Wine tourism is the perfect platform for wineries to share their sustainable philosophy and initiatives. It helps that most vineyards are in beautiful natural surroundings, attracting visitors who are nature lovers as well as wine lovers. It’s the perfect way to encourage people to spend more time in the vines but also a great way for wine makers to get direct feedback from consumers. What are their concerns? What is their image of Bordeaux wine production? 

The Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism competition has created a specific category for sustainable wine tourism practices across the world. Winners in Bordeaux include Château Guiraud in Sauternes, Chateau Climens in Barsac, Château Jean Faure in Saint Emilion and Château Malartic Lagraviere in Pessac Léognan. Their activities shine a light on experiences offered across the region from educational tours to locavore lunches.

Bio dynamism

The best way to understand sustainable viticulture is to see it in action. Every property has a different story to tell,  a different take on sustainability to share. A visit is the opportunity to get behind the certifications and see the challenges vineyards are facing and solutions they are finding. Berenice Lurton at  Château Climens in Barsac is passionate about biodynamics. She readily shares her philosophy in the  aromatic “tisanerie” where plants are dried before being made into concoctions for the vines. At Château de La Dauphine in Fronsac,  biodynamics are a key part of the visit, as is their unique aquaponics project, and guests taste the wines in a living wicker ‘cocoon’ in the park.

Interactive agro forestry

Agroforestry is big news in Bordeaux, you can’t miss the new hedgerows and trees planted in and around the vines. Beautiful parks, woods and forests have been part of, or have surrounded, Bordeaux chateaux for hundreds of years and many are still there. A biodiversity that predates newer agroforestry initiatives.  

Pessac Léognan is the ‘cradle’ of Bordeaux wine making. Even though it is very close to Bordeaux city, it’s ancient forest is still thriving, and properties now focus on this natural history. Château Malartic Lagraviere includes a visit to the woods on their biodiversity visit, as well as their farm to meet the horses that work the vines. Château Smith Haut Lafitte created the Forest of the Five senses, a land art  installation in eight hectares of woods in 2017, right next to their carbon neutral ‘stealth cellar’. It’s a multi sensorial experience using all five senses, including taste of course, once you’re back at the chateau.

The historic Château Olivier covers 230 ha of Pessac Léognan, of which just 60 are vines, the rest are meadows, ponds and protected woods with trees over 100 years old. It’s the perfect place to practice Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, a Japanese wellness technique proven to help with stress levels. An experience they started sharing with guests this spring. 

For a birds eye view of the woods in and around Margaux, Marie-Laure Lurton has renovated the 13th century Tour de Bessan and preserved the biodiversity around it. It’s quite a climb to the top but worth it for the view and to see that there is more to the Medoc than vines. Further south Château Rayne Vigneau in Sauternes gets even more up close and personal with trees, hoisting visitors up to a platform in an ancient cedar tree to taste the wine.

Vine to table 

The emphasis on biodiversity has seen a revival of traditional kitchen gardens, introducing beehives, chickens, sheep and goats. It’s a great resource for chateaux who entertain but also for members of staff. Château Giscours has a rare breeds farm in Margaux as well as a kitchen garden for in-house chef Benjamin Laurent. He even makes bread using yeast from the cellars! 

Locavore 

These chefs are great champions for local producers, showcasing local food as well as their wines. Jean Luc Beaufils, the chef at Château Phelan Segur in Saint Estèphe, has created a beautiful ‘Medoc Gourmand’ book. More than a recipe book it’s a colourful tour through the terroir and products and people of the Medoc peninsula.

David Charrier, Michelin star chef at Les Belles Perdrix Restaurant at Château Troplong Mondot, also works closely with local suppliers, this time on the Right Bank in Saint Emilion. I recommend staying in the guest cottage in the vines – the breakfast eggs come from the chickens in the garden.  It’s not only locals that promote their heritage, Japanese chef  Taichi Sato at Château Lagrange has created close links with local suppliers giving the products his unique Asian twist. 

