Bordeaux Chateau

Chateau Bedroom - Venitian style room

Bordeaux Wine Chateau Holiday for Individuals, Early booking offers.

This wine holiday for individuals gives you the opportunity to stay in a Margaux château. Explore the region and enjoy exclusive château visits and tastings with your own personal guide and chauffeur. Provided you choose the exact itinerary here and confirm your booking with full deposits no later than 14 weeks before departure the prices below apply. Later bookings or ANY changes of any item on the itinerary will incur a significantly higher price.

An introduction to Bordeaux

Bordeaux, the sixth largest city in France, is situated in South West France in the Gironde region and is the centre of the most renowned wine region in the world. Wine growing around Bordeaux dates from around 37BC with the arrival of the Romans who planted the first vineyards on the gentle slopes to the south of the town. The English also discovered the sea route to Bordeaux early on and the medieval trade in Bordeaux wine was considerable. It was in the 19th century that most of the wine estates and châteaux were established and the first official wine classification, which stands almost unchanged today, came about in 1855.

Bordeaux, the city and its eponymous vineyard region, has more than a hint of elegance about it. It is the largest fine wine district on Earth; its production dwarfs that of Burgundy.

'Château' is used to describe a wine estate in Bordeaux (not just the beautiful building that the word conjures up in English) and even today a number of these impressive Châteaux built mostly in the 19th century are still in use and still represent much of the wine’s image.

Whether you visit the Graves region south of Bordeaux, the Medoc to the North, or the Right Bank, you will be spoilt with a choice of good quality wines and exceptional architecture to appreciate, set in gently rolling hillsides studded with vineyards. However, driving around on your own and hoping to find chateaux simply open for you to visit and taste at is not easy, and the only way to really appreciate the region is with a wine guide and driver.

Most of these Châteaux are empty hulls, or used for wine making purposes only, but a small handful have been done up to a very high standard to welcome private guests offering the discerning wine enthusiast the rare opportunity of spending a night or two at a working winery in great comfort. A&C have inspected many of the châteaux offering private accommodation and are able to give you expert on advice on the best ones to stay at whether it is a room on a wine estate or at luxury Château-hotels with spa.

Outline itinerary for Margaux château stay:-

Day One

On arrival at Bordeaux airport or train station, make your own arrangements to arrive at the accommodation - taxis are easy to arrange on arrival on the spot, payable directly by cash to the driver. You could also arrive here by driving from Paris or the UK.

The small commune of Margaux makes an ideal base for this wine-weekend as not only is it, of course, surrounded by world-class châteaux and vineyards, but it also has several good restaurants all within a very short stroll of your accommodation.

Evening – You are free to dine at your choice of restaurant this evening. We will provide you with details pre-trip so that you can either pre-book or make your choice on the spot.

Day Two (this cannot be a Saturday or a Sunday)

Breakfast at the château.
At 0930/10.00 your local guide will meet you to take you on a walking tour of the Margaux vineyards and for wine tastings at three châteaux. You will pause for lunchtime in the village (meal and wines not included, you can choose on the spot giving you total freedom of what you choose from the menu to suit your appetite on the day).

This is a superb way to get the feel for the commune, its vineyards, its magnificent châteaux and to be able to enjoy the tastings to the full without having to get in and out of car and enjoy a bit of light exercise throughout the day.

Free evening in Margaux

Day Three

Breakfast at the château.
Your accommodation reception desk can arrange for your return taxi when and to required,

Price based on 8 participants in standard twin/double share £425 per person.
Price based on 6 participants in standard twin/double share £490 per person.
Price based on 4 participants in standard twin/double share £695 per person.
Price based on 2 participants in standard twin/double share £1035 per person.

Margaux château stay, based on the exact itinerary shown here and booked and confirmed no later than 14 weeks before departure Includes:

Two nights in wine-château accommodation, standard twin-share standard room (please note that the picture shown is of the superior suite)
Breakfast on both mornings.
Local wine guide to meet you at the château and escort you on foot on the second day day.
Visits to three Margaux châteaux with tastings (these will normally be of the latest vintage due to the negotiant system). These visits are on foot and a total of 3 to 5 miles may be walked over the course of the day.
Wine notes, maps and local restaurant suggestions for you to use to make your own restaurant bookings before or on the spot.
Dates possible: The trip is not possible during French bank holidays or in August. Supplement for Mid- September to end October 2010, add 10%