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The
Reviews
Wine
vacations need not run two weeks
nor thousands of dollars per week, although they can quite
easily. At the high end, for indulgence on a small scale,
Harrie Valckx of Wine
Tours, Inc. runs weekend trips to the Napa Valley, partnering
with Napa expert Karen Schuppert and wine authority Karen
MacNeil-Fife. The aforementioned Napa hilltop is MacNeil's
base for talking about and tasting wines with guests. Valckx
also personally selects the restaurants and the wineries.
The three-day weekend to Napa, staying at the posh Meadowood
Napa Valley Resort and featuring catered winery lunches and
gourmet dinners, is not cheap. Being among the most civilized
ways to fully experience the Napa Valley, most tours are booked
up months in advance. Valckx is known for creating an experience
where luxury isn't a question, it's a given. He does all that,
and more, for his tours in France. Guests stay in Chateaux
and exclusive hotels chosen for their class and joie de vivre.
The price isn't cheap, but once in Valckx's hands, he promises
you won't have to spend another dime. He customizes for every
group, none larger than 10, based on personal profiles of
the guests.
- Kathleen Buckley
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Culinary
tour visits monasteries for their beer
 New
York - Hayward, Calif. based Wine Tours, an operator that
specializes in gastronomic tours, operates an annual six-night
tour of Antwerp, Bruges and Brussels, featuring Belgian cuisine
and beer.
The six-night Belgian/Flanders program, which samples the
culinary delights of Brussels and the Dutch-speaking Flanders
region is priced at $4,650.
The land-only package, scheduled for August 26th to September
1st, includes all accommodations; meals; visits to breweries;
transport by limousine or coach and tips. Commission is 10%.
Wine Tours, an expert in tours to the wine regions of California
and France, organized its first Belgian tour in 1999 with
six attendees. Groups are limited to 10.
Although "France is a much more popular ticket." said Harrie
Valckx, owner and president of Wine Tours, "the gastronomy
is fantastic in Belgium."
Valckx was born and raised in Antwerp and lived in Belgium
and France before moving to the U.S. in 1989.
When asked to characterize Belgian cuisine, Valckx said it
is "very much influence by the traditional French cuisine,"
but there are differences.
One reason Americans might favor Belgian cuisine, Valckx explained,
is because "in Belgian cuisine we use no giblets, brain, intestines
and other ingredients the French are so fond of. The Belgian
cuisine is closer to home for the American tourist."
Valckx said that based on past experience with American tourists
and co-workers when he was living in Belgium, "they [generally]
prefer the Flemish/Belgian cuisine over the French cuisine."
Belgian specialties include "simple stews prepared in beer;
the traditional mussels and pommes frites - the French
did not invent French fries - the very tasty gray crevettes
[gray shrimp from the North Sea], and of course the 300 ways
of preparing Belgian endives," Valckx said.
As for the Belgian restaurants the tour visits, "Some restaurants
in Antwerp and its outskirts have three Michelin stars," Valckx
said. "They compete with the most famous chefs in France.
A lot of recipes from Flanders influenced the French chefs,"
he added.
To save room for the featured seven course dinners, Valckx
said, "lunches are on the lighter side."
Wine Tours' culinary trip to Belgium differs widely from its
California tours, Valckx said, in that gastronomy shares the
stage with history and culture.
The tour visits its attractions such as the Grand Place in
Brussels; the castle of the Count Flanders in Ghent; the Chapel
of the Holy Blood and art museums featuring works of the Flemish
Primitive School in Bruges, and the house where Peter Paul
Reubens lived and worked in Antwerp.
"The arts have always played a big role in Belgian culture,"
he said, "and do not forget that it was a Flemish painter
[Van Eyck] who invented oil paint."
About difference in the Belgium tour from Wine Tours' France
and California offerings is its featured drink.
"Beer is the traditional Belgian drink and Belgian beers are
world famous," said Valckx.
"Belgians have the record as the biggest beer drinkers in
the world. So rather that visiting vineyards, we visit the
medieval monasteries, such as Averbode and Chimey, which are
famous for their Trappist and triple brews. There are some
300 breweries in Belgium and a lot of them have a rich history."
Fro information, contact Wine Tours at (510) 888-9625; fax:
(510) 889-6658; e-mail: info@winetoursinc.com, or visit
the web site at www.winetoursinc.com.
By Paul Felt
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To Contact Us: |
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| Phone: 510-888-9625
Fax: 510-889-6658
Toll Free: 866-863-0565
Email: info@winetoursinc.com
3615 Seabreeze Ct.
Hayward, CA 94542
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