What to do in Bordeaux for wine lovers: The essential list
Bordeaux wine tourism has changed dramatically over recent years. As properties are in full swing for the summer season, here are some of the unmissable experiences on offer.
From child-friendly activities through to cellar tours and Michelin-starred restaurants, the below selection highlights the best of what you can do in Bordeaux in 2023 and has something for every wine lover.
The best for sun lovers
Bordeaux comes alive in the sunshine and in the summer months from June to September certainly, châteaux are happy to share their terraces and their wines with you.
Château Léoville Poyferré in St-Julien has opened two parasol-shaded garden terraces. From Tuesday to Saturday, 12h to 14h upon reservation, they serve cheese, charcuterie and salad platters to accompany a glass (or two) of their three wines, with a brownie and café to follow. Sommelier Janice, from the Philippines, has joined the team for the season to help guests discover the property and its wines and choose the perfect wine to pair with the food.
At Château de Ferrand in St-Emilion, house chef Marylin Madray creates wonderful food and wine matching menus for private clients using produce from her kitchen garden. This summer her cuisine is available for a wider audience on the terrace of their tasting room. Until the end of August guests can enjoy a menu of seasonal dishes overlooking the vines and the Dordogne valley. Perfect after a wine tour or a visit to the estate’s Humble Bic exhibition in the cellars this summer. Open Tuesday through Saturday 12 noon until 17h00.
Throughout the summer Château Loudenne, the beautiful pink château on the banks of the Gironde in Saint Yzans de Médoc, welcomes visitors for a tour and tasting followed by a picnic in their expansive grounds. You can spread your picnic blanket on the lawn, in the rose garden or sit at one of the picnic tables at the water’s edge and enjoy some local specialties with your bottle of wine. Available at lunchtime from Monday to Saturday, booking required.
A chef in the garden
Nearby, Château Biac in Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux is co-hosting gastronomic events with local chefs to entertain private clients. The ephemeral restaurant is in their olive garden at the heart of the wildflower meadow with spectacular views of the Garonne river. Launched with chef Pierre Rigothier of Lune Restaurant in Vayres – this is a new project so watch this space for more events.
Château Sigalas Rabaud in Sauternes has a gorgeous terrace, overlooking the lap pool as well as the vines. You can sip a Sauternes cocktail or try the house coffee made from beans aged in Sauternes barrels.
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When the sun shines, neighbouring Château Lafaurie Peyraguey opens its central courtyard as a relaxed lunch option to their Michelin star restaurant. Try the delicious vegetables, grilled on the BBQ served with the meat and fish dishes.
And when the sun goes down…
If you want to continue your alfresco experience once the sun goes down, the Cloitre des Cordeliers in the heart of St-Emilion is the place to go and party at the weekend. During the day it’s a quiet and bucolic spot to picnic amongst the ruined cloisters of the church and sip on a glass of Crémant de Bordeaux. But on Friday and Saturday nights, from 12th May – 16th September it comes to life with free electro evenings – you’ll find electronic DJ sets, a wine, cocktail and spirits bar and picnic baskets.
In Bordeaux city, every Wednesday evening throughout the summer Bernard Magrez opens the gardens of his Cultural Institute to the Brasserie Nunka. The evenings blend music, culture with wine, of course, but also locally brewed Nunka beers.
The best for sustainability
Around 80% of Bordeaux vineyards are now under sustainable certification. Getting visitors into the vineyard can be sustainable too, with e-bike tour specialists La Bulle Verte launching the first low-carbon wine road trip this spring at La Route de Bordeaux Graves et Sauternes.
Sauternes, world-famous for its eponymous sweet wine is located 40km southeast of the city of Bordeaux. Leading châteaux in the region including Château Guiraud, Château Sigalas Rabaud, Château de Cérons, Château de Portets, Château Carbonnieux, Château L’Arrivet Haut Brion and Château Doisy Daëne have all signed up.
Classified estates in Margaux, just 28km north of the city; Château Prieuré Lichine and Château Marquis de Terme also both offer bike tours. They have vines spread across the diverse terroirs of the area, and cycling through this large appellation allows you to understand their subtle differences. Marquis de Terme will even bring bottles for you to taste amongst the vines.
