Explore Toulouse Wine Bars with a Local Wine Expert
Description
VISIT OUR WEBSITE for a full list of our tours! Kick your evening off in style with this fun and intimate wine bar tour that celebrates the tradition of “apéro,” when friends come together for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, while exploring the wine regions of Toulouse. We'll explore some of the coolest wine bars in the Toulouse city center and discover the little-known wine regions of SW France. Learn wine tasting techniques in a fun and relaxed atmosphere where questions are encouraged! We'll taste the unique grape varieties like Négrette, Mauzac, or Braucol, while savoring locally-produced charcuterie and cheeses. Guided by a certified French Wine Scholar, you'll develop your wine vocabulary and increase your confidence so you know what you like and are comfortable ordering wine in any situation. Please note that a minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We'll be walking through the picturesque city center of Toulouse, with approximately 45 minute stops at 2-3 of the best wine bars in the Toulouse city center, chosen after lots of testing (and tasting). We won't spoil the surprise about which ones - especially since they change based on availability and seasonality.
We'll also visit a wine bar that looks on to the bustling square around the Marché des Carmes.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(99)
What a way to experience the local wines of Toulouse, ably led by Julie a very knowledgeable Tour Guide. We found the whole experience most enjoyable and relaxing as we wandered off the main throughfares to taste and learn about the wines listed below. Would highly recommens Le Nabuchodonosor : « Dégaine » - Blend of Verdanel, Loin de l’Oeil, Mauzac - Gaillac AOC Cave Saint-Etienne : Domaine Barouillet - Blend of Chenin, Sauvignon, Sémillon, Muscadelle - Bergerac AOC Chez Bobonne : Domaine Sergent - Blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng - Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec AOP Le Clos d'Audhuy - "Les Polissons" - 100% Malbec - Cahors AOC
Sounds like Julie found you the version of Toulouse most visitors never see - that wander off the main streets is baked into the route, and we love watching people relax into it once wine's in hand. Le Clos d'Audhuy's malbec is one of my favorite pours to introduce people to - it's so surprising! Thanks for such a lovely review. - Jessica
The wine tour is great! Unique spots, nuanced wines, all the 'must know' information and great conversation too. All thanks to the knowledgeable and enthusiastic local guide and sommelier Julie. Who speaks English like she was native to it. The tour took us to three great spots we hadn't found on our own yet. The wines at the different location were each tasty in their own way. She explained about the different wine appellations in southern France and the differences between them and some of the history and current happenings. Including how that affects tastes. And answered all of our questions. In closing we got recommendations for food, drink and wine hotspots not just for Toulouse but also for other locations some of the tour members were traveling to next. So in closing I can definitely recommend this. The price seemed a bit high at first but more than worth it.
Really glad those three stops felt like discoveries rather than a checklist - that's exactly the reaction we're going for when we pick spots off the well-worn path. Julie's a natural at walking people through the appellations without it turning into a lecture, and I love that she sent you off with recommendations for wherever you were headed next too. Appreciate you taking the time to write this up, especially the note on value - that's useful for us to hear. - Warmly, Jessica
One of the best tours I've taken. Personable guide and so knowledgeable! "A must" in Toulouse!
One of the best tours you've taken is high praise, thank you! I loved getting to walk you through my favorite wine bars. Hope to have you back in Toulouse again soon. - Jessica
My husband and I took the wine tour with Julie and were absolutely delighted. Julie is charming, chatty and oh so knowledgeable. The entire evening was fascinating and delicious; and just as stated on their website, Julie followed up with where we went, what we tasted and a list of many restaurants and wine bars to try while in Toulouse. I wholeheartedly recommend this tour!
So glad Julie's follow-up list gave you more ground to cover after the tour - we love sending guests off with new spots to discover. Thank you for such a generous review. Glad the evening felt chatty and unhurried rather than rehearsed - that's exactly what we're aiming for. Hope you and your husband make it back to work through the rest of that list. - Jessica
We’re both wine people, so we were excited to learn about the local wines. Jessica did not disappoint, and then some. Not only did we get a wonderful tour of a few wine bars, and an introduction to the local wines, she was also willing to go off-script to answer our many questions about living in Toulouse. Afterwards, she also sent us a great recap of where we went, a very helpful list of wine bars and restaurants, and other useful information. She even had a recommendation for a restaurant in Collioure, which we were going to visit a few days later. We had an amazing time, exceeding expectations. We definitely recommend this tour.
Fellow wine people are always a joy to guide - I loved getting to go a bit deeper into the local wine scene with you both, and answering the Toulouse living questions is one of my favorite parts of these evenings. Thank you for such a generous review! Glad the recap and the Collioure recommendation were useful - hope the rest of the trip was just as good. - Jessica
We went to 3 bars. The first had a cool vibe. No name outside. Very old. By the time we left it was super crowded. Most of the description of the provenance was given here with maps. We tasted 2 wines The next stop was a charcuterie bar where we tasted 2 wines. The cheeses, etc were delicious. The third stop was a more crowded place where we had to wait to be seated. We had a choice of red or white to be voted on by our group of 5. There was a very knowledgeable wine drinker in our group. Most of the attention and direction and conversation was dominated by her. Otherwise, our experience was ok. Perhaps, Julie should prearrange with the charcuterie bar to have it prepared before our arrival. We waited 40 minutes before we got the go-ahead to pour the wine and still 5 minutes before the cutting board arrived. We think it was an off night thrown out of sync by a person who demanded all the attention.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed review - it's genuinely helpful, and I'm glad you had an overall enjoyable evening with Julie. I want to apologize for the wait at the charcuterie bar. That's not the experience we want for our guests, and honestly, we're still working out some logistical details with a few newer partners. Your feedback goes directly toward fixing that, so thank you for flagging it. I'll also share your comments with Julie about managing the group dynamic. It's one of the trickier parts of guiding a small group - making sure everyone feels included and that the conversation stays balanced - and it's something we're always working on. It sounds like it was a bit of an unusual night, but that's not an excuse and we'll take it as a learning moment. We hope you'll give us another chance if you're back in Toulouse - on a better-calibrated night, this tour is one of our favorites. Jessica, founder of Taste of Toulouse
Our wine bar tour with Jessica was such a fun way to explore Toulouse. We visited three wine bars while we learned more about wine and the city. She even sent a follow up email with details of the tour and recommendations in Toulouse. A very fun tour!
Touched that you took the time to write this. The follow-up email is one of the small things I really care about - tours can blur together once you're back home, and I want guests to have an actual record of what we tasted and the spots we wandered through. It was lovely to share three of my favorite wine bars with you. Jessica
Our guide Julie was very personable, very knowledgeable, and enjoyed answering all our questions. C'est tres bien
Julie does have that gift for fielding questions without making it feel like a quiz - she genuinely loves the back-and-forth. C'est très bien retour à vous. Means a lot to read this. Jessica
Great experience with a friendly and knowledgeable guide! I really recommend this experience whether you have previous knowledge about wine or not, you will learn a lot!
Means a lot that you wrote this. Wine tours can feel intimidating if you're newer to it, so hearing it worked whether you walked in knowing a lot or nothing at all is exactly what I aim for. Hope to see you back in Toulouse soon. - Jessica
This was a great way to see a few special wine baa and taste some very local wines . Our guide Julie was exceptional and she made the evening super fun The local fresh wines were outstanding
Lovely to read - thank you. Julie has a real knack for keeping a wine bar evening fun without losing the thread on what's actually in the glass, and I'm glad that showed. Toulouse's wine bars deserve exactly that kind of attention. Until the next visit. - Warmly, Jessica
