Exploring Wine Trip to Spain & Portugal, July 13-23, 2016

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1 Dear Chaîne wine lovers, Exploring Wine Trip to Spain & Portugal, July 13-23, 2016 led by Charles Bennett, Chaîne Grand Echanson USA Join our small group of no more than 14 Chaîne wine and travel enthusiasts for a fabulous trip this summer to warm and welcoming Spain and Portugal, where we ll combine vineyard exploration with sensational food, compelling history, art, culture, and even a touch of archeology. The arid, mountain-ringed plains of northern Spain are home to some of the best and most affordable red wines on the planet. Priorat, Rioja, and Ribera del Duero are just three of the regions we will visit see the trip map further on. We ll talk with winery proprietors at Clos Mogador, Alto Moncayo, Emilio Moro, and more. We begin in Barcelona and make our way to Madrid, before flying to Porto for our Portugal visit. We ll visit a winery or two most days, interspersed with historical and cultural activities, and each day capped with an exceptional gastronomic meal. Spain is rich with the history of Islamic conquest in the 700s, Christian Reconquista through the ensuing Middle Ages, of monarchy, dictatorship, and now democracy. As the scourge of Phylloxera wiped out the vineyards of France in the 1800s, Spain became a refuge for many French winemakers as a place they could restart, joining local vintners who had been working the fields for centuries with some 400 native Spanish grape varieties. Eventually Spain s vineyards also fell to Phylloxera, but by then Spanish wines had gained fame beyond Spain s borders. And in the last 20 years a quality revolution has only added to Spain s lustre. We couldn t visit Spain without stopping in glorious San Sebastián, home to an amazing concentration of three-star Michelin restaurants - which of course we will sample! Plus nearby Bilbao, with what some say is the most architecturally striking building in the world, Frank Gehry s Guggenheim Museum. We ll close our Spain visit in Madrid with flamenco, the Prado, and memories to spare. Portugal means more than Port wine alone. Dry wines are coming into their own and are a great opportunity for discovery. Portugal is unique in providing most of the world s high quality corks which we ll see when we visit the world s most important cork factory. And our float on the Douro River will provide one of the world s greatest vineyard vistas. I ve been leading small, luxury wine tours like this for wine and food lovers since Numerous Chaîne members can attest to the fun we have. This Exploring Wine trip is officially endorsed by the Chaîne, which means Chaîne and Mondiale members enjoy a specially-discounted price of $4,990pp in Spain and $2,175pp in Portugal (land, double occupancy), a total of $7,165pp, which includes a donation to the Chaîne Foundation. Have a look at the accompanying materials. Please join us - time is short! If you re interested, send me an at cb@exploringwine.com. I ll provide further details and signup forms. At you can check out testimonials, trip photos, and much more. Cheers! Charlie Bennett Chaîne Grand Echanson of the United States President of Exploring Wine

2 MEMORABLE MOMENTS Impressive Wines Priorat s first wine, from Clos Mogador, poured by the owner The spectacular wines of Alto Moncayo, from ancient Garnacha vines More great wine visits : CUNE, Lopez de Heredia, Emilio Moro, Hacienda Monasterio, Dow s, Taylor s, Graham s, and others A tour of the world s most important cork factory Sparkling picnic among the vines Clos Mogador, Priorat Cork Factory, Portugal History, Culture, and Art The atmospheric streets of Pamplona, just after the Encierro (the Running of the Bulls) Frank Gehry s iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the Prado in Madrid Archeologists digging for ancient pre-human remains while you watch The world s most impressive wine museum, Dinastia Vivanco, and its demo vineyard of 200+ grape varieties Flamenco performed in an intimate neighborhood taberna in Madrid A peaceful float along the twists and turns of the Douro river, with its undulating terraced vineyards Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao Flamenco performance, Madrid Douro River, Portugal Gourmet Meals Lunch in a flower-filled courtyard in the tiny village of Gratallops A Michelin-starred meal in Zaragoza around the corner from Roman ruins Three Michelin stars at Arzak in San Sebastián A plush night s sleep Catalonia El Pilar, Zaragoza Londres y de Inglaterra, San Sebastián Hospederia de los Parajes, La Guardia Castillo de Curiel, Peñafiel, a hilltop castle The Yeatman, Porto, Portugal Breakfast view, Yeatman Hotel, Porto Hotel Castillo de Curiel, Peñafiel View from San Sebastián hotel

