Saint-Emilion: Small Group Wine Tour & French Picnic Lunch

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/11

Duration7h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Saint-Emilion vineyards, medieval streets, wine tastings & picnic

You’ll wander vineyard lanes near Saint-Emilion, taste wines at two contrasting châteaux with local stories behind every glass, and share a French picnic lunch outdoors. Expect laughter over cheese and bread, quiet moments in medieval alleyways, and plenty of time to ask your guide anything about Bordeaux wines or village life.

Step-by-step itinerary

Saint Emilion wine tour and lunch

Visit first Château winery
Taste various wines
Explore medieval village of Saint Emilion
Visit second Château winery
Enjoy French lunch with baguette
Learn about Bordeaux vineyards

The Experience

We were already winding past rows of vines when our guide, Camille, started telling us about the monks who first made wine here. I could smell the earth through the open van window — kind of wet, almost sweet, not what I expected. The road dipped and suddenly Saint-Emilion was right there: stone walls, red roofs, a bell tower poking up like it’s been watching the valley forever. Someone in our group tried to pronounce “Merlot” the French way; Camille just grinned and poured our first tasting before we even got out of the car.

The first château felt formal — polished glasses lined up in a sunlit room, the owner explaining terroir while I tried not to spill anything (I failed). The second place was smaller, more lived-in. There was a dog asleep under a fig tree and we tasted straight from barrels in a cool cellar that smelled like damp stone and old wood. The private wine tour Bordeaux style is nothing like supermarket bottles at home — you can actually taste the weather or something. We ate lunch outside: baguette with cheese that stuck to my teeth, cold cuts, tomatoes that tasted like summer. I still think about that bread.

After lunch we wandered through Saint-Emilion’s medieval streets — narrow cobbles underfoot, sunlight bouncing off limestone walls. Camille pointed out tiny doors where bakers once lived (I peeked inside one; it smelled faintly of flour). There’s this hush in some corners of the village, broken by someone laughing or church bells echoing off stone. It didn’t feel like a regular day trip from Bordeaux — more like slipping into someone else’s story for an afternoon. And then we were back in the van with crumbs on our shirts and bottles clinking under our seats.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup by air-conditioned vehicle from Bordeaux or nearby points, guided visits to two different wineries with several tastings each, bottled water along the way, all entry fees and taxes taken care of up front, plus a proper French picnic lunch outdoors before heading back in good company.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by Rustic Vines