Biking the Burgundy Wine Route

The Devil Dog in Champagne and Burgundy

Traveling on a press trip usually means hanging with the ladies, 65% of the time, except for some adventure forays. Even though the last French trip was châteaux’s and fine living I had a compadre a wild man in the best way. Joel Berliner is spreading his wings in the freelance world and no doubt his little bad boy behavior will lead to some fantastic stories. His laughter is contagious and his stories of his past days with a band and current wonderings through Hef’s house are entertaining. His intimate journeys with Mick, Keith and Ron have battle tested the man. Hey any guy that can keep Hefner entertained has got to have panache. Within a few hours of meeting him I coined him the Devil Dog and the name fit. Devil Dog had a steady gig with a big paper till like many papers the travel section was demolished. As I read a book in my comfortable bed at Le Cep in Beaune with the windows wide open, I heard blues from a harmonica. It was the Dog letting me know he was on the prowl and searching for a story.

Beaune is the Bomb!

Last night I tried to create a meal with a taste of Burgundy for my wife Lil. Perhaps my dish of Boeuf Bourguignon wasn’t great but the bottle of Beaune Ier Cru was a big hit, soft and round to be precise. The city of Beaune will long linger in my mind; its beauty is evident on every corner and gazing out of my window at the Hotel Le Cep was a fantastic start to my day. Wine is King in Burgundy and Beaune is its royal residence.

Biking in Burgundy, Leflaive and DeTours in France

I can feel Max’s pain as he starts his journey in Europe, I have recently just returned from a food and wine extravaganza in Burgundy and Champagne. Tough work but someone has to do it! In the interest of our waists we biked through villages such as Pommard, Volney and Meursault to get to Puligny-Montrachet, these names appear on the bottles of some of France’s best wines. Of course when we sat with Olivier LeFlaive at his cellars and hotel for lunch we did our best to devour fine bottles of wine and copious amounts of great dishes. The table in the courtyard sagged with delights and no surrender was offered, the bright sun shone and Olivier’s stories made the time fly by, he is also a splendid guitarist. The man is a charm and the vineyards no place to hold back, I didn’t! Thanks Sarah and DETOURS in FRANCE for a fantastic day.