It is considered the premier wine region of the world. Bordeaux boasts not only the most prestigious red wines, but is also home to the finest sweet wines and excellent dry white and rose wines. The variety of wines produced here is staggering. Where does the wine and food enthusiast begin?

We’ve made it simple by creating a tour that takes you on a discovery of Bordeaux’s food and wine. You’ll tour the city of Bordeaux, home for centuries to the area’s wine trade.

Then you’ll move onto the Medoc to discover local vineyards and chateaux. Along the way discover a local open air market and learn to prepare classic Southwestern French cuisine before ending your tour in Saint Emilion, a charming medieval town set amid the vineyards.

Day One

Morning arrival in the city of Bordeaux, which can easily be reached by airplane or the TGV. You will pick up your rental car and travel documents, along with a road map and guidebook.
Enjoy brunch at Café du Musee, inside the Museum for Contemporary Arts. Afterwards enjoy a private guided visit of the city, from the medieval parts to the 18th splendor of the “Golden Age.”
Take the road to the Medoc vineyards where you will check in to your lovely three relais. Dinner at your hotel.

Day Two

The Médoc peninsula stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Gironde estuary north of Bordeaux. Despite being extensive, the grape-growing area itself occupies only 20% of the land in a narrow strip along the estuary, the rest being made up of forests. The special virtues of the Médoc come from its having succeeded in creating a subtle balance between the density of vine stocks and the somewhat poor quality of the soil. The region also benefits from the skills of its cellar-masters in blending wines from diverse vineyards and different varieties of grapes, and in maturing the wine in oak barrels.

The Médoc’s 16,000 hectares are situated mainly on hilltops facing out over the Gironde estuary: it is said that a good wine needs to have “seen the river”. The Médoc appellation consists in the six village wines: Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe, wines with evocative names which are spread out along the “Médoc wine trail”. It boasts four of the Premiers Grands Crus listed in 1855 (a classification partially revised in 1967): Châteaux Margaux, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite Rothschild, as well as over 1200 wine-producing properties, ranging from the “Crus Bourgeois” to the “Grands Crus Classés”, produced by varying methods and techniques but always with quality as the ultimate aim.

During the course of the day you will discover these wonderful and world famous wines, stopping at two properties for wine tastings. YOu will also see local examples of fine architecture, including the loveliest medieval properties, Château d’Agassac, the Renaissance Château de Lamarque, and Château Clément Pichon and ranging from the Tudor style of Cantenac Brown to the Neo-Classical at the unique architectural ensemble of the superb Château Margaux…

Lunch at the restaurant "le Lion d’Or", which is traditional eatery of Margaux vintners, who have their own wine-racks there. With all the charm of a French country inn you will feel right at home while you indulge in the robust flavours of French countryside cooking.

By the end of the afternoon, travel southbound towards Sauternes, where you will be accommodated at the "Domaine de Fompeyre" (3*) in Bazas, or the Relais of the Chateau d'Arche in Sauternes, a chateau wine estate which offers some beautiful guest rooms, (4*level).
Dinner (Domaine de Fompeyre, or Le Saprien in Sauternes) and overnight.

Day Three

Today, you will discover a local open air market, (place depending on which day it is) where small producers sell their vegetables, poultries, cheeses, breads, and fruits…This region near the Perigord is like a small Garden of Eden, and you will be delightfully surprised by the warm ambiance and the richness of the colours of the market that you will discover and share with your guide and her explanations.

Transfer to "Prairies" estate, a former 19th century farm where you will have your private cooking course focusing on regional dishes of Southwest France cuisine. Directly inspired from the richness of the soil, this cuisine appeals to natural and simple products, but always with taste and character, just like the region! After the class join your chef for lunch featuring the food you've prepared with local wine.

In the afternoon, visit a Sauternes Grand Cru Classé (Chateau Guiraud, Suduiraut or Clos Haut Peyraguey), and transfer to your hotel by the end of the afternoon. Dinner at leisure (your own expense), and overnight at the hotel.

Day Four

A fter breakfast, morning departure for Saint Emilion, through the beautiful hilly road crossing the "Entre Deux Mers" vineyards.

Known in early antiquity for the quality of its wines, which were celebrated by the Latin poet Ausonius, the Médoc was classified in 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Grape production was introduced into this fertile region of Aquitaine by the Romans and was intensified during the Middle Ages. The area of Saint-Émilion benefited from its position on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella and several churches, monasteries and hospices were built there from the XIth century onwards. This is an exceptional landscape entirely given over to grape-production and whose towns and villages are home to outstanding historic monuments. (Unesco)

Late morning, a guided tour of the principal sights of the medieval town: the Emilion Hermitage, the Tour du Roy built in the 13th century by Richard the Lionheart, the collegiate church and its 14th century cloister and, above all, the exceptional monolithic church and its catacombs dug out of the limestone cliff between the 9th and the 11th centuries.
Lunch in a restaurant of the medieval city.
A visit and tasting at a last "Grand Cru Classé" will end your "Epiculinary stay" in Bordeaux! Back to Bordeaux and train station or airport in the afternoon