“Grape” Escapes in Bordeaux

What’s a visit to the region around Bordeaux, France, without a tour through the wineries? Grape Escapes makes it easy for travelers to take wine-tasting breaks with a series of flexible tours.

Based in the riverside city of Bordeaux (map), the new “bespoke breaks” feature guided châteaux tours by day and wine-tasting sessions in traditional bordelaise bars by night. Trips start at £254 per person, and packages are available on week days or weekends year-round.

The tailor-made itineraries offer a choice of guided vineyard tours to four of France’s wine growing sub-regions. Médoc is home to the region’s most famous wine châteaux (including Margaux, Latife, Latour and Mouton Rothschild). Sauternes is celebrated for its sweet dessert wines; Graves is named for its distinctive soil: a mix of gravels, clay and sand. The fourth is the UNESCO World Heritage Town of St. Emilion (map).

Grape Escapes is a specialist in travel to the French wine regions. In addition to the new tours in Bordeaux, they also have gourmet wine-tasting weekends in Champagne, Burgundy, the Loire and the Rhone. Looking for something smaller? Grape Escapes also offers longer tailor-made self-drive itineraries and private group tours.

What: Wine-centric tours
Where: Médoc, Sauternes, Graves and St. Emilion
How: Grape Escapes (tour company)
(Photo courtesy of The Saltmarsh Partnership for Grape Escapes)