most "viney" peninsula…

Learning to taste

In one of the "Maisons des vins" or along the Route des châteaux, the people who make wine will be delighted to give you a taste of their products. Some of them even offer the chance of practical experience with harvest mornings or blending operations, as part of turnkey holidays for example.
There is also a remarkable place which manages to be a wine bar, restaurant, exhibition hall and concert venue, all without pretention but with lots of quality... This is La Winery, near Arsac. The high point of the visit is the Wine Sign event, where all your wine tastes will be revealed.

Try them with your wine

There are obviously plenty of gourmet specialities, such as Pauillac lamb, grenier médocain or grilled shad. They are eaten during fêtes and even during the famous Marathon du Médoc in September. Other delicacies are fished from the shacks that line the estuary.

A mineral aspect

The Médoc heritage is not confined to wine. From Cordouan Lighthouse and the Belle-Epoque villas in Soulac to the fort built by Vauban in Cussac, the old stone will recount the region’s history. For example, how Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres Church managed to be buried under sand...

Things to see

Art and wine have always been closely linked. Certain châteaux display their private collections during visits organised by specialised agencies and the tourist offices, for example Mouton Rothschild and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Others, such as Lynch Bages, regularly host exhibitions by international artists.

Breathe in deeply

Because nature is our oldest heritage, we must mention the pine groves, the marshlands and the big lakes (Hourtin-Carcans-Maubuisson and Lacanau), without forgetting the Le Cousseau Nature Reserve or, of course, the Gironde Estuary. Europe’s biggest estuary and its wild islands are another world altogether! Certain islands have been slightly developed and can be visited. The Maison du vin et du tourisme in Pauillac will give you all practical info for visits, excursions and accommodation.

* this is an opportunity to explain that the word "château" (castle) is specific to the Bordeaux region when it means a wine estate. Many vineyard owners built castles on their land. Some of them are historic (Margaux, Lynch-Bages or Pichon-Longueville in the Médoc, Smith-Haut-Lafitte in Graves, Monbazillac in Bergerac), but they should not be confused with the fortresses of the Middle Ages (Roquetaillade, Villandraut or Bonaguil) or with Renaissance castles.