Bella Wine Tours in the press

'For bespoke vineyard tours, Hamish Wakes-Miller of Bella Wine Tours can open doors to the mighty names of Chateau Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Palmer Cheval Blanc and the like (bellawines.co.uk). He is vastly knowledgeable and great company. ' Country and Town House Magazine, June 2013.


We were extremely proud to be mentioned in an article featuring Bordeaux in the June edition of Country and Town House magazine.
Please click on the link for the full article here.
I met the journalist Laura Ivill last Autumn and she joined one of the Bella Wine Tours trips to a few top quality Chateaux. Laura writes for several publications including the Sunday Times and now she is contributing to Decanter Magazine.

It was lovely to see features on The Grand Hotel in Bordeaux and also the beautiful Les Sources de Caudalie where many of our clients stay whilst they are in Bordeaux.

We have tours and tastings organised throughout the year. We are quoting for business groups in February and March 2014 as well as for the rest of 2013. Please contact me directly at hamish@bellawines.co.uk if you are interested in tasting some of the finest wines and having a great experience in Bordeaux.

2013 Bella Wine Tours

A belated Happy New Year to everyone. ....I am not sure when it is still respectable to wish 'Happy New Year'!

The majestic Chateau Marguax on a sunny day last summer.

The end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 have been extremely busy on the work front. Bella Wine Tours has received many requests for wine tours in Bordeaux for this year. As we reply to each and every customer individually and try to listen to their requests it does take quite some time to organise tailor made wine tours. But we are determined to maintain top standards, so that we can build a strong business renowned for quality and service. We have enjoyed some very pleasant reviews from Trip Advisor.
A few comments from guests in 2012:

 'Hamish is the perfect guide to help you explore Bordeaux' amazing Chateaux. Hamish opened doors to Chateaux that were off the tourist path and even arranged for us to spend the night at one.'

 'What a tremendous experience we had with Hamish over a two-day period of Chateau tours and tastes. Hamish (your guide) will bestow an enormous amount of wine knowledge on your during your tours with him.

From the start he was quick to respond to our very last minute request for tours and quickly put together a stellar itinerary for my wife and me. We spent two full days with Hamish starting in the mornings, a unique lunch each day followed by more tours and tastings in the afternoon. Each Chateau clearly had a mutual respect for Hamish and we felt very welcome at each one we visited.

Hamish's knowledge of wine far exceeds any tour we have ever been on...and we have toured 7 different wine regions in addition to Bordeaux. You will walk away with an understanding of the region that is one of the most difficult to understand. As a plus for us...he speaks English and French with English being his primary language making the tour very easy to follow.

Hamish was also quick to help us book the hotel, dinners, etc! Overall a wonderful wine experience in Bordeaux that we would highly recommend to all!'

The delightful Violaine explaining biodynamics in the vineyards at Chateau Pontet Canet in Pauillac.

So what are the plans for 2013? We will be responding to enquiries on an individual basis. We will make the visit to Bordeaux a memorable experience. We are aware that many people want to have a genuine experience rather than a top 'white tablecloth' dining experience, therefore we will arrange more winemaker dinners and find more rustic, rural and charming restaurants.
We will also be organising some group tours to some of the First Growth estates. These wine tours will be top quality and run over 4 days. These are planned for May, June, September and October. Please email hamish@bellawines.co.uk for more information.

Wine Tours in Bordeaux

 Flourishing roses and vines at Chateau Pontet Canet today (June 17th)

Excellent lunch at Chateau Pichon Longueville.

Tasting at Chateau Latour

Clear blue skies at Chateau d'Yquem

Violaine in the vineyard explaining biodynamics at Chateau Ponet Canet

Busy time for wine tours at the moment.www.bellawinetours.com We have received Americans, Canadians, Chinese, British, Australian, Swiss and Dutch clients recently.

Bella Wine Tours

One of the best aspects of Bella Wine Tours is that we get behind the scenes at the famous Chateaux in Bordeaux.

Here are a selection of photos from recent tours.
Explaining the vineyards at Chateau Mouton Rothschild.















Standing in the Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande vineyards next to Chateau Latour.











Meeting charismatic Chateau owners such as Xavier Planty at Chateau Guiraud in Sauternes.
















