Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 study trips won't be operating. Study trips will resume as soon as the situation allows. Thank you for your loyalty to the Wine Scholar Guild Study Trips, and please stay in good health!

Embark on our 2020 Bordeaux Study Trip with professional-level instruction on site coupled with a certificate program!

Bordeaux Wine Tours and Study Trip Highlights:

Bordeaux is the largest and most renowned fine wine-producing region in France. Its iconic reds have served as the benchmark around the world for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. Excellent whites, both sweet and dry, are also produced in Bordeaux. Its sheer size has given rise to numerous sub-regions, appellations, classification systems, and “châteaux”, the famous wine estates of Bordeaux.

• Gain extensive knowledge of this vast region through the precise instruction of a world-renowned wine expert combined with insider visits and wine tastings at the very best châteaux.
• Discover the Bordeaux wine region with your instructor, Jane Anson, Bordeaux Correspondent for Decanter Magazine
• Travel to the most prestigious vineyard areas of Bordeaux, including the Médoc, the Graves and Sauternais, and the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol subregions. Study their respective terroirs and master their specific appellation and classification systems.
• Experience first-rate visits and tastings at Bordeaux’s most prestigious châteaux.
• Explore one of the lesser-known, excellent value appellations like Fronsac or Côtes de Castillon.
• Discover the elegant city of Bordeaux with its graceful streets, lovely waterfront walks and great wine bars.
• Stroll through the cobblestone streets of Saint-Émilion, a charming village surrounded by vineyards dating back to medieval times.
• Lunch and dine in the region’s best restaurants and discover exquisite local specialties matched with excellent Bordeaux wines.

Travel with a group of wine students who are serious about wine, either as wine professionals or as committed wine lovers. Share a highly educational, friendly and unforgettable experience while gaining a comprehensive understanding of what makes the wines of Bordeaux so unique.

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• Begin your exploration of the Right Bank with a review of the terroirs and AOPs with Jane.
• In Pomerol, considered the world’s finest terroir for Merlot, you’ll be welcomed at a top Chateau like l’Église Clinet, La Fleur Pétrus or Petit Village.
• Enjoy a delicious lunch at Chateau de Candale’s restaurant, L’Atelier de Candale.
• Visit two famed Premier Grand Cru Classé estates like Canon, Cheval Blanc or Angelus.
• Return to Bordeaux city and enjoy a gastronomic welcome dinner at Garopapilles, the great new Michelin 1-star restaurant.

Tuesday, October 6 | Value appellation, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol | B

• Travel to a “value appellation” like Fronsac or Côtes de Castillon, to visit and taste at a top chateau.
• Stop in the beautiful village of Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with time to explore its historic sites, boutiques, galleries and wine shops.
• Lunch on your own in Saint-Émilion.
• Back to AOP Saint-Émilion for a tour and tasting at another Classified Growth like Troplong Mondot, Angelus or Beauséjour Bécot.
• In Pomerol, visit a great Chateau like Le Conseillante or Vieux Chateau Certan.
• Discover Bordeaux city and its fine restaurants on your own, with our suggestions.

Wednesday, October 7 | Graves and Sauternes | B, L

• Travel to the Sauternais and visit a renowned First Growth like Yquem or Suduiraut, including a walk in the vineyards and a thorough discussion of botrytis cinerea.
• Move on to the Graves, as Jane delves into the terroir and classification system.
• Lunch at the lovely restaurant La Table du Lavoir at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.
• Tours and tastings at two renowned estates of Péssac Léognan like First Growth Chateau Haut Brion, Smith Haut Lafitte or Haut Bailly.
• The evening is yours to explore Bordeaux and dine on your own.

Thursday, October 8 | Médoc: Pauillac, Saint Estèphe | B, L, D

• On the way to the Médoc, Jane will present a review of the terroir and AOPs.
• Visit and taste at one of the great First Growths, like Latour or Lafitte Rothschild.
• Gourmet lunch at charming Café Lavinal in the Bages district of Pauillac.
• Explore two Classified Growth estates of Pauillac and Saint Estèphe like Pichon Longueville Baron de Pichon, Pontet Canet or Cos d’Estournel.
• Return to Bordeaux for a gastronomic farewell dinner at one of Bordeaux’s best-loved restaurants, Le Chapon Fin.

Friday, October 9 | Médoc: Margaux, Saint Julien | B, L

• Enjoy a tour and tasting at a Classified Growth in Margaux, like Chateau d’Issan, Chateau Margaux or Chateau Rauzan Ségla.
• Visit a Classified Growth of Saint Julien like Léoville Poyferré, Ducru Beaucaillou or Gruaud Larose.
• Elegant gourmet lunch at the Saint Julien restaurant.
• Late afternoon, the group will be transferred to Bordeaux Mérignac Airport and then to Bordeaux Gare St. Jean train station.

