Charming hotels for exploring wineries in France

In Cahors, discover the Château de Mercuès, nestled among more than 35 hectares of grapevines and a beautiful tree-filled park, all located on a site dating back to the 13th century. Choose between a charming room with a view overlooking the vineyard or a suite located within the Tower.

After you’ve dropped off your luggage, make sure you visit the hotel spa where they offer a range of certified organic treatments for the face and body. If time permits, you could also make the most of the open-air swimming pool that looks out over the surrounding area.

In the quiet of the Château’s underground cellars vintage Malbecs and Grands Vins Seigneur de Cahors mature, with dark fruit flavours and velvety tannins which have garnered awards for several of these wines. Food lovers will particularly enjoy combining wines with the region’s specialities (black truffle, saffron and lamb) in the gourmet on-site restaurant or the castle’s brewery. It’s also possible to visit the vinification and maturing cellars, take part in grape harvesting days, take a cooking class or simply stroll along the winery’s private paths.

A stone’s throw from Bordeaux, set in the heart of the grapevines of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte, the hotel Les Sources de Caudalie celebrates wine and all its benefits. You can choose from among 16 Grand Cru Classé de Graves wines particular to the region, including both reds and whites, and all with the prestigious Pessac-Leognan designation. In all, the cellar boasts no fewer than 16,000 bottles.

To relax, treat yourself to a crushed Cabernet scrub from the various wine-based treatments available in the Caudalie vinotherapy spa. While to please the taste buds, head off to La Grand’Vigne, a restaurant with two Michelin stars and a head sommelier who knows all about the very best nectars. Discover the region’s delicacies at the wine bar where they are paired with a wide selection of Bordeaux wines. And, as for daily activities, you can expect vineyard visits by bike or horse-drawn carriage, wine tastings, cooking classes and sport sessions among the grapevines.

Make the most of swimming in front of the grapevines, feasting in the 17-hectare vineyard, waking up and admiring the view overlooking the vines or the garden: Le Domaine de Verchant will delight wine lovers. The grape varieties grown in this area give rise to five different wines (three reds, one rosé and one white), which can be sampled or bought in the wine cellar-cum-boutique.

In addition to wine tastings, borrow a bike for a trip through the vines. Why not treat yourself to a moment of blissful relaxation in one of the three swimming pools, or – let’s go mad – in a couple’s booth in the spa area, complete with steam room and private jacuzzi? You can then return to the tranquillity of your room, apartment or, even better, your own little private house!

In a winegrowing village near Dijon, the hotel Les Deux Chèvres welcomes oenologists-in-the-making to this typical vintner’s house. The wines at Les Deux Chèvres, produced by the domain de Moray Tawse, or Gevrey Chambertin wines, are best savoured with a selection of the hotel’s artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. There are bikes at your disposal too, so you can go and discover neighbouring vineyards.

Visit the hotel cellars where you can learn how best to pair wine with food. After these busy days, head back to the cosy cocoon of your bedroom with a view overlooking the grapevines that surround the village of Gevrey. After a good night’s sleep, you can enjoy a delicious organic breakfast on the hotel’s sun-drenched terrace. A real treat!

A stay at the hotel La Cueillette, in the heart of the Mersault winegrowing region, offers pure wine-based relaxation. Nestled among the grapevines of the Château de Cîteaux, this spa hotel offers a specialised experience dedicated to the benefits of fruit therapy.

Experience a personalised 2- or 4-day treatment using antioxidants from grapes and other red fruits in the 500m² spa. Wine-making is still very much a part of the hotel’s activity, thanks to the grapevines of the Vieux Cros which surrounds the castle. This allows La Ceuilette to offer a Mersault Vieux Clos du Château, matured in the 600m² cellar built in the 11th century by the monks who planted the vines and began making wine here. You’re able to visit the vineyard and, of course, taste this ambrosial nectar.