The Maison des Vins occupies the Cloître des Récollets, a 17th-century monastic complex on a terrace looking out over the Dordogne — the most evocative single building in central Bergerac. The brick-and-stone cloister around the central courtyard is open to visitors free of charge; the upper-floor rooms are used for changing exhibitions on the local appellations, and the lower cellars for tastings.
This is the place to make sense of the surrounding wine country. The Bergerac region has thirteen appellations across a relatively small area, including the sweet Monbazillac, the dry whites of Montravel, and the reds of Pécharmant. The staff will pour and explain, and bottles bought on site cost no more than at the producers themselves.