wine safari

Do not hesitate to book a wine safari with Mike. He is a wonderful and knowledgeable guide and a very nice and accommodating person. We were a family of 7, including 4 under the age of 18, so Mike accommodated us by building in some general sightseeing as well a couple winery visits. He made it fun for all, and his extensive knowledge of Provence made the day very informative as well. He was able to accommodate us very comfortably in his Renault van (very nice). We left our hotel in Avignon at 8:30am and he dropped us back at the hotel at 6pm. The day just flew by. We thought it was a great value for a fantastic family outing in Provence. Thanks Mike!

I can't say enough good things about about the day we spent with Mike. He imparted his knowledge and passion for Cotes d'Rhone wines, and really opened my mind. Provided a great overview of the region and we saw tremendous sites, also. I shall now add this wine region to my favorites.

If you're looking to explore the wine country of Provence AND small villages, this is the perfect guide! My boyfriend and I were staying in Aix en Provence without a car and really wanted to spend a day in the wine country so we booked a day with Mike at Wine Safari. He picked us up first in the morning and we drove to our first town - Gordes. He allowed us an hour to explore the cute hilltop town where A Good Year was filmed so we grabbed a cafe and enjoyed the quaintness. From there he took us to a beautiful vineyard. No one else was there so we had a private tasting of 7 wines! Mike is truly an expert on the region and wines so it was a great tasting lesson! After tasting, he dropped us off for lunch in the town of Rousillion. We enjoyed a great Provencal lunch by ourselves before heading to another quaint town - Menerbes. At the end of the day, we visited another vineyard and sat outside tasting 7 more wines! All in all, it was a very relaxing, enjoyable day. We were able to really get a sense of the wines from the region (can't wait to look for them back home!), explore quaint hilltop country towns and learn a lot about the region! It exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend a day with Mike!

We had a fun, informative full day tour with Mike. Lots of information on the geology, history and wine-making business. A wonderful experience for those interested in Rhone Valley wines. The scenery was just incredible as well.Mike RijkenWine Safari, 120 Av Josph Vernet 84810 Aubignan , tel bur:+(33)(0)4.90.35.59.21 mob:+(33)(0)6.19.29.50.81 E mail: mikeswinesafari@orange.frSite Internet : www.winesafari.net

Wine Safari is an experience not to be missed . My wife and I took the 3hr. tour which we found to be quite enjoyable. Hosted by Mike ,fluent in several languages , is both humorous and informative,as he taxis you through the vineyards and beautiful countryside of Provence . You will return enlightened .

My wife and I did a tour with Mike at the end of September. Mike is friendly, funny, and has a very impressive wealth of knowledge to share on wine, winemaking, and the history of the Rhone region overall. We saw some beautiful parts of the Avignon countryside and even had a chance to see workers harvesting grapes in the field. One thing to note for anyone that has done wine tasting/tours in places like Napa Valley: this is a very different experience. While we did taste many wines (about 15 at 2 vineyards), the day is much more focused on learning about and appreciating wine than tours we’ve experienced in California. In this way, it didn’t really meet our expectation of a laid-back, fun day trying wines, but it might be the perfect tour for others. The real negatives from my perspective: the day is a little long (about 9 hours), tiring at times (as you standing and listening to someone talk for large chunks of time), and fairly expensive (120 euro per person, not including lunch).

My husband and I did a wine tour with Mike at the end of August. It was so much more than what we were expecting. Mike took us to two vineyards where he gave us a tour and taught us about the wine making process starting with the grapes outside to all the machinery inside. Not only did we learn about wine but as we travelled from one vineyard to the next, Mike took us on a tour of Provence. We saw an old abbey, an old Roman bridge, stopped in beautiful towns on top of mountains, and even ate an almond off the tree! Although we only stopped at two vineyards, we tried a broad (and delicious) range of wines. Mike alone is reason enough to do the wine safari. He is funny, personable, and SO knowledgeable about everything from history to wine making to French culture. He picked us up and dropped us off from our hotel. The wine safari was one of the highlights of our stay. If you are interested in exploring the area and doing a wine tasting, I highly recommend contacting Mike. You will not be disappointed.

Please consider doing this. Mike was wonderful, passionate, and knowledgeable. My wife and I did the all-day tour, involved wine from CDP and Gigondas. His insight into the wines we were tasting made the experience worthwhile. By far one of the highlights of our trip!

