Backroads Bordeaux Wine Tour

Venture off the beaten path and uncover Bordeaux’s hidden treasures—rustic vineyards, charming villages and a taste of world-renowned wines steeped in rich history and heritage.

May 18 - 23, 2025

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6 days

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Led by Wendy Narby

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$5590*

An Insider’s Bordeaux

Experience an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at this iconic region. Explore lesser-known villages, vineyards and estates. Gain exclusive access to hidden gems off the beaten path, offering a deeper understanding of Bordeaux’s rich wine culture.

Private Châteaux Lunches

Enjoy the privilege of private lunches and pairings at prestigious Châteaux experiencing the hospitality of property owners and winemakers themselves.

Meet the Women Leading Bordeaux

Gain rare insights from the inspiring and innovative women influencing the future of Bordeaux.

About Bordeaux

Bordeaux, while known as the largest and most highly esteemed fine wine-producing region in France, harbors hidden gems within its lesser-known appellations and estates.

Of the 5,000 wineries, less than 5% are Cru Classés, yet these remain the reference. 56% of Bordeaux properties are family or individually owned, yet Bordeaux remains associated with corporate ownership. On this Backroads tour, we will take you to under-the-radar areas to discover the real Bordeaux, to meet the women and men crafting wines with the same dedication and passion as the great growths but who remain relatively unknown, offering excellent quality, craftsmanship and value.

Beyond the famous structured reds, Bordeaux offers a diverse array of wines styles, including excellent whites—both sweet and dry—rosé and sparkling wines. This expansive region is home to a variety of sub-regions, appellations and estates; each with its own distinct character, they are often overshadowed by the more prominent appellations and châteaux.

Our journey will take you through beautiful vineyards and estates, including some less-known classified growths, offering an authentic and more intimate experience of Bordeaux's rich wine heritage. Join us as we uncover not only some of the lesser-known classic estates but also the hidden treasures of Bordeaux, showcasing the region's diversity and depth beyond its most famous labels.

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About This Tour

This Study Abroad educational wine tour caters to passionate wine enthusiasts and professionals. Guided by Wendy Narby, a leading regional expert, it offers guests the chance to thoroughly explore the terroirs, vineyards, wine estates and production processes behind some of the region's most notable châteaux, while participating in exclusive tastings of their celebrated wines.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet winemakers and learn from some of the most distinguished names in the wine industry. Guests are kindly asked to arrive prepared having read the educational materials provided by WSG prior to the tour start date.

What's Included

Join an immersive wine experience curated by the Bordeaux expert, Wendy Narby. Enjoy exclusive tours, dozens of tutored tastings and gourmet delights in the heart of Bordeaux.

Instruction throughout the tour led by Bordeaux regional resident, author and expert Wendy Narby.

Professional-level tours and tastings at top châteaux.

Seamless travel support from your Tour Manager, Mary Kirk, providing impeccable customer service and logistical support throughout your journey.

Curated study materials sent in advance, to be consulted and reviewed prior to the tour.

5 Nights at elegant 4-Star Hôtel de Sèze in Bordeaux (double occupancy).

2 Delicious dinners to accompany hand-selected wines showcasing the stunning offerings of the region.

4 Charming lunches at the châteaux we visit, each perfectly paired with their finest wines.

Price per-person, double occupancy. Download the brochure to get detailed pricing.

Itinerary & Pricing

Join us for an unforgettable wine tour!

Enter your name and email to receive our detailed itinerary and pricing.

Meet Your Expert Guides

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Wendy Narby

Your Wine Tour Instructor

British born, Wendy has lived in Bordeaux for over 30 years, she is a leading Bordeaux wine educator for the Bordeaux Wine Council. After earning a BSC in Agricultural Economics, she studied International Agri-Food Marketing in Paris, before marrying a Sauternes winemaker and moving to Bordeaux. She blogs about the region on Insider Tasting, writes about wine tourism for Great Wine Capitals and is a regional contributor to Decanter Magazine and The Drinks Business. Wendy published Bordeaux Bootcamp, a guide to Bordeaux basics and The Drinking Woman’s Diet, a liver-friendly lifestyle guide to help women develop a healthy passion for wine. She splits her year between Bordeaux and Mauritius.

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Mary Kirk

Your Wine Tour Manager

Mary is Wine Scholar Guild’s Study Abroad Tour Manager. French-American, and raised between Washington State and France, she has been leading fine wine tours in France for over 15 years and has been working with WSG since 2015. Mary’s other activities include teaching Wine Studies at culinary academies in Paris such as Le Cordon Bleu, Ferrandi Gastronomic School of Paris and Butler Academy in Paris. Additionally, Mary hosts educational wine events and consults professionally on French wine throughout the US and European market. She is a DipWSET, FWS and certified French Sommelier-Conseil.

