Enjoy relaxed cycling through the vines of this legendary region, the holy grail of wine connoisseurs around the world. Follow the Dordogne River to taste the wines of St-Emilion, Margaux and Sauternes. The itinerary has been tailored for easy cycling, small groups, and for you to experience the best food and wine of this rightly famous region. Not only do you get to sample some of the worlds best wines directly from the cellar door and cycle amongst the gentle hills of Bordeaux in the warm glow of the European summer sun, but Bordeaux also offers unforgettable accommodations, incredible food and the most delightful French countryside villages you can imagine. It really is a rolling postcard.
Tour de VinesThis cycling tour of Bordeaux is designed for the social or occasional cyclist, avid food & wine lover, and non-lycra wearer, although it’s perfectly fine if you do! The cycling days are easy, relaxed and fully guided, with a support vehicle never far away, but it is doubtful you will need that, with plenty of food and wine stops on the route.
Your tour includes beautiful accommodations, and full restaurant meals with entrees, mains and desserts, with drinks included (Bordeaux wine of course!) in the evenings. The itinerary also has exclusive cellar door visits that get you behind the regular tastings, to learn about how the world famous Bordeaux wines are made.
The lower stretch of the Dordogne is rightly celebrated for the wines produced in its fertile valley, but there is so much more to the area. The rivers here are broad and majestic, and between the vineyards fields of sunflowers and maize nestle. Humans have left their mark on the area since prehistoric times; paintings have been discovered in caves along the river valley. Later came the Romans; vestiges of their works are scattered across the region. The region’s heyday came in the 12th century, when Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine and gained the region for the English crown, leading to a three hundred year rivalry between France and England for control of Aquitaine. From 1154 to 1453, Bordeaux prospered under the English, whose love of the region’s wine helped the region gain a worldwide reputation. As a result of this prosperity, the region boasts superb medieval architecture in the form of chateaux and churches.
Even in Roman times, Bordeaux wines enjoyed a favourable reputation. The vineyards cover 1350 square kilometers (520 square miles) and produce some of the world’s greatest wines: Saint-Emilion and Pomerol to the east, Sauternes to the south, Saint-Julien and Margaux to the northwest. Here there are chateaux bearing some of the most famous names found on a wine bottle – Lafite-Rothschild, Yquem, Cheval-Blanc, Petrus... and the list goes on. The tour will take you through many of these famous vineyards, as well as visiting some incredible historical sites and landmarks across the region. Whilst there are some hills, the route follows the rivers on predominantly easy cycling paths.