18 December 2015

Tom Hardy to partner with Slow Tours Bordeaux Wine Tour

SA wine royalty to exclusively share the ‘good life’ in France with local travellers

Adelaide’s Slow Tours has pulled off quite a coup for travellers on its June 2016 tour of revered French wine region Bordeaux by securing the involvement of colourful McLaren Vale winemaker Thomas Hardy as a host and guide.

A fifth-generation member of Australia’s most celebrated wine family—and a renowned storyteller—Thomas has agreed to lead the party on a day of exclusive “local-character experiences” around the neighbouring region of Cognac.

Among the highlights will be guided visits to: an architecturally remarkable distillery designed and built by Gustave Eiffel; a 10th-century chateau where King Francis I was born; and a centuries-old riverside distillery with a fascinating private museum, maintained by an internationally-esteemed local cognac producer.

“Our tour party will be in for an unforgettable day and evening with Tom,” said Slow Tours Director Carol Haslam.

“He’s lived in and around Cognac off and on since 1988. Over that time, through his family connections and gregarious nature, he’s built a wonderful network of fascinating contacts, particularly within the cognac industry.”

Tom—a nephew of Australian yachting legend Sir James Hardy and a former national sailing champion himself—will be chaperoning the Slow Tours group through a number of world-renowned cognac distilleries, including Otard, Frapin and Tiffon.

“We’re sure to hear many delightful, off-the-record stories,” said Carol, “and no-doubt taste many a fine drop of cognac!

“Tom’s also agreed to cook us a sumptuous four-course French dinner at his beautiful stone cottage, which stands alone on a leafy island on Cognac’s Charente River. It’s just stunning.”

According to Tom, he fell in love with the Cognac region—which is also home to Grand Marnier and its famous Chateau de Bourg-Charente—from the moment he first visited in 1974.

“I was instantly seduced by the French love of good food, good wine and good company,” said Tom, “and their determination to put time on the back foot.

“Everything in France happens at its own pace, and especially so in the Cognac area. Many families have barrels of cognac in their cellars that their great, great grandfathers made, so time has a different level of respect. You really feel a sense of, ‘don’t rush, don’t rush.’

“Slow Tours certainly has the right philosophy for taking people to Cognac!”

Slow Tours’ Bordeaux trip, incorporating the day in Cognac with Tom Hardy, will take place from 13 – 20 June, 2016. To learn more, or to book, visit: our website

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Carol Haslam
Director, Slow Tours
m: 0408 358 448
e: [email protected]

or

Chris Jenner
Business Development
M: 0434 188 440
E: [email protected]

ABOUT SLOW TOURS

Adelaide’s Slow Tours specialises in providing European holidays that prioritise depth of connection and relaxation over volume of sights seen. Our tours offer a chance to breathe—to stay in one place long enough, and look deep enough, to genuinely experience its culture and connect with the easy flow of local life.