Bordeaux has a reputation for being serious about wine, and that scares a lot of people off before they even arrive. Around 100,000 hectares of vines, more than 5,000 châteaux, over 700 million bottles a year. Where do you even start, and will anyone let you in if you can’t tell a Merlot from a Cabernet?
The good news is that visiting the vineyards is much simpler and far more relaxed than the numbers suggest. I’ve lived here for years and taken visitors out into the vineyards, and the tasting notes are only part of it. What stays with you just as much is the drive between the rows, the family who opened the gate themselves, the long lunch in the middle of nowhere.
If you found this article but don’t feel like reading a long post just to get one great winery recommendation accessible by public transport, here it is 🙂 Château Pape Clément in Pessac is a beautiful château and very easy to visit. I usually book my winery visits on Rue des Vignerons, a great local platform where you can find amazing family-owned wineries.
Bordeaux wine region- what you need to know before you go
The Bordeaux wine region wraps around the city on both sides of the Garonne and follows the water out toward the ocean. It holds dozens of appellations, from the world-famous Médoc to the quieter, cheaper Entre-Deux-Mers that locals actually drink midweek. Most of what is made here is red, roughly six bottles of red to every one of white, mostly from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but the region also makes crisp whites and some lovely sweet wines that visitors rarely plan for.
You don’t need to arrive knowing any of that. What helps far more is knowing which direction to point yourself in, so here is the map, simplified.
The region splits into two banks, and the names tell you exactly where things are. The Left Bank lies west of the Garonne and the Gironde estuary: the Médoc appellations (Margaux, Pauillac, Haut-Médoc and others), then Graves and Pessac-Léognan closer to the city, and Sauternes and Barsac further south. The Right Bank lies east of the estuary and the Dordogne: Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, Fronsac, and Blaye and Bourg. In between the two rivers, the Garonne and the Dordogne, sits Entre-Deux-Mers, the largest sub-region and the home of most of the whites.
It’s a big region and the estates are spread out, so how you get around matters. If you’re happy to stay in one spot, Saint-Émilion village or the Pessac estates on the tram work fine without a car. To string several châteaux together in a day, though, or to reach the ones deep in the vineyards, you’ll want to rent a car.
One local tip worth planning around. Check whether your dates fall on one of the portes ouvertes, the open-door weekends that each appellation runs a few times a year, usually in spring and autumn. The estates open their gates together, often for free, and you can visit several in an afternoon without booking each one. It’s the easiest way in if the whole thing feels intimidating, and I’ve explained how they work and how to catch them in my guide to the open-door weekends in the Bordeaux châteaux.
Bordeaux’s wine sub-regions, and what a visit is actually like
You will not see all of these on one trip, and you shouldn’t try. Read them as a menu and pick by what you’re near and how much time you have.
Saint-Émilion, the one everyone comes for
Saint-Émilion is the medieval village on a hill, and for most first-time visitors it’s the picture they have of Bordeaux wine country. Its old core is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s the most doable of the sub-regions without a car, which is why so many people start here. The wines are built on Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
What makes it special for a visitor is that the châteaux are close together and many are walkable from the village, so you can taste at a couple of estates and still have time for lunch and a wander through the cloître. The satellite appellations just outside (Lussac, Montagne, Puisséguin and Saint-Georges) are full of smaller family estates and see a fraction of the crowds.
Pomerol, its neighbour, is tiny and has almost no village to speak of, yet it produces some of the most sought-after and expensive wines in France. It’s one to visit for a specific estate rather than to wander around.
If you want to go a bit deeper
Since Saint-Émilion is where most people begin, I’ve written it up on its own:
- My full day-trip guide to Saint-Émilion, if you’re planning the whole day.
- The best wineries to visit in Saint-Émilion, if you want to taste without organising it yourself.
- The harvest in Saint-Émilion, since it’s vendanges season right now and a lovely time to see it working.
- My self-guided Saint-Émilion audio tour, to walk the village at your own pace, a bit like having a friend along.
Châteaux worth a visit
If you only book two estates here, these are the ones I’d send you to, both easy to reserve through Rue des Vignerons: Château de Pressac, the one whose château and view impress people the most. Château Bernateau, a small family estate farmed organically, where a visit feels homey rather than commercial.
Medoc – the most prestigious wine region
The Médoc is the long peninsula running north from the city between the estuary and the ocean, and it’s the address of many of the most famous, most expensive names in Bordeaux. That reputation makes people nervous, but plenty of Médoc estates are welcoming and set up for ordinary visitors, not just collectors.
A car earns its place here more than anywhere else in the region, so this is the sub-region to rent one for. The estates are spread out along the wine road, the countryside is flat, green and open, and the drive itself is part of the day. That said, you don’t have to drive. A few Médoc châteaux sit close enough to a station to reach by train, which I’ve mapped out in my guide to visiting the wineries without a car.
Châteaux worth a visit
A couple I’ve enjoyed out here: Château Ferrière, a family estate right in the middle of Margaux that’s easy to reach by train and an interesting visit, and Château Lamothe Bergeron, a stunning château worth it for the range of experiences they run beyond a straight tasting. For the fuller list, I’ve written up the wineries I’d visit in the Médoc.
Graves and Pessac-Léognan, grand wines on the city’s doorstep
This is where Bordeaux’s wine story started. Graves takes its name from the gravelly soil that runs down the left bank south of the city, and it’s the only part of Bordeaux known for all three of its wine styles: reds, dry whites and sweet.
