Saint-Émilion Tour: Wine Blending, Gourmet Picnic Lunch & Blind Tasting

This private full-day tour takes the immersive wine experience format to Bordeaux's Right Bank — the Saint-Émilion appellation, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose Grand Cru Classé estates produce some of the most celebrated wines in the world. Over eight hours, you will take part in a hands-on blending workshop, enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch at a prestigious château, and test your palate with a structured blind tasting session — three complementary experiences that together offer an unusually complete understanding of Saint-Émilion wines.

Saint-Émilion: The Right Bank and Its Wines

The Saint-Émilion appellation sits on a limestone plateau above the Dordogne valley, approximately 40 kilometres east of Bordeaux. Its clay and limestone soils favour Merlot — the dominant grape variety here — and Cabernet Franc, producing wines of remarkable richness, roundness, and aromatic complexity that differ fundamentally in character from the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wines of the Left Bank. The appellation's classification system, regularly revised, includes some of Bordeaux's most sought-after estates. Understanding how these varieties work together — and how subtle differences in terroir, vintage, and winemaking influence the final blend — is the thread that runs through the entire day.

Morning: Wine Blending Workshop

Your day begins with pickup from your hotel or accommodation in Bordeaux and a drive east through the Saint-Émilion vineyards. At a selected estate, you take part in a guided blending workshop working directly with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and other varietals from the appellation. Your expert guide will explain the contribution of each grape to the structure, aromatics, and texture of the final wine, before you experiment with your own assemblage. It is one of the most instructive ways to understand why the classic Right Bank blend tastes the way it does.

Lunch: Gourmet Picnic at a Grand Cru Château

After the blending session, the tour moves to a prestigious Grand Cru Classé estate for a gourmet picnic lunch among the vines — local produce, regional specialities, and wines from the estate, served in the open air with views over the Saint-Émilion plateau. It is a moment of genuine pleasure in a remarkable setting.

Afternoon: Blind Tasting Workshop

The afternoon session at a second estate offers a different kind of challenge. A structured blind tasting puts your morning's learning to practical use: tasting wines without labels, identifying grape varieties, assessing structure and balance, and placing each wine in the context of the appellation. Your guide facilitates the session, correcting, explaining, and revealing — it is simultaneously humbling and illuminating, and it tends to be the moment guests most clearly understand what makes Saint-Émilion wines distinctive. The tour returns to Bordeaux at the end of the afternoon.

This tour is available on request — please contact us to check availability and tailor the programme to your group.