My husband and I along with our friends went wine tasting in Southern France. We read about Cave d…read moreEymet in the charming town of Eymet and decided to give it a try. I can't say enough wonderful things about this experience. Mitch was such an amazing lady with an abundance of knowledge about wines and wine tastings. We actually ended up booking two wine tastings with her. One was for local and regional wines and the other was for wines around the world. Mitch speaks English and has a delightful sense of humor. This was by far our favorite tasting experience. And as an added bonus...her dogs are adorable! We had an absolutely fabulous evening each time we were there. I advise calling ahead for a reservation so she can give you the absolute best experience. This is a must do when in the area!

During our month long stay in southwest France we toured several wineries and tasting rooms. Cave…read mored' Eymet was our best and most educational tasting and wine experience. Mitch, the owner, gave us two separate night tastings, first taking us through the region and then around the world. Her expertise was enlightening and educational. With her humor and knowledge we had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend anyone interested in wine make an appointment and enjoy an evening with Mitch.

I had visited Chateau Feely a few years ago as a study abroad student, and to this day, it is still…read moreone of my favorite memories from France! A friend and I were visiting Bordeaux for a weekend trip looking for wine tasting tours and were so happy to find this one off the web. We had signed up for The Essential Wine Tour adventure and Caroline was quick to respond to emails. Unfortunately, on the day of, the French train workers went on a strike, so we missed our original one-hour train from Bordeaux to Gardonne. A quick call to Caroline and no problem! She was able to adjust the tour when we came later and even helped come to meet us at the train station given the train fiasco. The wine tasting experience felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary examining vineyards! She pointed out everything from history of the nearby communities and walked us up and down the vineyard with an ambiance of a true expert and lover of wines as we felt more like friends than tourists. Her wine class and lunch were delicious and we even had an opportunity to meet her children; again, it felt like we were family and friends and it was a pleasure to be in her home. It was here that I feel in love with dessert wine! Originally, we had looked at the big Bordeaux-based companies that have tour buses, but glad to avoid the typical tourist route. The personal experience at Chateau Feely was the way to go. Highly recommended!

If staying at a winery in France is not on your bucket list, it should be! Chateau Feely is an…read moreorganic, biodynamic winery located in Southwest France. Honestly, I will never forget the absolutely wonderful three days/nights we spent here. Our host, Caro Feely, greeted us outside as soon as we drove up. We immediately were made to feel as if we had arrived at the home of a friend instead of the guest house where we stayed for the next three days. She also led our tour of the vineyard and winetasting lunch that next day. She is knowledgeable and passionate about their wines and organic/biodynamic wine making. It truly was an educational and fun experience. We opted for the half day wine tour with 'Revelation' Lunch for 50 Euro per person. Our small group of 6 began at 10:00 learning about the grapes, growing, the land/area, wine making all while strolling through the property. Towards noon, we were back to the lovely tasting room for our lunch. Caro opened a few wines, explained each one and then left us with tasting notes to explore and taste as she prepared our lunch. Lunch was a great mixture of pate, duck prosciutto, smoked trout, salads and different cheeses plus delicious, hearty breads and even chocolate to pair with all of the wines. She explained which wines paired best with the different foods, but also encouraged us to experiment with our tastings to see what appealed most to our individual palates. This was a great ending to our tour. The wines were delicious. It isn't often I like each one, but I did here. My favorites were the Sincerite, a dry sauvignon blanc and Grace, their barrel aged red wine. Sincerite is 100% sauvignon blanc, crisp and citrusy. Grace is 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot aged for 24 months in oak. The result is a rich red blend with dark fruits and depth. Delicious! Last, but not least, the accommodations. What a treat it was to stay on premises. Our wine cottage was comfortable with the most amazing views of beautiful scenery. Stress just melted away as we stared at the landscape sipping delicious wines we had purchased at Chateau Feely. There was a small kitchen and even a grill out on the patio if we wanted to stay in and cook for ourselves. There were a number of restaurants that Caro kindly recommended, one even within walking distance and more than one that were awarded a Michelin star. Needless to say we did not go without. I would absolutely visit this lovely winery again. What an unforgettable experience this was! Many thanks to Caro Feely for her wonderful and welcoming hospitality!

The last winery on our Bordeaux excursion! We got there a little past 3 in the afternoon, and from…read morethe looks of it, the winery staff was busy preparing for an event. Let me guess, the Vin Expo? Indeed it was according to our winery tour guide that afternoon. Both wineries we've visited earlier that day were also preparing for the Vin Expo like mad. Everyone in our group loved our guide. She was so bubbly and super nice. She had spent some time in Sonoma to earn a certificate for her wine studies, so she spoke English very well. We settled on doing a half-hour tour and tasting for 7€ with her. She took us outside and proceeded to describe the history of the vineyards, the Chateau and their current owner, who is incidentally an American banker. She showed us the vineyards, the chais and other parts of the winery. We ended the tour at the boutique where we tasted a couple of wines. The winery produces Grand Cru Classé wines and we were able to taste a 2007 vintage and one of their second wines. Both were excellent. The Grand Cru wine we tasted was going for 65€ and may be aged another 10 years according to our guide. After the tasting, we browsed in the botique and decided on buying a half case of their Rosé. Our group of 10 has been going through wine like crazy and the Rosé was 6 bottles for 50€. A great deal! We had no problem consuming all that in a couple of days along with the other wines we bought from the other places. When in France, drink lots of wine!

