Wine tasting among castles in the French countryside? Sign me up! This tour was the highlight of…read moreour Bordeaux trip, specially the Saint-Émilion Afternoon Tour with Quentin. I was able to book easily via their webpage the evening before. Our tour group had 8 people and started at 1:45 PM, lasting 5 hours. The pickup point was in the heart of Bordeaux at the tourist office. Our tour guide Quentin spoke great English and was super personable. He also drove the mini van and used the hour of commute time each way to get to know us and share his knowledge. The first stop was a larger scale winery, Château Soutard, which is a Saint-Émilion Grands cru classés winery (in the top 10% of wineries in Right Bank). They had deep pickets and you could tell by the infrastructure. We rode a gigantic silent glass elevator for transporting barrels underground which they affectionately called "James Bond." Our guide here led us on a thorough tour of the indoor facilities and guided us through a tasting of two reds. Quentin also did a fun smell test with us. We spent 1.5 hours here. The next stop was the charming old town of Saint-Émilion, and the reason I booked the Right Bank tour over the Left Bank one. Over the course of an hour, Quentin led us through the highlights of the city including a wine cave (the oldest wine bottles I've seen!) and an old church. It rained on and off, but Quentin was prepared with umbrellas. Our third and final stop was a relatively smaller winery called Château Côte de Baleau. They had a picturesque castle on property, and the guide here welcomed us with glasses of Bordeaux blanc from another winery. Quentin showed us the grapevines and the traditional concrete aging vats. Then the female guide led us through a vertical tasting of two Saint-Émilion Grand Crus - 2007 and 2014. Compared to the first winery, I enjoyed the more laid-back vibe here, and the wine was almost as good and at a lower price point. We also had some small bites to pair - comté cheese, sausage, dark chocolate, almonds, and bread. I liked how both wineries didn't push buying the wine at all - no mention of sales and no price lists shown during the tasting. The cost of this tour was slightly more than other half day options I found (€94), but I thought it was well worth it for the longer time and included bites. It was also nice to not worry about a rental and driving ourselves an hour out to the wineries from Bordeaux where we stayed. Highly recommend this experience!

Warning for tourists: this is not a party bus and includes minimal wine (see more at bottom)…read more First, Quentin our guide was great! Super knowledgeable and friendly. We appreciated the conversation and him answering all our questions. We appreciated the snacks he brought and the tasting game he facilitated. Definitely continue that going forward! The tour was limited to 8 people. Both vineyards we visited were great. Everything was English friendly and it was an easy, relaxing day. However, as mentioned above, this is NOT a party bus with the wine tasting being extremely limited. You will only have 5 small tasters on the entire trip accounting for less than a full glass of wine. You will not get buzzed. To be fair, I haven't done any other wine tastings in France, but I have done many of them in California. Most in California include three vineyards with 5-6 tastings at each, so you get to try 15+ wines in a day. This has resulted in wine tours in the US becoming more like party buses for birthdays, bachelorette parties, etc. This is absolutely not the same here. You will only taste a small amount of wine so you won't need a designated driver after all. Again, we had a fun time but were surprised at how little wine we actually got to drink. So for us, 90€ turned out to be pretty expensive for a few sips of wine. We are glad we did it once but would not do it again like you would a wine bus in the US.

We took the 9 hour tour that visited the village of Saint-Emilion and a wine tasting in the town,…read moreChateau Bernateau on the right bank where we had lunch at picnic tables, then across the river to Magaux on the left bank to Chateau Prieure-Lichine, and Chateau Siran. We traveled in a tour van and our guide was very friendly and knowledgable. We tasted many wines and got a first hand view on wine making. We were very lucky because the wineries were picking and harvesting the grapes (it was later in September).

My friend and I did the Saint-Emilion Small Group Day Tour with Wine Tastings & Lunch. Our fabulous…read moretour guide, Ed, escorted us to two chateaus before doing a tasting in Saint-Emilion. The experience was absolutely lovely and a great learning experience. We were lucky to have stunning spring weather and enjoyed a picnic lunch with meats and cheese. We also got to visit the stunning sites of Saint-Emilion. I wouldn't hesitate to book another tour with Rustic Vines.

