Château de Cérons (2025 Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences Regional Best Of Winner) offers a voyage through nature, time and imagination. This listed monument shows how history and natural history intertwine, bringing terroir and biodiversity to the heart of the wine conversation with a self-guided 2 km walk. An app helps you uncover insider secrets you might otherwise miss – the 12th-century church, the old lavoir, the carrelets (fishing huts on the banks of the Garonne), and their new plantations of cereals used as green fertiliser and cover crops to preserve soil microflora and fauna in their organic vineyard.
You’ll see beehives, their newly planted orchard, the ancient quarry with its wild bee colonies and venture down to the banks of the Garonne via reopened tunnels and bridges.
Then picnic in the park under the ancient trees, or simply relax with a glass of wine on loungers made from old vat staves.
The waters of the nearby Ciron River bring the magical noble rot to the wines of the region, but this river is also a beautiful way to explore the unique natural environment. The team at Château La Tour Blanche, will guide you on a 5.5 km or a 9 km canoe trip, navigating downstream before returning through the vines to the château for a picnic lunch, tour and tasting.
On Your Bike
Château Guiraud (2022 Global Best Of Winner) in Sauternes, the first 1855 Classified Growth to be certified organic (in 2011), is now biodynamic. They were also one of the first Bulle Verte Eco-stations in the region. An app allows visitors to explore the 126 ha property and local countryside by e-bike, discovering the biodiversity of both. A self-guided independent tour combining sustainability, fresh air, and light exercise will work up a thirst for a tasting of the unique wines of Sauternes. You can even pop a picnic in your bike basket. It will soon be even easier to visit Guiraud, as they are converting the main château building into a 26-room hotel.
All three properties are part of La Route des Vins de Graves et Sauternes – a brilliant way to plan a tour through the region on foot, by car or by bike, with a wide choice of experiences across the area.
Château Thieuley, sustainably certified by Terra Vitis, HVE and Bee Friendly, The château is located between Créon and the Abbey of La Sauve in the Entre-deux-Mers. Run by two sisters, Marie and Sylvie Courcelle, who produce an extensive range of wines including white, rosé, red and sparkling. It’s also a fantastic destination for cyclists, being close to the Piste Cyclable Roger Lapébie, which runs from Bordeaux almost the full length of the Entre-deux-Mers.
The property won the Best Of Wine Tourism award in 2024 for its sustainable wine tourism practices. They also collaborate with Bulle Verte for a trail through their vines, with a 1.7 km self-guided tour that includes 11 different stops to showcase their eco-initiatives and biodiversity. Be sure to leave time for a tasting – and perhaps a well-earned picnic.
From Bike to Hike
At Château Boutinet (2025 Best Of Winner in Bordeaux), near Fronsac on the Right Bank, Nathalie and Jérôme Escudero raise a flock of Southdown sheep, aided by their faithful sheepdog Jeriko – whose portrait graces their wine labels. Nathalie shares her family’s passion for the environment, taking visitors on hikes to connect with the preserved ecosystem of the surrounding countryside. She also cares deeply for the wellbeing of her guests, offering yoga classes in a yurt and studying medicinal plants to best use the natural resources that surround them.
Use the guest rooms at Château La Grande Clotte (2025 Best Of Winner in Bordeaux) in Lussac Saint-Émilion as your Right Bank base. This organically certified, single 9 ha plot of vines, including 1 ha of rare white grapes, is surrounded by woods. They invite guests to discover local producers by cycling through the surrounding hills and valleys on electric bikes, with picnic baskets that gradually fill with local cheeses, cold cuts, chocolates and macarons. Then it’s off to a shady picnic spot to enjoy it all with bottles of their delicious wines.
In the Saddle
In the Médoc, The Ranch des Lamberts (2025 Best Of Winner in Bordeaux) offers a half-day ‘Vino Rando’ À cheval entre Vignes et Châteaux. From the forest-based ranch, you’ll explore the authentic and preserved environment of the Médoc, including the vines of Listrac and Moulis-en-Médoc – a ride that combines wellbeing, ecology and wine tasting. Or join a 3-hour hack through the region, finishing with an apéritif featuring local wines and products in the forest. Hacks are tailored to all levels of riding ability. Exhausted after all that fresh air and activity? Their guest rooms open this summer.
If that all sounds a bit too energetic, take the train! In the Entre-deux-Mers, Domaine La Grave and Château La Loubière have joined forces, with the 18th-century chartreuse of Domaine de la Grave as their wine tourism base. From here, a ‘wine train’ takes you through the sustainably farmed vines of both properties. During school holidays, this becomes a family-friendly magical mystery tour, where participants are challenged to solve a vineyard mystery. After a blind tasting in a darkened room, guests emerge into the light for a classic tasting of both estates’ wines. They also offer picnics of local specialities, served in the château’s tree-lined park.
You don’t even have to venture deep into the countryside to discover eco-friendly Bordeaux. Château Fayat in Pomerol is a 16 ha urban vineyard in the heart of Libourne. Walk through this ‘urban garden’ to see how they allow nature and biodiversity to thrive through agroforestry initiatives.
From the natural environment to sporting activities, it all comes together in a glass of Bordeaux.
Author: Wendy Narby - Insider Tasting Photo credits : ©Château de Cérons / ©La Bulle Verte / ©Château Boutinet / ©Ranch des Lamberts