David first traveled to France as a young man in 1963, on a grand tour with his American parents. He visited Paris, Burgundy, Champagne, Cognac, Gascony, and Normandy during a five-week voyage, and over the following decades, he became a lifelong Francophile.
He has traveled to France almost every year since learning French as a high school student. In 1973-1974, David retraced the 17th-century travels of English philosopher John Locke in France (1675-1679) for his Marlboro College Honors thesis as a French history major. Later on, as a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), he focused on contemporary French politics and economics, winning a SAIS/Johns Hopkins University scholarship for academic excellence.
In 1984, David became a full-time journalist, covering the French wine and spirits business at M. Shanken Communications, publisher of Wine Spectator. As managing editor of the firm’s professional wine and spirits publications, he visited wineries and distilleries across France every year. He became an independent journalist in 2000, and he has toured France regularly on business and for pleasure. During those years, he contributed stories about French gastronomy, wine trends, and travel to Gourmet, Saveur, Fortune, Food Arts, Cigar Aficionado, Wine Spectator, and The New York Times Sunday Magazine.
In 2005, David launched “A Wine Tour of France,” a wine-tasting program, for French Institute Alliance Française, in New York. For four years he led six-region tours of Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire, Rhône Valley, which sold out every year. He is the editor of Cooking Organic Made Simple (2010, Rodale Press). Most recently, he has contributed travel, food, and wine features to The New York Times Sunday Magazine’s “Par Excellence: Wine Tourism in France” (Atout France), Time, and Wine Enthusiast.
In launching Ross Wine Tours after more than 50 years of travel in France, David is combining his love of the country with his passion for French history. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with his clients. Ross is a member of the Compagnie de Mousquetaires d’Armagnac, a convivial association of Armagnac lovers and experts, and has given numerous lectures on France’s oldest brandy for the Culinary Historians of New York and others.
See Themes tab for our exciting partnership with VINIVBordeaux.com, a unique service allowing members to create their own Bordeaux classified growth wine in association with Château Lynch-Bages.
With more than a combined 70+ years of organizing and leading wine-oriented tours to France’s top wine regions, Veronic Travel and Celestial Voyagers, are experts in handling all aspects of creating and leading customized travel to destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Australia/New Zealand, Africa and Central and South America for its discerning clients.
"As a talented journalist, a friend of more than 35 years, longtime D’Artagnan customer, and a fellow member of Compagnie des Mousquetaires d’Armagnac, I believe David will lead some great, personalized tours to some of France’s most renowned Châteaux and Domaines. His love of France, French culture, gastronomy and wines will enrich all those who are fortunate enough to join his bespoke tours. Bon voyage avec David!"
“David is a dedicated wine journalist and a longtime lover of French wines, and I know that he will lead great, personalized tours to France’s most renowned Châteaux and Domaines. His knowledge and love of France, French culture, gastronomy and wines will enrich all those who are fortunate enough to join his custom-tailored tours. At Château Lynch-Bages and Château Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac, as well as our other family vineyards in Bordeaux or other regions in France and Portugal, we look forward to helping you with your personalized wine tours and gastronomic programs.”
“Ross Wine Tours is amazing, planning all our wonderful private, extensive tastings in Chablis and Champagne, our luxury hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant reservations, and so much more. RWT Founder David Lincoln Ross was involved in every detail we wished to experience and his expertise in connecting us with Premier and Grand Cru winemakers and owners was nothing short of incredible. Despite being a lifelong wine enthusiast myself, David’s extensive knowledge refined tastes, insider access and passion for exclusive, exquisite wine travel is unmatched and resulted in an experience we never could have attained on our own. Rest assured Ross Wine Tours delivers the highest levels of personalized, custom-tailored wine, gastronomic and cultural itineraries.”
