Bordeaux wine weekend by car
Price per person
From 415€
Type of stay
Location
Duration
Departures
Capacity
Reference
Your stay
Enthusiasts will love this wine weekend drive through one of the world’s most extensive vineyards: discovering the wines of Bordeaux. On the program: The wine route in Graves, Pessac Léognan and Saint-Emilion…
Cellar visits and tastings. You’ll be welcomed by the producers, who’ll reveal all the secrets behind the making of our great wines, from the most industrial to the most artisanal. You’ll taste their production and leave with a few “samples”. You’ll stay in a charming bed & breakfast in an 18th-century château.
You'll enjoy :
- Château Smith Haut Lafitte: a prestigious estate in Pessac-Léognan with a unique cooperage and underground cellars. The visit ends with a tasting of renowned wines and a stroll through the magnificent gardens surrounded by vines.
- Village of Saint-Émilion: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its wines and medieval architecture. Enjoy underground cellar tours and Grands Crus tastings.
- The Graves vineyards: discover a historic terroir with red and white wines produced in the traditional way, where harvesting is still done by hand.
- Hospices de Bordeaux: a historic building in the heart of Bordeaux offering an insight into the history and heritage of the wine region, ideal for culture and wine lovers.
- Château de La Brède: a historic estate set amidst vineyards, with guided tours and tastings that immerse visitors in the traditional production of Graves wines.
Daily program
Day 1
Rendezvous in the Graves region, near La Brède, for a first Château tour in the morning. An extension of the Médoc, the Graves vineyards stretch in a narrow ribbon of land along the Garonne for almost 5 km, from the Jalle de Blanquefort to Langon, bypassing the region of sweet white wines.
The owners of this beautiful chartreuse, set amidst splendid parkland and vines, produce Graves wines and will welcome you for a tour of the vineyard and winery.
You’ll discover an artisanal production process where grapes are still harvested by hand on a smaller scale, and you’ll be able to taste both white and red wines. You’ll leave the estate with 3 bottles.
Lunch at a nearby “gourmet inn”.
In the early afternoon, you’ll be invited to Château Smith Haut Lafitte for a guided tour of the estate. The tour will conclude with a tasting of this world-renowned wine.
In 1990, owners Daniel and Florence sold everything they owned to buy Smith Haut Lafitte. After two years of gigantic works, both in the farm buildings and in the 18th-century Carthusian monastery, they moved into the château, which they live in year-round, to devote themselves entirely to their new passion: maturing the great white and red wines of Smith Haut Lafitte.
Once vatting is complete, the wine is transferred to wooden barrels in the underground cellar, which you’ll discover with your guide. The château has its own cooperage, which is where you’ll end your visit. Few châteaux make their own barrels, apart from the most renowned, such as Lafitte, Pétrus and Margaux.
Once you’ve completed your visit, you’ll be free to explore the exterior by taking a stroll around this magnificent chartreuse, surrounded by vineyards, a pond, a hotel restaurant and a vinotherapy center frequented by many celebrities.
At the end of the afternoon, you’ll be met a few kilometers away at another castle, but this time to spend the night.
You’ll have plenty of time to settle in before dinner in this 18th-century château, renovated with taste and respect for stone. The owner will welcome you to one of her charming rooms, decorated in toile de Jouy, where you’ll spend the night.
You’ll dine in an excellent restaurant in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards, rated “Gault et Millau”. Enjoy regional specialties from the South-West.
Day 2
After a hearty breakfast at the château, you’ll head off in the direction of one of the many châteaux in the St-Emilion area.
Accompanied by your hostess, you will discover the secrets behind the making of this prestigious wine, which has made Saint-Emilion famous for centuries:
Visit the estate, the vats, the cellar …
Historical presentation of the estate and general presentation of the Saint-Emilion appellation, classification of crus.
The topography of the vineyard, the nature of the soils, the grape varieties, the vegetative cycle and how to work the vines.
Introduction to winemaking and wine ageing
Guided tasting of one or more vintages.
You’ll leave with 2 vintages of their production.
However, the great value of Saint-Emilion wines lies not only in their taste, but also in their emotional and aesthetic value, and as an investment appreciated by collectors the world over.
Lunch at an excellent restaurant in the heart of the medieval village of St Emilion.
In the afternoon, free visit of the medieval town of St Emilion, a UNESCO World Heritage site named after the monk who settled in a cave as a hermit in the 8th century. The village, surrounded by famous and prestigious vineyards, is one of the richest in historic monuments of any village in France. It boasts the largest monolithic church in Europe, built between the 9th and 12th centuries. In view of its history and architectural heritage, the fact that Saint-Emilion is also the emblematic town of Grand Cru wines the world over is almost anecdotal, even if wine is now omnipresent in Saint-Emilion, which (especially after tasting it) is entirely justified and well-deserved.
At the end of this journey, on the wine route of our magnificent region, our heads full of memories of these sumptuous residences and the artists who bring them to life.
rates
Price per person
- 2 days – 1 night : 415 €
Price includes
- 1 night in a charming B&B with breakfast (in a double/twin room)
- 1 dinner and 2 lunches, drinks package with meals (1/4 wine and coffee)
- 3 winery visits and wine tastings
- Boxed wine sets from two wineries
- 24/7 technical assistance
Supplement
- B&B night before or after stay: €85 to €95
Further information
Your travel file corresponds to the documents or files you receive prior to your trip (usually one month before) and on arrival at your first accommodation.
It includes :
- A welcome letter with key practical information:
- Baggage transport times
- Details of delivery and collection of rental bikes if required
- Your local contact and emergency telephone number(s)
- Any additional information
- Travel logbook including map with route (at the appropriate scale) and directional, tourist and practical information
- Necessary voucher(s) to be given to the service provider(s) (only if necessary!)
On request and depending on the tour:
- Download the “Evazio” application onto your smartphone for GPS navigation with visual (reading the route on your smartphone screen) and/or spoken guidance.
- The application also contains practical and tourist information. Once the trip has been downloaded, no Internet connection is required.
- Loan of a GPS device with pre-recorded tracks
- Send GPX tracks of each stage for use with your own navigation device
The type of accommodation is classified into 3 ranges:
Comfort: The tour features mainly 2 and 3-star hotels (or equivalent) and bed & breakfasts.
Superior: The tour features mainly 3- and 4-star hotels (or equivalent) and charming bed & breakfasts.
Luxury: The tour features mainly 4 and 5 star hotels or equivalent
For the duration of your stay, our telephone assistance service is available:
- 7 days a week
- from 07:30 to 20:30.
Itinerary
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