Combining passion and a family feel, Château Montifaud is utterly unique, an estate that is oh-so-welcoming! Visitors even get the chance to make their own cocktail on the tastiest of sensory tours!

As a fine connoisseur of the city, the author of the book “Bordeaux secret et insolite” invites us to get to know the abundance of unsung historic sites and buildings in Bordeaux. Here’s an idea for a more exclusive, two-kilometre circuit that you can cover on foot or by tram!

This discovery tour of the hidden spots of the world’s wine capital begins on the banks of the Garonne. At the corner of Rue Ausone and Cours d'Alsace-et-Lorraine stands the jovial bust of Decimus Magnus Ausonius, better known simply as Ausonius. This poet and winemaker from Saint Émilion is said to have produced one of the most prestigious of all vintages, which still bears his name today.

You then need to go up Rue Ausone and dive into the charming little streets before reaching the Maison de Marie Brizard. Born in 1714, this iconic Bordeaux figure devoted her life to helping the poor and needy. One day Marie took in a sick sailor, who passed on the secret of an elixir that cured every ailment. After improving on the recipe, Marie began to make the famous anisette, designed to bring comfort to people suffering from anaemia. The anise-flavoured liqueur was hugely successful, and was even served at the court of Versailles!

Close by lies Maison de Cyprien Gaulon. Before this Bordeaux printer-cum-lithographer had the brilliant idea of creating the wine labels we’re all familiar with today, bottles were simply stamped or marked with coloured threads. Although this fabulous invention may seem by-the-by to us, it isn’t, since it led to the introduction of a commercial identity that authenticated the origins of the wines.

The celebrated Rue Sainte-Catherine next door isn’t just a shopaholic’s delight! History lovers walking down the street will be overjoyed to come across the vestiges of the Grands-Carmes convent. Although only two cross-ribs of the building remain today, the label of the Tête Noire vinegar made by the fathers of the order of Carmel is still fresh in the minds of the people of Bordeaux.

Four hundred meters further down on this same unmissable street, the Victoire climbing vine takes centre stage on the eponymous square. As a result of the great care bestowed on it by generations of neighbouring pharmacists, this real Bordeaux institution has seen the vine prosper and grow since the first century AD.

And it’s all thanks to Philippe Prévôt that Bordeaux opens up like never before!

Summer 2021 marks a turning point for Château Luchey Halde! With its unceasing quest to be a role model, the estate now invites visitors to discover its environmental approach to managing this urban vineyard.

Located south of Bordeaux in Pessac-Leognan, a terroir with incredible potential, the property underwent a genuine revival in 1999. The land had served as a military training camp for decades, protecting it from urbanisation, before being taken over by Bordeaux Sciences Agro. Its new owners – one of France’s top viticulture and oenology colleges – transformed the property into a laboratory where they are laying the groundwork for the agriculture of tomorrow.

This commitment is based on three priority areas: first, encouraging sustainable development through practices that are environmentally friendly and economically viable. Secondly, setting up an agro-ecological programme based on innovation and research. And third, transmitting their know-how by hosting numerous trainees and opening the estate to the public with an enchanting new tour from April to September.

The visit begins with a walk among the vines and a presentation on the different agro-ecological infrastructures in the vineyard (beehives, a wooded area, hedgerows, bat-nesting boxes, etc.) and the key actions that have been devised to cut back on the use of plant protection products. The tour continues with an exploration of the cellar, where the emphasis is on initiatives designed to promote sustainable development (measures for driving down water and electricity consumption, reducing inputs, etc.). And, to conclude on a delicious high, you can enjoy tasting three wines and honey products.

Remember, too, that since 2016 the vineyard has been HVE (High Environmental Value) certified, a label awarded by the French Ministry of Agriculture. This certification reinforces the estate’s commitment to reducing the impact of their activities on the environment… but that's not all! Château Luchey Halde is also a member of the pilot group of the Bordeaux Cultivons Demain (“Bordeaux – Let's Grow Tomorrow”) approach launched in May 2021, which aims to give a seal of approval to the commitment of actors in the wine industry in terms of corporate social responsibility.

The property doesn’t intend to stop there: its latest ideas to date include an urban subsistence agriculture project for local collective catering!

Domaine Rieflé-Landmann, where the vineyard stretches out over the villages of Pfaffenheim, Rouffach Wetshalten and Soultzmatt, offers a unique experience to visitors with bike rides, local gastronomy and regional organic wines.

Perched atop an electric mountain bike kitted out with a GPS and collective audio guide, budding or experienced cyclists can take to the bucolic highways and byways in perfect autonomy.

There are five circuits through the vineyards to encourage them to get to know the agro-ecology values and local wines of Domaine Rieflé-Landmann in a thoroughly unique way.

At the end of the ride, stopping off at an establishment that showcases regional products will be a welcome break before the experience continues in the cellar with a guided tasting.

