WINE SAFARI

   Mike Rijken, kendt af mange danskere, som har besøgt Chateau de Beaucastel inden for de sidste 13 år, har forladt sin stilling som PR-manager på Beaucastel og har startet sit eget firma "WINE SAFARI".
Mike Rijken er hollænder, men har opholdt sig i Frankrig siden 1983. Han er engelsktalende og er i øvrigt en meget kyndig og sympatisk person.
Nu arrangerer han vinture m.m. for turister.
Prøv at kigge på hans hjemmeside og se, hvad han kan tilbyde.
Han har også en slags blog, hvor han beretter om forskellige emner.

Herunder Mikes egne ord og billeder fra hjemmesiden.

Wine Safari likes to present itself through out four basic words :
Simple, Educational, Fun and Sensational.
  • Simple
    For as you just have to phone us or make a reservation by email.
    By experience Mike Rijken is able to make wine "understandable", and tries to explain wine and viticulture in every way without that the subject is becomming to difficult and to "snobby".
     
  • Educational

    You will discover that there so much more than just the liquid that we call wine. It will educate you to know about grapevarietals, the type of soil, the skill of the winemaker, and what kind of vinification is best for obtaining white, rosé and red wine. Educational as Mike Rijken will translate everything between you and the winemaker, and therefore get you a step closer to understanding the French wine culture in general.
  • Fun
    Wine and its people who make it, are certainly serious matters, but on the other hand, we should also see the sunny side from it, as wine is meant to be consumed and to be shared with other people and above all we should drink it during a meal, where we start to know each other better. In one word in fact "A Winemaker sells: Pleasure", and what would be better than sharing it. Convinced as he his, Mike Rijken has that flair and tickling enthousiasm, and his wine commentaries makes everybody smile for a while.

     
  • Sensational
    Sensational it is, as you discover after a morning, an afternoon or a whole day, what in fact you have learned about wine and its region in such a very short time. Sensational are the well and not so well known wineries that you can visit, and comercially we wish to conclude that the price for a Wine Safari is more than reasonable for what you get, and doesn't make that sensational hole in your vacation budget.

 

Wine Safari by Mike Rijken will visit with you in principal only one winery in the morning and/or one in the afternoon.
This, for as he has experienced himself, that once at the winery, there is so much to discover, to discuss and to ask that time flies by, and it is better to concentrate on one winery very good, than a quick impression about many wineries. You are certainly offered to taste some wines, and although you don't (have to ) drink every drop of it, in the long run you will feel somewhat tiered after all this. In such a way we like to take also our precautions. If ever a wineprogram becomes shorter, for what kind of reason, than we had in preview, we can instantly complete the program with an other visit.

 

Because this concept has been within Mike Rijken ever since he began working in France. After finishing hotel school in Bavaria, he puts his first footsteps in 1983 in Paris. There, he learned the language, and took courses at the Wine Academy of Steven Spurrier. Briefly, he returned to Holland and worked in a one-star Michelin retaurant as Chef de Partie.

In 1984, he worked in the heart of Burgundy (Beaune). His multiple talents served well in the kitchen and restaurants of a chain of Brasseries. In Burgundy, he led wine tours from the Hotel Le Cep (in Beaune), into Puligny-Montrachet and Pommard.

Although he worked for hotels and restaurants in Holland, and helped to manage a wine importation business, his heart has remained in France, serving as a link and spiritual guide between the French, and visitors interested in the best of wine and gastronomy. After meeting his Dutch wife, Vivian, in Burgundy, they moved to the south of France. For 13 years, Mike was the hospitality / pr manager for the prestigious Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The family Perrin sent him around Europe and the USA - whenever a good word was needed. With his background as a chef ; superb tasting skill ; and fluency in four languages, he can immediately explain why a wine may complement certain food ; what influences the wine ; how they may develop etc.

Most important, his personality and experience make his wine discourses a fun and rewarding pleasure for beginners and experts alike. He created the company Wine Safari to share his passion, and to facilitate people discovering more about the Rhône region - especially small, quality properties and lesser known regions. Educational, Fun, and Surprisingly simple to have a Sensational experience, with knowledge that really matters. It will make you want to return to Provence again and again.

 
   
 
   
 

Home