3 Exploring Wine Trip to Spain & Portugal, July 13-23, 2016, for the Chaîne

4 Exploring Spain Itinerary July 13-20, 2016 Day One Wednesday, July 13 A sparkling start and a mountainous finish Barcelona, Spain In the morning we board our mini-bus in Barcelona to launch our trip Penedés An hour from Barcelona we visit one of Spain s best Cava (sparkling wine) houses, such as Raventos i Blanc, Recaredo, or Gramona, where we will tour and taste Priorat In this remote, hilly region we first stop at winery Vall Llach, then visit the ruin of the ancient monastery after which the Priorat region is named, the Cartoixa d Escaladei Falset We make our way along winding roads through the Priorat hills to reach our overnight stop in Falset Day Two Thursday, July 14 - Priorat Gratallops In the heart of remote Priorat, walk the dusty mountain vineyards. Down a dirt track, explore the very first modern wine producer in this tiny village and talk with Rene Barbier, son of the man who put Priorat on the wine map with Clos Mogador. Enjoy lunch at Clos Figueras in the small, elegant restaurant with its gorgeous walled garden, accompanied by spectacular local wines Visit Ferrer Bobet, a top winery in Priorat with an amazing view from the tasting room Zaragoza In the late afternoon we drive to the capital of Aragon and center of Mudejar architecture, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, where we can stroll and relax before dinner. Two important Christian churches, a historic mosque, and Roman ruins make the city a compelling visit After dinner at a Bal d'onsera, a cool, modern restaurant with a Michelin star, we spend the night at the elegant Catalonia El Pilar Hotel in the city center Day Three Friday, July 15 Campo de Borja, and Three Star Dining Borja Enroute to the Atlantic coast we ll pass through the Campo de Borja region, ancestral seat of the Borgia family, where we ll visit Bodegas Borsao, a large and important winery, where we ll also taste the top-notch wines of Alto Moncayo Pamplona As we drive to San Sebastián, we stop briefly in Pamplona, 10 days after the annual running of the bulls, and enjoy a local lunch San Sebastián Explore this beautiful seaside city before our three-star Michelin dinner at Arzak, one of the world s best restaurants Overnight at the elegant Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra, walking distance from the sea Day Four Saturday, July 16 From Dramatic Architecture to the Heart of Rioja San Sebastián Free time this morning to wander the legendary beaches, take a boat ride in the picturesque bay, climb Monte Urgull for a view of the city, or check out Basque history at San Telmo museum Finish your San Sebastián adventure with lunch on your own - perhaps a txikiteo of pintxos (local Basque form of tapas) Bilbao We drive to Bilbao to visit Frank Gehry s wonder the Guggenheim Museum, often cited as the greatest architectural creation of modern times La Guardia, Rioja We finish the day in a tiny walled medieval village, for the first of two nights at Hospederia de los Parajes overlooking the main square. We enjoy dinner at the nearby Restaurant Amelibia, one of the locals favorites

5 Exploring Wine Spain Itinerary 2016 Page 2 Day Five Sunday, July 17 Evolving Species and Evolving Wines Burgos Visit the extraordinary working archeological site of Atapuerca, with the richest deposit of ancient human fossils in Europe. Watch as archeologists sift carefully through the soil for remains that date back as much as a million years. Then visit the Museum of Human Evolution which houses the fossils found so far, followed by a local lunch Briones From human evolution to wine evolution we visit the museum at Dinastia Vivanco, the most elaborate and impressive wine museum in the world. In addition to artifacts and exhibits, there is a vineyard with more than 220 different species of wine grapes growing side by side La Guardia Time to relax before dinner back in our medieval walled town Our second night in the Hospederia de los Parajes with dinner in the ancient and romantic hotel wine cellar and restaurant Day Six Monday, July 18 The roots of Spanish wine: Rioja La Guardia Start the day with a visit to one of the highly-rated CVNE wineries (producer of Wine Spectator s 2013 #1 wine of the year) near our hotel: Viña Real, or Contino next door Haro Here in the center of Rioja winemaking, we visit López de Heredia, the most revered traditional winery in the region. Hundred-year-old barrels are still in use. Then we ll enjoy lunch nearby in the cloister of a centuries-old monastery, Las Duelas, now a hotel Ribera del Duero We drive from Rioja to neighboring Ribera del Duero, where we ll dine and spend the night at a true medieval hilltop castle, Castillo de Curiel, now spectacularly restored Day Seven Tuesday, July 19 Ribera del Duero Ribera del Duero In Peñafiel we visit Emilio Moro, a top wine producer in the region Abadia Retuerta Cross more of the high plains to reach this acclaimed winery on the western border of Ribera del Duero, for a tasting Across the road lies an ancient abbey that is now the spectacular home of a Relais et Chateaux hotel, where we ll have a wonderful lunch Madrid Travel to Spain s capital, high on the central plateau, where we check into Hotel Catalonia Las Cortes, followed by free time to explore or relax After dinner on your own, we ll meet up to enjoy a traditional flamenco performance near our hotel Day Eight Wednesday, July 20 Madrid Madrid We finish our journey on a cultural high, visiting the famed Prado Museum, then for those not continuing with us to Portugal, we say a warm adiós just before lunch Optional Portugal extension trip starts in Madrid at lunchtime see the Portugal trip for further details Spain Trip Cost $4,990 per person, double occupancy (land only) for members of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs For Chaîne members, 10% will be donated to the Chaîne Foundation Spain+Portugal (combined) = 11 days, 10 nights, $7,165pp double occupancy for Chaîne members To sign up, or for more information, send an to Charlie Bennett at cb@exploringwine.com

