“How can we make the Dordogne Valley better?” we asked ourselves a while back. The answer turned out to be pretty simple: go west… to Bordeaux. On this, the ultimate food-and-wine double-header, we’ll move steadily back in time from Left Bank to Right on into the Dordogne Valley. We begin in Bordeaux, where the riding is as smooth as a Château Mouton Rothschild (trust us, you’ll find out soon enough). Then, it’s eastward to the Dordogne Valley, land of medieval castles, Cro-Magnon cave paintings and cuisine worth fighting a hundred-year war over. Between the succulent feasts and almost daily wine tastings, you’ll also experience some of France’s best biking through rolling walnut woods and truly stunning landscapes. Your palate wants to go already.

• Read what B&R Researcher Dylan Roche has to say about the wines of Bordeaux in our newsletter The Slow Road

Day 1 A perfect first day: biking the famous Route des Châteaux, tasting at a Grand Cru winery and dining on gastronomic discoveries of the area
Day 2 Learn how to taste wines like a pro, then put your newfound skills to the test at some of the best wineries in Pauillac
Day 3 Move from Left Bank to Right across the Gironde for a breathtaking ride through vineyards to our hotel, a 19thC château
Day 4 Cycle from Saint-Émilion to Pomerol, two of the many famous vineyards we’ll visit over the week
Day 5 Bike up to the perched fortress of Château de Beynac for a tour with our historian friend Alain
Day 6  Explore Font de Gaume, the only Cro-Magnon painted cave still open to the public
Day 7 Breakfast and au revoir in Brive-la-Gaillarde