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Dijon Wine Tours › Dijon Wine for First-Timers: Labels, Spitting and Pacing Eight WinesUpdated 2026-09-25

Dijon Wine for First-Timers: Labels, Spitting and Pacing Eight Wines

Hours, prices and access verified by the Dijon Wine Tours team — last checked 2026-09-25.

Three glasses of white wine on a table under a vaulted stone cellar roof

The short answer. Yes, a first Dijon wine tour is worth it, and it is easier than it looks. Two things catch first-timers out. The labels name places, not grapes, and a full day pours six to fifteen wines, often with no food. Learn the four label levels, eat before you go, and spit when you need to. Then start with a 90-minute cellar session or a half-day before you commit to a whole day.

Is a wine tour worth it on a first visit?

For most people, yes. Burgundy is hard to learn from a shop shelf, because the bottles name villages and plots rather than grapes. A guide who pours six wines in order teaches you the system in an hour. The Cave du Palais session does exactly that, and 460 travellers have rated it.

If you are not sure you will enjoy a whole day, you do not have to find out the expensive way. The wine tastings in Dijon last 60 to 90 minutes and cost $45 to $62.

How to read a Burgundy label

The BIVB, Burgundy's wine board, counts 84 appellations on four levels. The higher the level, the smaller the place the label names.

LevelHow manyWhat the label namesWhere you meet it
Régionale7 appellationsThe region, a grape or a styleBourgogne Aligoté by Lac Kir; the Crémant at rue Berbisey
Village44 appellationsThe village the grapes grew inMarsannay, Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault
Premier CruClimats inside a Village appellationThe village, then the climatMost full days pour one
Grand Cru33 appellationsThe climat aloneThe last wine at the Cave du Palais

So "Meursault" on a label is a village wine, and a Premier Cru from the same village adds the name of its plot. Two grapes do most of the work: Chardonnay for the whites, Pinot Noir for the reds.

Spit, sip or swallow

You may spit, and nobody at a tasting will think less of you. On a day of eight wines or more it is how professionals stay sharp. If you would rather swallow, take a small sip of each and leave the rest. Your guide will not be offended by a half-full glass.

Useful tip. Ask for water between cellars and drink it. The e-bike day and the city ride provide no bottled water, so carry your own.

Eat before the first glass

The Ophorus listings put it plainly: in France, snacks are usually not served at a tasting, so eat a proper breakfast first. The first pour on a shared day comes mid-morning. If you like food with your wine, two sessions build it in. La Source des Vins pairs four wines with four cheeses, and the rue Berbisey cellar serves a homemade gougère.

Pacing six, eight or fifteen wines

Count the glasses before you book. The listings say what each fare pours:

  • Four wines with four cheeses at La Source des Vins, in an hour.
  • Five wines, a Crémant, two whites and two reds, at rue Berbisey.
  • Six wines, regional to Grand Cru, at La Cave du Palais.
  • Seven wines at a family winery on the e-bike day, after lunch.
  • Eight wines on the lunch day from Saint-Bénigne and on the private Clos de Vougeot day.
  • Ten to fifteen on the Grape Adventure private days.

Three wineries in a day, as on the Place Darcy full day, means three sets of pours. One traveller called it the right amount for one day, without feeling exhausted.

Which length of day to start with

Start short if you are unsure. A 90-minute session in the evening costs $62 and teaches you the labels. A four-hour morning on the Côte de Nuits, from $112, shows you the vineyards and two cellars and leaves your afternoon free. A full day, from $165, is the choice once you know you like it, or if this is your only day in Dijon.

Shared or private for a first tour?

A shared day puts you in a minivan with up to eight people, from $165 a head for a full day. You meet at a kerb, the operator chooses the wineries, and the other guests' questions often turn out to be yours too. A private day costs $492 to $680 a head, collects you from your hotel, and lets you steer: one private day chooses its wineries to your taste, and the Grape Adventure days pour ten to fifteen wines. For a first tour, shared is usually enough. Go private if you want your own pace, a pickup at your door, or the estates chosen for you; every option is on private wine tours from Dijon.

The three days first-timers book most

The Cave du Palais session is the one to book for an evening: six wines in a vaulted cellar, explained so anyone can follow. For a whole day, the Place Darcy day on both côtes takes you to three wineries with Beaune at lunchtime. If you would rather move, the e-bike day in the Côte de Beaune puts lunch and seven wines in the fare. Every shared day from a Dijon kerb is on Burgundy wine tours from Dijon.

Practical tips for a first tour

  • Bring your ID. The cellar sessions and most shared days take over-18s only.
  • Pack a jacket. One operator puts its cellar at about 14 °C.
  • Buy bottles at the end. You will know by then what you liked.
  • Ask about English. Some days run in English only, others in English and French; wine tours in English lists each one.
  • Check the kerb. Place Darcy has two, and the map shows both.
Important. Do not plan to drive after a day on the Côte. Every shared day on Burgundy wine tours from Dijon has a driver, and the private wine tours from Dijon collect you from your hotel.

What to add to your first visit

The Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin is free to walk into, and its bar pours 250 wines by the glass: a good place to try a Grand Cru you tasted earlier. The Palais des Ducs and its tower are ten minutes away on foot. Both are on things to do in Dijon, and the practical side is on the visitor guide. For the route itself, read the village-by-village guide.

Days that go easy on a first-timer

Next: Plan the practical side with how to plan a Dijon wine day. Every fare sits side by side on Dijon Wine Tours.