FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Departure Location
All our tours start from our agency in Bordeaux, located in the heart of the historic town.
English & French
Our group tours are now english-speaking or french-speaking. For Spanish or Portuguese speaking tour, contact us for a private tour !
Weather conditions
We have a plan B and even a plan C in case of rains on electric bike tours ! So no worries, we'll take good care of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
COVID-19
We’ll contact you by mail to cancel your booking and offer you a voucher (the contingency plan will apply). If you’re available at another date, we’ll be happy to discuss it with you.
Because of the covid-19 crisis and French contingency plan for tourism companies, our cancellation policy shall cease to be valid and we’ll follow the contingency plan. We’ll offer you a credit note valid 18 months after the issued date. If you couldn’t book another date, we’ll process the refund once the 18-month period has expired.
Because of the covid-19 crisis and French contingency plan for tourism companies, our cancellation policy shall cease to be valid and we’ll follow the contingency plan (contact us if you want to receive it). We’ll offer you a credit note valid 18 months after the issued date. If you couldn’t book another date, we’ll process the refund once the 18-month period has expired. The cancellation insurance will also cease to be valid and granted as a credit-note (see below cause of force majeure (= for example Covid-19 crisis).
* updated 14/08/20 (1 PM GMT+2)
Rustic Vines commit to follow strict sanitory rules to protec your, its employees and our partners:
- We ask you to bring your own mask
- We will clean regularly our agencies, vehicles and common equipment
- When possible we’ll respect a distance between each other
CANCELLATION POLICY
If you booked a tour with us before 17/03/2020, please see Covid-19 section above.
All cancellations have to be advised by mail at contact@rusticvinestours.com before the departure time. All cancellations after the departure time won’t be accepted and no refund will be granted. For further safety, you can take insurance when booking for €5 per person where we will provide refund under the below conditions. The cancellation conditions are as followed :
- If you cancel more than 7 days out from the tour:
100% refund
- If you cancel within 7 days of the scheduled tour:
0% refund if you haven’t purchased our cancellation insurance
50% refund if you purchased our cancellation insurance and notified us less than 24 hours before the departure time
100% refund if you purchased our cancellation insurance and notified us more than 24 hours before the departure time
RUSTIC VINES reserves the right to cancel if the minimum number of guests (3) is not reached.
Failure to notify us by email or phone will result in zero refund.
Contingency clause in case of damage or force majeure : in any of the above cases, Rustic Vines reserves the right to cancel and to apply the following cancellation policy: the above conditions for obtaining a refund will cease to be valid (even in the case where the customer has purchased the company’s cancellation insurance) and the customer will be granted a credit note, without any time limit
ELECTRIC BIKE TOURS
We only have adult electric bikes. The minimum height required is 155 cm (= 5.0853 feet). Rustic Vines reserves the right to cancel your booking if you do not reach the minimum required height – no refund will be accepted.
We have a plan B and even a plan C ! If it’s low rain, we have rain jackets for you and the tour will go ahead. If it’s heavy rain and too dangerous, we might reconsider the tour and do it in a minivan (and refund you the price’s difference). We usually play it by ear and your guide takes the decision on the day. According to rain forecasts, we will contact you in advance by email if we decide to reschedule it.
No but we ask you to be in good health conditions and able to cycle around 20 to 25 kilometers (about 3 hours). The electric assistance will help a lot.
Sure ! Our bike have an electric assistance but you still need to do some exercice and pedal to move the bike forward.
No. But you can turn off the electric assistance and use the bike as a normal one. You might change your mind when you’ll see Saint-Emilion hills 😉
GENERAL INFORMATION ON TOURS
What we call a group tour is a shared one with other people. The minimum is 3 persons and the maximum is 8 persons.
If you have special request and don’t want to share your tour with others, then you need to request a private tour by sending us the form or contacting us by email. There is no maximum number limit.
Where is the meeting location for the tour’s departure?
On the electric bike tours, if you choose “St Emilion departure”, the meeting point is 8 rue André Loiseau, 33330 SAINT-EMILION. If you choose “Bordeaux departure”, the meeting point is our agency in Bordeaux center located at 26 rue de la Devise, 33000 BORDEAUX.
On the minivan tours, is our agency in Bordeaux center located at 26 rue de la Devise, 33000 BORDEAUX.
Where is the drop off location after the tour?
After the tour, your guide will drop you off at our agency in Bordeaux centre : 26 rue de la Devise, 33000 BORDEAUX.
However on the ebike tours, if you selected the “St Emilion departure” then your tour will end in Saint-Emilion.
How long is the tour?
