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Scout out Caves and Clarets in Bordeaux
Published by Angela Jill, Writer
Country: France 
The Experience
Bordeaux, France is a land of greatness. It is a place where wine makers go to become distinguished, and where visitors go to quench their thirst at charming countryside chateaux. Sheltered by forests and warmed by the gulf stream, Bordeaux city has a great deal of architecture and history to discover beyond its vineyards. A visit to Bordeaux would not be complete without sampling some of its amazing wines, whether it be a heavy, red Médoc or a sweet, golden Sauternes. Great wine is readily available at every turn in Bordeaux. Restaurants have amazing, local-only wine lists and at the grocery store there are entire aisles dedicated to Rosé, whites and reds. For a little more of an education, however, wineries or vignobles are not too far away.
Before a trip to a Bordeaux chateau is made, a little wine education can come in handy. Right in the centre of the city, the Bar à Vin/L'École du Vin is available to cater to your wine education needs. You can go there to attend classes in English or French, or just to sit in their comfy, trendy dining room and be served a large assortment of Bordeaux wines. The servers are charmingly insecure about their ability to speak English, so a little French goes a long way. Cheese and chocolate dégustations are available and the servers can pair the wines along with them. This is a great place to begin a Bordeaux wine tour, as you can discover what regions and what styles of Bordeaux wine you prefer and which you would like to delve into further.
Five major wine regions are accessible from Bordeaux: Médoc, Graves and Sauternes, Entre-Deux-Mers, St. Emillion and Pomerol, and Bourg and Blaye. These can be further broken down into smaller appellations and sub-appellations. Each of the Bordeaux regions have their own specializations. Spanning such a large area, a visitor must make some decisions about what areas to tackle first on a Bordeaux tour. St. Emillion is one of the most famous bordeaux regions to visit. St. Emillion wineries can be visited as a day trip or over-night and they have many great châteaux to visit. Of these, Figeac, Cheval Blanc and Ausone are all premiers Grands Crus Classés, literally meaning first growth, they are the highest rated wineries in Bordeaux.
Médoc region of Bordeaux has some of the most famous wineries, and the greatest concentration of Premiers Grands Crus in Pauillac, a commune of Médoc worth a visit. Some of these wineries are just as famous for their châteaux as their wine. Perhaps one of the first châteaux that comes to mind when thinking about Bordeaux would be Château Mouton-Rothschild. This Premier Grand Crus Château not only has great wine to sample, but also has a small art gallery of wine themed paintings. Château Lafite-Rothschild is another excellent Premier Grand Crus with a beautiful château. Some of the wines here would cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to purchase, so wine tasting tour may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience them!
For a more intimate and even more historic setting, Château du Taillan is a great stop to make on a Bordeaux tour and is easily accessible from Bordeaux' city centre.
The château dates from the 16th century and they have been producing wine since 1896. The ancient cellars and have interesting statues and tools used for making wine and transporting barrels. Being a Médoc winery, they specialize in reds blended with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, however their white, called La Dame Blanche, is also delicious and made entirely of Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
While in wine touring through Bordeaux, remember that you cannot leave without tasting their famous pastry called canelé. Said to go well with coffee or wine, it has a crunchy exterior, a delectably gooey centre and is flavoured with rum, cinnamon and vanilla. While you may be able to find some of Bordeaux' wines in your home country, you will certainly not be able to find these anywhere else!
Before a trip to a Bordeaux chateau is made, a little wine education can come in handy. Right in the centre of the city, the Bar à Vin/L'École du Vin is available to cater to your wine education needs. You can go there to attend classes in English or French, or just to sit in their comfy, trendy dining room and be served a large assortment of Bordeaux wines. The servers are charmingly insecure about their ability to speak English, so a little French goes a long way. Cheese and chocolate dégustations are available and the servers can pair the wines along with them. This is a great place to begin a Bordeaux wine tour, as you can discover what regions and what styles of Bordeaux wine you prefer and which you would like to delve into further.
