Italian wine sellers study Burgundy's wines

In the center of Burgundy's wine country...	...our visitors tasted special labels...	...but there were so many to choose from !

March 2010: To whom did an important Italian wine producer turn when he wanted his sales people to have the best field instruction about Burgundy wines? He used Alcep, a leading Destination Management Company (DMC) in France. Working closely with the client's Florence-based Travel Agency, we organized an intensive 3-day trip to the region's most significant wine producers. By incorporating many wine tastings as well as visits to fine restaurants, we gave the participants a great time to remember.

Background

This client is a leading Italian wine producer and has a team of 44 wine sales people around Italy who also sell French wines. His goal was to give them an intensive course about the most important wine producers in the Burgundy Region. With this in mind, his Italian travel agency chose to work with our DMC team because of our rich knowledge of the French wine trade.

Educational scope

Knowing that this group could start their Burgundy visits only on the afternoon of the first day, we chose to focus on the Dijon area and selected Domaine Chartron, Domaine Gros, Domaine Meursault and Domaine Philippe Leclerc as some of the principal cellars to visit. Each visit was followed by a professional and technically-rich wine tasting session. 

Culinary horizons

Alongside the visits to Burgundy wine producers and vineyards, we wanted the Italian group to understand the fine local wines in the context of superb French cuisine. We therefore booked a collection of highly-rated restaurants for them, such as the 3-star Michelin 'La Côte Saint Jacques' in Joigny, the 1-star Michelin 'Loiseau des Vignes' in Beaune and the 'Le Pré aux Clercs' in Dijon. The wines at each meal were selected by our Italian wine producer client, who explained to his guests the reasons for his choices.

Alcep's added value

The challenge was to fit a highly varied and instructive programme into a very limited timeframe. Our client chose Alcep Travel & Events, on of the most recognized Destination Management Companies (DMC) in France. We helped our client to achieve this by booking and coordinating all visits, arranging restaurants and accommodation, hiring guides, and arranging all road transport. 

We also prepared some special highlights, such as a traditional Burgundy lunch served at the historical Château de Pommard in front of their vineyards and the Gala Evening at Château de Gilly, complete with live harp music.

In summary

When the 44 Italians boarded their Rome-bound plane after following Alcep's carefully crafted Destination Management programme in France, they could reflect that their needs had been diligently and enthusiastically fulfilled.