Bordeaux Gourmet Experience: Cheese & Wine Tasting

The best part of this Bordeaux tasting is the setting: an 18th-century vaulted cellar beneath a family-run cheese shop. You sit around a communal table and work through nine French cheeses with three Bordeaux wines, while your host explains the pairings with stories, jokes, and regional detail. I especially like the generous cheese portions and the chance to see the cellar holding more than 100 cheeses.

I also like the simple structure: one platter of three cheeses with each wine, moving from dry white to red and then sweet Sauternes. The main consideration is that this is a shared, social tasting rather than a quiet private lesson, and people who dislike strong cheese or alcohol may find the fixed selection less appealing.

Key points to know before booking

• Three wines, nine cheeses: Each wine is paired with three French AOP or AOC cheeses, with bread served throughout.
• A real cellar setting: The tasting takes place below the restaurant in an old vaulted cheese cellar filled with more than 100 varieties.
• Hosts make the difference: Patrick, Marti, Marty, and Melanie are among the hosts praised for warmth, humor, and clear explanations.
• A filling 90 minutes: The portions are substantial enough that you should arrive hungry, especially if this replaces a light meal.
• English-language experience: The session is conducted in English, with grape juice offered to anyone under 18.
• Good flexibility: You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund and reserve now while paying later.

Entering Bordeaux’s Cave of 100 Cheeses

Your meeting point is 19 rue Huguerie, a central Bordeaux address that is easy to reach without arranging transport. The door is not simply open for walk-ins, so ring the bell at your reserved time, either 11:30 AM or 5:30 PM. Your host opens the venue and brings you inside.

That small arrival ritual fits the character of the place. This is not a grand wine estate with polished grounds and formal reception rooms. It is a working family institution, founded in 1987, with a restaurant and cheese shop above an old underground cellar.

The tasting takes place in the Cave of 100 Cheeses, a name that tells you what to expect. The cellar is more than decoration. Shelves and storage areas filled with cheeses give the experience a practical link to the food on your plate. If you arrive early or have time afterward, make sure you look around downstairs. The cellar itself is one of the most memorable parts of the visit.

The room has an old-world feel, but the session is designed to be friendly rather than formal. You sit at a large communal table, which makes it easy to chat with other people and ask questions. If you prefer a private table and a quiet meal, this setup may not suit you as well.

Three Bordeaux wines, three cheese pairings each

The tasting follows a clear progression. You receive three platters, each holding three assorted French cheeses. Every platter is matched with one Bordeaux wine, so you can taste the cheese on its own and then try it with the wine beside it.

The three wine styles are:

• A dry Bordeaux white
• A Bordeaux red
• Sauternes, the region’s sweet wine

This sequence gives you a useful introduction to how different wines change the taste of cheese. The dry white offers a fresh starting point. The red brings a fuller, more familiar pairing. The Sauternes provides a sweet finish that can work especially well with salty, creamy, or stronger cheeses.

The pairings are not presented as a test with one correct answer. Your host explains why particular cheeses work with each wine and invites you to notice the changes for yourself. That makes the tasting accessible if you do not know much about French wine.

You will also get traditional sourdough baguette from a local neighborhood bakery. It is an important part of the meal, not just a prop. Bread clears the palate between samples and gives you something substantial to eat alongside the cheese and wine.

Several people found the portions generous, with three cheeses served alongside each wine. I would plan this as more than a quick nibble. You may not need a full meal immediately afterward, especially if you arrive hungry and take your time with the tasting.

A tour of French cheese by region

The nine cheeses come from different parts of France, creating a small Tour de France at the table. The point is not simply to count varieties. It is to show how French cheese changes with region, milk, texture, aging, and local tradition.

Your host talks through the background of each selection and the reason for its pairing. The explanations include regional details, production information, and small stories that help you remember what you are eating. The hosts are not expected to bury you in technical terms. The best sessions keep the information light, useful, and entertaining.

That balance has been a strong feature of the experience. Hosts such as Patrick and Marti have been praised for their humor and easy manner, while Melanie was singled out for clear explanations. The names of the host can vary, but the format remains the same: an English-speaking presenter guides you through the wines and cheeses and answers questions as you go.

If you already know a great deal about French cheese, you may want more detail about individual producers or aging methods than this short tasting provides. For most people, though, 90 minutes is enough time to learn something without turning the visit into a classroom.

The selection may also change. Cheese is seasonal and stock depends on what the shop has available, so you should not book expecting a particular nine varieties unless they are confirmed in advance. That flexibility is part of visiting a working cheese cellar rather than a fixed museum display.

Why the cellar setting matters

Bordeaux is famous for wine, and many visitors book tastings focused only on vineyards and appellations. This experience gives you another way into the region’s food culture. You still taste Bordeaux wine, but the cheese makes you slow down and pay attention to texture, salt, creaminess, age, and sweetness.

The location also gives the tasting a sense of place. You are not seated in a generic hotel room with a few sample plates. You are below a long-running restaurant and cheese shop, surrounded by the stock that supports the business.

