A Few Things Worth Knowing

Not at all. An interest is plenty. You can absorb as much or as little as you like throughout an Expedition. You’ll go behind the scenes and spend time with extraordinary winemakers and their families, with plenty of opportunity to deepen your knowledge. But our Expeditions are about far more than wine. You could be teetotal and still have a fabulous time — not that you will be.

If your idea of a wine Expedition is dissecting every terroir, vintage and pH value, making copious tasting notes, or demonstrating to others how much you already know, we’re probably not for you.

Plenty — just not everything. Before joining, you’ll privately receive the key details of the Expedition, including where you’ll be staying, the general shape of the itinerary and what to expect. Some things, however, are deliberately kept back. Surprises, unexpected guests and smaller moments are part of the experience — revealing everything in advance simply wouldn’t be the élevage way.

Most élevage Expeditions take place over four or five nights, depending on the destination and what we have planned. Our inaugural Expedition will be four nights, while most of the 2028 collection is expected to be five.

Entirely. élevage is not a travel company; we think of ourselves as an experiential luxury design studio. We may return to Bordeaux, Burgundy or other great wine regions year after year, but we never repeat an itinerary. Each Expedition is conceived from scratch, with its own cast, places, moments and surprises. Nothing is pulled from the shelf, repackaged or simply run again — that level of one-off curation is fundamental to élevage.

Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Tuscany are already confirmed for 2028, with two further destinations still to be revealed. We’ll announce those early next year, with the full collection and key Expedition details released in June 2027.

We’re deliberately selective. élevage is being built for accomplished, interesting people who are already accustomed to exceptional hospitality and access, but are looking for something rather less predictable.

With only a handful of Expeditions each year, we have the luxury of choosing the characters around the table carefully. Curiosity, generosity of spirit and having something to contribute matter far more to us than status — arrogance and entitlement have no place at élevage. Guests may come with friends or partners, while plenty will join independently.

Ultimately, we’re curating a group you’d genuinely want to disappear with for five days.

Typically 12–15, depending on the Expedition. Enough to fill a table — or party into the night when the moment dictates — but intimate enough for the quieter moments and conversations that make an Expedition memorable.

Not in the traditional sense. We think of élevage more as an experiential design studio, creating a small number of one-off Expeditions each year for a carefully selected network.

There is, however, something deliberately club-like about it. Our guests will get to know one another, connections will continue beyond an Expedition and, as élevage evolves, so will the ways our network can interact. What won’t change is its scale — élevage will always remain intentionally small.

élevage is strictly invitation-only. Most introductions come through our small referral network, while we also seek out and approach people we think would be a natural fit. A limited number of people may introduce themselves directly through our website.

From there, we have an informal conversation to see whether there’s a mutual fit — as much for you as for us. If it feels right on both sides, we’ll be in touch shortly afterwards with access to the Expedition details and the opportunity to book.

Privately. We’ll usually give you an indication during our initial conversation, with final pricing shared alongside the Expedition details should you be accepted. As every Expedition is conceived individually, pricing will vary accordingly.

No. While we could charge an annual membership fee, we’ve deliberately chosen not to. As we’re not a traditional members’ club with a physical home, we’d rather focus on creating extraordinary Expeditions and being exceptionally selective about who joins us. There’s no fee to be part of the élevage network — simply the opportunity to join the Expeditions that interest you, subject to availability.