About The Bordeaux Winetrail

I'm biaised, but for me 'Bordeaux' still means the finest wines in the world. Contrary to popular belief, it's also an area that boasts a great variety of wines as well as fascinating scenery and great historical interest.

I like to think of this as a tour around a beautiful and memorable area, lubricated by great wines tasted in the company of some great vignerons.

We stop at many châteaux where the owners show off their skills. We also pass through the extraordinary reclaimed landscape and fishing villages of the north Médoc.

The Gironde, the huge estuary formed by the Garonne and the Dordogne, dominates the second half of the week, and the forts and citadels at Cussac, Bourg and Blaye are testament to the not-so-friendly history between the French and English.

The vineyards continue along the Dordogne valley through St Emilion and Bergerac. St Emilion, with its medieval streets on a hillside overlooking the Dordogne, is unforgettable.

As the Dordogne enters the Périgord, the scenery begins to take over from the wine. Michelin give the view from Tremolat 3, 'worth a journey in itself', and beyond Tremolat is Limeuil and the prehistoric riches of Les Eyzies and the Vézère valley.

Throughout the week we make regular stops at vineyards where we sample memorable wines, but this is no tour for wine bores. An afternoon under the conker trees with a glass of Haut Médoc at Château du Raux is an insight into what wine is about.