Out and about in the vineyard.
There are so many opportunities to get out into nature on summer days, to discover the wild life in the vineyards and to help families understand the important role the natural environment plays in making fine wines and what properties are doing to preserve their unique terroir.
Just a stone’s throw from the beautiful medieval town of Saint-Emilion, families can stroll through the vineyards of Château Soutard. A self-guided tour explains the biodiversity of the vineyard and explains the different animal and vegetal species, encouraging visitors to find them for themselves. Chateau Marquis de Terme in Margaux (2023 Regional Winner) has a similar children’s discovery path through through the vineyard and older kids can join adults for a bicycle tour to go further afield.
Nearby, Chateau Giscours, one of the largest properties in Margaux is surrounded by a beautiful park and forest. On a park tour, the keen eyed can spot kingfishers, moorhens, little egrets, Eurasian hoopoes, wood pigeons, green woodpeckers, great cormorants, grey herons and red admiral butterflies who have all made their home here. You’ll also see the farm with it’s rare breeds of cattle and sheep.
For future horticulturists and nature-lover families, Château Pape Clement has collected hundreds of rare plants and trees in the park and gardens of the property. Thanks to the ‘phygitale’ tour on your smart phone, Gil the gardener can share the secrets of ‘Les Jardins Extraordinaires’. You’ll discover ancient olive and palm trees, a vegetable garden, in total over 600 varieties of plants, some of which are unique in the region.
On the move
Discover the Classified growths of Sauternes on a horse drawn carriage, at Château La Tour Blanche (2023 Regional Winner).The whole family can meander through the vines, past the elegant chateaux and enjoy the view across the rolling vines at a relaxed pace.
Or join Estelle Roumage at Château Lestrille (Best Of Winner for its restaurant in 2023) in the Entre deux Mers as she drives you through her vines in an original 2CV, her very first car. You’ll discover her micro forest and nature trail. At Château Brannas Grand Poujeaux in Moulis, families can hop in the back of their Land Rover for a vineyard safari. A discovery of the different terroir and grape varieties that make up this Médoc property.
There’s a special Land rover just for kids at Chateau Troplong Mondot.
Their family adventure tour explores this high vineyard and the secrets of its biodiversity from behind the wheel of a mini electric Land-Rover. Children are encouraged to pick vegetables straight from the garden and to search the grounds for Eddy, the little squirrel mascot before returning to the chateau for a snack while the grown-ups taste the wine.
Hands on
At Château Dauzac take the family to join the chateau bee keeper and discover the fascinating life of bees thanks to the hives on the property. Help harvest the honey and then take home your very own pot of chateau honey as a souvenir.
Treasure hunt
There are many treasures to search for in the vineyards, natural and otherwise. Apprentice detectives, young and old, are challenged to solve six enigmas hidden in the Château Dauzac vineyard, with riddles and orientation challenges that trace the tortuous path of the Count of Dauzac and hopefully lead to a treasure, that may include a glass of wine for grown-ups!
At nearby Marquis d’Alesme also in Margaux, children are as welcome as their wine loving adults with Le Petit Marquis, a treasure hunt specially for six to 12 year olds. Once the treasure is found, young and old can stay for lunch at La Table de Nathalie that offers fresh local food on its sheltered terrace surrounded by a herb garden.
Escape from the chateau
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Older children and teenagers can rise to the challenge of escape games in cellars across the region. As well as the thrill of the escape they are an opportunity to share the long history of these properties. Château de Crouseilles (2022 Regional Winner) in the south west, dares you to try and escape from their cellars and Château Monconseil Gazin in Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux will only let you out when you have found Charlemagne’s hidden treasure. Chateau La Rivière in Fronsac put their endless dark limestone caves to good use for an escape game and Chateau Rayne Vigneau challenges participants to find the secret of the jewels in the terroir to make their great wine.
Bringing the cellars to life
It’s not only in the vines, parks and grounds where children are welcome. Château Fleur de Lisse (2023 Global and People Choice Award winner) in Saint Emilion a has created a wonderful interactive visit for children in the cellars. It takes youngsters on a journey from vine to cellar to glass. Using stories, anecdotes and asking questions to encourage participants to learn about the place through their sense of smell and taste and to start to understand the magical transformation from grape to wine.
The cellars of Château La Fleur de Lisse also share a ‘son et lumiere’ using beautiful images and an atmospheric soundtrack by Eric Le Collen to take visitors on a journey from the climate and the terroir through the vine and berries to the wine making.
The ‘Chai de Lumiere’, at Château Fleur de Bouard in Lalande de Pomerol opened this year, created with the “Bassins des Lumières” in Bordeaux, it projects a history of wine and winemaking across the walls, tanks and barrels of the cellar. They’ve opened a new wine bar serving local foods, a newly landscaped outdoor tasting area and a guest cottage in the vines where families can stay.
It’s a kind of magic.
If all this still hasn’t convinced your family of the magic of Bordeaux wine, make one final stop back at Château Giscours. They have real magic thanks to magician Michaël who has a few tricks up his sleeve for children as well as glasses of wine for the adults.
Wendy Narby Insider Tasting
Photos credits :
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Château Trolong-Mondot
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Château Pape Clément
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Château La Tour Blanche
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Domhof Erleben
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Château Fleur de Lisse