Saint - Émilion

Exploring Saint-Émilion’s Hidden Layers 

In Saint-Émilion, the past lingers in the stones, the scent of ripening vines, the sound of footsteps echoing through quiet cloisters. The best way to understand it? Get to know it from the ground up. 

The Balade et Dégustation tour threads through cobbled lanes and vineyard paths, where the landscape shifts from honeyed hills to leafy shade before arriving at a local estate. There, in the hush of a cellar, the process of winemaking is revealed - not as science, but as skilled work built on tradition. 

The Histoires Gourmandes walk rewrites the typical tasting experience. Think less formal pairing, more joyful discovery. Alongside world-renowned wines, you’ll encounter Saint-Émilion’s sweeter signatures - like golden canelés, rich pralines, and macaroons that crumble delicately between your fingers. 

For something hands-on, I Cook at the Château turns visitors into chefs for the day. Inside Château Ambe Tour Pourret’s sleek kitchen, seasonal ingredients are prepped with precision and plated with care. Each dish finds its match in the estate’s own wines, and the conversation - just like the flavours - flows naturally. 

And then, a change of pace: e-bikes hum quietly across the countryside in the Bicy’Clotte tour, baskets filled en route with cheeses, charcuterie and other artisan fare. A long lunch under the trees, followed by a tasting at Château La Grande Clotte, unhurried and full of vintage charm. 

But Saint-Émilion holds deeper secrets. Beneath the village, vast subterranean chambers - an ancient hermitage, catacombs, and the awe-inspiring monolithic church and Trinity Chapel - have been carved directly from limestone, offering a solemn, intimate counterpoint to the world above. 

Back up, a vintage Citroën 2CV winds past stone walls and sunlit vines to quiet estates, where tastings with a local expert reveal the character of the land. As dusk settles, the day closes perhaps over dinner at L’Atelier de Candale, or beneath vineyard stars at La Réserve du Château de Roques.