France's wine-growing regions are brimming with more creative ways to showcase their cuvées, terroirs and winemakers than ever before. Gone are the days when a visit to the vineyards was limited to a winery tour followed by a tasting and wine and food pairing. The wine regions are now packed with fascinating activities that offer special moments of delight for couples, families or friends.

Winalist offers 600 wine tourism activities across France. How does it work? In just a few clicks, the website provides real-time access to the calendars of over 400 winemakers and wine estates so you can book a trip from the comfort of your own home. The activities are categorised by region and theme and cover both traditional and more unusual experiences.

So curious wine fans can, for example, spend a day at Hameau Duboeuf in the Beaujolais region. Here they’ll get to visit Europe's and France's first wine theme park. More intrepid travellers can climb aboard a hot-air balloon and sail over the parcels at Château de Pommard and the Burgundian countryside, shaped by the hands of countless vine-growers. If you prefer to stay on terra firma, Château Prieuré Marquet offers visitors the chance to explore the Bordeaux region’s vines in an original 1957 Willys Jeep! At Château Frombauge, lovers of the finer things in life can create their own Bordeaux blend to wow dinner guests back home. Finally, over in Champagne, adventure seekers can head to Maison Pannier to solve the escape game clues in the estate’s underground passageways...

These experiences, and a host of other surprises, await wine lovers as they discover the world of wine in France's wine regions.

Strengthening the ties between the vine and biodiversity is the motto for the region’s winemakers. Here, 37 % of the estates are certified as Organic or High Environmental Value, and no fewer than 42% of winemakers on the Wine Route have been awarded the “Respect Environnement” certification. Passing through the vineyards, the splendour of Périgord’s natural environment can be seen in all its diverse glory thanks to the collective activities of those who work the land.

The Collectif des Vignerons de Monbazillac (Monbazillac Winemakers Collective), for example, has planted 800 fruit trees beside the vines to enrich the soil. And the best part? They open their parcels of vines to visitors so they can pick the fruit themselves. Which means that delicious apples and pears can be enjoyed as well as the tasty grapes!

Agroforestry is also gaining ground over in Pécharmant with the planting of hedges and copses around vineyards to reduce chemicals and return wildlife to the vineyard. You’re sure to come across birds, hedgehogs and other small mammals as you wander along the countryside trails.

Other environmentally friendly strategies are thriving in the appellations: the installation of bat roosting boxes to combat the rise in grape-eating butterflies, the use of environmentally friendly fertilizer on the soil, and the presence of chickens and sheep among the vines to provide 100% natural fertilization and weed killing!

Technology also plays an important role with Ted the robot providing a sustainable alternative to weed killers and Optiviti, a weather station that helps vine growers and winemakers to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

In this authentic environment shaped by a balanced patchwork of landscapes, the Bergerac and Duras wine region has just what it takes to delight lovers of fine wine and the great outdoors: Mother Nature awaits in the sumptuous gardens of Bacchus.

Curious to learn more about wine? Family-run estates open their doors to allow visitors to explore their terroir and share their expertise. One such property being Château Molhière!

History enthusiasts will want to stop off at Château Terre-Vieille to discover its collection of carved flint amidst the vines. Nature lovers will love the botanical walks on offer every Wednesday in summer by following the organic trail at Domaine Berticot in the heart of the wine region.

Also in summertime, lovers of the finer things in life won’t want to miss the “tapas, wine and music” evenings at Domaine de Ferrant and the night time food markets at Château de Panisseau. Art buffs will want to head to Château de la Jaubertie for its exhibitions and performances centred around the sensory partnership between art and wine.

The summer holidays are also a great chance to introduce children to the world of the vine. The perfect opportunity being the connected treasure hunt at Domaine du Siorac or a walk along the biodiversity trail at Domaine de Perreau, ideal for all the family!

Vines, tastings, shared experiences, and a breath of fresh air… One thing’s for sure, the Bergerac & Duras Wine Route has everything you need for a memorable trip.

Renowned in the Bordeaux region for its “cheese cave” containing around 100 different varieties of this delectable product, the restaurant offers guests a tour of France with a guided tasting entitled “An exploration of wines and cheeses” available from 10:00 am to midnight.

Spend 1 hour and 15 minutes with Françoise and Xavier, the owners, as they serve three platters of three cheeses, which change according to the season, the clients’ nationality and the hosts’ mood. Each accompanied, of course, by a carefully selected wine from the Bordeaux region.

