Please Help with planning wine centric itinerary for Bordeaux and Loire (7 days, June 2025)?!

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!

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.

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

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.

I was about to ask the same question. Great suggestions

Hi Courtneyawoodward,
You have received some great suggestions. It's been far too long for me since I've been tasting in the Loire to offer anything meaningful. However, we live part time in the Bordeaux area so can definitely speak to this. First thing, since you are planning to visit in June--and depending on your dates-- there is the annual Bordeaux wine fest https://www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com/ that happens at mid-end of June. Quite the experience. Someone had mentioned 2 days Medoc, 1 Pessac-Leognan, 1 St. Emilion, which is a very good schedule if you want to fill your days with simply exploring the greater Bordeaux wine region. Though Bordeaux is a charming town with so much to offer if you want to spend a day or two in town. The Musee du vine et du Negoce is also a fun little visit. We live in the St. Emilion area so some suggestions from me include: Guadet, Bon-Cadet, Franc Mayne (all small, family run). There is a change in regulations for wineries to move to organic (bio) so you will find many that are organic or are heading that direction. The Website Lost in Bordeaux https://www.lostinbordeaux.com/ is fantastic and is used often by locals. I have never paid anything to use this site nor have I felt pressure to do so but I do find the info provided is fantastic and current (written by a local.) It's not wine centric but offers info on the whole area (of which wine is a part.) Regarding tastings: It is super easy to make reservations via the wineries' web sites though some of the smaller ones you may have to call. I never book through a 3rd party site. Keep in mind, almost all will ask that you have a reservation, particularly in June. I hope you have a great vacation and enjoy the area!

We are planning on spending five days in Bordeaux prior to joining the Basque Country tour next September, so I have been researching the area as well. There is a B and B, Bordeaux Wine Lodge, where the owner will take you on tours of the wineries. She might be able to take you to wineries that are generally closed to the public. Reading the reviews made it seem like a possibility. I have also been in contact with a company that gives private tours, Orphus, that you might want to look into.