Join us in January 2027 for a special collaborative journey to Bordeaux and Sarlat-la-Canéda, created in partnership with The Cultured Somm. This co-ed experience is designed for curious travelers, wine lovers, and anyone who delights in discovering a place through its flavors, history, and people. Together, we’ll explore two of southwestern France’s most captivating destinations, where world-class wine meets medieval charm.

While this journey will be structured a bit differently from our traditional Maison stays, the heart of the experience remains the same: warm community, thoughtful pacing, and meaningful connection. With Stephanie of The Cultured Somm guiding our tastings and conversations, you’ll gain an approachable yet in-depth understanding of Bordeaux’s legendary terroir and the rich culinary heritage of the Dordogne.

Each day balances learning with indulgence. In Bordeaux, we’ll sip and swirl our way through storied appellations and elegant châteaux. In Sarlat, we’ll arrive just as the town comes alive for its celebrated winter truffle festival, when black diamonds from the surrounding countryside take center stage. Expect market stalls fragrant with fresh truffles, seasonal dishes that showcase this prized ingredient, and the electric energy of a medieval town honoring one of its most treasured culinary traditions.

From vineyard visits to golden-stone alleyways, every moment is curated to feel immersive, intimate, and unforgettable. Whether you join us with a partner, a friend, or on your own, you’ll leave feeling enriched by the region, the wine, and the extraordinary flavors of winter in southwest France.

Maison d'Amies (French for House of Female Friends) was born from our founder Stephanie Scobey's deep love of France, a desire to create space for women to slow down, reconnect, and feel at home in themselves. These women only retreats blend curated cultural experiences with true rest and intentional community. Each trip is designed to feel like a warm, extended exhale and is grounded in slow travel, regional connection, and the kind of soul-deep joy that lingers long after the journey ends. 

The Cultured Somm, founded by Stephanie Schmid, a former U.S. diplomat and advanced sommelier, takes fellow wine lovers on a journey to the heart of where wine meets wanderlust, through carefully curated, bespoke adventures across the world's most renowned wine regions. Each journey is centered around our founder's life and travel philosophy: cultivating joie de vivre, the French concept of the joy of experiencing life to its fullest.

Please read through these important FAQs. If you have additional questions that aren't answered here, please email our host at stephanie@maisondamies.com

This retreat is designed for those seeking meaningful connection, cultural immersion, and a slower, more intentional way to experience France. Whether you're traveling solo or with a friend, Maison d’Amies x The Cultured Somm: Bordeaux & Sarlat welcomes those who crave deeper conversations, beautiful surroundings, and the joy of shared meals and unhurried days. 

This group will include up to 15 participants, plus the hosts Stephanie and Stephanie, as well our retreat staff. 

On the registration form, you will see a space to include if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies. We will do our best to meet all of these requests, if you have additional questions please email us directly to discuss. 

If you have severe food allergies, we advise you email us directly prior to booking so we can ensure this retreat is right for you. 

Getting to Bordeaux is wonderfully simple. You can fly directly into Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, just a short drive from the city center, or arrive by high-speed train from Paris if you’d like to spend a few dreamy days in the City of Lights before joining us. The TGV journey takes just over two hours, making it an easy and scenic transition from Parisian boulevards to Bordeaux’s elegant streets.

Wherever you begin, we’ll ask you to arrive at our hotel by 3:00 PM for check-in and the official start of our time together.

To keep this experience intimate and thoughtfully designed, all rooms are double occupancy, ideal for couples or friends traveling together. If you’re joining us with a friend, please note that while we will do our very best to accommodate preferences, we cannot guarantee separate beds in every room. Spaces are carefully assigned to ensure comfort while honoring the character of each property.

Please note that transportation to the hotel upon arrival is the responsibility of each guest. We’ll provide detailed arrival and departure guidance to make planning seamless, and we’re always happy to connect guests who wish to coordinate taxis or private transfers together.

We recommend arriving in France at least one day early to acclimate and settle in without rush. As with all Maison d’Amies retreats, we ask guests to arrive open-hearted, flexible, and respectful of the shared space. It’s this collective spirit that makes our time together feel so special.

Bienvenue à Bordeaux, the beating heart of Southwest France’s dual temples to gastronomy and wine. Our exploration of the best of Bordeaux’s 10,000 vineyards (truly the world’s wine capital) and the culinary delights that best compliment them begins at a classic Bordelaise bistro where we’ll enjoy excellent food and wine while getting to know one another.

Our first day begins with a visit to Bordeaux’s renowned La Cité du Vin, an interactive Wine Museum that provides the perfect overview and introduction to the Bordeaux wine region. After lunch we’ll begin our leisurely journey to the Dordogne - land of castles & truffle festivals - with a visit to an acclaimed Sauternes winery that has been crafting the eponymous, famed botrytized dessert wine for five centuries. 

The picturesque town of Sarlat-la-Caneda transforms into a gastronomic temple dedicated to the black Perigord Truffle each January for their annual Fete de la Truffe - a Festival celebrating this culinary treasure known as the black diamond.

Today we're spending the day in the French countryside doing something that sounds like a fairytale and tastes even better: hunting for black truffles with a local expert and the most motivated dog you've ever met. This is the Dordogne at its most delicious: muddy boots, earthy treasure, and a lunch that makes the whole thing feel completely worth it.

We ease into our last morning in the Dordogne the way every morning should start- slowly, with no agenda and a good cup of coffee. Then we hit the road toward Bordeaux, winding through the countryside and stopping to explore the medieval castles that sit along the way like they've been waiting for us, all before settling into our new home base for the rest of the trip with a proper welcome dinner around the table.

Today we cross to the Left Bank, this is Bordeaux's most storied wine country,  where we'll spend the day among some of the most legendary châteaux and appellations in the world. Consider this your deep dive into the wines that made Bordeaux famous, with tastings that will make everything you've had before feel like a warm-up.

We're spending the day on the Right Bank, and it is frankly unfair to most other wine regions. Saint-Émilion is one of the most beautiful wine villages in all of France and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We’ll spend the day enjoying private tours and tastings at several of the most iconic estates in the appellation. This is the kind of access that makes you understand why people dedicate their entire lives to wine. 

Today we’re back on the Left Bank and headed to some of the most coveted terroir in the world. We’ll explore walled-in vineyards that have been producing renowned wines since the Middle Ages. Today, the legendary wines of Margaux are regularly dominating & topping annual lists of the world’s best wines and we’ll be spending today leisurely sipping and savoring some of the greatest; it doesn’t get better than this.

We return to the Right Bank for a final day that starts on your own terms (sleep in, wander, do whatever feels right). Late morning we head to Saint-Émilion, where you'll have free time to lose yourself in one of the most beautiful medieval towns in France. In the afternoon we reconvene for a private cellar tour and special tasting with a dear friend of Stephanie's  (the kind of access you simply can't google) before heading back to the house for our farewell dinner.

After breakfast, say au revoir to Bordeaux and your new friends, carrying the memories, flavors, and magic of this magical region home with you. Group transfer to the airport included.