Explore the wine region in a different way

CDT 33 - François Poincet

In Entre-deux-Mers

 Outings

Entre-deux-Mers Tourist Information Office sells an array of holidays for individuals and groups, combining outings (by bike or on foot) in the vineyards and discovery of local heritage.
Every Sunday from April to October, “Balade sur les coteaux de Garonne” (Wander on the Garonne hillsides) with a regional guide, picnic of local produce and tour of wine estates.
www.entredeuxmers.com  +33 5 56 61 82 73

Joël Baudet, a Nature and Heritage Guide, organises all sorts of walks and guided tours on the heritage, environment, history of the vines and wine in Entre-deux-Mers.
Joël Baudet Saint-Macaire
+33 5 56 63 37 04

Welcome to Planète Bordeaux

Come to Beychac-et-Caillau, at the heart of Planète Bordeaux which houses the Syndicat Viticole Régional des AOC Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur, for an amazing journey blending fun and the senses into the world of Bordeaux wine. Slideshow, sound and light in the cellars, olfactory discovery and guided wine-tasting.
Maison des Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur
RN 89 road – junction 5 Beychac et Caillau
+33 5 57 97 19 20 www.planete-bordeaux.fr

Travel back in time in the Moulin-Musée du Haut-Benauge
Built in 1601 and restored in 1975, this windmill exhibits wine-making and craft tools representing the old rural mills. A stunning viewpoint.
Open from mid June to mid September Gornac +33 5 56 61 96 15

A feast for the eyes and taste buds

Fatted duck, wine, garden vegetables – all of the products served in this old renovated barn are grown and transformed on the estate.
Open from Wednesday evening to Sunday evening, booking required.
Rimons Ferme auberge Gauvry
+33 (0)5 56 71 83 96 cgauvry@aol.com

Claire and Hervé organise free wine-tasting tours all year round (Sundays by appointment) on their wine estate in Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.
Château du Mont
+33 5 56 62 07 65 château-du-mont@wanadoo.fr

In  Haute-Gironde

Traditional harvesting
In Saint-Christoly-de-Blaye, the owners of Château Nodot invite you to lend a hand in mediaeval harvesting: picking the bunches of grapes with a pruning knife, feet pressing, pressing in a mediaeval press, barreling. Stop to have lunch in the mediaeval tavern where you can try drinks and pastries from another age.
Château Nodot
+33 5 57 42 50 38

 Wine along the water
From early June to late September, welcome aboard the la Ginette boat, for a 1hr15 cruise along the Estuary. A vinegrower will present his wine (and let you try it) during the “Apéros Ginette” every weekend in the summer.
Set off from Blaye and Bourg
+33 6 18 59 41 52 www.ginette-lagironde.fr

 Walks at your own pace
The Bourg Tourist Information Office offers audioguides for you to take on 3 thematic walks (In Louis XIV’ footsteps, Historical Regions and Around the Estuary) at your own pace.
+33 5 57 68 31 76 www.bourg-en-gironde.fr

In the Libourne region

 On foot along the Bacchus Roads
Exploratory walk through the Libourne vineyards in the company of Nathalie Escuredo, a walking guide and National Interpreter Guide, for half a day or longer.
Nathalie Escuredo
+33 6 07 98 70 41 nathalie.escuredo@wanadoo.fr

 Play at being apprentice wine specialists
With the Saint-Emilion Tourist Information Office, you can put together your own blend of Saint-Emilion wines during a “Maître de Chai” day. What’s more, every Friday from 8th May to 23rd October, you can share a bite to eat with a vinegrower after visiting Saint-Emilion and its vineyards.
Saint-Emilion Tourist Information Office 
+33 5 57 55 28 28 www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com

Exploring the Saint-Emilion vineyards 
In a little tourist train With the Train des Grands Vignobles
Guided excursion lasting 35 minutes through the most prestigious wine estates in Saint-Emilion,
from Easter to mid November.
+33 5 57 51 30 71 www.visite-saint-emilion.com

