Discover Arsac: art, architectural history and wine

Arsac combines winemaking in the Margaux and Haut-Médoc appellations with outdoor art and religious architectural history. If you are looking for a hotel in Arsac, these themes offer different ways to shape your stay: Château d’Arsac is known for contemporary art, while the Église Saint-Germain features older architectural elements and historic murals. Tours and tasting formats vary from one wine estate to another.

Art in the park at Château d’Arsac

Since the 1990s, Château d’Arsac has welcomed renowned artists to its park, transforming the estate into an open-air museum. Today, the park is home to more than 20 contemporary artworks. An artistic walk winds through the vineyards, where monumental sculptures emerge from the landscape. The Château thus combines outdoor artworks with a route through the vineyards.

The architecture of Château d’Arsac also combines historic grandeur with modern design. The estate is classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel. Its offerings also include the “Si Arsac m’était chanté” wine-and-music tour. If you are planning a tour, check the current visiting arrangements in advance.

Église Saint-Germain: several layers of history

The Église Saint-Germain was completely remodelled in the 19th century by the architect Gustave Alaux. The only part of the original structure to remain is a Romanesque portal with four archivolts on the south façade. The church is a protected historic monument; the south portal is excluded from this classification.

The walls feature funerary paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries bearing the coats of arms of a lord’s family. The protected furnishings in the southern chapel include an altar, altarpiece and tabernacle. The portal, paintings and furnishings point to different aspects of the church, while the complete remodelling in the 19th century marks a further building phase.

Winemaking and tastings

Winemaking in Arsac is part of the Margaux and Haut-Médoc appellations. Vignobles Bernaleau offers tours in French and English throughout the year. Appointments are arranged by email or telephone, Monday to Friday. A standard tasting is also available by appointment. There is also a comparative tasting of Haut-Médoc and Margaux wines from the same vintage.

Château Mongravey offers tours and tastings by appointment from Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The estate is classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in the Margaux AOC. At Château du Tertre, the “Dans les pas du Tertre” and “La privative” tours include tastings of two and three wines, respectively. The Château was classified as a Grand Cru Classé Margaux in 1855. Its 52-hectare vineyard has changed very little since then.

Visits to Château des Graviers are available by appointment only. The estate includes a 13-hectare vineyard on ridges of Pyrenean gravel, separated by a natural network of small streams. The estate switched to organic viticulture in 2012. The visit formats therefore differ considerably: Bernaleau offers a comparison of two appellations from the same vintage, while the named Tertre tours also differ in the number of wines tasted. Book an appointment in advance for Bernaleau, Mongravey and Château des Graviers; visit arrangements may change.

Weekly market in the town centre

Arsac’s weekly market takes place in the town centre, at Place Camille Godard, and is part of a wider programme to revitalise the village. This provides a specific location for a market visit; market days may change, so check the date in advance.

Discover more destinations: Roquebrune, Fronsac, Lamarque, Gardegan-Et-Tourtirac, Bègles, Riocaud, Pessac, Neuffons

Return to the regional travel overview: Gironde.