Nearby at Château d’Angludet, Daisy Sichel – sixth generation of the famous Bordeaux family, will drive you through her family’s vineyards on a golf cart, sharing the biodiversity initiatives of her home. You’ll learn about cover crops, bat boxes, agro-forestry and more. They’ve also created a signature chocolate fondant to taste with their red wine which you can enjoy on their terrace overlooking the grounds.
If electric scooters are more your thing, a group of Sauternes estates including Châteaux La Tour Blanche, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Sigalas-Rabaud, Rabaud-Promis and Rayne Vigneau have joined forces to create a tour through their properties.
Alternatively, take a more leisurely ride through the appellation in a horse-drawn carriage from Château La Tour Blanche.
The best for wanderers
Guided by an app, walk through the riverside village of Cérons, which sits on the left bank of the Garonne and can be reached by car from the centre of Bordeaux in around 40 minutes via the A62. Discover the 12th century church, the old lavoir, the carrelets on the banks of the river, and new plantations which are to be used as green fertiliser by Château de Cérons which is under organic conversion.
If you’ve worked up an appetite, enjoy a picnic in the park of this 18th century château. Choose your menu by colour based on the wines of Château de Cérons: red, white, gold and orange – yes they produce orange wine.
Château Lestrille, located in the village of Saint-Germain du Puch, approximately 25km east of Bordeaux, in the Entre-deux-Mers has planted a 1.5ha biodiversity trail through its vineyard, including an orchard and a pond, 300 new trees, 600m of hedges and a Miyawaki forest.
Just outside of Bordeaux city in Léognan a trail at Château Malartic-Lagravière takes you to its farm to meet the horses that work the vines.
At nearby Château Olivier (just a six minute drive) biodiversity is historic. Just 60 of the 230ha that make up the property are under vine; the rest are meadows, ponds and protected woods which are home to trees over 100 years old. Come and practise shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing.
The best of the old and the new
Classified second growth estates Château Pichon Baron in Pauillac and Château Leoville Barton in St-Julien – the two appellations sit next to each other on the left bank of the Gironde, around 50km from the city centre – open their brand new cellars to visitors this spring.
Entering the courtyard of Leoville Barton you wouldn’t think anything had changed during the two and a half year renovation. The outside walls remain the same and the original roof tiles were placed on the new structure, but the fermentation cellar has been completely redesigned to use gravity feed, natural wood and handmade, stone Gironde tiles, not to mention and their iconic wooden vats. A modern classic.
Château Balastard La Tonnelle, one of the oldest properties in St-Emilion (one hour’s drive east of Bordeaux city centre), now boasts a panoramic terrace, offering 360° views of the right bank appellations.
Bordeaux first growth Château Haut-Brion in Pessac spent four years renovating Le Chai Neuf, the manor house at the entrance to the estate. The 1801 building includes reception rooms, a wine boutique selling all the Clarence Dillon wines and a stunning, vaulted cellar for tastings.
Château La Fleur de Boüard in Lalande-de-Pomerol (just across the D1089 from Pomerol and one hour from the city centre) premiered a brand new cellar experience on 1st April. The Chai de Lumiere, created with the Bassins des Lumières in Bordeaux, projects a history of wine and winemaking across the walls, tanks and barrels of the cellar.
The suspended inverted tanks are a particularly good backdrop. They’ve opened a new bar serving local oysters, terrines and cheeses, a newly landscaped outdoor tasting area and a second guest cottage set among the vines.
Château Grand Corbin in St-Emilion fully opens to visitors this year. You can taste their right bank wines as well as those from sister property Château Cantemerle (25km north of Bordeaux) in the Haut-Médoc appellation on the left bank. Cantemerle is also embarking on a huge renovation project that began this year – one to watch.
Not brand new this year, but the stunning cellars of Lynch Bages in Pauillac, Figeac in St-Emilion and Haut-Bailly in Graves should also be on your list.
The best of gastronomic Bordeaux
In addition to its nature trails, Château Malartic-Lagravière has added a ‘picnic chic’ to its repertoire of private dining, offering a barbecue one Friday a month and their ‘gourmet break’ menus that encourage guests to linger in the park over a few glasses of wine.
