Recent Coverage 

Good Ideas on the Web Cuisine et Vins de France, Juin – juillet – Août 2010 N° 134, Page 160. Vine Rental www.GourmetOdyssey.com More than just a gift, this site allows you to give a passionate experience, that of the vine. You can offer a wine enthusiast the possibility to adopt their own vines and follow all the stages of winemaking via a newsletter. Before receiving their bottles, the virtual wine makers can personalise their own wine labels.  According to the wine experience chosen by the gift-giver, they also get the opportunity to participate in the harvest or in the blending.  For now, the site offers this wine adventure in Burgundy and the Bordeaux region, in two organic wineries. From € 149

In Vino BFM Radio 5th June, 2010 Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience discussed during the In Vino show featuring Alain Marty, Philippe Faure-Brac, David Cobbold, and guests.  In Vino is France’s only radio programme that is 100% dedicated to the world of wine and vineyards.   Download the In Vino podacst from the 5th June and listen from minute 51.20 to minute 52.50. (Interview only available in French)

Media Pack

Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience

Download the media pack for the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience (pdf 624kb) 

Press Releases  

Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience Selected by Regional Tourist Offices in Burgandy and Bordeaux   

Paris, 16 June 2010

Gourmet Odyssey (www.GourmetOdyssey.com) is proud to announce that its wine tourism product, the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience has been added to the services officially selected by the Office de Tourisme Intercommunal « Beaune, Côte et Sud » (www.Beaune-Tourisme.fr), and by the Conseil des Vins du Médoc (www.Medoc-Tourisme.com). 

Wine tourism is a growing sector in France.  According to a study carried out in 2007 by the Conseil Supérieur de l’Oenotourisme (Executive Wine Tourism Council), seven million people a year participate in a wine tourist activity.  The Conseil Supérieur de l’Oenotourisme has called for those involved in the French wine trade to propose innovative activities that promote the culture and heritage of wine in France.

The Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience is an innovative way for established or budding wine connoisseurs to discover and learn more about all the key stages in making wine.

For a wine making year, these wine lovers adopt vines (from 6 to 36) in one of the Gourmet Odyssey partner wineries, which today includes Domaine Chapelle in the Burgundy village of Santenay, and Château Beau Rivage in Macau-en-Médoc, close to Bordeaux.

Mark Bootherstone, the founder of Gourmet Odyssey explains that, “the main difference between the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience and more traditional vineyard tours or tastings is that the clients actually get involved themselves in the making of their wine during the Wine Experience Days spent at the winery.  The experience days are a hands-on and fun way to discover the world of a wine maker.  For example the clients find themselves amongst the vines to prune them, remove leaves, or harvest the grapes, or in the cellar at the moment the wines are blended.  These are special and magic moments, shared with the winemaker.”

The customers can also follow the progress of their vines and wine virtually by way of newsletter and photos which are sent to them and published in their client portal.  At the end of the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience, which can last up to 2 years, they receive a personalised bottle of wine, labeled with their name, for each adopted vine.

The Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience is most often given as an original wine gift, particularly for an unusual birthday, wedding, retirement, father’s day or Christmas present, or as a corporate gift that makes a change from a case of wine, and lasts long in the memory. 

Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience Launches in the UK   

Paris, 3 February 2010

Gourmet Odyssey has partnered with independent and organic winemakers in France to provide the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.  Each customer will adopt their own vines in a French vineyard for a winemaking year, follow the progress of their vines and the wine making process, and receive their own personalised bottles of wine that the grapes from their vines have helped to produce.

Other “adopt a vine” schemes already exist, but the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience offers a much more involved experience with between 6 and 36 bottles of personalised wine included in the package.  The heart of the concept is for the customers to visit the winery, meet the winemaker, and actually get involved themselves in helping to make their wine through the choice of 3 wine experience days.

The Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience makes an original present idea for any wine lover, whether they are already a connoisseur, or whether they are just starting out on the journey to learn more about wine.   When buying presents for a special occasion such as St Valentine’s day, a 60th birthday, wedding or retirement, people are looking more and more to offer an original experience that lasts long in the memory.

At each winery, the customer can choose to adopt between 6 and 36 vines.  The number of vines adopted corresponds to the number of bottles of wine that the customer receives at the end of their Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience.  Each bottle of wine will bear a personalized wine label.

The three wine experience days that customers can choose from are the Discovery Experience, Harvest Experience, and Vinification Experience where they will learn and participate in activities such as pruning, harvesting, blending and bottling depending on the experience and the time of year chosen.  Each wine experience day is valid for two people, so it gives a great opportunity to plan a short break to explore one of France’s wine growing regions in Bordeaux or Burgundy.

The recipient also receives a luxury Welcome Pack containing a sommelier’s apron, Drop Stop, certificate and personalised brochure that explains the programme is sent to the customer.  Regular updates from the winery about the vines and the wine-making process are sent by newsletter to all customers to follow the progress remotely, so even if no wine experience days are chosen, they benefit from a virtual experience.

“The essence of the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience is to learn about wine by getting involved in making it, to meet the winemaker and share in their passion, to visit some of France’s most beautiful regions, and to have a whole lot of fun,” says Mark Bootherstone, the founder of Gourmet Odyssey.  “I’ve always loved visiting vineyards and wine tasting, chatting with the winemakers and learning about the different regions and terroirs, but I’ve always wanted to go further.  I’m somebody who learns by doing, not just through listening and reading, and I wanted to make this possible for others too.”

Gourmet Odyssey has partnered with Château Beau Rivage in the Bordeaux region and Domaine Chapelle in Burgundy.  Other wineries and regions will follow.  Both of these independent wineries were selected for the high quality of their wine, the friendly and welcoming character of the owners, and the environmentally responsible way in which the vines are grown and the wine produced.  Indeed, Domaine Chapelle has just received official Organic status from Qualité France, and Château Beau Rivage is currently converting to becoming Organic and should become certified for their 2011 vintage.  They have both received numerous awards and recognition from the wine industry.

Jean-François Chapelle, the owner of Domaine Chapelle, in Santenay, Burgundy (http://www.domainechapelle.com/) believes that “the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience gives a unique way for people to get behind the scenes and to see for themselves what it takes to be a winemaker.  The public are becoming much more interested in gastronomy and wine – where do the products come from, how are they made, how environmentally friendly are the production methods used?  Our partnership with Gourmet Odyssey helps de-mystify the complex world of winemaking in a fun and interactive way.”

Prices start from € 149 and then increase depending on the number of vines adopted, the winery chosen, and the number of wine experience days selected. 

About Gourmet Odyssey

Gourmet Odyssey is a boutique French company that specialises in gastronomy discovery experiences where the customers actually participate in the making of the gourmet product of their choice from one of Gourmet Odyssey’s quality, independent partners.

Each partner is meticulously chosen for the excellence of their produce, their infectious enthusiasm and passion for their profession, and the environmentally and ethically responsible production methods used.

The first product in this range to be launched is the Gourmet Odyssey Wine Experience. Other gourmet experiences will follow shortly.

Gourmet Odyssey was founded by Mark Bootherstone, a British citizen who lives in Paris with his French wife.

More Information

If you are a journalist and would like more information about Gourmet Odyssey, please use the contact form.  We will reply to you as quickly as possible.  Thank you.