Five star review! Our visit to the Luberon Valley with Mike Rijken/Wine Safari truly was a highlight of our trip to Provence. It was everything we hoped for and more!
We truly could not imagine a more expert - yet friendly and approachable - guide than Mike. During our day with him we tasted wonderful wines and learned from his expert guidance about how to fully appreciate the wine's aroma, color, and flavor. In addition to his expertise on tasting and pairing with food, he was incredibly informative about the agricultural and production side of wine making. We learned a great deal about the history and geography of the Luberon and sub-areas within it, and how they influence the wine produced there. Mike is clearly an experienced professional, with a passion for wine and its producers in Provence. Also, we are not the most knowledgeable wine drinkers, so I'm sure a lot of our questions were elementary for him, but if they were, he never let on; his enthusiasm for teaching meant that no question was too basic. We truly could not imagine a better guide than Mike.
Mike was a delight to spend the day with. From a logistics POV, my husband and I rode with Mike in his van so we could enjoy the views of the countryside and vineyards. I highly recommend doing this, rather than taking your car. He was very responsive in our communications before we met up and prompt and courteous in all interactions with him. He even greeted us with croissants for breakfast when he picked us up at our hotel!
We also learned that Mike isn't just a great guide, he's a thoughtful and generous soul. In a completely unrelated matter, my husband and I had had a mechanical issue with our rental car, causing it to be towed the day before. While we rode with Mike I called the rental car company to see about getting our car back from the mechanic, but I was not having much luck (what little French I speak is poor, and the company reps spoke limited English). Mike heard me struggling, and he very kindly offered to translate, speaking with the representative of the rental car company a few times, as well as to the garage where our rental car had been repaired. Because of him, we got our car back that day! Mike even dropped us off at the garage to pick up the car, going inside with us to make sure all was in order! We are deeply grateful to him for his help, as it allowed us to fully enjoy the next two (final) days of our vacation in a way we couldn't have without a car. What a great guy!
Again, we recommend Mike and Wine Safari with all five stars! Thanks again, Mike, for sharing your knowledge and experience (and for helping us out in a jam). We hope to visit Provence again sometime and look forward to spending time with you again! read more