The stretch closest to the city was carved out as its own appellation, Pessac-Léognan, in 1987, and that’s where the grand classified estates sit, among them Château Haut-Brion, the only château outside the Médoc to make the famous 1855 classification of first growths, and Château Pape Clément, founded by Pope Clement V in 1306 and the oldest named estate in Bordeaux.
Pessac-Léognan sits among pine forests right on the edge of the city, close enough that a couple of estates are a tram ride and a short walk away, and it’s the rare corner where you can taste red and white in the same visit, so if your time is short it’s the one to choose. Head further out into Graves proper and it gets more rural and more relaxed, the châteaux less grand and the wines easier on the wallet, which makes it a lovely area to potter through if you have a car.
Châteaux worth a visit
Château Pape Clément runs visits daily in French and English, with workshops where you blend your own bottle, and you can book online. Château Malartic-Lagravière is a family-run estate nearby, one of only a handful in Bordeaux classified for both its red and its white. Inside it’s strikingly modern, and beyond the standard tour they run cheese and chef’s workshops and lunches at the château, so it’s a good one if you want to make an afternoon of it. For more, I’ve written up the best wineries to visit in Pessac-Léognan.
Sauternes and Barsac -discover the white sweet wine of Bordeaux
To take a break from dry white wines and dive into sweet ones, Sauternes is your go-to. In autumn, a morning mist rises off the river and settles over the vineyards here, which encourages a particular fungus on the grapes (its friendly name is noble rot). It sounds unappealing and it’s the whole point: it concentrates the grapes into the golden, sweet wines the area is known for.
This is serious wine country, with some of the most famous châteaux in Bordeaux and sweet wines that are treasured by people who really know their wine. I like a glass now and then, at the end of a long lunch rather than by the case, and it’s a lovely, unhurried corner to spend an afternoon.
Châteaux worth a visit
Château d’Arche and Château Guiraud both welcome visitors, and Guiraud even runs a bike route through the vines. Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is the one to see if you’re feeling fancy, with a five-star hotel and the Michelin-starred Lalique restaurant on the estate if you want to make a real occasion of it. For the rest, I’ve written up the best wineries to visit in Sauternes and Barsac.
Blaye and Bourg, the underrated river trip
Across the water on the Right Bank, Blaye and Bourg are two of the loveliest villages near Bordeaux, and they get a fraction of the attention. The wines are the real reason to come, and to my mind some of the most underrated in Bordeaux: Blaye in particular makes lovely reds that far too few people know about. The setting helps, of course. Blaye has its own UNESCO site, the Vauban citadel, and the whole area is best seen from the river, with the vineyards running down to the water.
It’s the kind of quieter day trip I always end up recommending to people who’ve already done the obvious things.
Châteaux worth a visit
In Blaye, Château Monconseil Gazin is a lovely visit, a family estate the Baudet family has run since 1894, with a genuinely warm welcome and hosts who’ll show you round in English. In Bourg, Château le Clos de Notaire is another lovely stop, with a stunning view.
Entre Deux Mers – the white wine of Bordeaux
Between the Garonne and the Dordogne, Entre-Deux-Mers is the biggest sub-region and the least showy. Its name means “between two seas,” after the two tidal rivers that border it. It’s known for crisp dry whites, the wine locals reach for with a plate of oysters, and if you asked me in summer I’d probably call it my favourite Bordeaux wine. Plenty of growers have planted red over the years too.
A quirk worth knowing: only the whites here can carry the Entre-Deux-Mers name. The reds are labelled simply Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur, which is part of why they’re such good value. This is the part of the region I’d send someone who wants the countryside and the welcome without any of the grandeur.
Châteaux worth a visit
Château de Camarsac is a real medieval château, begun in 1312, where you can taste on the rooftop with a 360-degree view over the countryside or even blend your own cuvée. Château le Grand Verdus is a big family estate that’s been in the same hands since 1846, now farmed organically, with a hilltop view over the vines and a kids’ area that makes it easy with children.
How to Visit Wineries in Bordeaux
There are really three ways to do this, and the right one depends on you.
Taking a tour guide
A guided tour is the easiest, and the honest advantage is that you can taste as much as you like without worrying about the drive back. Someone else handles the logistics and you’ll come away understanding more. The trade-off is cost, and that you’re on someone else’s schedule. If you want to go this way, I’ve gathered the best wine tours in Saint-Émilion separately, and a few I’d point you to:
- Saint-Émilion food and wine tour — a day trip with three châteaux and a picnic.
- Afternoon wine tasting in the Médoc — a Classified Growth estate and a smaller one in one afternoon.
- Electric bike wine tour — two châteaux, a picnic, and a ride through the Saint-Émilion vineyards.
Wine touring by public transport
Public transport works better than people expect, but only for specific estates. A handful of châteaux in Saint-Émilion, the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan are reachable by train or bus and a short walk, and I’ve mapped the wineries you can reach by public transport in a guide of their own. It won’t get you deep into the countryside, but it’s enough for a good day.
Visiting wineries by car
Doing it yourself by car is my own favourite. Driving between the vineyards is part of the pleasure, it opens up the smaller estates that tours skip, and if you book a car ahead it usually works out cheaper than an organised trip. The obvious rule applies: whoever drives, tastes carefully or not at all.
Where to stay among the vines
If you’d rather wake up surrounded by vineyards than drive back to the city, I’ve put together the luxury winery stays in the Bordeaux wine region, from grand château-hotels to simple vineyard B&Bs.
One last practical thing. Almost nowhere here takes walk-ins the way a bar does, so book your visits ahead, especially in vendanges season when the estates are busy bringing in the grapes. A quick reservation is the difference between a great day and a locked gate. And if you leave without a bottle you loved, the best wine shops in Bordeaux will sort you out before your train.
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