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Having read up about the Burgundy Wine Weekend, I’m tempted to visit this November to check it out.
Has anybody attended previously and pass on any advice?
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I’ve been to Beaune, and I’ve seen the beautiful roof tiles … does that count? 
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Just go for the tiles alone and the audio guide… 
! Its beautiful… Cant comment on the wine weekend either… however, isn’t EVERY weekend a wine weekend in Beaune???
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Haha. That’s a very good point. Whether it’s that weekend or any other… I need to go!
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Has anybody used any local tour guides to see around region or any organised tastings?
@Nowt_in_my_glass, I was there in August and it’s pretty easy to do it yourself . Not all vineyards are open to the public but download rue des vignerons app and you can book tours through that if you want , I’m sure they’re are other apps available too.
You can just drive the grand cru trail and nip in and out of the villages and arrange tastings etc… with various ‘houses’ . There are also a lot of wine stores within Beaune, Nuit st George etc… on a bigger scale who offer ‘degustations’ for a few euro or free if you’re showing interest etc…
if you only have a few days then definitely organise ahead of time ! 
Thanks @Leah I’m very keen on holidaying in a wine region with the girlfriend but I’m also quite mindful of not letting wine take over so a one day tour would be lovely, so it has to count! 
you sound very well travelled…where would you suggest visiting for a 50/50 wine/other fun place. I guess bordeaux and burgundy are a little biased towards vino 
@Nowt_in_my_glass, If you’re keen on France there’s lots of other stuff you can do apart from ‘wine’!
Combining the 2 isn’t difficult.
I solo travelled France a good number of years ago with a car and a backpack and spent time in both large cities and little off the beaten track country villages. I am by no means an expert or even well travelled in the grand scheme of how large France is, but I had an amazing time and it was one of the best adventures I have ever taken myself on. I shall forever be grateful for the hospitality and friendliness the French people showed me .
So, where to start ,well if are keen on Burgundy and visiting the cote de Beaune & the cote de nuit ,you are already reasonably close to Dijon which is a decent size so there’s plenty of other things to do, you know… like Mustard? . ( I’m not even joking… they have every conceivable type of mustard here) but its also a pretty city. Summer is a great time to visit Burgundy and drive north from Beaune to Dijon on the ,grand cru trail of the cote de nuit. Its wonderful to drive through the villages and see the gapes ripening. You can pull into any of the Villages and there is usually a couple of Degustation shops etc…
Burgundy is big however, there are 5 wine making regions within Burgundy from Chablis/Chatillonnais all the way down to the Maconnais which is bordering on the Crus of Beaujolais so I would recommend having a good idea of where you would like to visit either in sightseeing terms or wine styles. You could literally spend a year there and never get through it all… (Wine and sightseeing )
Don’t rule out a romantic trip to Paris either as its only a 40min TGV from Reims where lots of the big commercial champagne houses are, all within walking distance of the centre, Veuve, Ruinart, Pommery etc… The history and culture in Reims is fantastic with the beautiful cathedral and cobbled squares. Well worth visiting. If you have a car Verzenay is wonderful and Verzy.
The Loire is huge and very diverse in terms of both history and winemaking with Chateaus everywhere, some even with their own cellars (win win), its a wonderful part of France and I have a soft spot for it, especially in the Springtime when its really beautiful. The triglodytes are worth a visit as are the beautiful cathedrals and churches of Tour. I love history, culture and architecture but am aware that’s not everyones cup of tea so I guess it depends on what’s important in a holiday for you.
I’ve spent time in Bordeaux which is a reasonable size and the shopping is good.(I’m female and love shoes ) There are great restaurants here and again architecture (Hotel de Ville ).The tourist information in places like these are wonderful at pointing you in the right direction if you are there for a limited time and only want to spend a day or so seeing and visiting wineries. The airport in Bordeaux is also pretty central to the city so short transfers. Its a good option and a good base for visiting both the left and right bank and also the Dordogne. You can take day trips.
My favourite places wine aside have been: La Rochelle, St. Jean de Luz (Fantastic as its only a 40 min drive to the gastronomy mecca of San Sebastien in Spain), Carcassone and Nice/St. Paul de Vence (really close to Liguria and San Remo in Italy), and don’t get me started on the Alps
I could go on forever but fear I’ll digress into all sorts, so if you do end up booking somewhere, let me know and if Ive been I can tell you what I thought was good and worth a visit, otherwise, I’m sure there are far more serious francophiles on here who will also be more than happy to help you out!
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Oh wow thank you @Leah that is very useful! I thought burgundy around the CdN would be the best place as there’s little point in compromising on the wine if you don’t like the for the sake of other things. Closer to the time I’m sure I’ll have more questions…like ‘what is the best plaster for a frying pan wound?’ after my opening gambit of ‘but there’s mustard too!’
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