Lighten up 

The meals served in Bordeaux chateaux are changing too. Properties offer lighter options, with lots of vegetables, often home grown, rather than traditional foie gras and steak grilled on the sarments. Formal food and wine pairing dinners have been replaced by light ‘tapas’ lunches, a great way to try several wines with different flavours. There are picnics served in chateau parks such as Château de Cérons. Château Marquis d’Alesme serves tasting platters for lunch in their herb garden and Château George 7 in Fronsac serves her platters with evening sundowners on the terrace. Carnivores needn’t worry, the Bordeaux staples of grilled duck and steak will always be there, they can’t compost all the vine clippings.

Keeping it green?  

If the best way to learning about sustainability is in the vineyard, how can properties make visits more eco-friendly and how can visitors get around sustainably? The geographical expanse of Bordeaux makes it difficult to get to vineyards by public transport. A small train runs up the Medoc and stops at Listrac/Moulis, Margaux and Pauillac, from which a few vineyards are accessible on foot. Château Marquis de Terme is within walking of the Margaux station, once you are there, hire their bikes to discover the vineyards. The train station in Saint Emilion is at the bottom of the hill, it’s quite a hike to the many tasting rooms and restaurants in the village. 

The easiest way to tour is still by car or van (with a driver of course). Group tours reduce the carbon footprint of a winery trip. Bordeaux based Decanter Tours uses both hybrid and electric vehicles for their tours. Or go by boat. Several river cruise companies navigate the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers and Gironde estuary that run through Bordeaux. Wake up in Bordeaux one day and Pauillac the next.

Stay over

Staying in the vineyard rather than commuting in and out of Bordeaux keeps the miles down. Waking up to a view of vines rather than morning Bordeaux traffic is greener and more Zen. More and more properties are opening their doors to overnight guests, but choosing a central location is key. Château le Pape and neighbouring Les Sources de Caudalie in Pessac Léognan are well located as are the gîtes at Château Biac high above the Garonne River in Langorian – perfect for a longer stay. 

A vineyard ‘safari’ can take you from north to south with stop overs rather than travelling each day. Starting at La Maison d’Estournel, owned by Château Cos d’Estournel in Saint Estéphe, crossing over to the right bank on the ferry (reduce those miles) to stay at Château Beauregard in Pomerol and finishing at Chateau Sigalas Rabaud in the South, in Sauternes.  

On your bike.

Some Bordeaux properties are large, especially on the left bank, with plots scattered across their appellation. If understanding sustainability means seeing the solutions in the vineyards,  visitors need to get into the vines. Chateau Angludet and Chateau Giscours in Margaux and Chateau Pontet Canet in Pauillac all use electric golf  buggies to move visitors around. 

La Bulle Verte has co-created electric bike and scooter experiences in partnership with 13 Bordeaux properties from Château Prieuré Lichine in Margaux to Château Guiraud in Sauternes. Guests choose their distance and experience and are guided by an app that explains sustainable initiatives along the way.  Château Lafaurie Peyraguey offers guests a silent electric scooter tour  through their Sauternes vines leading directly to a Michelin star lunch at their Lalique hotel and restaurant. 

Blissed out Bordeaux 

Wellness tourism is booming, the Global Wellness Institute forecasts over 20% increase pa in wellness tourism from 2020-2025. Wineries would be foolish not to engage with this affluent clientele, happy to spend money on their own wellbeing and sensitive to the sustainable message. Château Smith Haut Lafitte are the pioneers of wine and wellness in Bordeaux. having opened their Source de Caudalie Spa Hotel in the 1990s. (They have since opened another in The  Loire). They are no longer alone, wellness activities in the Bordeaux vineyards range from yoga in a yurt at Château Boutinet in Fronsac to siestas in the park at Château de Cérons (on loungers made of ancient vat staves) or in a quiet spot under a tree at Château Lamothe Bergeron and now forest bathing – see above.

With over 75% of Bordeaux vineyards now farming sustainably, there’s no shortage of agricultural initiatives and passionate wine makers happy to share them. Properties are as innovative in how they welcome their guests as they are in rising to the challenges of sustainability. 

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To learn more about Bordeaux, you can buy Bordeaux Bootcamp here, and to learn more about Wine and Wellness read The Drinking Woman’s Diet here.  

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