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January 29, 2010

What you will find on an Alsatian bike tour

Filed under: Alsace, Bike, France, Tours — Tags: , , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 4:23 pm

What is it about this region that makes for such a unique and exciting destination? You might want to ask our guide, Justin Wuycheck, who created this new addition to the DuVine France series [although, be prepared for an extended discourse - as his passion for this region is intense and palpable].As a cyclist, one of the many things he loves about Alsace is being able to challenge himself on the vine-covered foothills of the Vosges Mountains.

This is prime biking real estate – with its unspoiled villages, towering medieval castles and plenty of Grand Cru vineyards along the way. Alsace is situated in the far north-east corner of France and is one of the country’s smallest regions. This beautiful and enchanting area is nestled between the Vosges Mountains to the west and the river Rhine, which forms a long natural border with Germany, to the east. This close proximity to Germany brings a unique cultural aspect to region.

It is this blending of cultures that makes for a unparalled experience. This is not typical ‘France’ -and that is another reason why Justin finds this area so unique and appealing. You can head out for a ride and cross the border into Germany- cycling two countries in one day.

Even the regional wines share a unique quality with a range of delicious, well structured, food friendly white wines.  The principal grapes are gewurztraminer, riesling, pinot gris and muscat and stand out as they are bottled in flute shaped bottles, the “flûte d’Alsace.  Perhaps this is the reason they are commonly overlooked? Wines from Alsace are a formidable force in world of white wine, but are often passed over for the more recognized French wines.  Hence they are somewhat of a ’hidden secret’.   It is this reason that Justin designed this tour to focus on the intensity of the cycling as well as the wine -  challenging riding and a veritable rite-of-passage for the discerning wine buff.

Alsace also boasts Europe’s highest concentration of feudal castles, bearing witness to its turbulent history. Without a doubt the most famous of these is the Haut Koenigsbourg castle – one of France’s most frequently visited monuments – and according to Justin – has a commanding view that will leave you speechless!

As will the Alsatian cuisine. From the native Munster cheese that you can sample at the Frommagerie a Orbey or the tasty baeckeoffe (vegetable and meat stew) and traditional Alsatian-style choucroute (sauerkraut) that you will find in a cozy Alsatian inn, all are sure to please the pallete. And the array of flavors goes very well with the wine produced by these vineyards that offer bouquets of astounding diversity.

Just ask Justin.

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January 28, 2010

Skiing the Alps – Video Blog – DuVine TV

Filed under: DuVine TV, France, Italy, Skiing, Switzerland — Tags: , , , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 4:24 pm

As you know from last week’s blog post “Where in the World is Andy” he was working on the final details of our upcoming ski tour to the Swiss, French and Italian Alps.  As luck would have it when he returned to Boston on Sunday the New York Times had an article in the Travel Section titled: “Fresh Powder meets Fine Dining”.   This of course was exactly what the DuVine experience is all about and while the NYT was writing about it we have put it all in place for our clients.

Check out DuVine “Off Piste” TV and come join us this March for round #2.

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January 22, 2010

Mendoza Wine Tasting – Video Blog – DuVine TV

Filed under: Argentina, Bike, Drink, DuVine TV, Video Blog, Wine Tasting — Tags: , , — Bike tour guru @ 12:50 pm

“It’s the hottest wine since Sideways blew the doors off Pinot Noir! ”

Mendoza Argentina for bike tours has made the big leagues especially here at DuVine and so has the food and wine. The assertion that Mendoza is the most important wine-producing province in Argentina is almost a cliché. But it is almost impossible not to make such statements, as this province produces more than 80% of Argentina’s wine from its 150,000 vine-planted hectares. Mendoza’s wine industry increasingly focuses on quality, and on finding the optimum relations between different varieties and terroirs. Mendoza´s diversity is doubtlessly enviable in this respect.

Check out the video as we taste 2 wine selections from the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo – it’s Malbec vs Cabernet France!

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January 21, 2010

Where in the World is Andy?

Filed under: Bike, France, Skiing, Switzerland — Tags: , , , — Bike tour guru @ 3:59 pm

Where in the world am I? Sometimes I have to stop, check the street signs and ask myself that very same question…as I am always on the move, scouting out new DuVine Destinations and checking in on old friends and colleagues around the globe.

This week finds me back in France on a twofold mission – attending the GrandSki event in Annecy and then off to Switzerland to pre-trip our exciting new ski tour (not to mention –  fitting in some epic skiing along the way!)