A wind of freedom and love of fine things is blowing across Alsace with Vélo’Vignes!

Once upon a time there was a truffle and wine-growing estate – organic and biodynamic – with a thousand and one sensory experiences for the whole family.

This is the fairy-tale environment on the limestone plateau of south Champagne surrounded by vines and forest, where the Dumont family opens the doors of Domaine de Mondeville to foodies.

In this magical universe, wine lovers will enjoy a cellar tour where they’ll discover how champagne is made, with guided tastings for the adults and an introduction to aromas for children.

But the fairies have more than one trick up their sleeve: a trip into the vineyards and the mysterious Clairvau forest, hunting truffle with Pino the dog, a highly-unusual evening, a fantastic treasure hunt, tasty zero-waste Goûton-Mâchon...

So many enchanting activities to enjoy with your loved ones!

The Center for the Sensory Interpretation of Champagne Wines has been given a make-over for 2021, giving way to Pressoria, a one-of-a-kind museum where tribute is paid to the five senses. In 2022, it won the “Outstanding Offer” prize of the Wine Tourism Trophies in the “Creative and Original Activities” category.

In the old pressing center steeped in the history of the Maison Pommery, this new, modern space offers a unique, sensory and immersive experience where you’ll uncover all the secrets of the wine of kings.

An interactive journey combining architectural features and fun technology will take you a "a trip from the terroir to the bubbly" at a pace that suits you best, putting the spotlight on the vines, the work behind the wine and the champagne-making process.

The excitement continues at the Instant Terroir restaurant overlooking the historic hillsides of Aÿ-Champagne, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here the cuisine by Alexander Fortuné is made from local products taken to a new level by a wide range of wines and champagnes.

It’s the ideal place to spend a sparkling day! 

From Chinon to Sancerre via Touraine and along the Loire, nearly two-thirds of the tourist wineries here are already committed to an environmentally-friendly approach or are converts to organic farming. And the authentic nature of the products, together with their local origins, are now guaranteed by the regional food label: « Produit en région © du Centre ».

Not far from Château de Chenonceau, Mathilde Sauvète and her family produce organic wines: AOC Touraine Chenonceaux, Touraine and Crémant de Loire. As authentic as they are surprising, these wines reflect the terroir where they are grown. Domaine Sauvète opens its doors to inquisitive visitors keen to discover the métier of winegrower on a treasure hunt and other unusual walks surrounded by the estate’s vines, including by Segway.

Further to the east, in the Berry, Chantal Wilk and Jean Tatin (joined by their daughter Maroussia in 2010) grow vines sustainably on the Domaines Tatin family estate. Their wines – AOC Quincy (exclusively white) and AOC Reuilly – retain all their historical, cultural and qualitative dimensions. A natural sparkling wine rounds off the range to accompany the celebrated Tarte Tatin, which is native to neighbouring Sologne. To soak up the atmosphere, nothing beats a food and wine tasting prepared by the chef alongside a peaceful stay in the estate's stables: dating from the 18th century, they have now been refurbished as a gîte.

Near Chinon and Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Nicolas Paget’s vines are grown organically. Driven by his passion and convictions, this staunch champion of nature produces his own cuvées with three appellations: AOC Chinon and AOC Touraine in red, and AOC Touraine Azay-le-Rideau in white and rosé. And there’s no shortage of activities at Domaine Paget: a picturesque picnic in the vineyards, a tasting meal with local products… or – even more of surprise – a pulsating outdoor escape game!

Very close to the Château de Menetou-Salon – and to the north of Bourges – Pierre-Emile Fraiseau pampers his vines before bottling his AOC Menetou-Salon whites, reds and rosés with great respect for the terroir. Pierre-Emile works the soil of his nine-hectare vineyard by hand, continuing the family tradition in a manner that is both natural and full of quality. To the great delight of visitors, Pierre-Emile’s parents own a gîte and guest rooms in a 19th century building erected in the heart of Domaine Fraiseau Leclerc.

Winner of the 2021 Wine Tourism Trophies Golden Prize in the “Education and Environmental Protection” category, Château Haut-Bages Libéral works to preserve its terroir by championing organic and biodynamic viticulture.

Winner of the Wine Tourism Trophies Golden Prize 2021 in the “Architecture & Sceneries” category, the Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne house hosts visitors in a splendid building that chimes in with the brand’s sparkling world.

Located in the prestigious Côte des Blancs, the site blends harmoniously into the landscape, mirroring its deep roots in the vineyard’s identity.

Behind the bay windows that reflect the surrounding vines, the spacious hall is the starting point for a tour that combines sensory experiences with digital technologies.

The decoration and design create different atmospheres that are guaranteed to plunge you into the world of bubbly on a whirlwind discovery tour that is as fun as it is educational!