Private tour in Bordeaux Nicolle C
5.0
(6) reviews
4 hours
1
4 hours
1
Nicolle C.
4.9
Guide rating
122
Reviews
Tours delivered
15 hrs
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Getting on for 40 years experience in region enables me to take you around the vineyards of Bordeaux and open doors for visits that truly go behind the scenes. We taste some amazing wines and meet some amazing people! The people that make the wine have become my friends. Since arriving in Bordeaux in 1989 by 2CV from England, the Bordeaux region, its wines and people have become my passion and my life! Step into my world and really get a feel for this amazing dynamic place. Each itinerary is individually created for you - I know the secrets of the region and cant wait to share them with you. I can offer you a unique insider's authentic view of Bordeaux. It will be a fun, informative experience you will never forget and quite different to the other wine tours of Bordeaux available. I specialise in the SIPs - smaller independent producers where we can meet the winemaker and taste some amazing wines. Bordeaux is big and there is lots of opportunity (if you know where to look just on the wrong side of a famous border....) to find great value high quality authentic wines. I love the Grand Cru Classé too and surprisingly there are many that offer excellent quality and value. The 2014 vintage is underated and drinking beautifully now. (Many chateaux ship now so you can enjoy your memories when you get home too.) Most of my favourite properties are still family-owned, many are biodynamic or organic, most are classified and all produce great wine. (there are 7000 properties in Bordeaux and only around 200 of them belong to the elite group called the Grand Cru Classé). Of course we will see both to see and taste a well-rounded view. My wish is that each of my 'tours' is an authentic, unique and hopefully unforgettable experience during which we have the opportunity to share our interest in wine, have fun and learn along the way. I never stop learning about this fascinating subject! You may find my Bordeaux Wine Blog helpful in planning your trip (with restaurant recommendations and maps and information to orientate yourself) and once you book, you will have access to this too. NICOLLE CROFT BIO Native English speaker with over 40 years in the professional wine world in London and Bordeaux Merit in TASTING DUAD Tasting Diploma from the Faculty of Oenology, Bordeaux University. Accreditied tasting teacher of WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Wine Diploma and teacher Co-creator of wine-searcher.com, the first and the world's largest wine search engine Professional Chef French Cuisine, Bordeaux INFATH - food and wine go together! 'Honorary Member of Commanderie de Bontemps (Medoc, Sauternes, Graves) and Côtes de Bourg Connetable de Guyenne - I'm on the inside! of this closed world - Author of bestselling wine book 'Winetasting' translated into 8 languages. Family Property St Emilion Grand Cru Château Béard La Chapelle property - "I get to live the wine life from the vines upwards..." Wine Writer Guide Book 'Bordeaux Sip by Sip Wine guide - getting to the heart of Bordeaux wines' No restrictions
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Nicolle C.
Famous all over the world for its wines, the region also has a wonderful selection of foods and gastronomy. We will visit the Chartrons area of Bordeaux with its cheese shops, wine cellar, speciality bread shop and fruit and vegetable stalls in a small neighbourhood market. We will meet the different specialists and be able to talk about the seasonal specialities. You will be accompanied by an expert wine guide, herself a trained chef and passionate about both food and wine! Appreciating food and wine is very subjective so this day will be personal discovery not learning the rights and wrongs of matching food and wine - more about what you like! Wine was made to go with food. I believe most wine goes with most foods. The objective is to enhance both the food and the wine. The thing to remember is that to get a winning combination is a memorable achievement but it is all highly individual. There are no rights and wrongs just personal taste. I will lead you through some simple steps to unravel the mystery!
This was a great tour! Nicolle was fantastic! She met us at a small market in a quaint Bordeaux neighborhood, where we began shopping at several local stores for cheese, appetizers, bread, charcuterie, and desserts. As we went shopping, she gave us a tour of the neighborhood and told us about its history. Then, we enjoyed the food with a wine pairing and learned all about how to taste Bordeaux wines. What a delightful experience, and certainly the highlight of our cruise.
Nicolle met us at a local market, and took us to Francois, who'd prepared an educational and gastronomic educational experience second to none. In our session, Francois guided us through wine tasting from start to finish, accompanied by tasty treats paired to the wines. Awesome introduction and refresher course on how to understand and evaluate wine. Based on the educational experience, I was able to correctly identify the vintage in a blind tasting the next day—with a 23 year range. A must!
Very flexible and easy to work with!
If any of you are going on a Bordeaux river cruise this tour is a must with Nicolle. We thought we were wine snobs prior to this tour. Nicolle arranged a wine session with her colleague Francois, who just happens to be one of the judges on wine classification and certification, It was like we had our own private wine professor for the afternoon. We collectively chose several foods to eat from little shops from pate to fruit to charcuterie. We combined these with several wines. This is a must do tour. A+
Nicole planned and executed a fabulous tour for us. With her we went shopping in the Chartrons neighborhood of Bordeaux and then to a wine tasting and food pairing session in a private home. She purchased foods that we liked and showed us interesting and historic stores and bakeries. It was a wonderful and informative tour and we enjoyed every minute, every mouthful and every drop of wine.
Nicolle is an amazing guide. She is extremely friendly and polite, but her biggest asset is how knowledgeable she is about food and wine from the region. She is able to effortlessly explain complicated concepts in easy to understand ways, she demonstrates easily what she wants to say, responds to questions, communicates very effectively and is overall just an awesome person to talk to. ten thumbs up!
*Buying of the seasonal ingredients according to your tastes *participating in a food and wine tasting This would be an ample but light and fresh lunch based on local ingredients. Guided by an expert wine guide, herself a trained chef and passionate about both food and wine!
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Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
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4 hours
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a 20% deposit!
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