 In a hot-air balloon 
A “winemaking aeronaut”, François Pont has more than twenty years’ experience in flight activities, including free flight, paragliding, microlighting, gliding and hot-air balloon flights! A variety of flights are available: “Escale”, “Découverte” or “Prestige”. At the end of each one you’ll be given a certificate and treated to some wine tasting.
Koncept air - Mérignas
+33 5 57 84 06 27 http://www.koncept-air.com

On horseback
Tourist outings in the Saint-Emilion and Castillon vineyards.
Les Ecuries de Blanzac +33 5 57 40 28 52

 Rides for beginners and experienced riders in discovery of the rich heritage and vineyards of the Libournais;
Equit Libre riding centre 
Saint-Aubin-de-Branne
+33 5 57 84 68 87 Bazas.equi-libre@wanadoo.fr

In the  Médoc

 Find out your wine sign at La Winery
Founded by a Bordeaux specialist in selling wines by mail-order, Philippe Raoux, La Winery is a unique wine tourism complex in France. At the heart of a 26 ha park, an architectural area designed like an upside-down greenhouse beckons visitors inside for an insight into the world of wine thanks, particularly, to thematic tasting sessions – including a specific one done blindfolded so as to define the visitor’s wine sign. La Winery is also a 1,000m² gift shop selling some 16,000 French and foreign wines, a Bistronomic restaurant called Le Wy, specialising in wine/food pairings, six picnic areas laid out in the grounds, exhibitions, performances and concerts.

La Winery Arsac-en-Médoc
+33 5 56 39 04 90 www.la winery.fr

 
Fly over the Médoc wine region in a helicopter
Château Maucaillou gives you the chance to fly over the Médoc in a helicopter. A unique opportunity to admire the Médoc wine region.
Moulis
+33 5 56 58 01 23 www.maucaillou.com

 
For art lovers

With the itinéraire d’un amateur en Médoc , three prestigious properties are putting on a guided tour of their private collections, followed by a wine tasting session:
-  Château d’Arsac, famous for its contemporary art works and its blue cellars.
-  Château Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande which has brought together an exceptional collection of glass, flutes and jugs as well as other artefacts from the wine-making world from 1 B.C. through to the present day.
-  Château Lynch-Bages which annually presents the works of a “guest” artist.

Maison du Tourisme et du Vin de Pauillac +33 5 56 59 03 08 http://www.pauillac-medoc.com

 At its “wine in art” museum (officially opened by André Malraux in 1962), Château Mouton-Rothschild, in Pauillac, presents an exceptional collection of labels (including some made by Picasso, Braque, Cocteau, Miro and other famous artists). It also exhibits old tools associated with viticulture – some of which date back more than 3,000 years.

+33 (0)5 56 73 21 29

A village once at the very heart of the Pauillac vineyards

Jean-Michel Cazes, who owns Château Lynch-Bages, Grand Cru Classé of the Médoc, has built an actual village of flavours and wine by renovating Bages hamlet. Leading directly to the Château’s cellars, Bages Village has its own café-restaurant, the “Lavinal”, a local bakery “Au Baba d’Andréa”, and a whole host of craftsmen and artists’ studios.
Bages Hamlet – Pauillac
+33 5 56 73 24 00

In  Sud-Gironde

 Luxury, peace and quiet and a delight for the senses at the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation
Nestling in the vines of Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, the vinotherapy spa “Les sources de Caudalie” offers a beauty programme you won’t find anywhere else, using vine and grape extracts.
Les Sources de Caudalie Château Smith Haut Lafitte
+33 5 57 83 83 83  www.sources-caudalie.com

Visit/wine-tasting on a 1^er  Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes estate

At Château Guiraud, a 1^er  Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes estate, the owners are convinced of the necessity to protect the environment. A two-hour ecological tour of the estate – where pesticides and insecticides are banned – is rounded off with a tasting session of the estate’s wines.
Château Guiraud.
 By appointment 7 days a week. +33 5 56 76 61 09

Drive through the Entre-deux-Mers wine region along the Route des Vins de Bordeaux ® in the Graves and Sauternes areas
Using the PDA-Sat Nav system, 4 itineraries are possible:

- wine and heritage
- wine and the forest
- wine and the river
- wine and the land Graves de Montesquieu
Tourist Information Office Martillac
+33 5 56 78 47 72 www.otmontesquieu.com