French Wine Tasting Dinner

Make your own way to the central Paris wine bar-restaurant that will host your tasting.

When you arrive, be shown to the elegant, cellar-like tasting room — all stone walls and vaults —and meet your professional sommelier and the rest of your like-minded, wine-loving group.

Take a seat at the communal dining table and listen as your sommelier talks you through what’s ahead. Your sommelier will have chosen four top-notch French wines, including Champagne, to match the menu for the evening — menus vary according to the season — and will give you a fascinating introduction to each variety and why it makes the perfect foil to your food.

Then, relax over your delicious 3-course meal, with an appetizer, main course and dessert (see Itinerary for a sample menu) skilfully prepared by the Cordon Bleu French chef. While you eat, enjoy the generous servings of wine and hear about the origins of each varietal and the French wine region it hails from.

As you sip on Champagne, learn how it’s made and what makes it special, and throughout the meal, build your wine knowledge as your sommelier explains concepts such as 'terroir' — the type of natural environment in which a wine is produced. Chat freely to your fellow guests, join in discussions about wine, and glean expert tips from your sommelier on how to taste wines properly and pair them with food.

Drink in the convivial atmosphere and after dessert, enjoy a tasting of a classic digestif such as Bas-Armagnac, Cognac or Calvados.As the evening ends, receive an information sheet on the wines you’ve tasted, and after saying goodbye to your sommelier and fellow guests, head back to your hotel.