My friend and I recently stayed in Avignon and had Mike take us on a full day wine tour and had a fantastic day! We look a tour through Cote du Rhone and stopped at two wineries for a tasting. Mike picked us up at our hotel and made the day hassle and worry free. Mike was very knowledgeable and gave a fantastic history of the area. The spot for lunch was very good and was a relaxing break. I would highly recommend Wine Safari and spending the day with Mike!

We went on a tour of the Rhone valley region with Mike who runs Wine Safari. It was great to be picked up and driven around such a lovely area. Mike's knowledge is really great and he gives you a complete history of the area and wine growing. We went to two wineries and the tastings were really extensive and educational. At around 12.15 we were dropped off at a typical provincial restaurant which had nice food. After lunch we went to our second winery and following that mike took us back to Pernes. A lovely day.

I have done three wine tours with Mike to date (two in 2012 and one in June 2014). Each tour was unique and fabulous. Mike took away all the worry of coordinating a day of wineries and sight-seeing. He picked us up at the hotel each time, drove us around, took us to wonderful places for lunch, and of course introduced us to some amazing wineries. We got personalized tours of the wineries and personalized tastings from Mike. His knowledge of all things wine is astounding. I look forward to returning to France and doing another tour with Mike and highly recommend Wine Safari to anyone who enjoys wine, wants to learn more about wine, and wants to see the Provence.

My wife and I joined Mike on a full day tour today - it was awesome. Very relaxing while Mike showed us several regions within Cote du Rhone. Mike picked us up at our hotel in Avignon first thing in the morning and dropped us back at the hotel end of the afternoon. Enjoyed wine tasting at a winery in the Chateauneuf du Pape in the morning and in the Giondas area in the afternoon. Mike was very knowledgable on wine and the region. By him driving, we could enjoy the countryside and the WINE. Highly recommend Wine Safari and Mike. Hope to return soon.

We didn't know what to expect when we did Jardin De Bacchus's wine and cooking tour package. I knew the B&B owner "knew a guy", but I did no expect to get such an expert. Mike promptly picked us (2) up at 0830, and we set out. Our tour was private, but I know sometimes they are not. They are always small. He had no issues stopping by a market for water or an ATM.We visited two wineries, which was less than we expected from a "wine tour", but it turned out to be a much better surprise because Mike wove in the history and sites of the region. He took us to the ruins of the Pope's summer home (naming the Chateauneuf du Pape region), but along the way we stopped at vineyards to examine grapes and start learning about the way grapes are grown in the interesting geological region.At the wineries, Mike was the one that took us through the winery tastings, and he was able to take us back to see the equipment and fermentation tanks. It really felt like we were with a regional wine insider.His English was fantastic. He is Dutch born, moved to France for the love of wine. His character is just great. It was delightful all his jokes and how he would ask himself questions ("Now, Mike... I thought you said", Mike said to us). I could not believe how through a B&B package we got such a fantastic gem.One small note, we were running a bit ahead of schedule, and so along the way we stopped at Orange to check out the ampitheatre. He didn't have to do that. We didn't even know what the schedule was?! It was small things like that which showed that Mike truly cared about our experience. He wasn't just running us through the usual. Highly recommended for anybody that wants to learn about wines, wine growing, and local history in one very entertaining package.

Traveling solo, didn't know if I could get in on Mike's tour or not, as most tour companies like to make it worth their while with smaller groups. Not Mike. He said I am available at 1:30 and so my adventure began. Mime started with the history as we drove. Then I found myself out in the vineyards themselves, learning about the plants, pruning, grafting, etc. then inside the winery learning about harvesting, pressing and storing, all before a drop of wine passed my lips. When then started the tasting, where Mike explained the differences not only of these wines but of wines elsewhere. Then we wrapped it up by touring the countryside and visiting some local places I had not yet seen. Mike was extremely knowledgable, spoke excellent English (and French and Dutch) and above all is passionate about wine, it's history and it's economic impact on the Cote de Rhone area. Mike is also listed first in Rick Steve's book, and I can see why. Thanks Mike!

We loved Mike's wine tour! He picked us up at our hotel and drove us around the beautiful Provencal countryside and then to Chateauneuf du Pape for a delicious wine tasting. Mike was extremely knowledgeable, funny, and patient with our somewhat unusual group (5 adults, including one non-drinker, and a 2-year old). We highly recommend his tour.