They were so nice to welcome us for lunch even if we were on a tight schedule. It is a gorgeous…read moreplace. The private table is very exclusive in fact. There's just two different dining room, a small one and a bigger one for small groups. The resident chef has built the menu to pair with the wines but in an unusual and daring way. The decadent reds were paired with decadent fishes dishes and very delicate courses. Even the dessert has the same shape as a sculture just outside the Castle. It was a memorable moment.

I thought that I had booked a small group tour and tasting here only to find midway through we were…read morejoined by a large bus tour group. This totally changed the feel of the tour as the large group socialized, took campy photos, and made the tasting experience crowded and chaotic. Our charming guide, Rodrigo, did his best to manage the large group, which we appreciate. The tasting was just okay, no chance to explain much about the wine, no water or small snacks to cleanse the palate and no offers to taste anything special or extra. My husband and I have been on wine tours all around the world and have never experienced anything like this. Typically I do book independent tours or private guides, but we only had one day in Bordeaux and thought this might give us a flavor of the region in a shorter time frame. I recommend that the management provide large groups their own guide and space so as not to impact the experience of other guests. If you are looking for a more personal experience this may not be worth your time.

Came here today for a wine tour and tasting. The tour was was wonderful. It was interesting and…read morethe grounds were beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and kept things moving. My biggest disappointment was the wine tasting. We tasted 3 wines. A white Bordeaux and 2 reds. I didn't care for any of them. I really wanted to like this and ship a case home but since the 3 I tasted we're not what I like, I left empty handed.

From the owner: La Distillerie DENOIX, Grande fabrique de liqueur fondée en 1839 à Brive-la-Gaillarde. Nous…read moreperpétuons le métier des maîtres liquoristes du XIXème siècle, garantissant ainsi la qualité de nos liqueurs et apéritifs à base de noix, plantes et fruits. Labellisée "Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant", un véritable savoir-faire s'est préservé. La visite de nos chais vous convaincra qu'il existe encore une tradition vivante et authentique. - Toute l'année visite libre et dégustation gratuite. - Pour les groupes jusqu'à 50 personnes visite guidée et dégustation gratuite (durée 1h) toute l'année sur réservation du mardi au vendredi. - En juillet et août, ouverture du lundi au samedi. Visite guidée à 14h30 (durée 1h) du mardi au vendredi avec dégustation gratuite.

VITROLLE On then to the Vitrolle, site of the vineyard of…read moreVin de Pays de Perigord near Limeuil. Unfortunately, it won't be open 'til the afternoon. Fortunately, our host at the gite has already introduced us to this red wine made from a blend of several grapes, as is usual here, including merlot. Our host, by the way, has strong opinions on wine labelling and is not at all impressed with those who buy by the grape variety alone. Some wines here are made with up to nine grapes. How are you going to get all those onto the label? If you are to put anything like that on the label then it should be the maker as he has the most influence.

This was a beautiful intimate winery. The hosts were very knowledgeable and friendly. They talked…read moreto us about the wines and their process. Then we walked through the bottled inventory on our own. I enjoyed the wines during the tastings and bought a case to have shipped home. The shipping costs were also reasonable - especially compared to some of the other wineries we visited. We booked this Saint Emillion wine tour through Airbnb. The entire tour included several things and was wonderful.

Best known as being the wine supplier for Michelin star restaurants in Europe. Most of the…read moreinventory is sold as futures to these restaurants. Tried five vintages and settled on the 2015. It was inside a handsome wooden box - tres chic. The tiny, 3.3 hectare Right Bank vineyard is produces wines which are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in equal portions in each vintage. The vineyard has a terroir that consists of limestone, clay, gravel and sandy soils. The wine is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for between 12 and 22 months, depending on the quality and character of the vintage. On average, 1,000 cases are produced of Chateau Le Chatelet each year. The estate is currently managed by Alain and Julien Berjal The Berjals will ship their wines to the US and reviewing the order book showed lots of shipments this year to individuals.

Emilie, our guide, was wonderful today at Chateau Beausejour-Becot. I contacted her in advance and…read morewas able book a 4PM appointment. The tasting was 12 euros for their 2007 and 2011's vintage; free if you purchase any wine. Luckily, there was a professional tasting earlier in the day, which led us to also taste their 2009 Vintage as well (70% Merlot, 15% Cab Sauv, and 15% Cab Franc), lucky! The tour brought us to their Vineyard (one of the highest appellation at St Emillion), VAT-room, Cellars, Underground Cellar, and their lovely Tasting room. What stood out on this tour was their Underground Cellars; it was huge since Chateau Beausejour-Becot holds 10% of each vintage that goes back ages! It was dark, cold, a bit eerie, and yet wonderful with all the old wines. Overall, Chateau Beausejour-Becot is a lovely family owned estate. They also provide wine from each of the owners and offer lots of wine that's ready to drink now or to save for a special occasion. PS. Did I mention that they are also part of the 18 Premier Grand Cru of St Emillion; Premier Grand Cru is classified every 10 years, so the next classification will be in 2022. *101 Euros for their 2009 Vintage