Tutiac winery tour

Here in the Charente Maritime we are surrounded by vines, the grapes from which are principally used for Cognac production. We are however just a short drive away from Bordeaux wine terroir. As you cross the border from the Charente Maritime into the Gironde you are surrounded by vines which produce some of the most famous wines in the world.

Tutiac is a co operative winery located near Marcillac in the Gironde department of Nouvelle Aquitaine and an easy 1 hour drive from our family holiday cottages here at La Grange du Moulin and Les Vallaies. 450 local vignerons on both sides of the Gironde estuary have come together to help each other create some fantastic wines, some of which are bought by large UK and French supermarkets as their own label wines. The producers are located over a vast terroir from Sauternes and Graves to the Medoc to cotes de Bourg and cotes de Blaye.

We booked our tour by phone but you can email too. The tour organiser, Karin was born in the Uk and moved to France at the age of 9 in 1991, so she speaks fluent English and French and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Tutiac offer 3 tours

• Tutiac XV
• Modern wine making
• Vineyards 2030

Tutiac XV is a tutoured tasting of a selection of 8 wines from the 15 AOC wines produced by the winery. You will learn about their history and specifities. Lasts 1hr30 to 2 hrs. Min 4 adults. No children. 10€ pp Every thursday at 3pm but other days/times can be requested subject to availability.

Modern wine making is the tour we did. It involves a visit to all areas of the production from where the trailers filled with grapes enter the winery, to being weighed, logged, pressed, fermented, matured and finally bottling. It also includes a tasting of 5 wines, lasts 2hrs and is 10€ per adult, 5 € per child under 18. Max 15 per group. Min height for children is 1m30 (around 8 yrs) as there are lots of steps and equipment. The tour is not suitable for babies in pushchairs.

Our tour started with a short film about Tutiac co operative which started out in the 70's with a few local producers. It has since grown into a huge winery with an output of millions of bottles of wine a year. We were issued with high visibility jackets and an ear piece for the noisy areas so our guide wouldn't need to shout. We recommend you wear sensible shoes (no high heels) as there are lots of metal steps and grids everywhere. Chris has worked in the wine industry for many years so knows his stuff and he certainly put our guide through her paces with the questions he asked. Her depth of knowledge about all areas of the organisation and production was excellent and she was happy to answer all our questions in great detail.

This is a working winery. At some times of year, certain areas may be out of bounds for safety reasons and even at this quieter time of year (July) there was lots of maintenance and cleaning work going on. If you've been to a Hennessey Cognac tour - it's not like that - all flashy and glossy and perfect, there are puddles to avoid and pipes to step over, but it was without a doubt, very professional and absolutely fascinating. The highlight for me was the bottling plant which just happened to be doing a run of Sainsburys 'taste the difference' own label Rosé. This is where you needed the ear piece as it was quite noisy. A great experience .

Our tour finished with a tasting of 5 wines in the boutique. These had been selected to show the different production methods that we had learnt about during the tour. The measures were very generous so you'll need a designated driver who can use the spitoon. It was a really lovely touch that the children were able to join in the 'tasting' as Karin tested their knowledge with the 'nez de vin' - a box of tiny bottles containing all the 'smells' associated with wine. With each wine she gave us adults she gave the children a bottle to sniff and identify. They guessed vanilla when we were tasting an oaked wine, lemon when we tasted a sauvignon and blackcurrant and chocolate smells for the red wines. They really enjoyed it, as did we.

If you have younger children this would be the most appropriate tour as it is located in the vineyards. These are experimental vineyards where the winery is looking into more sustainable and eco friendly ways of making wine. The tour includes information on the long term environmental aspects of wine making. Lasts 2hrs. Max 25 persons. 10€ per adult. Under 18's free. Includes a tasting of 5 wines. Held Tuesday to Friday at 14hr30 or Saturdays at 15hr, other days / times available by appointment.

At the cellar door, you can just turn up with no appointment and enjoy a free tasting of the wineries wines - definitely worth it. They have a lovely shop with loads of local produce and gift items from local producers like cups and glasses, vinegars and honey. Well worth a stop off even if you don't have the time for a full tour.

After our visit we enjoyed a lovely meal at the restaurant la Citadelle in Blaye, about a 20 min drive from Tutiac. It is a hotel restaurant located on the banks of the Gironde with a superb view across to the Medoc. It was perfect weather and it was a beautiful situation - perfect for celebrating my birthday.