One of the first places to go in this area if you are interested in wine, floc, armagnac and…read morecocktails. Visits and tastings are all free. Park your car outside on the road (no charge) and wander into the building, where you will see a reception desk and sales counter. Staff generally speak some (or good) English. Tell them that you would like a guided tour, and they will arrange for you to join the next available group. The tour will take you first outside, where you can admire the wonderful views from this hilltop site, then into the cellars, where you will learn how some of the wines and spirits are made. There will be an emphasis on their sparkling wine. Back upstairs in the main building, you will see where the grapes were unloaded and the first pressing made. You'll be introduced to a bloodthirsty old sabre-rattler, born in 1500, called Blaise de Monluc. This is all very interesting, and with certain guides, very entertaining, too. But what everyone is really looking forward to is the tasting. You will be offered a number of wines made by the company, and a drink which is quite unique, a cocktail called Pousse-Rapière. Some of the wines are mediocre, others are pretty good, but for me the best of them is the Tuilé, a rosé sparkling wine. For me, it puts most champagnes in the shade. A friend in the area thought it good enough to use for the toast at his wedding. But be warned: this particular wine can only be bought on the premises. Do try the Pousse-Rapière; it is delicious. This is a great visit for an hour or more. Ideal for a rainy day (if you have one!), and perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the wines of Gascony.

We found Domaine du Péto from their sign on the main road between Montréal and Condom. It's not…read moretoo far from the main road and you cannot miss their sign. It'll be on your right. Once you turn in to their driveway, you will drive through a beautiful arcade of trees to get to the main house. Park behind the house and walk through the gate. The owner who is probably in his late 60s or early 70s welcomed us and spoke very good English! He was very friendly! We did not have a reservation but he accommodated us anyway. He led us to the Bamboo labyrinth he's built on the estate (!) and described the history of the estate. His grandfather bought the estate and was an Armagnac maker, and he has followed his grandfather's footsteps. He then led us to the chais or the cellar where he showed us barrels with various dates from the 1980s to the 2000s. They obviously have Armagnac aging in these French oak barrels. The blackened parts of the walls inside are telltale signs of the alcohol evaporating and discoloring the walls. After the talk in the chais, we proceeded to the tasting room. He had three bottles of Armagnac of varying vintages (30, 25 and 20 year old ones) waiting for us. We tasted all three and I must say that I preferred the 25 year old out of the three. I thought it was the easiest to drink out of all three. Very smooth and has a sweetness that would make it a good digestif at the end of the meal. Our group of 7 bought varying sizes and vintages of Armagnac. He sells a gift box of 3 small bottles with 30, 25 and 20 year old Armagnac for 18€. It would make a great gift from this region of France which is Armagnac country. We really enjoyed the tour, the hospitality of our host and the tasting. Really makes you want to come back to this region of France!

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.

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.

My sister called this winery in the morning and asked if we could do a wine tasting in the…read moreafternoon. The owner said that he wasn't planning on opening that day, but he said he would open up for us at 2 pm. Nice! We tried to find this place on the GPS in the car, but we could not find it. We ended up using the Google Maps on my sister's iPhone to get directions from our chateau. And Google Maps was right on! Note that the drive there will take you on a few one lane roads, so don't drive too fast or you'll end up having a collision with another car or cyclists! When we got there, Nick, the winemaker and co-owner (with his wife), led us to their backyard where we saw a wild boar roaming around in his pen. It was my first time seeing a wild boar. So interesting! The toddler in our group was very happy to see the boars and the dogs. The dogs are very friendly and the dog lovers in our group loved petting the dogs! We then walked back to the front and into the tasting room/boutique. All their wines are named after the dogs and the wild boars they have on the property. We started with the Ridgeback which is a Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious! It was nice and crisp. Nick's wife asked us if we wanted to have some cheese with our tasting, and my husband was like Yeah! Who can say no to cheese? She brought out two plates of cheese, one was a Fromage Hollandais aux Truffes (my favorite) and a local organic cheese. Loved the first one with the truffles! We ended up buying a 500 gram slice of that cheese for about 11€. Yum! We tasted three more wines after the Ridgeback. We tasted Olga next which is a Rosé (very good) made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. We then had Wilfred which is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. Again, a good wine that's ready to drink. Our last wine was the Sanglier which is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Richer than the Wilfred, but just as good if not better. The generous pours will delight any wine lover! The owners, Nick and Diana, were very gracious hosts! They were very surprised that we found them. This place is pretty deep in the countryside. We chose to visit their winery because one of the people in our group found this place on Tripadvisor! Great choice! Our group of 10 ended up buying several bottles of wine, cheese and other souvenirs from them. We'll be drinking some of the wines the next few days and some will be taken back home to the States!