Legend for meals included in your tour: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

* Itinerary subject to change: every effort will be made to keep the itinerary as close as possible to what appears here; however, the final itinerary and estates/winemakers included may vary due to wine producer schedules, availability and factors beyond our control. The wine producers visited during this trip will all be of the highest quality. As soon as we have confirmation from the estates that have accepted our visit, we will include them in the itinerary.

Hotel rooms: we are staying in a small, historic hotel on this trip. As a result, the rooms will not all be exactly the same, and they may also be in different categories. We will assign hotel rooms in the order of sign-ups for the trip. All rooms will be very comfortable and have the same services (en-suite bathrooms, A/C, WiFi, etc.).

Your 6 Day, 5 Night Bordeaux Immersion Study Trip includes:

• Instruction throughout by Jane Anson, Bordeaux correspondent for Decanter Magazine
• The services of a Tour Manager throughout, to provide customer service and logistics support.
• The complete Wine Scholar Guild Bordeaux Master Level online course, including the written manual, online webinars and online exam
• Deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach transportation throughout, with bottled water on-board
• 5 nights at 4-star Hotel de Sèze in the heart of the city of Bordeaux, double occupancy
• 4 gourmet lunches with top-quality wines of the region
• 2 gastronomic dinners with top-quality wines of the region, including 1 at a Michelin 1-star restaurant
• 5 buffet breakfasts
• All professional-level tours and tastings at top chateaux, including First Growths and other classified growth chateaux
• All hotel and other taxes, and gratuities for included restaurants

Pricing:

Price per person, double occupancy: US$ 4,890.00
Enrolled Student Price per person, double occupancy: US $ 4,595.00

(Enrolled Student Price is for registrants already fully or partially enrolled in the Bordeaux Master-Level program**)

Single Supplement: US$ 595.00

Deposit upon reservation: US$ 1000.00 per person, per trip

Get US$ 150 off each additional trip you take!***

NOTE: There are a limited number of twin rooms available (2 single beds). Please let us know if you’d like to share a twin room with another participant to avoid the single supplement and pay the double occupancy price instead.

**The Enrolled Study Price applies to those currently studying in the Bordeaux Master-Level program or who have completed it. Full registration in the Bordeaux Master-Level program means students who have previously ordered the Bordeaux Master-Level study manual, exam registration and online study program.

***After you have reserved your first study trip in 2020 you will receive a Multi-Trip Discount of US $150 for each additional study trip you take in the same calendar year. This Discount will be deducted from the final balance payment for each additional study trip. You must pay for the first study trip in full to be eligible to receive the discount for additional study trips.

Space is limited to 18 participants, so reserve your space today!

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Taste, visit, meet, explore & indulge! A sneak peek at past Bordeaux study trips

I enjoyed everything about the trip! I can't think of a single thing that I would change. The quality and the mix of Chateaux selected was outstanding [...] Every tour was on time, well planned, and well thought through. The breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were indulgent.

Erica Archer, Founder of Wine Wise.
Portland, Maine

The direct access to the chateaus and the personalized tours which offered and explained the philosophy and vision of the vineyard management, winemakers and chateaus management were priceless.

Annemarie Humm CSW, Wine Educator at Vines to Wine Academy.
Greenville, SC

This was a spectacular trip. Wonderful wineries and wines; delicious food; well-organized and great logistics; wonderful people. I learned so much! The trip made all of the reading come alive!

Gretchen Bender, DWS, CWE
Hospitality Manager,
Montagna Napa Valley

Enjoy memorable meals at Gastronomic restaurants & Chateaux

Why study Bordeaux..in Bordeaux?

The wines of Bordeaux have long been a revered French wine icon. They are age-worthy, much sought after, and highly prized. Like great art, they are bought and sold as a valued commodity, in fast and furious trading, at auction, and over quiet conversation with a well-connected retailer.

Over the millennia, the vinous legacy that began with the Romans has evolved into a juggernaut of epic proportions. World-wide, winemakers aspire to emulate what Bordeaux captures in a bottle each harvest. Wine writers flock to this corner of France to taste the new vintage. Cyberspace buzzes with wine commerce once the prices are set. And all the world has but one thing on its lips…Bordeaux. The region is both a bastion and a beacon for all that is timeless, classic and truly exceptional in the world of wine.

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Chateaux visited on previous Bordeaux Wine Tours:

We thank the following estates and individuals for having welcomed us and our students on past study wine tours to Bordeaux:

All upcoming tours: