Burgundy

Burgundy Discovery

Private Wine Tours · Burgundy, France

Credentials WSET certified · Wine industry background
Languages English · French
Tour style Private · Small group
About

Stephen Liney has been based in Burgundy since the late 1990s, arriving via a winemaking post at Château de Berne in Provence and then a decade working as a Burgundy sourcing agent and wine broker out of Dijon. That trajectory, from the cellar and trade side of the industry rather than the tourism side, is what separates him from guides who learned Burgundy from a book. He took over Burgundy Discovery in 2024 from founders Robert and Joy Pygott, who spent twenty years building the winemaker relationships the business runs on today, and has been leading private wine experiences in the region since 2012. He is WSET certified and lectures part-time at Burgundy schools.

Access

Two decades of sourcing, brokering, and guiding in the same region means Stephen arrives at cellar doors as a known quantity: not a tour operator requesting a visit, but someone whose guests are expected.

  • Small, independent family domaines across the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits not listed on public booking platforms
  • Grand Cru tastings within producing cellars, including barrel tastings of current vintages
  • Visits calibrated across the full Burgundy hierarchy (Village, Premier Cru, Grand Cru) within a single day
  • Wine purchases direct from domaines at cellar prices, including bottles rarely available outside France
  • International wine shipping coordinated from the cellar door
How Burgundy Discovery works
Burgundy Discovery asks about your wine background and preferences before building any itinerary. Their booking enquiry form includes a Wine Profile section and guests are encouraged to be specific about their knowledge level, what they've already tasted, and what they're hoping to find. Private tours are built entirely around the response; small group tours follow a curated route but Stephen adapts depth and conversation to the group in front of him. Lunch reservations and wine shipping logistics are handled by the team so the day stays focused on what's in the glass.

Private and small group tours · By inquiry

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This operator was personally evaluated by Michelle Ryan: WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, IATA Certified Travel Advisor. Vetting criteria: guide credentials, access to producers not available through public booking platforms, and knowledge intake process. Not every operator we evaluate makes it onto this site.