Loved this winery. Organic wines at a major bargain. Most were 15 Euros or under, and we bought a…read morefew at such prices. Super friendly owners who are happy to have you and give you a personal experience, in contrast to so many other wineries. I liked the estate red from 2012 personally, wife liked the Negrette (a unique grape from this region). They also make a cherry wine that was delish. There's a wedding venue, too, apparently.

The last winery on our Bordeaux excursion! We got there a little past 3 in the afternoon, and from…read morethe looks of it, the winery staff was busy preparing for an event. Let me guess, the Vin Expo? Indeed it was according to our winery tour guide that afternoon. Both wineries we've visited earlier that day were also preparing for the Vin Expo like mad. Everyone in our group loved our guide. She was so bubbly and super nice. She had spent some time in Sonoma to earn a certificate for her wine studies, so she spoke English very well. We settled on doing a half-hour tour and tasting for 7€ with her. She took us outside and proceeded to describe the history of the vineyards, the Chateau and their current owner, who is incidentally an American banker. She showed us the vineyards, the chais and other parts of the winery. We ended the tour at the boutique where we tasted a couple of wines. The winery produces Grand Cru Classé wines and we were able to taste a 2007 vintage and one of their second wines. Both were excellent. The Grand Cru wine we tasted was going for 65€ and may be aged another 10 years according to our guide. After the tasting, we browsed in the botique and decided on buying a half case of their Rosé. Our group of 10 has been going through wine like crazy and the Rosé was 6 bottles for 50€. A great deal! We had no problem consuming all that in a couple of days along with the other wines we bought from the other places. When in France, drink lots of wine!

They were so nice to welcome us for lunch even if we were on a tight schedule. It is a gorgeous…read moreplace. The private table is very exclusive in fact. There's just two different dining room, a small one and a bigger one for small groups. The resident chef has built the menu to pair with the wines but in an unusual and daring way. The decadent reds were paired with decadent fishes dishes and very delicate courses. Even the dessert has the same shape as a sculture just outside the Castle. It was a memorable moment.

Came here today for a wine tour and tasting. The tour was was wonderful. It was interesting and…read morethe grounds were beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and kept things moving. My biggest disappointment was the wine tasting. We tasted 3 wines. A white Bordeaux and 2 reds. I didn't care for any of them. I really wanted to like this and ship a case home but since the 3 I tasted we're not what I like, I left empty handed.

Amazing wine chateau in Bordeaux! The grounds are beautiful and the service is great. You can do a…read moretour of the chateau that includes a wine tasting after. This Château is the oldest in Bordeaux and has amazing wines! The staff was wonderful. We accidentally booked a French tour when none of us speak the language but they were nice enough to accommodate us and give us a personal wine tasting after the tour in English. It's an easy uber or bus ride away from the center of Bordeaux. Definitely check it out!

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!

Our day of wine tasting in Bordeaux started at Chateau La Louvière! We arrived a little past 10 in…read morethe morning, so we were a few minutes late, but luckily they were very accommodating. We started the tour at the tasting room where our tour guide showed us the other châteaux owned by the same owner of Château La Louvière, André Lurton. He then led us outside to the back of the château where he explained its history. The oldest vines in the property date back to the 14th century, and the château was built in the 18th century and recently restored by the current owner in the 1950s. Our friendly guide was very thorough. He explained the whole process of making wine--from hand-picking and sorting the grapes, pressing, fermenting and storing. He showed us the different rooms where all these things happen, particularly the room where all the stainless steel vats are and the cellars where barrels of red and white wines are stored. The winery was busy preparing for the Vin Expo, so there was a lot of activity in one of the barrel rooms. We had two toddlers and 10 adults in our group, and though the toddlers were running around the place, not once did he express any displeasure at them. He was so nice! I think it helps that he's in his early 20s. He also seemed to appreciate all the questions people had. After the tour of the winery, he led us back to the tasting room, and proceeded to pour us wines. We thought we were only going to taste one red and one white, but he actually let us taste 5 different kinds of wine--2 whites (blends of mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon), two reds (blends of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Merlot), and a sweet wine (a Sauterne). They were all good, but the château's grand vins (or first wine) were standouts. For 8€ per person, the tasting fee was a great value, and the wines themselves were very reasonable. Some of us bought wines to drink back at the château and some to take back to the States. I would definitely recommend this winery if you're in Bordeaux. The Pessac Léognan appellation is the oldest in the Bordeaux region, so they've been producing wines for a very long time! Make sure you book ahead of time via e-mail, which is what my sister did for our group of 12. Salut!