First stop, Annecy. Alors! What a wonderful place – just as beautiful in winter as it is in summer. And what a picturesque location – situated on a lake at the base of the Alps. It is no wonder Annecy is a potential candidate for the 2018 Winter Olympics. I remember being here this past July, cheering on Lance at the 2009 Tour de France Individual Time Trial. Perhaps the bid for the Olympics will turn out better than Lance’s TT?

My first day I spent exploring the town where I found a great crepe shop along the canal. Lunch consisted of a salade Nicoise followed by an lightly toasted and simply delicious banana nutella almond crepe and cafe noissette.  I love how everything is so fresh and hand-made here in France!

I did have to check the signs to remind myself of where I was that evening on my stroll along the canals -  as the streets were aglow with light and masqueraders filled the scene. For a moment I felt as if  I had been transported to Venice for Carnival!

Back to life, back to reality….Yes, my next day was spent at the GrandSki trade show – the annual French tourism show for ski tour operators – where I met some great vendors and attended the hot JC de Castelbajac ski wear fashion show at the gala. If you’re looking for some cool companies and new products – check out my twitter feed from the show.

A couple of days inside at the ski show had me itching to get outside and actually SKI! So, off to Megeve I went.  And I must confess, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the new gorgeous hotel Alpaga in Megeve – wow!

Aaaah…my first day on the slopes of Megeve – fresh snow, no people, a gorgeous day – what more could you ask for? Yup, several runs at Mont Blanc and I’m in powder heaven. Not to mention, I ended up skiing the day with a legend – the former French Alpine Skier and World Champion Adrien Duvillard.

Well,  it gets even better! I’m headed out tomorrow to join our bike/ski guide Gregory in Switzerland to pre-trip our epic new ski tour where we ski 3 countries in 1 week. Home base for the week is at le Bristol in Villars, Switzerland and then its day trips to ski the Swiss, Italian and French Alps. Not to mention, doing this ’all DuVine style‘…with great food, great wine and of course, a great hotel apres ski.

Ok, are you jealous yet? Well… you can always join me next time when I return in March…

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January 13, 2010

Mendoza, Argentina by Bicycle

Filed under: Argentina, Bike, Tours — Tags: , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 3:32 pm
Clusters of Shiraz, or Syrah grapes. Note the ...
Image via Wikipedia

Taking a bike trip to Mendoza is a trip of a lifetime.  What do we love about biking in Mendoza, Argentina?  If you ask our bicycle guide Sergio Sanchi, who was born and raised in Mendoza - it because he can bicycle daily through the vineyards, visiting the beautiful Malbec wineries, tasting the amazing Mendoza wines and cycling past the gorgeous mountains of the Andes.  Even better, most days are warm and sunny so you can be outside biking every day, all day if you want.  Sergio truly believes that our bike tour through the Lujan de Cuyo, Maipoe, and Godoy Cruz, the Uco Valley is “a once an a lifetime experience”.

With Sergio as your guide, you will meander through the prestigious Lujàn de Cuyo and Uco Valley vineyards, stopping to taste their vintages. As you cycle through this beautiful area, you will learn how the unique combination of climate, soil, altitude and viticultural practices affects each specific regional terroir for the grape. You will also begin to understand why National Geographic named this tour one of 50 Trips of a Lifetime.

You will also discover why Sergio loves the wine and food on this bike tour.  Mendoza is considered one of the wine capitals of the world and the region of Luján de Cuyo is recognized as “the best land of Malbec”. Not only that, but the local chefs take great pride in preparing delicious dishes using products native to the region. In his opinion, these two factors create the perfect combination.

Your bike tour will begin every morning, in DuVine style, with your bicycle ready, water bottle filled, your guide Sergio eagerly awaiting you, and a map in case your want to explore on your own.  You will set off with Sergio (the Man of Mendoza – and proven professional leader) to discover the celebrity status of the Malbec grape firsthand, and cycle the glorious landscapes of Andean foothills.

Our first glimpse at Argentine culture will be in the city of Mendoza, with its sprawling  green parks and heady aura. We will then bike out of the city to meet some locals who have been inspired by this land – a revolutionary winemaker who put his country on every oenophile’s map, a beer brewer with a worldwide following despite his modest operation, and a trout farmer who has invited us to lunch.  Throughout the tour, you will dine on unrivaled local cuisine, relax in luxury lodges with the Andes ever-beckoning, and drink some of the finest Mendoza wines.

