I had visited Chateau Feely a few years ago as a study abroad student, and to this day, it is still…read moreone of my favorite memories from France! A friend and I were visiting Bordeaux for a weekend trip looking for wine tasting tours and were so happy to find this one off the web. We had signed up for The Essential Wine Tour adventure and Caroline was quick to respond to emails. Unfortunately, on the day of, the French train workers went on a strike, so we missed our original one-hour train from Bordeaux to Gardonne. A quick call to Caroline and no problem! She was able to adjust the tour when we came later and even helped come to meet us at the train station given the train fiasco. The wine tasting experience felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary examining vineyards! She pointed out everything from history of the nearby communities and walked us up and down the vineyard with an ambiance of a true expert and lover of wines as we felt more like friends than tourists. Her wine class and lunch were delicious and we even had an opportunity to meet her children; again, it felt like we were family and friends and it was a pleasure to be in her home. It was here that I feel in love with dessert wine! Originally, we had looked at the big Bordeaux-based companies that have tour buses, but glad to avoid the typical tourist route. The personal experience at Chateau Feely was the way to go. Highly recommended!

If staying at a winery in France is not on your bucket list, it should be! Chateau Feely is an…read moreorganic, biodynamic winery located in Southwest France. Honestly, I will never forget the absolutely wonderful three days/nights we spent here. Our host, Caro Feely, greeted us outside as soon as we drove up. We immediately were made to feel as if we had arrived at the home of a friend instead of the guest house where we stayed for the next three days. She also led our tour of the vineyard and winetasting lunch that next day. She is knowledgeable and passionate about their wines and organic/biodynamic wine making. It truly was an educational and fun experience. We opted for the half day wine tour with 'Revelation' Lunch for 50 Euro per person. Our small group of 6 began at 10:00 learning about the grapes, growing, the land/area, wine making all while strolling through the property. Towards noon, we were back to the lovely tasting room for our lunch. Caro opened a few wines, explained each one and then left us with tasting notes to explore and taste as she prepared our lunch. Lunch was a great mixture of pate, duck prosciutto, smoked trout, salads and different cheeses plus delicious, hearty breads and even chocolate to pair with all of the wines. She explained which wines paired best with the different foods, but also encouraged us to experiment with our tastings to see what appealed most to our individual palates. This was a great ending to our tour. The wines were delicious. It isn't often I like each one, but I did here. My favorites were the Sincerite, a dry sauvignon blanc and Grace, their barrel aged red wine. Sincerite is 100% sauvignon blanc, crisp and citrusy. Grace is 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot aged for 24 months in oak. The result is a rich red blend with dark fruits and depth. Delicious! Last, but not least, the accommodations. What a treat it was to stay on premises. Our wine cottage was comfortable with the most amazing views of beautiful scenery. Stress just melted away as we stared at the landscape sipping delicious wines we had purchased at Chateau Feely. There was a small kitchen and even a grill out on the patio if we wanted to stay in and cook for ourselves. There were a number of restaurants that Caro kindly recommended, one even within walking distance and more than one that were awarded a Michelin star. Needless to say we did not go without. I would absolutely visit this lovely winery again. What an unforgettable experience this was! Many thanks to Caro Feely for her wonderful and welcoming hospitality!

My husband and I along with our friends went wine tasting in Southern France. We read about Cave d…read moreEymet in the charming town of Eymet and decided to give it a try. I can't say enough wonderful things about this experience. Mitch was such an amazing lady with an abundance of knowledge about wines and wine tastings. We actually ended up booking two wine tastings with her. One was for local and regional wines and the other was for wines around the world. Mitch speaks English and has a delightful sense of humor. This was by far our favorite tasting experience. And as an added bonus...her dogs are adorable! We had an absolutely fabulous evening each time we were there. I advise calling ahead for a reservation so she can give you the absolute best experience. This is a must do when in the area!

During our month long stay in southwest France we toured several wineries and tasting rooms. Cave…read mored' Eymet was our best and most educational tasting and wine experience. Mitch, the owner, gave us two separate night tastings, first taking us through the region and then around the world. Her expertise was enlightening and educational. With her humor and knowledge we had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend anyone interested in wine make an appointment and enjoy an evening with Mitch.

A place to visit at Montalcino. Winner of the BEST Brunello for 2010 (and 2nd and 3rd for 2011, we…read morethink they're not allowed to have 1st two years in a row), it is also amazingly priced. I'd say get it while you can at those prices ( Brunello 18-19€ for the regular years, 35€ for the 95 points Zebra - compare with most who have not won best Brunello ever.! or the completely overrated big names that came into the market later with lotsa pubblicity money, but less, well, respect for the locals, we heard about that later..). The 2006 was of an elegance I will not soon forget, the 2004 rich in a dance of taste that Brunello is famous for, but not always so finely done. We also tried the amazing honeys--14 varieties, and alot of other temptations as well. The people were kind, patient, generous and made us feel welcome, not just for our pocketbooks, were interested in where we came from, what it was like there. Definitely recommended.

VITROLLE On then to the Vitrolle, site of the vineyard of…read moreVin de Pays de Perigord near Limeuil. Unfortunately, it won't be open 'til the afternoon. Fortunately, our host at the gite has already introduced us to this red wine made from a blend of several grapes, as is usual here, including merlot. Our host, by the way, has strong opinions on wine labelling and is not at all impressed with those who buy by the grape variety alone. Some wines here are made with up to nine grapes. How are you going to get all those onto the label? If you are to put anything like that on the label then it should be the maker as he has the most influence.

I am updating my review because after much pressure they finally agreed to credit me back for the…read moreunused breakfasts during our stay I hope they will fix their shower situation , WIFI and attitude towards client to be worthy of a 4 star Beautiful settings and location sub par accommodations and service Here are 3 things not acceptable in a 2 star hotel let alone one pretending to be 4 stars . 1/ Rooms have no showers; you have to sit in bathtub and hold shower head above your head (no wall attachment) 2/ non functioning wifi ( 1.5 MBS max and constant need login with very tricky passwords if you leave room or stop using your computer for 5 minutes) which makes it unusable & 3/ Dishonest people. We booked our hotel thru expedia and overlooked the fact that we had paid (Euro 28 / person for breakfast = a total of 420 euros for our Family. The hotel was 1/2 empty and at NO TIME were we told that our breakfast was included (voucher, reminder like in any hotel! let alone 4 star). Upon returning we realized this and contacted Expedia and the hotel which refused to credit us back stating that they had indicated to us (true) the presence of breakfast facility!! I am outraged and out by $470 adding insult to injury. This was a big birthday with my Family coming from the US. Please avoid this place. Lastly the beautiful pool is not heated and freezing cold so no guests used it over the 3 days we were there.

From the owner: Le Château de Mercuès est à la fois un Relais & Châteaux quatre étoiles, un restaurant…read moregastronomique étoilé et un château viticole de l'AOC Cahors. Il propose une expérience unique d'agritourisme en mettant en valeur les produits du terroir lotois : truffe noire de Lalbenque, safran du Quercy et Malbec de Cahors.