Three “main” pairings are typically chosen to provide a balance of flavours, texture and smell, but the hosts break from the traditional pairing of cheese and red wine. White wine works just as well, as long as it respects the balance between affinity and contrast.

The tasting is a fun experience, accompanied by anecdotes of winemakers and producers (the hosts know almost all of them) as well as weird and wonderful tales about the cheeses themselves, each of which form part of our heritage!

A typical event is as follows:

TOUR ONE

Three fresh and young cheeses with little affinage (ageing), from three French regions:

Langres (cow's milk, Plateau de Langres, Haut Doubs), Cantal Jeune (Auvergne, less than 30 days of affinage) and Sainte Maure de Touraine.

Paired with white wine: Château Sainte-Marie, Vieilles Vignes, Entre deux Mers, made from Sauvignon and a little Sémillon to add a touch of fruit. A romantic, light and fresh pairing.

TOUR TWO

Three cheeses with lots of character, aged, sophisticated and full of flavour: Brie de Meaux, Tome de Brebis with Piment d’Espelette, Brillat Savarin with pepper.

And the wine? A 2011 Château Bellevue, from Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. The young producer disassembles her tractor’s engine herself and fell into the small barrel! Her Merlot wines are velvety, round and supple in the mouth, the perfect match for these mature and creamy cheeses.

A flavoursome pairing that is intense but elegant.

TOUR THREE

To finish, three well-aged and intense cheeses: Trappe d’Echourgnac, a cheese made with walnut liqueur from the Dordogne, a 24-month old Comté and a Bleu des Causses. These are served with a Vin Doux or medium-sweet wine, preferably a Château de Commarque 2015 Sauternes. The wine selected must have enough body to reveal the intensity of the cheese, as well as the outpouring of its flavours and aromas. Opposites attract and come together: the salty cheeses with their dried texture make the perfect match for the sweet and medium-sweet wines!

No car? No need to panic! Base yourself in Bordeaux and explore the wine region in a series of half- or full-day trips.

Just 2O minutes by tram from the city centre (line A), then a few minutes on foot, discover Château Luchey-Halde, which belongs to the École Bordeaux Sciences Agro, or Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, a modern gem with a wine cellar designed by Starck.

A little further away, in the Pessac- Léognan region, Château Bardins is a family-run wine estate that can be easily reached by bus (line 15 departing from Place Gambetta). Close by you’ll find Château Bouscaut (line 15) and Château Olivier (line 5), two exceptional Graves classed crus that members of the public can visit after a pleasant stroll through the vines.

All of the beautiful Entre-deux-Mers vineyards can be reached by bus, but one of the easiest to get to is Château de Camarsac, a fortified château that can be visited by taking bus line 402 from Place Stalingrad.

As for the Médoc, climb aboard bus 29 departing from Place des Quinconces to reach Château Saint-Ahon, one of the finest urban vineyards, located in Blanquefort!

From Saint-Jean railway station, take a train heading to Verdon and alight at Margaux to spend a day discovering all of the wineries dotted in and around the train station:  Château Marquis d’Alesme, Château Ferrière, Château Lascombes, Château Marquis de Terme and Château Pontac-Lynch, to name but a few.

Also accessible by train are the wine estates of Pauillac and Moulis, notably Château Maucaillou and the unmissable Château Chasse Spleen, easily reached by line 33 (Verdon).

After a 35-minute train journey from Bordeaux’s Saint-Jean railway station, visitors can explore Saint-Émilion and its impressive Union de Producteurs, next door to the village’s train station. Heading uphill to the medieval village (20 min walk) you’ll pass by Château La Gaffelière, one of the appellation’s finest wine producers. Château Villemaurine and its spectacular underground cellars are also worth a look and can be found just outside the village.

And for a day exploring the world of sweet wines why not head to Château de Cérons, 1km from Cérons railway station via the Bordeaux-Agen line.

For the ultimate in peace of mind pick up a Bordeaux City Pass and take advantage of its unlimited access to Bordeaux’s public transport system.

The Pass offers plenty of benefits, starting with unlimited access to the city’s public transport system. Visitors can travel as much as they like aboard the city's trams, buses and river shuttles!

As for the city’s heritage, the pass includes entry to the Bassins de Lumières and 11 of the city’s museums and monuments, as well as a guided tour of Bordeaux, either on foot, by mini electric train or aboard a double-decker bus.

Wine lovers will love the free entrance to La Cité du Vin (before midday) and the Musée du Vin et du Négoce, plus discounts on trips to the wine region, visits to wineries just outside the city or a visit to the underground monuments in Saint-Émilion and the Citadelle de Blaye.