With only three days to explore Bordeaux, I needed to make sure that I picked a good wine tour to make the best use of my time. After a thorough research of the wide range of choices available, I opted for the Taste of Bordeaux tour run by Rustic Vines.
A little different to the standard trips to the vineyards, this tour started at 6pm in the Rustic Vines offices in central Bordeaux. I thought it was really nice that they have a central base offering a friendly, professional welcoming. We kicked things off with a straightforward introduction to Bordeaux wine and a tasting of a basic red and white, complemented by some tasty cheese and charcuterie.
Our tour guide was Scott and I knew straightaway that this was going to be a good tour. Scott is from New Zealand, a country which always excels at tourism. He was friendly, interesting and keen to get to know us from the start.
From their offices, we moved on to our next stop, aux 4 coins du vin. There we tried a strong, powerful, rich 2005 Saint-Estèphe from Chateau Beau-Site. The wine was well structured with firm tannins and good levels of black fruit. I would have happily finished the bottle!
And then for something completely different. We visited the flamboyant, charismatic (and stereotypically French) Monsieur Arnold at Magasin Magnum Bordeaux. Though the wines we tasted there were well behind the Beau-Site, the experience was bought to life by Arnold’s passion and humour.
Moving on from there, Scott showed the strength of his local knowledge by taking us to a tapas bar away from the busy touristic squares. The wine on offer there was a mystery – apparently some serious wine critics were completely thrown by this wine and none of them guessed it correctly.
We took up the challenge….and all failed miserably too! And the wine? It was a Chardonnay from Cahors in southern France, usually known for its Malbec. It was a lush, complex and intriguing Chardonnay, with buttery notes and some stone fruit flavours. It was a 2014 Haute-Serre Albesco from Georges Vigouroux and I recommend tasting it!
The final stop was for dessert, washed down perfectly with some Gewürztraminer. Well, we thought this was the final stop. However, the after-tour party continued until 2am in Café Brun, bustling with Bordeaux hipsters and trendy tourists. The final verdict: this was a great tour featuring a range of interesting wines and represented top value for money!
Five things that made this Bordeaux wine tour stand out
- You feel like a local.
At each venue we were welcomed like friends, not tourists. I’m sure this is down to the strong relationships that Rustic Vines has built up with the restaurants, wine bars and wine merchants that we visited.
- Easy access to welcoming offices.
It’s so handy having a central office to call in to! Pascaline on the front desk is really friendly and helpful. I dropped by a couple of times to ask questions about the tours, as well as for recommendations about eating and drinking in Bordeaux. Each time the service was first class.
- Passionate people.
You get the impression right away that Rustic Vines staff care about people, wine and Bordeaux in equal measure. They connected well with the group so you felt like they were actually part of the tour rather than an outsider leading it.
- Unbiased wine selection.
We tried some great wines. The thing that stood out for me was that it wasn’t all about Bordeaux, or whatever wine the venue wanted to sell us. We tasted a real mix including some wines from outside of France. It was all about appreciating the unique variety that wine has to offer.
- Value for money.
I can’t really write a complete review without mention of cash. Doing my research before arriving in Bordeaux, Rustic Vines seemed pretty competitive. However, it was the added value that stood out, such as the quantity of food provided, the healthy measures of wine for tasting and the additional time that Scott spent with us to give us a complete tour of Bordeaux.
For more information about the Rustic Wines tour that I went on, click here. If you have any questions about my trip or about anything else to do with wine, drop me an email at paul@thecuriousgrape.co.uk