Golf and wine holidays: pairing rounds with vineyards

If you only do one golf and wine trip, make it this one. Bordeaux is the obvious anchor, and the city itself has come a long way, all stone quays and a wine museum worth the entry fee. Base yourself central at the Mercure Chateau Chartrons, Bordeaux (7 nights from £655 (≈ €755) (≈ $865) (≈ CA$1,225) (≈ AU$1,235) (≈ NZ$1,505) (≈ CHF 695) pp) and you are walking distance from the Chartrons wine district, with the Medoc chateaux a short drive north.

For golf-first travellers, the standout is Cabot Bordeaux, Medoc (4 nights from £825 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,085) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,555) (≈ NZ$1,895) (≈ CHF 875) pp). Two courses, proper tournament pedigree, and you are right in the heart of the appellation that put Bordeaux reds on the map. Play in the morning, taste in the afternoon, and the famous names are all within a short transfer.

Drift east into the Dordogne and the pace drops again. Chateau des Vigiers, Monestier, Dordogne (5 nights from £1,095 (≈ €1,255) (≈ $1,445) (≈ CA$2,045) (≈ AU$2,065) (≈ NZ$2,515) (≈ CHF 1,165) pp) is the one I send couples to: 27 holes, a genuine chateau to come back to, and Bergerac and Monbazillac wines that get nowhere near the attention they deserve. It is the quieter, prettier counterpoint to the city.

The honest caveat: Bordeaux is drive-or-fly, and the two suit different trips. Fly in and you are teeing off the same afternoon. Drive over and you can bring your own clubs, load the boot with cases on the way home, and turn the journey into part of the holiday. On a drive-over we can include the LeShuttle crossing in the package, which is worth doing if you want the freedom of a car once you are there.

Burgundy is for the wine obsessive. The Cote d’Or runs a thin gold line of villages whose names you will recognise from the best bottles you have ever drunk, and the golf sits quietly among them. Beaune is the natural hub, a walled town that lives and breathes the trade.

The pick for a golf base is Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly, Pouilly en Auxois (4 nights from £695 (≈ €795) (≈ $915) (≈ CA$1,295) (≈ AU$1,305) (≈ NZ$1,595) (≈ CHF 735) pp), where you are staying on the course inside a moated chateau. If you would rather sleep in Beaune itself and drive out to play, the Hotel de la Poste, Beaune (7 nights from £715 (≈ €815) (≈ $945) (≈ CA$1,335) (≈ AU$1,345) (≈ NZ$1,645) (≈ CHF 755) pp) puts you in the middle of the action, steps from the Hospices and the tasting cellars.

For something grander, Chateau de Gilly, Gilly-les-Citeaux (7 nights from £770 (≈ €885) (≈ $1,015) (≈ CA$1,435) (≈ AU$1,445) (≈ NZ$1,765) (≈ CHF 815) pp) sits next to Clos de Vougeot, about as close to the heart of grand cru country as a hotel gets. And further north toward Auxerre, Domaine de Roncemay Hotel, Aillant-sur-Tholon (7 nights from £1,340 (≈ €1,545) (≈ $1,765) (≈ CA$2,505) (≈ AU$2,525) (≈ NZ$3,085) (≈ CHF 1,425) pp) pairs its own golf course with easy reach of the Chablis vineyards, which is the move if you prefer crisp whites to the big reds.

Like Bordeaux, Burgundy is drive-or-fly. The drive is the more romantic option here, and a car earns its keep on the back roads between villages. We can fold the LeShuttle crossing into a drive-over package if that is the way you want to go.

Tuscany swaps the formality of France for something looser. The wine is Sangiovese-led, the food is the point as much as the bottle, and the courses come with views that make a three-putt easier to forgive. This is the trip for people who want their golf and wine holiday to feel like a long lunch that happens to involve eighteen holes.

Near Siena, La Bagnaia Golf & Spa Resort, Siena (7 nights from £820 (≈ €945) (≈ $1,075) (≈ CA$1,535) (≈ AU$1,545) (≈ NZ$1,885) (≈ CHF 875) pp) is a restored borgo with its own course and a spa for the evenings, set among the hills that grow Chianti Classico. It is the easier, better-value of the two, and the one I would book first.

On the coast, Argentario Golf Resort, Porto Ercole (7 nights from £1,415 (≈ €1,625) (≈ $1,865) (≈ CA$2,645) (≈ AU$2,665) (≈ NZ$3,255) (≈ CHF 1,505) pp) trades vineyard immediacy for a sharper, more design-led stay near the Maremma, with the Morellino di Scansano producers within driving range. It costs more and feels it.

Tuscany is generally a fly trip for UK golfers, with Florence and Pisa the usual gateways and a hire car essential once you land. The driving is half the pleasure, but plan it as flights plus a car rather than a drive-over from home.

For the best-value wine of the four, you have to fly furthest. The Cape Winelands sit just inland of Cape Town, and the combination of dramatic golf and serious estates within a 30-minute radius is hard to beat anywhere. This is a long-haul trip, an overnight flight and a real time commitment, so it suits a longer break rather than a quick getaway.

The golf is the draw. De Zalze Golf Club, Stellenbosch plays through a working wine estate and is the easiest pairing of round and cellar door you will find. Pearl Valley Golf Club, Paarl is a Jack Nicklaus design set under the Drakenstein mountains, consistently rated among the country’s best. And Steenberg Golf Club, Tokai sits on a historic estate closer to the city, handy if you want to mix golf with Cape Town itself.

For where to stay, the The Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town (7 nights from £1,045 (≈ €1,195) (≈ $1,375) (≈ CA$1,955) (≈ AU$1,965) (≈ NZ$2,405) (≈ CHF 1,115) pp) gives you a leafy, walkable base with the city and the Constantia vineyards both close. Out in the Winelands proper, Spier Hotel, Stellenbosch sits on its own estate among the vines, which is the more immersive option if you want to wake up surrounded by it. We price the Spier stay around your dates and chosen rounds.

One honest note: the long flight means this is a trip you commit to for a week or more, not a weekend. Build in a rest day after you land before the first tee.