For many people, the very name Bordeaux conjures up images of grand chateaux and equally grand wines. On a Grape Escape to Bordeaux, you can taste these wines and visit these chateaux; however the region offers much more besides.

At the heart of the region is the vibrant riverside city of Bordeaux. In recent years the city has undergone something of a transformation and the historic buildings have been cleaned, returning the centre to its former glory. Works on the dockside, so important in the wine trade in former centuries, are also near completion and an ultra modern tram system provides an efficient transport network around the city centre. There is also a superb wine museum which is well worth a visit.

Outside the city, the premium wine regions spread out in almost all directions. Heading north toward the estuary of the Gironde is the Medoc, home to the most famous chateaux of Bordeaux including Margaux, Lafite, Latour and Mouton Rothschild.

To the east, heading up the Dordogne river is the beautiful historic town of St Emilion (classified as a UNESCO world heritage site) and its vineyards and the equally prestigious appellation of Pomerol. To the south of the city are the vineyards of the Graves and beyond these, the rolling slopes of Sauternes.

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With every Grape Escapes trip comes the opportunity to enjoy some great wine and food. What makes Grape Escapes tours different is the flexibility that is offered to allow you to choose when to arrive, how you travel there and which of the tours you wish to include.

The programme of events during each tour allows you the opportunity to make the most of your trip. Unlike other companies, you will not be herded around in a group of 30 or 40 as we feel that this does not give us access to the best properties and that our guests do not get the quality of tour they deserve – we limit the number of guests on each trip to 24 and a typical group size is between 10 and 16 people.

The tours in Bordeaux in 2009 tour will be as follows:

Friday – the Medoc

The tour on Friday will travel along the “route des chateaux” past a string of very famous producers (including Margaux, Beychevelle, Leoville Barton, Langoa Barton, and Latour). The first stop will be at a cru classé vineyard where you will discover the grandeur of this famous estate and learn about the intricacies of making a cru classé wine before tasting several examples. Following this visit, the tour will pause for a 4 course lunch with wines in a premium local restaurant. After lunch, the day will continue with a visit to one of the very top chateaux (usually Mouton Rothschild) for a truly memorable experience including barrel tastings of the current vintage in their magnificent chai before tasting one of their mature wines. The final visit of the day will be to a smaller chateau producing Cru Bourgoise or Cru Bourgoise Superior standard Haut Medoc.

Saturday – St Emilion

In contrast to the grand estates of the Medoc, the average vineyard in the right bank appellation of St Emilion is 5 times smaller. The Saturday tour will commence, with a visit to one of these small, family run chateaux where the owner will welcome the group and present his domain. The tour will conclude with tastings of several of his wines. The day will continue at one of the best grand cru classé producers in the heart of the appellation. This visit will start in the vineyards where guests will have fine views across the area before heading underground into the very extensive cellar complex at this estate. The visit at this estate will finish with a grand luncheon in the dining room of the chateau with the opportunity to taste several of their wines including their St Emilion and Pomerol with the gourmet 4 course lunch. 

After lunch, the day will continue with a short stop in the well preserved medieval town of St Emilion. The final stop of the day will be as the guests of one of the best producers in one of the satellite appellations surrounding St Emilion. The visit here will provide the opportunity to sample yet another style of wines from a slightly different terroir.

Our 1855 Classic Clarets Tour, and our Weekend of Grand Cru Tastings

We are also running two other types of Bordeaux Tours in 2009. The first is our '1855 Classic Clarets' Tour which is a 2 night trip with one full day tour visiting a winery in each of the 1855 Medoc regions - Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe. We are running one of these weekends in April, May and October.Please ring us on 08456 430 860 for further details and prices.

The third Bordeaux trip we are running is a special weekend offering the chance to taste wines from over 100 top Bordeaux estates from across the Medoc, St Emilion, Pomerol, Graves and Sauternes in one day of tastings, followed by dinner in one of these top chateaux. This trip is running from 15th to 17th May 2009. Again, please ring us on 08456 430 860 for further details and prices.

The Bordeaux region produces such a diversity of wines that there is certain to be a wine to suit most drinkers. In the Medoc, the grand wines of St Estephe, Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux are dominated by the power of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety while the vineyards of Pomerol and St Emilion produce softer wines dominated by the richness of the Merlot. In the Graves they produce quality red wines based on Cabernet and Merlot and premium dry white wines based on Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. In Sauternes, it is the noble rot, Botrytis Cinerea, that afflicts the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes to produce the intense sweet wines of this appellation.