It depends on which tour you’ve selected, our half days tours last around 4 hours (more or less 30 minutes) and our full days tours last around 7 hours (more or less 30 minutes).
What is the size of the group?
All our group tours are for 8 persons maximum (10 persons on the electric bike tour). For a bigger group, please contact us via the private tour enquiry form.
What’s the minimum number of seats required to start the tour? What happens if it is not reached?
Our group tours require a minimum of 3 seats booked to start. If the minimum number is not reached, we’ll contact you further in advance and suggest you the best alternative. If the alternative options don’t work for you, we’ll fully refund you.
Are your tours bilingual?
No. We offer ONLY English-speaking group tours on regular bases. However our private tours can be French, Spanish or Portuguese on demand.
How many tastings can I expect on the tour?
You can expect 2 to 3 tastings at each winery plus the tastings at the wine merchant if it is included in your group tour. On a Half Day that’s about 5 wine tastings and 9 on a Full Day. Please note that it might slightly vary.
Can I buy/ship wine during the tour?
Yes, you’ll have the possibility to buy and ship wine at the wineries and also at the wine merchant. Don’t hesitate to ask your guide for more information, he/she’ll be happy to help
Do I get food/water on the tour?
You’ll get lunch on all our full day group tours. You’ll also get a water bottled on each tour.
Which winery will I visit?
We have a multitude of great partners so it varies from a day to another, they are usually confirmed one week in advance at latest. We combine contrasted wineries so you can get the best experience. If you’re curious and would like to know by advance the name, send us an email at contact@rusticvinestours.com
I’d like to visit a specific Château, is it possible !?
Sure BUT only if you’re looking at booking a private tour. If you’d like to book a group tour, we are sorry but you cannot choose the winery you’d like to visit.
Can my child participate to the tour?
On our group tours, we do not accept children under 10 years old. On our group offer (private), we accept children but we ask you please to contact us in advance if you would like to book the electric bike tour. On our private tours, we accept children of all ages. For any special case, please contact us before booking.
Are you disabled friendly?
Yes. We adapt to each person on our minivan tours however there is a lot of walk involved and some stairs so we ask you please to contact us before to book, we’ll discuss it together. For safety and equipment reasons, our electric bike tours aren’t disabled friendly.
Can I bring my pet on the tour?
No, our friends animals are not welcomed on our tours !
Where can I park my car before departing on the tour?
Be aware, our Bordeaux office is located in a restricted access zone so it is very difficult (and expensive!) to park in the surrounding streets. The most sure and safest places are underground parkings at the following locations: Parking Camille Julian, Parking Place de la Bourse, Parking Jean Jaures, Parking Tourny. All of these are within a 10 minutes walk to our office. If you find street parking check the hourly prices and fold your wing mirrors in ! For Saint-Emilion office, there is a car park at Place Bouqueyre (but you have to pay) or you can park along the road coming from the train station as it’s free.
BOOKING
Yes you can book on any of our tours. But please note that if the minimum number of guests (3) is not reached, we will cancel the tour and we will inform you by email at least 48 hours before departure. We will propose you the best alternative options or fully refund your tour.
Our team will be happy to help you ! You can email us your request at contact@rusticvinestours.com or call us at +33 9 86 41 88 83 from 9am to 5pm. If you’re in Bordeaux you can also visit us at our office in the historic center (26 rue de la Devise).
Yes, don’t hesitate to send us an email at contact@rusticvinestours.com with your desired tour date ! We can look further into it and open an extra tour in case we have available guides. It might also be a problem with our booking system.
Cancellation Policy
If you booked a tour with us before 17/03/2020, please see Covid-19 section above.All cancellations have to be advised by mail at contact@rusticvinestours.com before the departure time. All cancellations after the departure time won’t be accepted and no refund will be granted. For further safety, you can take insurance when booking for €5 per person where we will provide refund under the below conditions. The cancellation conditions are as followed :If you cancel more than 7 days out from the tour: 100% refundIf you cancel within 7 days of the scheduled tour: 0% refund if you haven’t purchased our cancellation insurance50% refund if you purchased our cancellation insurance and notified us less than 24 hours before the departure time100% refund if you purchased our cancellation insurance and notified us more than 24 hours before the departure timeRUSTIC VINES reserves the right to cancel if the minimum number of guests (3) is not reached.Failure to notify us by email or phone will result in zero refund.Contingency clause in case of damage or force majeure : in any of the above cases, Rustic Vines reserves the right to cancel and to apply the following cancellation policy: the above conditions for obtaining a refund will cease to be valid (even in the case where the customer has purchased the company's cancellation insurance) and the customer will be granted a credit note, without any time limit