I would allow a little time to appreciate the cellar rather than treating it as a backdrop. The underground room is old, atmospheric, and packed with food. It gives the tasting more character than the wine-and-cheese combinations alone could provide.

There is a practical limit, though. This is a city experience, not a visit to a cheese farm or a Bordeaux château. You will not be touring a production facility or watching cheese being made. If you want to see vineyards, barrels, or farm work, choose a different activity.

The social side of a communal table

The large shared table shapes the mood. You are likely to exchange comments with people from other countries, compare favorites, and laugh when one cheese proves stronger than expected. The hosts encourage that relaxed tone, and past sessions have been described as lively without becoming chaotic.

This format suits couples, friends, solo visitors, and small groups who enjoy meeting people over food. It also works well for mixed levels of wine knowledge. You do not need to know the difference between Bordeaux’s appellations before arriving.

The group size can vary, but one reported session had eight people, a comfortable number for asking questions and hearing the host. The experience is not advertised as a private tasting, so keep that in mind if you are planning a special occasion that needs an exclusive setting.

The social format may be less attractive if you want to spend the full 90 minutes talking only with your own group. There is also no promise that the session will be tailored to personal preferences, although the host may ask if there is anything particular you would like to try.

Does the $57 price make sense?

At $57 per person, this is not the cheapest way to have a glass of Bordeaux and a piece of cheese. It offers better value when you treat it as a guided tasting meal in a distinctive cellar.

You receive nine cheese samples, three Bordeaux wines, bread from a local bakery, and 90 minutes with an English-speaking host. The cheese portions have been described as ample, and the three-cheese pairing for each wine gives you plenty to compare.

I consider the price fair for a first visit to Bordeaux if you care about food and want more structure than a casual order at a wine bar. The cellar setting and host-led explanations add to the cost, but they also make the visit more memorable.

The value is weaker if you only want to sample one or two local cheeses, if you do not drink wine, or if you are looking for a full restaurant dinner. Under-18 participants receive grape juice from local wineries instead of alcohol, but the adult and child price is the same. That is worth considering for families.

Timing, age rules, and practical details

The experience lasts 90 minutes, with available sessions at 11:30 AM and 5:30 PM depending on the date and reservation. The late morning option can work as a substantial brunch-style outing. The early evening session fits neatly before dinner, though the cheese and bread may mean you want only a light meal afterward.

Bring a passport or identity card. The minimum drinking age is 18, and grape juice is served to participants under 18. Children under four are not allowed, and the same price applies to adults and children from four years old.

Pets are not permitted. Pregnant women are advised not to book this experience, since the tasting centers on wine and assorted cheeses.

Transportation is not included, so you make your own way to 19 rue Huguerie. The instructions are simple: arrive at the address and ring the bell. There is no need to arrange a separate transfer from Bordeaux’s center.

The experience is offered in English, which is useful if you want explanations about French cheese and Bordeaux wine without relying on your own French vocabulary. If you have allergies, dietary restrictions, or strong dislikes, ask about the available selections before booking. The provided details do not promise substitutions.

Who will enjoy this tasting most?

I would recommend it to you if you want a compact introduction to French cheese with a clear wine structure. It is particularly good for people who enjoy learning through food, rather than sitting through a formal lecture.

It is also a smart choice for a first day in Bordeaux. You get a quick sense of the city’s food culture, learn a few useful wine terms, and discover a cellar you might otherwise walk past. The 11:30 AM session can set up the rest of your day, while the 5:30 PM session makes a pleasant start to an evening.

Food lovers should arrive hungry. The combination of nine cheeses, bread, and three wines is more substantial than the word tasting may suggest.

I would think twice if you dislike communal seating, want an intimate private experience, or are already an expert seeking a highly technical analysis of Bordeaux wine. I would also skip it if you are pregnant, bringing a child under four, or mainly interested in vineyard scenery.

Should you book the Bordeaux cheese and wine tasting?

Book it if you want an entertaining, food-focused experience with generous samples and a memorable setting. The strongest reasons are the 18th-century cellar, the three-wine progression, and the hosts’ friendly storytelling. The session gives you plenty to eat, enough wine to compare styles, and a useful introduction to French cheese without taking half a day.

The main cautions are the shared table, fixed price for children, and limited choice of wine and cheese styles. If those points work for you, $57 is a reasonable price for 90 minutes in one of Bordeaux’s most characterful food spaces.

FAQ

Where does the Bordeaux cheese and wine tasting take place?

It takes place at 19 rue Huguerie in Bordeaux, in a family-run restaurant and cheese shop with an 18th-century underground cellar.

How long does the tasting last?

The experience lasts 90 minutes.

How many cheeses and wines are included?

You receive nine French AOP or AOC cheeses and three Bordeaux wines. The cheeses are served on three platters, with three cheeses paired with each wine.

Which wines will I taste?

The tasting includes a dry white Bordeaux, a red Bordeaux, and Sauternes.

Is the experience offered in English?

Yes. The host or greeter conducts the experience in English.

Can children attend the tasting?

Children under four are not allowed. Participants from four years old pay the same price as adults. Anyone under 18 receives grape juice from local wineries instead of alcohol.

What happens if I need to cancel?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later.