We visit châteaux such as...

Why travel with WSG?

Top wine industry professionals and regional experts as instructors

Service of tour manager offering customer service and logistics support during the trip

Professional-level visits with educational objectives

Tastings of dozens of top-quality wines during estate visit and included meals

Opportunity to meet the producers and local specialists

Access to wine estates often closed to the public

Join a community of fellow wine professionals and serious enthusiasts

What our customers say

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You’ll learn so much more than you would on your own! During WSG tours, our internationally renowned instructors are always with you; providing fascinating information, answering questions, and clarifying facts and figures to ensure understanding of the nuances and subtleties of each region and its wine styles.
  • Camaraderie! And the experience of exploring new wine regions with other like-minded individuals who are just as passionate and obsessive about great wine as you are!
  • Access to amazing wine tastings and estates you would not be able to visit on your own. With personal and long-standing relationships in each of the regions we operate, WSG has some of the highest-level contacts in the industry. As a WSG study abroad participant, you will have the opportunity to taste incredible wines at each estate and will be welcomed as an honored guest everywhere you go.
  • All our WSG instructors have lived or worked in France, Italy, Spain, or other countries in which we operate, for many years. This has allowed them to cultivate extensive experience and contacts within the region. You’ll get expert information about the wine business, and an insider’s take on local culture.
  • Avoid taking chances on hotels or restaurants you don’t know.  With more than a decade of experience, our guides use first-hand knowledge to select the best hotels and restaurants for your enjoyment.
  • Make the most of your travel time! Our itineraries minimize driving to ensure you receive a thorough overview of the region, taking in the breathtaking landscapes and amazing wine culture of each respective region.
  • Avoid driving, navigating or directions. Feel free to relax and enjoy wine your meals in the comfort of a safe and carefully curated learning environment.
  • Your WSG instructor and Tour Manager will translate for the group at all times, eliminating communication or language barriers, as many winemakers in France, Italy and Spain may have limited English proficiency.

Preparing for the trip

Please ask the instructor if there is enough time before the end of the visit for you to make your purchase without impeding the progress and timing of the trip.

It is very rare that estates offer international shipping. If you would like to purchase wine, we recommend that you ask your government’s customs office for their rules and regulations if you intend to bring wine back into your country, or have wine shipped to you. You always have the option of bringing wine home with you in your checked luggage. A specialized wine suitcase is perfect for this. Depending on your home country, this amount will vary.

You may have to pay some amount of duty on your wine when you go through customs. Therefore, it's best to check with your local authorities for further information.

TRANSPORTATION, FOOD & LODGING

We choose 4-star hotels to ensure a high level of comfort, including en-suite bathrooms, WiFi and air conditioning.  It’s very important for the hotels to be well situated in the region, to keep driving time and distance to a minimum. We want to make sure you are as close as possible to the vineyards and other local sites of interest. The hotels we choose also must be large enough to accommodate groups.

We thoroughly check each hotel before including it in a WSG tour or program. In wine regions that are large and spread out, you may change hotels once or twice during a week-long stay (to keep driving times to a minimum each day). In other regions, there may be only one centrally located hotel.

Organizers & Instructors

Our tour instructors are among the most renowned and respected wine professionals in the wine business. They are also professional wine educators who are absolutely passionate about the region and its wines. You can see a full biography of the instructor for each trip on the corresponding page, so you can know exactly with whom you'll be touring and learning. Most are native English speakers (American or British), and all other instructors speak English fluently.

Our instructors have that special combination of high-level wine expertise, personal warmth, friendliness, and excellent leadership skills. They'll accompany you every day, throughout the trip, and will be able to answer all of your questions about the wines of the region you’ll be visiting (and about wine in general).

Booking a trip

Yes, we strongly encourage you to purchase a very comprehensive travel insurance package once you have paid your non-refundable deposit for a Study Trip. Note that many plans require you to purchase the insurance very soon after your deposit payment (some require it within 14 days). There are any number of things that can happen that can cause cancellation or interruption of package travel, and travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur as a result.

You can find travel insurers easily and there are sites where you can compare policies (for example, Insure My Trip). Be sure to read policies very carefully before you purchase. Include your airfare, train fare, and any other expenses you will have in addition to the price of the study trip itself. We highly recommend getting a “cancel for any reason” policy, which offers the best coverage. Travel experts say “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” so don’t skimp on this important coverage!

Have a different question? Feel free to contact us.

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