Bordeaux Wine Tour 8th to 12th April 2024
Bordeaux Wine Tour
8th to 12th April 2024
VIP Wine Tours in conjunction with the Wine School of Cheshire and Bond Travel invite you to join us on this exclusive tour of the Bordeaux wine region.
At the heart of the Bordeaux wine region lies the 4th largest city in France, a modern and dynamic city rich in history and tradition, found along the Garonne river and surrounded by beautiful countryside. 1810 hectares of Bordeaux are listed as a UNESCO World heritage site. It has a pedestrian friendly city centre and a thriving waterfront area with chic boutiques and cafés.
The wine growing areas of Bordeaux are arranged around the banks of the river, and are referred to as the left and right bank. We will be visiting the regions of Pauillac, and Pessac Leognan on the left bank, and Saint Émilion and Sauternes on the right bank. We will learn about the different styles of wine produced on each bank of the river.
There currently exists 5 classifications in Bordeaux, the most famous established in 1855 at the request of Emperor Napoleon III, relating to the red wines of the Medoc and the sweet white wines of Sauternes.
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Your accommodation is in the four star Best Western Plus Bayonne Etcha- Ona. The bedrooms are elegantly and colourfully decorated. Each bedroom has a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, free WiFi access, a courtesy tray and a desk. The hotel is just 100m from the Grand Theatre, and within walking distance of the waterfront, shops, restaurants and the cathedral.
The tour will begin at Bordeaux Mérignac airport, meeting the EasyJet flight from Manchester and will end at the airport on the last day for the departure of the flight back to Manchester.
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8th April 2024 Manchester to Bordeaux EZY2111 Arriving 13:30pm
12th April 2024 Bordeaux to Manchester EZY2112 Departure 10:20am
If you wish to book different flights we will meet in Arrivals at the time the EasyJet flight arrives and the trip will end at Bordeaux airport in time for the return EasyJet flight.
8th April
After meeting in Arrivals at Bordeaux airport, on the way to the hotel, our first visit will be to the exceptional setting of Chateau Haut-Bergey in Pessac Leognan on the left bank for a tour, tasting and dinner. We will learn how they run their vineyards using organic and biodynamic farming methods. Château Haut-Bergey dates back to the 15th Century.
9th April
Today we will visit Château Chauvin , a Grand Cru Classé in the heart of Saint-Emilion, and a prestigious château owned by the Caves-Régimbeau family who are also co-owners of the famous Château Lynch-Bages and the famous Bordeaux restaurant Le Chaplin Fin where we will enjoy dinner on our last evening.
After a tour and tasting there will be some free time in Saint-Emilion before returning to Bordeaux city for a Michelin starred dinner.
10th April
Today we will have a guided visit of the Cité du Vin, a unique cultural centre dedicated to the universal, living heritage of wine. It offers a spectacular journey around the world, throughout the ages, across countless cultures and civilisations and is of great interest to anyone with a passion for wine.
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Château Guiraud was acquired by the Guiraud family in 1766, is the first Premier Grand Cru Classé in 1855 to have achieved Organic Certification and is the only château committed to a truly global rethinking of its vineyard operations. It is renowned for its natural approach to noble rot thanks to measures including prohibition of herbicides and chemical insecticides, the installation of « insect hotels », the planting of 6km of hedgerows, the genetic diversity of its vines, a conservatory gathering some 100 vine varieties, and a water treatment station which functions through natural filtration by reeds.
After a private tour of Château Guiraud there will be time for a stroll around the pretty village of Sauternes before a Sauternes wine paired dinner at Le Cercle Guiraud.
11th April
After a free morning we will drive early afternoon to Pauillac on the left bank to visit First Growth Château Latour (visit awaiting confirmation).
Having been the most consistent of the First Growth Châteaux from the Medoc for over 100 years Chateau Latour is like no other Bordeaux wine, it is in a unique class of its own.
Château Latour began to be highly recognised around the world at the beginning of the 18th Century. It's reputation was consolidated when in 1855 it was classified as a First Growth.
Dinner on our last evening will be at the famous Le Chapon Fin, one of Bordeaux's oldest restaurants, firmly established as an essential high society meeting point in the heart of the affluent 'triangle of gold'. Founded in 1825 Le Chapon Fin was one of the first ever 3 Michelin starred restaurants, one of the first 33 establishments to be awarded three stars by Michelin in 1933. In 1940 it was downgraded to two stars which were kept until 1957. These two stars were lost when the chef died, but regained a star in 1987 which was kept until that chef left his post. The current chef is working hard to recover the star. Since 2011 the restaurant has been owned by Sylvie Cazes of Chateau Chauvin. It is said that you haven't really been to Bordeaux if you haven't been to Le Chapon Fin, described as an epicurean indulgence housed in one of Bordeaux's most historically esteemed establishments.
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12th April
After an early breakfast there will only be time to travel to Merignac airport in time for your early morning flight.
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What’s included
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Transport for the whole trip including transfers to and from Bordeux Merignac airport.
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Accommodation in a four-star hotel.
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Breakfast each day and one other meal per day including drinks, as per itinerary.
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Winery visits and tastings.
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Hotel taxes.
What’s not included
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Flights (these can be arranged by Bond Travel on booking confirmation to give you ATOL protection)
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Meals not included in the itinerary
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Compulsory travel insurance with medical expenses and repatriation
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Personal expenses at the hotel
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Single room supplement of £332 for four nights
Total cost for 5 day Bordeaux wine tour (excluding flights)
£2050 per person, based on 2 guests sharing a double or twin room.
Essential information
The trip is subject to a minimum number of 10 people booking, maximum 16 people. It is possible that slight changes may need to be made to the itinerary and these will be communicated to you, a full confirmed itinerary will be sent to you a couple of weeks before departure.
A 30% non refundable deposit is payable on booking with the remaining balance due to be paid by 1st February 2024.
For any further information please contact Karen at karen@vipwinetours.co.uk or 0208 144 0756
Or
Jayne at Bond Travel at jayne@bondtravel.co.uk or 01925 757 757
Flights booked directly with Bond Travel will add ATOL protection to your package.