What is unique about the wines of Mendoza? The two regions produce wines that are distinctive to their area. Lujan de Cuyo, where grapes grow at altitudes between 800-1100 meters in sandy soil, specializes in elegant Malbecs- characterized by their plum, cherry, red pepper, and vanilla flavors.  Whereas, the cold, dry winters, high altitudes (between 1000 and 1300 meters) and thermal amplitude of the Uco Valley produces premium balanced wines with intense color and higher tannins and acidity than other regions; Uco Valley Malbecs are spicier and more floral than their fruitier cousins from Maipoe and Lujan de Cuyo.

Sergio will explain that these mostly undiscovered wine regions in Mendoza are now producing premium wines that enjoy an abundance of sun, low humidity, rocky soil, and minimal rain. It is this unique climate that gives Argentine Malbecs, Syrahs, and Cabernet Sauvignon’s their characteristic high concentration, intense color, velvety soft tannins, fruitiness, and food friendly low acidity. And unlike many of their European counterparts, Argentine red wines can be enjoyed young (although many will benefit from aging).

There is also a wide range of grape varietals. In addition to Malbec (Argentina’s signature grape – which has its origins in France’s Bordeaux region), Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Pinot Noir are just some of the red varietals that thrive here. Among whites, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and the indigenous Torrontes also flourish.

See why Mendoza is listed among the “Great Wine Capitals of the World!”

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January 12, 2010

What’s new in 2010 – Video Blog – DuVine TV

Filed under: Bike, DuVine TV, Tours, Video Blog — Tags: , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 5:22 pm

It’s January, it’s cold, and in many places there is snow piled high, so let’s warm up by taking a quick look at what DuVine has in store for 2010.  In this DuVine TV Video Blog you can find out about a number of fantastic new things including:

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January 7, 2010

DuVine 2010 – Bike Tour Year in Review

Filed under: Bike, Drink, Eat, Sleep — Tags: , , , , , , — Bike tour guru @ 3:15 pm

 What an auspicious start to a new year it was, like a lot of companies, we had all hands on deck, ready to face the unknown.  Everyone was talking about the financial meltdown.  People were losing their jobs, stock portfolios had dropped by 50%, retirement was seen as a far off dream …. so who the heck wanted to travel … especially on a luxury bike tour to Europe or Africa or the Americas?

Trying to figure out what to do I had decided to look very carefully at our operational costs.  What could we live without in the office?  We had several meetings, and everyone needed to come to the meeting with how they thought they could save money.  I did this because the last thing I wanted to do was cut jobs or reduce the quality of our tours.  At DuVine what is important to me first and foremost are our travelers and our staff so we needed to remain strong and positive, despite what was going on around us.

January started off slow but  once February hit the phones kept on ringing and it did not stop.  We worked hard to speak with every potential customer, answering their questions, helping them with special needs and requests so that they would see the value in our product and company.  We knew that we had to keep true to our goal of providing each person with the vacation of a life-time.

We were bolstered early on in the year with some National Prestige and Awards including:

  • DuVine word is starting to spread like wild fire.

Additionally, a very satisfying aspect of 2009, was being able to create jobs in the so called slumping economy. We added 5 great new hires in our main office during the  first two quarters (Dede, Deborah, Neshelle, Michelle, Gina) and many new bike tour guides out on the road.  I told guides in the beginning of the season, that I was not sure how big our bike tours would be each week, but if they stuck with us, they would be see the rewards at the end of the rainbow.  In the end, most of the DuVine bike guides had their best season ever, with sold out tours, big tips and really fun exciting clients who loved the bike, eat, drink, sleep concept.  I received tons of wonderful emails from 2009 travelers, who loved their trip with us.

Another highlight of 2009 was the introduction of a number of new bike  tours – in particular; Mallorca, Puglia, Piedmont, and Mendoza.  I was nervous putting out these new tours… thinking can we fill them?  I traveled to each location, created each tour, met with the people and drank the wine… knowing that if we build it… they will come.  All of these bike tour regions..Mallorca, Puglia, Piedmont, Mendoza beat our goals and had many satisfied travelers and are a big part of the plan for 2010

As is always fun, we introduced the DuVine Concept to many new travelers and were fortunate enough to be able to protect the travel plans of multiple travelers who were canceled from other companies’ tours due to their low load factors.

Many people traveled with DuVine, because the bigger bike tour operators only run tours with specific “load counts.”  Being small and real, we are not just about the bottom line.  The customer experience, our travelers vacation time is very important to us… we take that very seriously.  Therefore we did not cancel trips, and kept dates open for sale, voila… good karma and not being greedy…they filled.  It was good for everyone.