Five major wine regions are accessible from Bordeaux: Médoc, Graves and Sauternes, Entre-Deux-Mers, St. Emillion and Pomerol, and Bourg and Blaye. These can be further broken down into smaller appellations and sub-appellations. Each of the Bordeaux regions have their own specializations. Spanning such a large area, a visitor must make some decisions about what areas to tackle first on a Bordeaux tour. St. Emillion is one of the most famous bordeaux regions to visit. St. Emillion wineries can be visited as a day trip or over-night and they have many great châteaux to visit. Of these, Figeac, Cheval Blanc and Ausone are all premiers Grands Crus Classés, literally meaning first growth, they are the highest rated wineries in Bordeaux.
Médoc region of Bordeaux has some of the most famous wineries, and the greatest concentration of Premiers Grands Crus in Pauillac, a commune of Médoc worth a visit. Some of these wineries are just as famous for their châteaux as their wine. Perhaps one of the first châteaux that comes to mind when thinking about Bordeaux would be Château Mouton-Rothschild. This Premier Grand Crus Château not only has great wine to sample, but also has a small art gallery of wine themed paintings. Château Lafite-Rothschild is another excellent Premier Grand Crus with a beautiful château. Some of the wines here would cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to purchase, so wine tasting tour may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience them!
For a more intimate and even more historic setting, Château du Taillan is a great stop to make on a Bordeaux tour and is easily accessible from Bordeaux' city centre.
The château dates from the 16th century and they have been producing wine since 1896. The ancient cellars and have interesting statues and tools used for making wine and transporting barrels. Being a Médoc winery, they specialize in reds blended with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, however their white, called La Dame Blanche, is also delicious and made entirely of Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
While in wine touring through Bordeaux, remember that you cannot leave without tasting their famous pastry called canelé. Said to go well with coffee or wine, it has a crunchy exterior, a delectably gooey centre and is flavoured with rum, cinnamon and vanilla. While you may be able to find some of Bordeaux' wines in your home country, you will certainly not be able to find these anywhere else!
When to Go to Bordeaux Wine Tour
The best time of year to experience a Bordeaux tour is in the spring to late fall. Fall is especially good because everyone is busy with harvest. No matter when you go, however, make sure you let the wineries know at least 2 weeks ahead of time, as many of them require this for a visit.
Some of the Bordeaux wine tours and tastings are still free, so get going while the price is right! Bearing that in mind, some of the tours and tastings can be quite pricey.
Some of the Bordeaux wine tours and tastings are still free, so get going while the price is right! Bearing that in mind, some of the tours and tastings can be quite pricey.
Odds n' Ends
Tours through Bordeaux Tourism are definitely the easy way to go, but these can fill up quickly, even off-season. It is worthwhile to book ahead by a few days.
Do your best to avoid a strike. If all the trains are running smoothly, you will have a lot more options for wine tasting.
During the wine tours you walk outside quite frequently, so it is good to go when the temperature is comfortable. Although harvest is a fun time to be in Bordeaux, some wineries might actually be closed to visitors due to production. This is another reason to call ahead to book your visits.
Do your best to avoid a strike. If all the trains are running smoothly, you will have a lot more options for wine tasting.
During the wine tours you walk outside quite frequently, so it is good to go when the temperature is comfortable. Although harvest is a fun time to be in Bordeaux, some wineries might actually be closed to visitors due to production. This is another reason to call ahead to book your visits.
Places to Eat
- Baud et Millet
- Not exactly trendy but very French! If you love cheese, this is a must.
- Casolette Cafe
- Create your own casserole! They will make it for you using the ingredients of your choice.
Recommended Places to Stay
- Choiseul Hotel
- Cheap and cheerful, the hotel staff are amazing! Make sure you communicate, preferably by phone about when you will be arriving and everything will work out wonderfully!
Additional Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
Chambre En Ville is located in the heart of Bordeaux. This charming bed and breakfast offers rooms with TV and free Wi-Fi internet access. All ... 0 miles away
$103 EUR+
This hotel is very good for its category. Its location is brilliant, but beware of the fact that access is restricted during set hours of ... 0 miles away
$63 EUR+
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Media References
- Bordeaux - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Introduction to Bordeaux - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Bordeaux's New Culinary Stars - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
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