Les Explorateurs de Vins ®, a non-profit organization, facilitates the discovery, understanding and appreciation of fine wine and gastronomy in the spirit of conviviality and good humor.
We offer you numerous opportunities to learn about wine and wine tasting through wine tasting classes, organized wine tastings, tours of the French wine country, and wine cellar advice. Contact us for wine expertise, advice and information on everything to do with wine and gastronomy.
All of our services are available in ENGLISH
Whether you're an individual, a couple, a group of friends or colleagues, or a company seeking activities for your employees, we have the wine tasting services you are looking for!
Wine Tasting Classes & Workshops
In your home or office: for a group of friends or colleagues, we can give a series of classes over several weeks or a 3-hour workshop on one day. For beginners, an Introduction to Wine Tasting is ideal; for more experienced wine tasters, classes on the French wine-growing regions or on winemaking techniques are available.
Wine Tasting Tours of France
There's no better way to learn about wine than to see where it's made and talk with the winemakers. We will take you to the best wineries in France, and translate so you can speak directly with the winemakers. From the wine novice to the most experienced connoisseur, for couples or groups, we can design a wine tasting tour that will be fun, informative, and memorable. We offer two tour options:
- One-Day Wine Tasting Excursion from Paris: to Chablis, Sancerre, the Loire Valley, Burgundy or Champagne; excursions in the Rhône Valley (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, etc.), Provence (Baux de Provence, etc.) or Languedoc wine regions.
- Longer Wine Tasting Tours: 2 or more days in any of the wine regions (or combination of regions)
Wine Tastings in Your Home or Office, or for Receptions
We can arrange tastings of any kind: vertical, horizontal, by year, by producer, by region, etc. How about a wine tasting coupled with a tasting of French cheeses? Or a wine tasting paired with a tasting of Foies Gras, or chocolate? These options are also available.
Personal or Corporate Wine Cellar Creation or Buying Advice
Want to start a wine cellar? We can help you, from finding the right materials to creating a space adapted to storing and aging wine, to deciding which wines to buy. If you already have a wine cellar, we can offer advice on which wines to buy, which age well, best buys, etc.
Looking for an Old Wine? A Prestigious, Difficult-to-Find Wine ? Let us know - we will use our numerous contacts in the French wine business to find the wine you desire.
Who are Les Explorateurs de Vins (The French Wine Explorers)?
Jean-Pierre Sollin, President, Sommelier-Conseil.
Jean-Pierre is a two-time finalist in the French national wine tasting championships, and recipient of the prestigious diploma of Sommelier-Conseil from l'Université du Vin at Suze-la-Rousse. Jean-Pierre has traveled extensively in the French wine regions for many years and has developed close relationships with the leading French wine estates. For over ten years, he organized wine tasting tours for the Enological Club of the French Senate, for which he also has taught wine tasting classes and trained wine service personnel. He continued this work as co-owner and chief sommelier for one of America’s leading French wine tour company, and as president/chief sommelier of the well-known French wine tasting school, Les Explorateurs de Vins. Jean-Pierre regularly organizes and leads wine tasting events for major French corporations and private groups, and participates as a judge at French wine competitions. His sommelier engagements have included presiding at a tasting of wines that went around the world with the winner of the Vendée Globe international sailing competition, and leading tastings for the press and public to promote Champagne's best smaller producers. He has been featured several times on French national primetime television (France 2 and TF1), presenting educational segments about wine.
Jean-Pierre's contributions to French wine were recognized when he was inducted as member of two of France's famous wine brotherhoods: l'Echansonnerie des Papes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Les Compagnons du Beaujolais. What sets Jean-Pierre apart is not only his vast knowledge of French wine, but also his ability to convey his love and enthusiasm for wine to others.