Another amazing thing in 2009 was the creativity of our team in building the first ever ‘hybrid’ brochure which showed our dedication to unique and personalized travel plans.  Many people throw away their brochures, which doesn’t fit well with the concept of being green, so we thought, why not produce a marketing tool, in the form of a travel brochure that people can use?  So we created our travel planner – which is a calendar, brochure and thank you gift all in one.  Our staff did an amazing job from start to finish, making the DuVine travel planner a real winner.  The emails I have received have been overwhelming.

With all the amazing growth in 2009, we still need to stay laser focused on being the unique and personalized tour operator that we are known for.  Not the big shot, not the impersonal tour mill, but the great boutique shop or restaurant with a few tables that you know and love….where you know the chef, the waiters and people’s names.  A company where you can show up wearing what you want and bike how you want…. just be ready to bike, eat, drink, and live the good life.

Bring on the people and the bike tours in 2010.

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DuVine Inspiration Day: Biking Across America

Filed under: Bike, Inspiration — Bike tour guru @ 10:00 am

As the leader in planning unique and personalized active vacations, we have the opportunity to meet and befriend many inspiring individuals in our travels.  Much more than a bike tour company, we are a community of cycling enthusiasts and friends who value exploration, creating connections, uniting common interests and sharing those visions with each other.

It is with this spirit of vision, creativity and education that we started “The DuVine Inspiration Speaker Series”.   In this program we welcome a guest speaker or speakers into our office to share their knowledge and insight with our staff and friends.  These one hour sessions have inspired and educated us and raised the bar on what is possible if you try.

Please join us if you can by stopping by our office for the next great speaker as well if you know an inspirational person please let us know or forward them a link to this blog we would love to have them come out and inspire us.

Most recent inspirational session:

Friday, December 18, PETER DOUBILET, M.D., Ph.D and CAROL BENSON, M.D. Both professors of radiology at Harvard Medical School. He is the senior vice chair of radiology and she is director of ultrasound and co-director of high-risk obstetrical ultrasound at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

In this session we learned how to prepare for an 80 day bicycle trip across the country; what to pack, how to pack, how to map the trip, how to find hotels and all the glorious stories that unfold.  The couple are taking a unique sabbatical and combining lectures across America on radiology with a 3800 mile bike trip, now that is an inspiration!

We found that we had a lot in common, and our staff really loved the couple.  We also found out that Carol had a goal to workout 365 days in a year, which she achieved! and that Peter is inspired by his wife’s motivation, although admittedly less fanatical about working out every day of the year.  It became clear in their presentation to us that this dedicated couple love to bicycle, teach, learn and make new friends.  They are DuVine, and we learned a lot about their epic journey, biking across America to spread their knowledge of ultra sound.

Our next inspirational session:

January 19, 2010 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, JOTHY ROSENBERG, Jothy Rosenberg is not a celebrity but an Everyman, which gives his wrenching story of astonishing grit its inspirational power.  After being told when he was 19 that he had no chance of surviving the cancer that had already cost him one leg and one lung, Jothy made a decision. He would ski until he died. Instead of dying he became one of the first beneficiaries of then-primitive chemotherapy, a champion one-legged, one-lunged skier, swimmer and cyclist, and an early model of how to triumph over cancer and disability.  This story is not one to be missed!

Previous inspirational sessions:

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 – Productivity Seminar by DON KHOURI, Khouri Consulting and Coaching. Don Khouri helps leaders be more productive, develop their competencies, build high performing teams, and increase their personal effectiveness.  He is committed to bringing out the best in others.  He has over seventeen years experience building and leading technology teams and twenty-four years experience in financial services.

Thursday, Dec 10, 2009 – JOHN ROSENTHAL, Founder of Stop Handgun Violence and Friends of Boston’s Homeless John helped us with simple changes we can make in our life to benefit those in need.   Friends of Boston’s Homeless is a non-profit corporation that works in partnership with Homeless Services of the Boston Public Health Commission toward the goal of providing the means for homeless people to move “beyond shelter”.  FOBH provides the homeless people of Boston with job training, job opportunities, counseling, and even helps them establish residence at transitional housing and permanent residence.

Stop Handgun Violence is a non-profit organization committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common sense gun laws. In Massachusetts, they are making a real difference.  Since 1994, we have passed the most comprehensive gun laws in the nation and have reduced gun injuries by 50%, gun homicide by 56% and gun accidents by 58%. Our gun violence prevention efforts are a model for the nation.

John’s story of helping others while also building a business really inspired us to think about what we could do as individuals as well as how our business could make an impact on the lives of others.  John’s sell effacing naturing and friendly demeanor helped us understand that the ability to help is within everyone and it just needs an outlet.

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