Les Thyades are the followers of Dionysus, God of Wine, in Greek mythology. They sing and dance in Dionysus’ parade and drag along with them many Greek women, leaving behind their desperate husbands!

Because I am proud to be from Bourgogne! (Laughs) They dressed me up in the typical Burgundian attire once when I was 5 years-old, this may be why I developed this calling vocation! To be more serious, I was actually born in a region called Jura, about 60 miles from Dijon. At age two I moved to Dijon and remained there until moving to the United States at the age of 18. I spent 6 years in New England and integrated well into this new life, but still, you cannot have any idea of how much I missed my Burgundian vineyards and stones from Worcester, Massachusetts! I obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology there and returned to France. After some time, I decided to share my love for this county with my American friends. This is how I got the idea of making a living out of it. I went through a training in oenology and am currently a student at “the university de la vigne et du vin” in order to perfect my knowledge.

Chambolle-Musigny…. Or I should say rather Musigny and Bonnes-Mares, the two “grands crus” of Chambolle… But I won’t give you a lecture! I love what Gaston Roupnel (a historian) once said: “wines of silk and lace whose supreme delicacy ignores violence and fades away robustness”. This is very true, Burgundy wines are very feminine wines… therefore very refined!

Of course I do! I like Pommard very much, as well as Aloxe-Corton, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and many others… I am not as chauvinistic as you think! There exist some excellent Bordeaux…. I am very capable of enjoying a Saint-Emilion, or a Château Margot! I like Sancerre very much and I always enjoy a glass of fresh Bandol in the summertime!

I do not like this word very much…. I consider them more like traveling companions with whom I can share the things that I love so deeply. They are mostly American, but sometimes German, Belgium, Hungarian and even French curious souls join us.

I know… but there is an important distinction to make between a tour of Burgundy that inevitably involves a four star hotel in Gilly and great cellars known to the international community and a more personalized tour in a cosy atmosphere in charming establishments. With Les Thyades, we do visit the crucial cellars that cannot be ignored so that we do not come home clueless in this regard, but we also speak in the deepest secrets of the Gods, those that only the locals know! We buy wine if we desire to do so, at its real price, and not in one of those tourist traps!

Feel like discovering Burgundy according to my views….? Well… follow me!