Can you wine tour Burgundy effectively on your own, or is it better to pay for

[Ryan F]

a tour? I do speak halfway decent French.

[Pontac]

You'd be better off doing it on your own. Tour groups go to the larger commercial wineries that can cope with groups, and generally don't go in to too much technical detail or allow enough time for tasting.

But do your research first, get a good book on Burgundy and work out which wineries you want to visit. Check if you need to book an appointment.

Burgundy is compact and easily travelable by car. You can go at your own pace and see what you want to.

The exception is a small tour group organised by a professional wine organisation (like wine writers or sommeliers) that can get access to wineries not normally open to the public). The only other advantage of a tour is that someone else drives and you can imbibe without worry.

Do some research then if you have any questions post them on a wine specific forum, such as Wine Lovers Discussion Board - http://community.netscape.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=start&webtag=ws-winelovers

[Sully]

Check into the tour first. If they have insider information, discounts, and transporation it might be a better way to go the 1st time.