The wife and I share a love of food and wine. Together, we've discovered an appreciation for…read moreBordeaux. So, it was a no-brainer when planning our honeymoon to spend it in Bordeaux to learn about and experience some great wines as well as great food. After doing a lot of research, the Bordeaux Wine Experience rose to the top of our list of Bordeaux tour companies. All of our pre-decisional interactions with the company were via email and our many questions were answered promptly and thoroughly. We decided on the Bordeaux Wine Experience since it offered a thoughtfully curated, all-inclusive tour of the region, and the best opportunity to taste the widest selection of wines from the region's most acclaimed châteaux. One of the other big selling points for us was that each tour group was limited in size (only 13 people were in our group) making it a more personal, intimate experience. The Bordeaux Wine Experience offers several different tours of different type and duration throughout the course of a year, but we opted for the Grand Tour of Bordeaux, a 6-day, 5-night tour in late summer right before harvest. Our tour included... - Accommodations in a beautiful 18th Century château - Most meals (all but one) were included, some of which were gourmet meals at three Bordeaux châteaux and one at a Michelin-starred restaurant - Ground transportation to/from all châteaux in a luxury tour bus - Tours and tastings at 10 Classified Growth châteaux - Friendly, experienced, and knowledgeable host/guide fluent in English, French, Dutch, and probably a few other languages. I cannot say enough good things about our time on our Bordeaux Wine Experience. Our fellow group members (surprisingly our group was made up entirely by Americans) were fun, friendly, and passionate about wine. Our host/guide, Ronald Rens and his lovely wife, Margaret, displayed exceptional hospitality, welcoming us into their beautiful château. Ronald was thoroughly knowledgeable on Bordeaux and an expert guide for the tour. Full of "insider" information, he kept it interesting while imparting his knowledge and anecdotes in a fun, good-natured manner. We received unparalleled access to Classified Growth châteaux like Lafite Rothschild, Haut-Brion, d'Yquem, Angelus and others with opportunities to taste a variety of their wines from the best vintages. In a couple of instances, the actual château owner gave us our tours. Very cool! Apart from the tours and tastings at the various châteaux, the food we had throughout our stay was outstanding. Grand Cru wines were served with every meal except breakfast (I know...crazy!). Our group's "Farewell Dinner" was a delicious gourmet meal prepared by a professional chef at the château that paled in comparison to the amazing wines that were served at the dinner such as an '94 Latour, '01 Margaux, '01 Mouton Rothschild, and a '95 d'Yquem. I think it's safe to say that on that particular night, no one in the world sat down for dinner and was served that lineup of wines. In truth, the Bordeaux Wine Experience and the particular tour we chose are not for everyone. It was a pricey experience. If you don't love wine and aren't interested in learning more about the wines of the Bordeaux region, how it's made, and what makes it special, then the price will likely be a non-starter. However, I found it money well spent. I learned so much about Bordeaux wines and gained a much deeper, profound appreciation for them. I will never look at a restaurant wine list or wine shop quite the same way! If you love wines and want an EXPERIENCE, then I highly recommend the Bordeaux Wine Experience as your only choice!

This has been a wonderful experience. The chateau and the hosts Ron and Margaret are the best! I…read morehave enjoyed the week with the history of Bordeaux and visiting many of the classified growths. I'm not really sure I could say it any better than my husband has said it. Suffice it to say that Ronald and Margaret are the best! I could not have asked for a better place to spend our honeymoon, or my birthday. They have multiple tours, something for everyone (wine, cooking, both). I promise you will not be disappointed.

Must do when visiting Bordeaux if you truly love wine and want to get a unique experience. Bogdan…read morecustomizes your tour, is the biggest wine nerd with excellent connections in the wine community. He loves the vineyards and all those who live, work and create there...and they love him back. Ensure time for a three day tour hitting all three essential regions. The cost of his tour is well worth it. Don't think about this choice, seriously, just book ASAP.

Trust in Bogdan Ghita, he will insure you have a spectacular time. Bogdan speaks excellent French…read moreand English as well as a few other languages. We returned after 10 years to tour with Bogdan and Bordeaux Vertigo once more. Bogdan is extremely knowledgeable, personable, flexible, and fun! All this without being stuffy or pretentious. He also suggested lodging and dining and arranged a fabulous luncheon in the middle of our tasting. He has guided us in St. Emillion, left bank, right bank And somehow Bogdan managed not to age after 10 years Merci and Bravo once more to Bogdan!

Fantastic tour. Laura was a fabulous guide. We had so much fun learning the St. Emilion culture,…read moretasting beautiful wines, and scrumptious ice cream. Thank you for the memorable experience!

Can I give Bordeaux Wine Trails 10 stars?!…read more If you are looking for an amazing experience wine tasting through Bordeaux, this is the place for you! It's a one of a kind, personal experience that you won't soon forget. Book your tour directly through their website, meet at the Office de Tourisme de Bordeaux roughly 10 minutes before your scheduled tour and then enjoy a magical day of sightseeing, wine tasting and meeting wonderful new people. We were greeted by our phenomenal host, Jon, and he swooped us off on a magical wine-tasting adventure. Jon was so knowledgeable about the region, the wine, and each winemaker - The perfect host! We visited three different different wineries - each one was different from the last but each spectacular in their own way - and we stopped to explore the cutest little town and enjoy a fab glass of Champagne. During the stop at our second winery, we were provided a delicious picnic lunch {a charcuterie board, veggie quiche, fresh salad and panna cotta for dessert} - The setup allowed us to sit together, get to know the group and gain some new friends. We now have some new favorite wines! Don't sit on this amazing tour - The best way to spend the day in Bordeaux! Thank you, Jon for a beyond wonderful day!

