Bordeaux has some very beautiful chateaux, that’s no surprise. What is less known is that some are small family-owned chateaux with the owner-winemaker family doing all the work. Others are big and impressive. We visit both these categories and we taste new and older vintages of classic Bordeaux wines. Our fantastic chateaux lunches are memorable. […]

Bordeaux is a classic wine district that is a must on a wine lovers’ travel bucket list. On our wine tour to Bordeaux, you will get to know both small family chateaux and big, world-famous prestigious chateaux. Our lunches, that we have at some of the chateaux we visit, are unforgettable. We will take you […]

“Broadbent described Mouton 1945 as ‘a Churchill of a wine’, and not just in reference to the wine itself, either. An Art Deco label was commissioned from the poster artist Carlu for the 1924 Mouton vintage. To commemorate the end of the war, 1945 was the second vintage of Mouton to feature a bespoke label, […]

Seeing all the well-known Bordeaux chateaux in real life is a great experience. Some of them are very impressive. However, some of the most famous ones, like Château Petrus or Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, are small and not so imposing but when you know the price of the wines you are a bit impressed anyway. Many chateaux […]

Many wine consumers associate Bordeaux wines with tannins and a long ageing. On our wine tour in Bordeaux in October you will discover for yourself if this is still true. During our tastings at high-class chateaux you will discover both young Bordeaux wines and older ones. What you prefer is a matter of personal taste. […]

It is perhaps not surprising that Bordeaux is among France’s top destinations if you want to eat delicious food. Here you will find top- quality French gastronomy, at least on the lunches that we have on our wine tour to Bordeaux. They are often at one of the chateaux that we visit, yet they are […]

Is the consultant oenologist the most important person in the Bordeaux wine cellars? Maybe, maybe not, but few Bordeaux chateaux nowadays make their wines without one. One of these consultants is Stéphane Courrèges whom we met recently when he was in Paris for the day. Sometimes they are simply called “wine consultants” or even “flying […]

Bordeaux is one of France’s largest wine regions with 112 000 hectares of vineyards. There are about 7000 chateau (“castles”). Everyone does not make their own wine. Some sell their grapes to a negociant or belong to a cooperative. The chateaux exist in all sizes and looks. Some are no more than a regular little […]

The Atlantic Ocean is 50 kilometres away from the wine district of Bordeaux. But the Ocean still plays a major role for the climate and the weather. There is a lot of water around Bordeaux. The elegant city of Bordeaux is located on the river Garonne. Garonne merges with the Dordogne, another large river, north […]

Jacques, our host at Château Franc Mayne in Saint Emilion, opens the cellar door and tells us to stay close to him, making sure to count how many we are. The cellar is actually an old, enormous limestone quarry. It’s easy to get lost in here. (He’s supposed to count us when we leave too, […]

Bordeaux is not only about big, famous châteaux in Médoc. If you cross the rivers to the right bank you will find a myriad of smaller chateaux, often with less than 10 hectares of vineyards. Often family owned, like the remarkable Château Bernateau in Saint Emilion. The chateau owners are Pierrick and Karen Lavau. Pierrick […]

The châteaux in Bordeaux are amazing, sometimes even spectacular. At least some of them. Others are more discreet. But all 7000 wine estates in Bordeaux are allowed to call themselves “château”. On this tour you will not see all 7000, but quite a few. Now, you don’t go to Bordeaux just to look at the […]

End of September is usually a very busy time in the vineyards in Bordeaux. It is peak harvest season. But it is always different; sometimes harvest is later, sometimes earlier. This year it will be early so end of September will be towards the end of the harvest. Which means that there are still plenty […]