The wine year decides what you see: bare vines in winter, flowers in June, pickers in September. The heat of July and August decides how you spend the day. Read the year below, then make your Bordeaux France booking for the weeks that suit you.
| Month | In the vines | Weather | In the city |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Pruning; bare vines | Coldest; 12 wet days | Some private days skip 1 January |
| February | Pruning | Cold; frost some nights | Short days |
| March | Buds swell | Mild; 11 wet days | Spring light on the quays |
| April | Budburst | Mild | Saint-Michel spire opens |
| May | Leaves; flowering begins | Warm | Some private days skip 1 May |
| June | Flowering | Warm; long days | The longest evenings |
| July | Grapes form | Hot; 8 days over 30 °C | Heat can change a route |
| August | Grapes ripen | Hottest; 9 days over 30 °C | Heat can change a route |
| September | Harvest | Warm; 9 wet days | Pickers in the rows |
| October | Harvest ends | Mild; wetter | Fête des Vendanges, 10-11 Oct |
| November | Leaves fall | Wettest month | Saint-Michel spire closed |
| December | Dormant | Cold; wet | Some private days skip 25 December |
Weather figures are Météo-France's 1991-2020 normals for Bordeaux-Mérignac; the monthly detail is on Bordeaux weather by month. The no-run days are the ones one private operator prints on its listings.
The harvest runs from late summer into autumn, and nobody fixes it in advance. Each estate picks when its grapes are ripe, plot by plot. The white grapes and the early sites go first; the red Merlot of the right bank comes before the Cabernet of the Médoc. In Sauternes the pickers go through the rows in several passes, one bunch at a time.
So if you want to see the picking, come in September and keep your plans loose. Travellers on the Saint-Émilion half days in September have watched grapes come in and go to the press. But the château decides on the day whether visitors see the cellar at work.
The Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Émilion mark the end with their Fête des Vendanges on 10 and 11 October 2026. Forty-five of them open for walks in the vines, tastings and visits in the village. In the Médoc, the Margaux appellation holds Margaux Saveurs every October, after the harvest.
July and August are the hottest months, with highs of 27 °C to 28 °C on average. About eight days a month pass 30 °C, and the record is 41.2 °C, set in July 2019. The cellars stay cool, but the walk through Saint-Émilion's steep lanes does not.
Heat can change a route. Guides have moved the village walk to the shade and cut the vine walk short on the hottest afternoons. A forest fire can close a road in August too. So take the morning half day if you can, carry water, and wear a hat.
On an e-bike, summer means an early start. The e-bike days ride or tour for seven to eight and a half hours, and lunch is in the fare on both.
October is mild, about 20 °C by day, and the vines turn gold and red. The châteaux are quieter than in September, and the wine in the tanks is new. Rain picks up in October and November, so pack a coat.
November is the wettest month at Mérignac, at 114.5 mm. The Saint-Michel spire stops its climbs after October. For a cellar-and-tasting day, though, late autumn loses little.
From December to February the vines are bare and the pruners are out. Highs sit around 10 °C to 12 °C, and frost comes on about six or seven nights a month. The châteaux are quieter, and so are the tours.
Ophorus's private half days do not run on 25 December, 1 January or 1 May, so check your date. The Cité du Vin closes on 25 December and at 16:00 on 24 December. The tourist office closes on 1 January and 25 December.
Budburst comes in April and the flowers follow in May and June. The days are mild, from 18 °C in April to 25 °C in June. Rain falls on about ten to eleven days a month.
This is the easy season for an e-bike or a long private day. The spire reopens in April, the water mirror on Place de la Bourse runs every day, and the evenings are long enough for a night walk after a wine day.
Each tour's booking calendar shows the days it runs, so pick your date there first. The shared Saint-Émilion half days leave in the morning and the afternoon, and the private days set the time with you after booking. In the city, the tourist office opens Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 17:00.
Two city sights close on Mondays or off-season: the Pey-Berland tower shuts on Mondays, and the Saint-Michel spire opens only from April to October. The glass of wine on the historical walk is a voucher for a bar that closes on Sundays, so take that walk on another day. Plan a Sunday around the Chartrons market and a wine day.
Shared half days run $86 to $109 per person, in the morning or the afternoon; book yours before you fly.
Temperatures and rain come from Météo-France's climate sheet for Bordeaux-Mérignac. The harvest events come from the Bordeaux wine council, the opening hours from each sight, and the no-run days from each tour's own listing.
Seven hours on an e-bike from the Chartrons through the Entre-deux-Mers to Saint-Émilion, with a picnic lunch in the fare. The winery tasting costs from EUR 15 extra, and the ride is one way.
From $286 per person
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A minivan from the Colonnes rostrales to Saint-Émilion, then e-bikes among the vines with a château, a wine bar and a picnic. Every château fee, the wine and lunch are in the fare; adults only.
From $350 per person
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Four and a half hours in the Médoc in an open Citroën 2CV for up to three, with visits and tastings at two châteaux in the fare and pickup at your hotel, flat or cruise ship.
From $286 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see the figures on Bordeaux weather by month, choose a bank on the vineyards page, or compare every tour on Bordeaux France Tours.