Stop your search and just book the tour with Jean Pierre now! Do not miss out on an amazing and…read morememorable experience in Bordeaux by booking with someone else. Jean Pierre is meticulous in planning out his tours, he takes into account what you want to see, which Châteaux you want to visit , etc. He really loves what he does and it shows in his tours. Experience start to finish; - emailed request and received a response very quickly - Jean Pierre asked a few questions about the group, size, our wine knowledge (we are novice wine drinkers), requests on Châteaux we wanted to visit ... then he got working on the itinerary and making appointments for the Châteaux visits. - Jean Pierre confirms pickup location and itinerary (picked us up from our Airbnb!) - follow up communications confirming pickup points etc (he is very clear in all communication) .. we were a group of 4 and it ended up being just us that day! I believe his car fits up to six people. - then a day touring and enjoying wine: our day started at Château du Tailhas Pomerol, then scenic drive around Pomerol and St. Emilion, lunch/ explore St. Emilion, Château Dominique and then Château Canon La Gaffeliere. (Jean Pierre made sure to give us different types of chateaux to visit, from small family owned to larger more industrialized ones) We learned so much from Jean Pierre, from now knowing that different regions in Bordeaux produce different blends of wine to how the terroir affects the taste of the wines. I'm already looking at my calendar for 2017 to see when I can get back to Bordeaux and do another tour.. perhaps multiple day tours with Jean Pierre!

We have just returned from an unforgettable day touring wineries in the Medoc with Rodolphe of…read moreOphorus. We traveled in a very comfortable Mercedes van with a group of 6. We regularly arrange to visit wineries globally, but never do an organized tour. I am so glad we did this tour of 3 wineries "Chateau" with Rudolph. Each Chateau was inviting, very different and all very worthwhile. Rodolphe recommended 3 restaurants in Pauillac - we had lunch at Lafayette which was a delight. Rodolph's endless firsthand knowledge of the region enriched the entire tour. Wonderful!

Great small tour with a group of 6 people in total to the wineries in the St Emilion area. The…read moredriver was great and spoke very good English. He was funny and provided us with lots of information about the area and wineries. Definitely would recommend this tour company. We visited 3 wineries in total with lunch in the cute medieval village of St Emilion. The pickup point is at the tourist office in Bordeaux by the Theater/Opera and Intercontinental Hotel. Great central pickup point.

What a great way to visit the wine region! I highly recommend the experience to anyone visiting…read moreBordeaux. The staff was passionate, friendly and helpful and spoke great English. We started with the Margaux Médoc half day tour and liked the experience so much that we booked a full day tour to Saint Emillion the next day. Both tours were very different and worth it, although the charming town of Saint Emillion has particularly amazed me with its medieval architecture and history. Each tour provides you with a suggested route, in-car history lessons and amazing chateaus where you can stop by for a visit and learn about the wine and process. We had a visit and a wine tasting booked in advance at the Chateau Pressac as part of our package. The Chateau was lovely and the wine tasty; the host was very kind and knowledgeable and answered all our questions about wine production process. Visiting the area with Memosine was a memorable and fun adventure with a taste of freedom. The vehicles are adorable and draw stares everywhere you go! Memosine offers great flexibility as you can hop on and off anytime for pictures, visits, wine tasting, lunch, etc. Also, both vehicles we booked were visible on the map, which was very convenient when we lost sight of the others. This was a highlight of our trip! I highly recommend to anyone!

From the owner: Wine & City tours en véhicules média-guidés. Des visites uniques en liberté, à votre propre rythme !read more

Arrived on a Sunday with a tour from the Bordeaux Tourism office. For €40 per person the tour…read moreincluded a tour bus pick up in a Mercedes Benz at 1:30 pm and then a walking tour of Saint Emilion. We even visited the underground church. At 4pm we hopped back onto the tour bus and headed to Chateau Haut Veyrac. This wine tour was exceptional as our guides were very animated and enthusiastic about sharing their wine making process. First we started in the fields breaking down the procedure of how the vines are treated and how they harvest. Then we were in the bottling rooms where the grapes are fermented and filtered. Lastly we finished in the tasting room. This was such a wonderful and authentic introduction to Saint Emilion. I recommend visiting this chateau if you're in the area.