Curator’s statement
Bordeaux was my husband and I’s first stop on our two-week South of France honeymoon and I couldn’t recommend it enough! Drinking wine in old Châteaus... what could be more romantic?! We were actually debating which wine region to go to (since there are SO many in France!) and were also considering Burgundy and the Loire Valley, but ended up choosing Bordeaux since we are red wine lovers — and it was truly out of a fairytale. We decided to stay in Saint-Émilion, a small charming town on the left bank and right in the heart of wine country, and are so happy that we chose to stay here vs. the actual city of Bordeaux which is farther away from the vineyards. We wanted to be in the middle of the action — we were even able to bike to a few spots!
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Where to stay in Bordeaux
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Things to do in Bordeaux
Hotel recommendations:
We loved our hotel, Château Hotel & Spa Grand Barrail, due to its close proximity to the places we wanted to see in Saint-Émilion. Although we had a good experience at Grand Barrail, like great amenities and staff, the rooms were a tad outdated and we still had to drive into town (5-10 minutes). Next time, we would stay at Hôtel de Pavie, in the heart of Saint-Émilion and within walking distance to the sights, shops, restaurants, bars, etc. We personally love the convenience of being able to walk right out of our hotel to grab a coffee or gelato — at least we know for next time! Hôtel de Pavie is a gorgeous Relais & Châteaux hotel that also owns a famous winery nearby and is home to Michelin-star restaurant, La Table de Pavie. We also considered staying at the famous, Les Sources de Caudalie, about 20 minutes south of Bordeaux City and pretty much equidistant from Saint-Émilion and Médoc — so a good in between but no town. There are always tradeoffs!
Vineyard recommendations (& how to organize your wine tastings!):
An important thing to know before you go to Bordeaux is the difference between the right and the left bank — two very different terroirs and grape varieties resulting in very different wine tastes. If you are a wine snob — this is key! Because Saint-Émilion (right bank) and Médoc (left bank) are about an hour+ from each other, you definitely need to dedicate a day to each. Since we stayed in Saint-Émilion, we were actually able to bike to the vineyards we had tours at, but we set up a private driver to take us to all of our tastings in Médoc which I highly recommend.
Saint-Émilion is located on the right bank of the Dordogne River, east of Bordeaux City, and is known for wines primarily made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Merlot thrives in the clay and limestone soils of the region, giving the wines a rounder, fruitier profile. Think softer, slightly sweeter and a silky structure. Our favorite vineyards were Château Troplong Mondot and Château Pavie. I highly recommend the Land Rover tour at Troplong Mondot where they take you all over the property to teach you about biodiversity and how it affects each of their wines. We also wish we had visited on a day where their famous restaurant, Les Belles Perdrix, was open — it’s only open Wednesday-Saturday FYI!
Médoc, on the other hand, is on the left bank, where the wines are primarily made from Cabernet Sauvignon. The region’s gravelly soils are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, resulting in more full-bodied wines with firm tannins and structured profiles. These were some of the best Cabs I have ever tasted! Our favorite stops were Château Pichon Baron, mirroring a literal castle with a modern tasting room, and Château du Tertre, set within a Provençal-like mansion with some rustic charm.
Places to eat & drink in Bordeaux
Where to eat in Saint-Émilion:
Logis de la Cadène
Le Tertre (we ate here and loved it! The presentation of food was very cool)
La Table de Pavie (Michelin)
L'Huitrier Pie (Michelin)
Pizzeria du Vieux Lavoir (casual pizza spot, we ate here and it was perfect for what we needed after a long day of wine tasting lol)
Les Trois Fontaines (another casual spot, cool and social atmosphere)
Need to know
1) If you plan to take any wine back home with you, make sure to ship it through the direct supplier vs. the hotel or a separate store — the vineyards will be held liable if wine gets lost in shipment! Unfortunately, my husband and I shipped our wine through a mutual contact that was supposed to save us some money on shipping — but this was a huge mistake. We ended up never receiving our shipment and lost 12 precious bottles of wine.
2) It’s important to book your wine tastings three-five months out (maybe even more) since the popular spots get sold out quickly.
3) I only recommend Bordeaux for three-four days since you will be doing a lot of wine tasting - no need for a week. This would be easy to pair with a trip to Paris since it’s only a two-hour train ride!
Travel Advisor
Emma Sakakeeny
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For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Bordeaux page.