Inspiration

5 UNMISSABLE WINE TOURISM ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Designed to inspire your programme development, these five must-do wine tourism activities highlight the key experiences. Easy to integrate into your itineraries, they add value to your stays and respond to your clients’ expectations in the wine tourism sector.

©Vignoble de Jurançon / Adrien Basse-Cathalinat

Table of contents

1. DISCOVER THE ART AND EXCELLENCE OF COGNAC

Make memories to suit everyone’s palate on Hennessy Tours. Guided tours, private tours and sensory experiences. Join Initiation Immersive Mobilis on a quick trip across the Charente River to experience a culture for excellence and age-old expertise. Highlights on the 2 hour introduction include a tour of the Chai des Pavillons where Hennessy’s legacy comes to life, an immersive artistic installation blending magic and VR plus a tour of a working ageing cellar where you’ll learn about the mysterious “angels’ share”. A presentation of the Hennessy Tasting Committee’s everyday routine is followed by a guided tasting of two of the brand’s cognacs.
New: 2 outstanding sites and tours to visit the barrel room and personalise your own carafe.
Wander around the vineyards to learn about Rémy Martin’s sustainable vine growing. Rémy Martin has been making premium cognac since 1724. A close bond to the land, a business run by the same family for generations and a passion for excellence have made Rémy Martin the success it has been for the last 300 years. TO celebrate, the brand has new visitor trails exploring 3 themes: the history of the brand, distillation and a train ride around its cognac production site in Merpins (5 minutes from Cognac). Rémy Martin is also the first wine tourism multi-site in France to be awarded the AFNOR NF Environnement. It won International Best of Wine Tourism 2025.

2. GET TO KNOW WINE IN BORDEAUX

Step into the 360° immersive Bordeaux studio at the Cité du Vin. Settle into the immersive room on the 1st floor at the Cité du Vin for a unique tasting experience brought to life by a sommelier. At an oyster hut in Arcachon Bay, on a Bordeaux rooftop, through the myriad Médoc landscapes and the rolling Libournais (Saint-Émilion), sample 4 major Bordeaux wine styles between 4 sensory interludes with a 360° film to sate your thirst for knowledge. The Cité du Vin has been approved by NF Environnement-Sites de Visite (French environmental standard-visitor sites) and RSE Divertissement Durable (sustainable tourism CSR).
Sip Bordeaux vintages in one of the amazing wine bars in the old town or the famous wine bar at the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux between Place des Quinconces and Grand Théâtre.

3. STEP INSIDE THE BEST BORDEAUX WINERIES

Venture deep into the Graves and Sauternes vineyards. Ride from Cérons train station through rolling landscapes and uncover the secrets behind these outstanding wine regions with Les Cycles du Bazadais. Take a trip back in time on a visit to Château de Cérons and soak up the magical new visitor experiences in the vat room. Feast your eyes on the wall of 768 bottles illuminated by a light show at the Maison du Sauternes. Make your experience extra special and stay at Château Léognan. Unwind at the spa, enjoy the finest food and sleep like royalty in a luxury lodge in a leafy haven.
Explore everything, from grape to glass at Château Mauvinon, Saint-Émilion. From the vineyards
and cellars to the rooftop terrace where you can indulge in a spot of birdwatching, experience the reality of being a vine grower, making sulphite-free wine, quality and environmental pledges and a tasting of two of the winery’s organic wines. The passionate family makes it what it is: “The perfect place in
Saint-Émilion to visit a winery committed to the environment and biodiversity.“

4. THE FRENCH “VIGNOBLES ET DÉCOUVERTES” LABEL AND “BEST OF WINE TOURISM” AWARDS MAKE PLANNING HOLIDAYS A BREEZE

When you visit vineyards approved by the “Vignobles et Découvertes” label, you can expect a range of quality services : accommodation, catering, cellar and tasting tours, museums, events, activities, functions. 12 NouvelleAquitaine vineyards have been awarded the label: Bergerac et Duras; Graves et Sauternes; Entre-deux-Mers; Bordeaux; Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Fronsac; Médoc; Blaye et Bourg; Charentes – Cognac – Saintonge; Île d’Oléron; Jurançon, Béarn Pyrénées; Irouléguy, Basque Mountain vineyard and Bons Crus d’Artagnan, with Armagnac and Madiran between NouvelleAquitaine and Occitanie.
When you join a “Best of Wine Tourism” day trip, you can expect a variety of wine tourism services recognised by an exclusive international award. “Best Of Wine Tourism” is an award honouring outstanding wineries or wine tourism services approved by Vignobles et Découvertes for their architecture, grounds, eco-friendly approach and/or original visitor experiences.

5. VENTURE OFF THE BEATEN TRACK TO LEARN ABOUT DORDOGNE, BASQUE COUNTRY AND
JURANÇON WINE

Head over to the Quai Cyrano wine and visitor centre in Bergerac for a great introduction to the region’s produce in a historical setting on the banks of the Dordogne (17th century cloister, wine bar). A new interactive space sets the stage for the theatrical world of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Visit Château de Monbazillac amid the Dordogne Valley vines and end with a tasting of the famous sweet wine. The 16th century château has a recently renovated area, new exhibition areas, original activities and immersive audiovisual tours. It hosts activities and events all year round (concerts, wine-themed classes etc.) and an introduction to local seasonal dishes in summer.
Uncover the secrets of passionate Irouléguy winemakers. Visit Cave d’Irouléguy to sample AOC wine and explore its terraced vineyards on the Basque mountains around the Baïgorri and Garazi Valleys, a few miles from the Spanish border and Saint-Jean-Piedde-Port. Guided tours to awaken all your senses. Gift shop with presentation to learn about the wine’s journey from grape to glass.
Dive into the Jurançon hillside vineyards to savour wonderful dry or sweet white wine. The Béarn vineyard on the edge of Pau unfurls over the hills towards the Pyrenees. The unmissable Gan Jurançon winery in Gan is the biggest vineyard visitor site and lies 20 minutes south of Pau. Join a guided tour and see where the harvests come in, the press room, fermentation vats, ageing cellar and bottling centre. End your tour with a dry or sweet wine tasting class. A footpath next to the cellar takes you into the 2ha estate. Experience the ultimate in culinary expertise deep in the Jurançon vineyard at the Mont Riant winery.

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