Under new ownership, Château Climens in Sauternes opens La Table de Climens in the château’s private rooms this year, and Château Malrome (one hour’s drive southeast from the city centre) in the Entre-deux-Mers has a new chef, Gilles Demaure, who will be championing regional products at the Les Abeilles restaurant.
Château Guiraud in Sauternes has started work on a new hotel but in the meantime, Le Cercle Guiraud restaurant opens in June. Historically part of the property, it has returned to the fold under new owner Matthieu Gufflet to serve local products alongside the wines of the château and other vineyards in the group.
Le Cercle is also just around the corner from the newly renovated Maison du Vin, the perfect showcase to discover and taste wines from across the appellation.
St-Emilion’s Château Troplong-Mondot, Premier Grand Cru Classe, is worth a visit for its Michelin-starred restaurant Les Belles Perdrix with outstanding service and pretty outdoor terrace overlooking the rolling hills of the appellation. As well as family-friendly vineyard tours, a shop where you can personalise your own bottles and take in their impressive cellar, the estate also offers luxury intimate and immersive private table experiences in the manor house of the former owner which overlooks the vines and town of St-Emilion.
Japanese chef Junko Sakurai, presides in the 14th century kitchens of Couvent des Jacobins, in the centre of St-Emilion, teaching traditional recipes to match the wines of the property. The walled convent gardens are a zen setting for a lunch and, on summer evenings transform into an outdoor cinema, concert venue and even a comedy club.
There’s nightlife in the Entre-deux-Mers as well, Thursday nights are for food trucks in the summer at Château Lestrille.
In Fronsac, one hour’s drive northeast of the city, Sally Evans at Château George 7 reopens her award winning wine bar again this Spring. Go towards the end of the day for sunset vineyard views from the beautiful terrace where you can enjoy small plates as well as her red and white wines.
Another brilliant sunset spot is the Belvedere at Château la Tour Blanche in Sauternes, where you can sip sweet Sauternes during the golden hour overlooking the Ciron valley.
The best for staying awhile
In Pessac-Léognan, Château Leognan will open the doors of its new hotel this year. Already welcoming guests with their restaurant and guest rooms, there are now 30 rooms in the chateau and old stables to choose from.
There’s new accommodation in St-Emilion, too. High on the limestone hill of St-Christophe-des-Bardes, Château Clos du Breuil opened a wine bar last year. They have now renovated a gorgeous guest house completing the little hamlet. Never one to sit still, owner Benoit Trocard is opening a four-star hotel in the village of St-Emilion this summer.
The best for children
At Marquis d’Alesme in Margaux, children are as welcome as their wine loving adults with Le Petit Marquis, a treasure hunt organised for six to 12 year olds. There’s a visit and tasting for grown-ups too (the cellar is spectacular). La Table de Nathalie offers fresh local food on its sheltered terrace which is surrounded by a herb garden.
For kids of all ages, Château Giscours, again in Margaux, has introduced magic this year, so visit the château and see magician Michaël who has a few tricks up his sleeve as well as glasses of wine.
The best of the city
The Cité du Vin, located in Bordeaux city itself, re-opened on 4th February 2023 with a new interactive, multimedia exhibition highlighting the natural environment and the people behind the bottles. ‘Bordeaux 360°’ takes you on a virtual voyage across the Gironde, from the Médoc to St-Emilion, and a tasting in an oyster fishermen’s village to a chic Bordeaux rooftop.
If you only have one day in Bordeaux, go here but it would be a shame not to stay longer.
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As a leading Bordeaux wine educator, Wendy teaches professionals and the general public in Bordeaux and internationally. She has been teaching at the Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux since 1997 and specialises in training the International Bordeaux Wine Educators for the Bordeaux Wine Council.
She has published two books: Bordeaux Bootcamp: The Insider Tasting Guide to Bordeaux Basics, and The Drinking Woman’s Diet: A Liver-Friendly Lifestyle Guide. In 2022 she created the online course 7 weeks to a liver friendly lifestyle, the online guide to wine and wellness. She writes regularly about the region.