Hi all,
My husband and I are going to be in France in June, 2025. We are both wine connoisseurs and plan on doing a lot of vineyards/tasting vs historical/castle trips. My hope is to do both Loire and Bordeaux in 7 days, by car. We arrive in Paris, CDG. The current plan is to take the train from CDG to Bordeaux, rent a car and have roughly 4 days in Bordeaux, 3 in Loire; drop the car off in Loire (probably Tours) and go back to Paris by train (meeting family for 3 days). I know the driving can eat up a lot of time. I also understand that we can really only do 2-3 tastings/day. Any wine drinkers out there that can help? Would love to know about unique wineries as well (organic/biodynamic/women owned/small family, etc). We are on a budget, so a tour (unless it's super affordable) is probably a no-go. Thank you!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1222 posts
courtneyawoodward,
Within the city of Bordeaux, you can do tastings in the Musee du Vin et du Negoce de Bordeaux. Also, visit the new Cite du Vin, a large museum and learning center all about wine. Tasting is included on top floor with a visit. There are tons of interesting displays and experiences. Plan on 3-4 hours there. (Parking is difficult, and I don't recommend driving in the city. The tram service is very good.)
Outside the city there are the St. Emilion area wineries and the Bordeaux area wineries. I recommend not driving when tasting, but if you can find an affordable one, take a tour instead. Impaired driving is very much watched for and not tolerated. And, unlike most wineries here in the states, walk-up tastings are not as common. Reservations are often required. You might do a search on the forum. Try "wine tasting Bordeaux".
In the city of Bordeaux, with extra time, the cathedral is lovely, and the Lumieres de Bassin is an interesting experience.
Have a good time there!
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4461 posts
We just finished a 8 day trip to the Dordogne region that included an overnight stay in St Emilion which is surrounded by wineries. We're not wine people and I can't make specific recommendations about that but I do highly recommend St Emilion as a stop. If you can break away from wine for an ice cream break, check out Glacier des Vignobles. Surprisingly the basil sorbet is outstanding. I also had a scoop of lemon meringue ice cream.
Posted by
23 posts
Hi Courtney,
I'm a serious connoisseur and have visited Bordeaux multiple times. I would say you could do 3 visits in a day, 1 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Here are some recommendations: Chateau Pape Clement, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Chateau Beausejour Becot, Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, Chateau Siran, Chateau Giscours, Chateau Lynch Bages, and Chateau Phelon Segur.
I highly recommend you take a look at this website: (https://sauvistication.com/). It's a website geared to help connoisseurs navigate Bordeaux's wine scene. The planning page gives some good itinerary suggestions (https://sauvistication.com/planning-chateaux-visits/). Remember to book your visits in advance.
Safe Travels
Posted by
United States
8 posts
I visited Bordeaux earlier this year. Many of them are still family owned (Beausejour, Guadet, Lanessan, and Siran), and many have gone organic. To save time on driving, plan your winery visits each day in the same area. If you have four days, I would spend 2 in the Medoc, 1 in Pessac Leognan, and 1 in Saint-Emilion.
A couple of good resources to check out are The Wine Cellar Insider and Sauvistication.
A couple of resources to avoid are 'Lost in Bordeaux' and 'Bordeaux Travel Guide'. They are both in an affiliate Program with Rue Des Vignerons and they are only recommending wineries which will pay them a commission. Most of them are not wineries you travel overseas to visit. Bookings should always be made directly with the wineries.