Medoc 1855 Classification Premium Wine Tasting Day Trip and Lunch

Board the air-conditioned coach at the Bordeaux Tourist Office in the morning and get ready for your full-day wine tour of Médoc. Your guide will give you an overview of Bordeaux as you travel along the left bank of the Gironde Estuary to the famous Médoc wine region.

Wine connoisseurs may be familiar with the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. This prestigious placement resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines. Thereafter, châteaux were ranked in order of the quality of their wines.

Throughout the day, you'll visit three château wine estates to taste these premium Bordeaux reds. As you savor a variety of these celebrated wines, your guide will teach you all about Bordeaux winemaking.

For your first visit of the day, learn about terroir — the characteristics expressed by geography, geology and climate — and the different grape varieties used throughout Bordeaux, especially cabernet sauvignon, which is the most prominent in Médoc. Trace the winemaking process from vine to bottle and learn how to decipher a French wine label. You'll also discover the art of food and wine pairing.

At the second château, receive an introduction to the art of wine tasting before you're served a typical French lunch to enjoy with your fellow wine lovers. Your final château visit will focus on the 1855 classification; what it is, how it began and how it still affects the modern-day wine trade.

The exact châteaux visited on the tour may vary but will be three of the following: Château Prieuré Lichine, Château Léoville Poyferré, Château Lynch-Bages, Château Lagrange, Château Cantenac Brown, Château Lascombes, Château Camensac, Château Branaire Ducru, Château Lynch-Moussas, Château Pichon Longueville Baron, Château Brane Cantenac, and Château Cantemerle.

After your third visit, relax on the ride back to Bordeaux, where your full-day wine tour ends.