Bordeaux

SIP Wine Tours – Nicolle Croft

Private Wine Guide · Bordeaux, France

Credentials WSET Diploma · Winetasting Diploma, Bordeaux Faculty of Oenology
Languages English · French
Tour style Private only

Nicolle Croft has been in Bordeaux for 35 years. Originally from England, she came through a career that ran from Lay & Wheeler and Berry Bros. & Rudd in London, where she created the BBR Wine School, through co-founding wine-searcher.com, to writing two books on Bordeaux and earning a Winetasting Diploma from Bordeaux's Faculty of Oenology alongside her WSET Diploma. She is a WSET-accredited tasting teacher and has been named by Decanter as one of the region's leading English-speaking guides. Her partner makes Grand Cru wine near Saint-Émilion, and she has run her SIP (Small Independent Producers) touring practice for more than 30 years.
She balances visits to classified estates with the small family producers who rarely appear on aggregator platforms, where the winemaker is also the person who shows you around. She works with two additional guides, François and Veronica, both holding wine diplomas.

Of the roughly 7,000 wine properties in Bordeaux, fewer than 200 are classified Grand Crus. Nicolle's practice is built around both ends of that range: the famous names that draw visitors to the region and the small family producers who receive guests through personal relationships rather than booking platforms. Every tour includes at least one of each.

  • Small independent family producers (SIPs) across Bordeaux, present on every tour alongside classified estates, where the winemaker conducts the visit in person.
  • Right Bank Saint-Émilion and Pomerol estates, including visits into the limestone cave cellars beneath the medieval village.
  • Left Bank Médoc châteaux selected by Nicolle across the Haut-Médoc appellations, chosen for behind-the-scenes access rather than profile.
  • Sauternes and Graves producers for guests combining Bordeaux's sweet and dry wine traditions in one visit.
Tours are private and fully tailored: Nicolle builds the day around what the guest is looking for, always pairing a classified estate with at least one small independent producer where you meet the winemaker. Individual day tours cover a single Bordeaux appellation; multi-day programs combine regions. François and Veronica, both wine-diploma holders, guide bookings when Nicolle is unavailable.

Private visits only · By inquiry

This operator was personally evaluated by Michelle Ryan: WSET Level 3, French Wine Scholar, IATA Certified Travel Advisor. Vetting criteria: guide credentials, access to producers not available through public booking platforms, and knowledge intake process. Not every operator we evaluate makes it onto this site.