they have asthma.We had no clue that it would be a problem.I'm thankful to May-Britt that she had the foresight to ask me. Again I would like to Thank Avalon Tours and especially May-Britt for a wonderful time. Sincerely, Susi Stephan Susi Stephan <sstepha1@tampabay.rr.com> Tampa, FL USA - Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 15:42:47 (CST)
Greetings, Last month I was on a Bordeaux mini-tour arranged by your company with two of my friends. Our guide for the tour ws May-Britt Anttonen. I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time on the tour and we could not have had a better guide than May-Britt. Her knowledge of the subject matter was fantastic. However, since we were taking the tour out of curiosity and for fun, we are not the most knowledgeable of groups she could have dealt with. Much to her credit, she explained things and conducted the tour in a way that was extremely enjoyable for us without making it seem above our knowledge level. We will highly recommend your company in the future and would like to let you know that you are very lucky to have May-Britt associated with you. Thanks to you all for a wonderful time. Forrest Dobbs fdobbs1@tampabay.rr.com Forrest Dobbs <fdobbs1@tampabay.rr.com> - Monday, November 11, 2002 at 11:37:55 (CST)
Peter, We've been back about a month now, and I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had, thanks in large part to the delightful winery tours/tastings, hotels, and meals that you arranged for us. We made all of our appointments and were greeted in each instance by people who were welcoming, generous, and informative. I don't know how our trip could have been better. Thanks again for your wonderful and personal service. We can hardly wait for our next opportunity to give you a call. Best regards, Dave & Susanne Scott Dave & Susanne Scott <David.G.Scott@kp.org> Los Altos, CA USA - Friday, August 23, 2002 at 15:42:47 (CST)
Hi Peter, I am emailing you to let you know about our trip with Pierre. Danielle and I really enjoyed the trip. It was very well organized, we went to the places we had requested, and had a blast. Pierre was great! Organized, punctual, polite, friendly, good sense of humor, and fun. Not to mention his vast knowledge of wines & Burgundy. He told the Moet & Chandon people we were VIP's so he arranged a private tasting in their garden afterwards- two complimentary bottles of 1996 Vintage Moet! Awesome. The Crayerres hotel was amazing. Thanks for everything! We had a great trip. Dave Stanley Dave Stanley <dstanley@stanleystaffing.com> Chagrin Falls, OH USA - Monday, June 10, 2002 at 12:49:47 (CST)
We've just concluded 5 outstanding days in Bordeaux with Peter. The properties we visited were all great and I believe we may have established a first for Avalon by visiting 3 First Growths in one day (10 overall). Peter's knowledge about wine and the region are second to none and the group really learned a lot about the particular aspects that unite to make this region so facinating and attractive. write anytime for details. Keith Lite <klite@tradearca.com> New York, New York USA - Tuesday, June 04, 2002 at 16:06:59 (CDT)
Our wine tour in Chile was terrific! Sven was a great guide, and we were surprised and extremely pleased by how well we were received and treated everywhere we went. The tour actually exceeded our expectations with far more personal attention and access at the various wineries than we had hoped for. Many thanks for your work on our behalf. We'll look forward to doing another of your tours sometime in the future (Argentina?). Gordon Petersen, Cathy Scrimshaw <gordon@diomedea.com> Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada - Thursday, January 31, 2002 at 16:06:17 (CST)
Hi Peter, The Petersen's guide (Sven) asked me to pass on his comments on their tour of Chile last week: - They were welcome at all wineries and most of them only opened up because of you ! - they were guided by PR manager, enologists, jefes de bodega etc which ends up in a very good mix - Almaviva even gave them two bottles of wine Sven is very impressed how you have so excellent contact to the wineries from so far away. He'll write to you himself when he gets a chance, with a full report on the tour. saludos Silja, ProTours, Chile Santiago, Chile - Sunday, November 11, 2001 at 13:21:54 (CST)
I wanted to write to let you know how satisfied Alexis and I were with our recent trip to Bordeaux. Everything was first class, from the hotels to the meals to the vineyards. May-Britt was an excellent guide and an excellent teacher. We learned so much about what makes each vineyard distinctive and about the history of the region and the part that wine has played. As relative novices to the world of wine (and people who do not speak French), May-Britt's knowledge of wine and her multi-lingual ability, was a very significant contributor to our overall enjoyment of Bordeaux. We also cannot say enough about the people at the various chateaux who took their time to show us around. They could not have been friendlier or more accommodating. The ability to visit places like Chateau Margeaux, Chateau Dominick, Domaine de Chevalier, Chateau Lynch Barges and Chateau Chasse-Spleen on one trip was amazing. We could not have hoped to visit this many premier voneyards on our own. The Bordeaux leg of our trip was truly the highlight of our Honeymoon. Both Alexis and I want to thank the people at Avalon Tours (and especially May-Britt and Peter) for a wonderful time. We highly recommend the services of Avalon Tours to those who want to have a truly excellent trip to Bordeaux. John M. and Alexis C. Jeffrey <yerffejmj@aol.com> Martinsville, NJ USA - Monday, June 25, 2001 at 11:03:20 (CDT)
We wanted to especially thank Peter, Mae Brit and Remi for making our trip to Bordeaux a very memorable one. It was unlike any trip we had ever experienced! Peter was an excellent tour guide during our recent visit to Bordeaux in May. Mae Brit was also a pleasure to spend time with on tour to several of the wineries. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast and ate incredible food (minimum of 3 course meals)! We appreciated Peter's vast knowledge of the many different regions in Bordeaux. He was very accomodating to our requests with respect to the places we wanted to visit and the things we wanted to do. We especially enjoyed meeting the wine cellar masters and becoming more educated about the wine making process. The experience, the memories, and the photos we will treasure always. This trip gave us a chance to relax and enjoy the serenity of the countryside. At the same time we learned a lot about the wine making process and its origins. My husband and I have really enjoyed drinking some of the Bordeaux wines in our local restaurants(when we can find them). We would highly recommend this private tour for people who enjoy the finer things in life. If you have any questions,please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Kim & Tim Nicols - Los Gatos, Ca Kim & Tim Nicols <kims@apr.com> Saratoga, Ca - Thursday, June 21, 2001 at 13:55:46 (CDT)
Peter et al planned an amazing start to our honeymoon in Chile (a self tour). Staying at the Santa Rita hotel was amazing - romantic and beautiful with a wonderful staff. Our expert guide Pilar took us to some vineyards that we never would have found on our own and gave us insights that we never would have been privy to. Thanks! Julie and Rob <rjuman@nyc.rr.com> NY, NY USA - Tuesday, February 27, 2001 at 21:38:14 (CST)
The trip to Bordeaux 2000/Fete de vendages was amazing! Peter and Holly are best at being professional in handling all aspects of the trip. But, the best was their way of being with their clients. If they were stressed about any detail fo the trip, you would never know it. Peter was extremely knowledgeable about Bordeaux wines and the area.The trip was fun and I learned a lot. Holly was always friendly and gracious. Samantha and Sophie delightful. I have lots of warm memories, which I retrieve often in the cold month of January. Lucy Gallagher <alion94@aol.com> U.Saddle River, NJ USA - Monday, January 29, 2001 at 11:13:27 (CST)
Welcome to Avalon's Guest Book. Feel free to post your comments about the wonderful Wine Tour you enjoyed with us, our Website, or your profound thoughts on wine, food, travel or anything else in the good life! Peter Smith <peter@avalon-tours.com> - Friday, January 26, 2001 at 17:56:56 (CST)
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