Walnut Farm Lunch & Wine Tasting near Cognac: Lunch in a shaded orchard

Taste nut oils fresh from the press, then eat lunch in the orchard shade

A lunch and tasting activity at an organic walnut farm between Cognac and Saintes, where you walk through 2,500 walnut trees, taste virgin nut oils and specialties, then sit down to a seasonal Charentais meal under the orchard canopy. The 45-minute tasting tour covers production and harvest. Lunch includes local cheese, bread, fruit and a nut-chocolate fondant, with your choice of regional drinks. A guide leads in English or French.

The experience

You arrive at Walnut grove, a family farm nestled in the Cognac vineyards, and start with a private tasting tour of the orchard. The walk takes about 45 minutes and moves through the 2,500 walnut trees, the harvest process, and the workshop where nuts are processed into kernels and virgin oils. The tour ends with a tasting of those oils and the farm's nut specialties: the moment when you understand what makes them different from anything bottled elsewhere.

Then you settle into a quiet, shaded spot under the walnut trees for lunch. The meal is built from seasonal Charentais products: vegetables and meat that change with the season, mixed salad, local cheese, artisan bread, fresh fruit, and a fondant made with nuts and chocolate. You choose your drinks from sodas made in Île d'Oléron, handmade fruit juice, local beer, Pineau des Charentes, or Charentais wine. Coffee, tea and herbal tea are available to order.

After eating, you can walk to the neighboring Desrentes family farm, a five-minute stroll, to see where they produce Pineau and Charentais wines, or drive ten minutes to the Abbey of Fontdouce, where activities and grounds suit all ages. The farm also has games and things to do free of charge if you want to stay longer, and it welcomes bikes, scooters and children's toys if you want to make an afternoon of it.

What’s included

• Private tasting tour of the orchard and nut-processing workshop.
• tasting of virgin nut oils and nut specialties.
• lunch with seasonal Charentais vegetables, meat, salad, local cheese, artisan bread, fruit and nut-chocolate fondant.
• your choice of sodas, handmade fruit juice, local beer, Pineau des Charentes or Charentais wine.
• guide in English or French.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 4 Jun 2027

Book up to2d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcome

Operated by LA NOYERAIE DES BORDERIES

Is this one for you?This is a private, guided experience suited to anyone with a free afternoon who wants to eat well and learn where food comes from: no self-guided option, and the tasting tour and meal together take about two hours, so plan accordingly if you're fitting it between other stops in the region.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly happens during the tasting tour at the walnut farm?

The 45-minute tour walks you through the 2,500-tree orchard, shows you how organic walnuts are harvested and processed into kernels and virgin oils in the workshop, and ends with a tasting of the farm's virgin nut oils and nut specialties.

Can I bring children, and is there anything for them to do?

Yes. Infants can ride in a pram or stroller, and the farm offers games and activities free of charge at the reception for young and old on request.

What's included in the lunch, and can I choose what I drink?

Lunch is a seasonal Charentais meal with vegetables, meat, salad, local cheese, artisan bread, fresh fruit and a nut-chocolate fondant. You choose from sodas, handmade fruit juice, local beer, Pineau des Charentes or Charentais wine, and can order coffee, tea or herbal tea separately.

Is the farm accessible for wheelchairs or mobility aids?

Yes. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and transportation options are also wheelchair accessible.

What else can I do near the farm after lunch?

You can walk five minutes to the neighboring Desrentes family farm to see Pineau and Charentais wine production, or drive ten minutes to the Abbey of Fontdouce, which has activities and grounds for all ages.