6 Day One Wednesday, July 20 Madrid to Porto Portugal and the Douro Valley Itinerary July 20-23, 2016 Madrid The Prado is one of the world s great museums, and it s just steps from our hotel door. We ll visit for two hours before we return to our hotel to say a fond farewell to anyone not continuing on our Portugal trip. Then we head to the airport for our short flight from Madrid to Porto (also called Oporto), the historic port for which the country of Portugal is named Porto We check into luxury Relais et Chateaux Hotel The Yeatman, located high on a hill overlooking the city. Then choose the option of a tasting and cellar tour across the street from our hotel at the famed Port Lodge of Taylor s (Taylor Fladgate), or relaxing by the hotel s spectacular pool. In any case, there will be some time to refresh and relax after the tasting, before dinner In the evening we return to Taylor s Port Lodge, where we enjoy a first-rate dinner of local specialties and sample wines from the wonderful cellar We enjoy the first of three nights at the beautiful Yeatman Hotel Day Two Thursday, July 21 The Douro Valley Porto to Pinhão We drive through the mountains and then along the Douro River to the legendary vineyards where port wine grapes are grown Pinhão We board a boat designed as a replica of the ancient Rabelos that carried Port wine in casks from the riverside lagares down to the city of Porto for aging. Gliding peacefully upstream and then down, we learn the history of the river and its famous wines as we view the steep terraced vineyards and wineries on both sides After an informal lunch with local wines, we tour and taste at the famed Quinta do Bomfim, the vineyard and winery where Dow s Vintage Port is made Driving back to Porto, we enjoy more of the dramatic scenery of vines terraced along ancient stone walls. The view of the vineyards along the Douro is one of the world s great wine vistas Tonight is dinner on your own in historic Porto or sister city Vila Nova de Gaia Day Three Friday, July 22 Over the River and Through the Woods Santa Maria de Lamas An hour from our hotel, we tour the world s largest cork factory, where we watch both traditional craftsmen and modern machines transform the bark of these remarkable trees into wine closures A traditional lunch at nearby Aquarela, a restaurant popular with locals Porto Return to the city for a leisurely walking tour, starting with the sights at the point of highest altitude and working our way down the hill. We ll see the cathedral, the remnants of the medieval wall, spectacular murals, a famed Baroque tower, and then a tour of the grand old stock exchange building with stunning tilework Our dinner tonight is in the elegant Michelin-starred restaurant of our hotel, with its phenomenal wine list A final night at the Yeatman overlooking the city and the river Day Four Saturday, July 23 Porto Porto We visit the famed Port Lodge of Graham s, where we tour the century-old aging cellars and then cap our journey with a delightful lunch at the lodge with another gorgeous panoramic view of the city Our trip ends after lunch. Thanks for traveling with us! Portugal Trip Cost - $2,175 per person, double occupancy (land only) for members of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs For Chaîne members, 10% will be donated to the Chaîne Foundation Spain+Portugal (combined) = 11 days, 10 nights, $7,165pp double occupancy for Chaîne members To sign up, or for more information, send an to Charlie Bennett at cb@exploringwine.com