Taking in the fantastic views of Saint Emilion.












Or just chilling out at Chateau Margaux.










All of our tours are tailor made for your requirements. We can add specific Chateaux to visit if you have favorites. We can often accommodate extra activities such as visiting a chocolate maker, eating in restaurants in Bordeaux or even going horse racing.
We are quoting for wine tours throughout 2012 and in to 2013. Drop us an email at hamish@bellawines.co.uk with your proposed dates and how many people in your group.

Cellar Tracker Bordeaux Trip 2011

Back in January Bella Wine Tours was invited by the Cellar Tracker community to co ordinate a trip to Bordeaux for an interesting group of wine enthusiasts. The initial contact was from the UK and I was under the impression that if we put together an interesting itinerary, then we would get 20-25 people to Bordeaux. I am always sceptical so I presumed 10-15! The clients for Cellar Tracker are mainly American, but they are truly internet fans, so some of the clients were from China, Singapore, Canada and the UK.
Fortunately the Cellar Tracker community is strong and I organized a busy schedule of visits, tastings and lunches and dinners for the 28 people who signed up for the trip. I offered accommodation in the excellent 5 star Hotel Regent as well as the 3 star Hotel de Normandie.
Here are a few pictures of the happy wine enthusiasts who attended the 4 days of fun at the end of May 2011:











Visiting Chateau Lafite Rothschild. We tasted the excellent 1995.








The incredible barrel room at Chateau Lafite Rothschild.











The 28 people were great fun. Some of them knew each other beforehand, but many of them did not know anyone else. Everyone got on extremely well and we had a busy but fun time.
Here is or schedule:
Sunday: Arrive at Hotels and meet for an evening drink.
Monday: Coaches to Chateau Pontet Canet for a visit and tasting of the 2005 and 2010 barrel sample.
Visit and Tasting to Chateau Mouton Rothschild....2010 barrel sample tasted.
Visit and Tasting to Chateau Lynch Bages....2004 and 2010 tasted
Lunch in Pauillac in a riverside restaurant.

Visit and tasting at Chateau Lafite Rothschild...Tasted the 1995
Visit and tasting at Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste...Tasted 2010 and 2005.
Visit and Tasting at Ch. Pichon Longueville...Tasted 2010,2009,1008 and 2003.

Monday was free to explore the restaurants of Bordeaux.







Happy clients in the tasting room at Ch. Pichon Longueville, where we were really treated to some exceptional wines...2010,2009,2008 and 2003.








Tuesday: Coaches to Ch. La Mission Haut Brion...Tasted the 2007 Ch. Haut brion and 2007 Ch. La Mission Haut Brion.
Visit and Tasting at Domaine de Chevalier....Tasted the 2010(Red and White) and 2005(Red)
Lunch and a tasting with Daniel and Florence Cathiard at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. A delicious lunch after some lovely aperitifs..Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2008 and Rouge 2007. Lunch with the 1998 and 2006 from Magnums.
In the afternoon we visited the majestic Chateau d'Yquem for a visit and tasting of the incredible 2007.

Tuesday evening was free to explore Bordeaux.







The amazing new egg fermentor at Domaine de Chevalier.









Wednesday: Coaches to Chateau de la Riviere in Fronsac. A full tour of the cellars and the Chateau as well as a tasting of teh 2005 and 2010 and the 2001 Aria.
Lunch free to stroll around Saint Emilion.
Afternoon visit to Ch. La Conseillante in Pomerol, where we tasted the 2010.

I arranged a dinner at Chateau Coutet in Barsac. We tasted some fabulous sweet wines....2010, 1998, 1976, 1989 during a beautiful meal in the Chateau.

Thursday morning we visited Chateau Margaux where we tasted the 2007 Pavillon Rouge and Ch. Margaux.
Last visit was to Ch. Rauzan Segla where we enjoyed the 2010 and the 2006.

Everyone had a great time. We covered a lot of ground and we met some fantastic characters and personalities. We also got on very well as a group and it was a great pleasure to organise. There are many notes and many better pictures and detailed tasting notes on the Cellar Tracker main website and the forum.

I would be delighted to organise a similar type trip to Bordeaux. via www.bellawinetours.com