Bordeaux Wine Tasting Tips and Recommendations

Find Bordeaux wine tasting tips including places to visit to sip Bordeaux fine wine and recommendations for guided wine tours in France.

The best time to go on a wine tasting adventure in France is from around late March to late October. The weather is sunny and nice most of that time, although a little warmer in the summer months.

September and October are usually harvest months. This is a great time to go for beautiful views of the changing leaves in the area. However, it might be a little harder to secure individual visits during this time as the wine industry is in full swing with harvest.

There are two ways to go wine tasting in Bordeaux. You can either venture out on you own or book a tour with a group. Both are great options and each will give you a great variety of Bordeaux wines to taste.

There are more than 8,500 wineries, called chateaux, and wine makers in the Bordeaux region. This makes it a little difficult to choose where to go. The resources below should help you narrow down the options and make it easier to plan your trip to this amazing French wine region.

On Your Own: Resources and Tasting Tips

If you plan to go on your own, you will want to spend a little time researching your options. Most chateaux in Bordeaux are small and do not have a dedicated tasting room or staff to help visitors. However, some do have tasting hours and others accept reservations for tasting. If you need a reservation, most request that you contact them at least 48 hours in advance by phone or email.

Several chateaux in Saint Emilion are open to the public for Bordeaux wine tasting. I found this great list of them on the Saint Emilion Tourism web site, so you can easily find some for your visit. I would recommend checking out the list to see if you need an appointment before your visit.

I also found a quite a few chateaux open in Margaux for wine tasting. Many require appointments, so visit their web sites to confirm visiting or tour details and hours more before visiting. Here are just a few that I found:

• Chateau Angludet: By appointment, Monday thru Friday during specified hours
• Chateau Cantenac Brown: Tours by appointment only, they are available in French, English and German.
• Chateau Deyrem Valentin: Winery is open Monday through Friday, with tours available upon request
• Chateau Ferriere: Visits and tastings are by appointment only, Monday through Friday at specific times
• Chateau Margaux: Visits are by appointment only, Monday through Friday and they close during certain times of the year including the month of August, during harvest and a few holidays

If you want to research additional options, check out the winery maps page on the Maison du Margaux web site. They have a list of all of the Margaux chateaux including contact information and web sites. I highly recommend a visit to this AOC. Margaux wine is some of the best red wine in the world, Chateau Margaux is one of the best chateau in this region and it is a great place to learn more about the region and do a little Bordeaux wine tasting.

Other popular regions for Bordeaux wine tasting are Graves and Passac Leognan. Here are some places I found that offer visits and/or tastings at their chateau in these areas:

• Chateau Bouscaut: By appointment only
• Chateau Carbonnieux: Open all year, Monday through Friday, call for a specific appointment time
• Chateau de Rouillac: Open Monday through Friday for tastings

If you want to do your own research for these areas, a great resource is the Route de Vin (translated to 'wine route' in English). Their site has a list of all of the chateaux in both the Graves AOC and Passac Leognan.

Graves wine is also high quality and this area stands out since many chateaux in this area produce both red and white wines, which is not common in Bordeaux. This site also as a listing of all chateaux in Sauternes and Barsac, both are famous for their amazing white wine.

If this is your first time in the area, you can also start by stopping into or calling the Bordeaux Tourism Board. They are able to help you book individual visits to wineries. They also have a variety of information including more details on wine tours, maps and recommendations on where you can go for your visit.

The Tourism Board has two options. One is for a Bordeaux wine tasting experience at a standard chateau. The second is for a premier experience to taste Pauillac wine. Most of the bookings include a tasting fee. It is reasonable at around 5 euros a person or around 9 euros for the premier tastings in Pauillac.

If you want a private, customizable tour, I recommend Wine Tours France. They are a reputable company and offer mostly high end, private tours for one day, several days or even a week. They visit only the premier chateaux in the area. They have some pre-planned itineraries or you can customize a tour for your group. The price depends on the location and number of people in your group.

Another option is to do your Bordeaux wine tasting at one of the wine shops or bars in the city you are staying. This gives you a chance to taste a variety of wines. We did this on our trip to Saint Emilion and it was a great way to taste a number of amazing wines from this region. Ask your hotel or contact the Bordeaux Tourism Board for recommendations.

Relaxing & Guided: France Wine Tours

Going with a group simplifies the process and creates less work on your part when planning your trip. Here are some great trip options including the one I used during my most recent Bordeaux wine tasting visit.

If you are staying in the city of Bordeaux, then I recommend looking into the tours offered by Bordeaux 360. They have a number of half day and full day tours that give you a great feel for some of the Bordeaux fine wine. They also keep their groups down to 8 or less, so you still get a semi-personal experience.

Another great option is a company called Ophorus Excursions and Tours in France. They have day tours and some multi-day tours.

They offer tours to the popular wine tasting areas in Bordeaux including Graves, St. Emilion, etc., but they also have a few historical tours. They provide a great variety of options and something for everyone looking for a relaxing trip in Bordeaux.

The Bordeaux Tourism Board also has a number of pre-planned trips. They all meet at their office right in Bordeaux. They also have a large focus on Bordeaux wine tasting, but have some additional trips to see other sights in the region.

The last time I was in the Bordeaux area, I stayed in Blaye. It is a small town on the right bank about an hour from the city of Bordeaux. I stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast, Villa St. Simon in Blaye, and booked a few wine tours through the owner, Les. The tours were small and very personalized. I highly recommend this option for anyone staying in or near Blaye.

Another option, one that is a little different, is to go Bordeaux wine tasting on a bike tour. I recommend Digngo Gourmet Bike Tours. They have a number of bike tour options throughout France, each last for a few days. The great thing is that the tours are usually easy to moderate and it is a great way to see the countryside.

Flights and Other Options for Getting to Bordeaux

There are a few different options for getting to Bordeaux and the surrounding towns. The first option is by flying directly into the Bordeaux Merignac airport.

Nineteen airlines fly into Bordeaux from a number of places. Most of them are from European locations including both airports in Paris. Larger carriers such as British Airways, Iberia and Air France fly into the airport as well as some budget friendly carriers such as Easy Jet and RyanAir.

The airport sits right outside the Bordeaux ring road. You can then make your way around by renting a car at the airport, taking a bus into the city of Bordeaux or a taxi.

Another option to get to Bordeaux is by train. This is how I arrived from Spain and again what I used on my way to Paris. This train station was much larger than I anticipated. It had a number of options to get in and around France.

The final way is by car. Traveling Bordeaux by car is easy. This gives you maximum flexibility and allows you to stop anywhere for Bordeaux wine tasting along the way.