France Wine Tour: Day 11 - 6th June 2008
After the long drive from Bordeaux to Nice, we decided to cancel our rental car and buy a train ticket. We decided to do a day trip, and caught the next train to Monaco. It's a small city, (similar in size to Oriental Bay/Mt Victoria in Wellington), but with a definite air of wealth. The old buildings were beautiful and the streets had character. A huge wharf area in the middle of the harbour filled to the brim with the biggest launches I'd ever seen.
We walked up the hill to the Monte Carlo Casino. What a view back to the city centre. Absolutely stunning.
After the long drive from Bordeaux to Nice, we decided to cancel our rental car and buy a train ticket. We decided to do a day trip, and caught the next train to Monaco. It's a small city, (similar in size to Oriental Bay/Mt Victoria in Wellington), but with a definite air of wealth. The old buildings were beautiful and the streets had character. A huge wharf area in the middle of the harbour filled to the brim with the biggest launches I'd ever seen.
We walked up the hill to the Monte Carlo Casino. What a view back to the city centre. Absolutely stunning.
France Wine Tour: Day 10 - 5th June 2008
Our friends who were travelling with us since Bordeaux, were heading back to Paris for their flight back to the US. We met for coffee on the Promenade and said our goodbyes.
After coffee we doubled back to meet our other friends and stopped in a small Italian restaurant for a 3 course lunch set menu for e$15! After lunch we went for a walk up to the lookout point and old fort which gives you a 360 degree view of Nice. Great views. We wondered back down in the rain and found some gorgeous local Gorgonzola (cheese) and salad for a light dinner back at the apartment.
Our friends who were travelling with us since Bordeaux, were heading back to Paris for their flight back to the US. We met for coffee on the Promenade and said our goodbyes.
After coffee we doubled back to meet our other friends and stopped in a small Italian restaurant for a 3 course lunch set menu for e$15! After lunch we went for a walk up to the lookout point and old fort which gives you a 360 degree view of Nice. Great views. We wondered back down in the rain and found some gorgeous local Gorgonzola (cheese) and salad for a light dinner back at the apartment.
France Wine Tour: Day 9 - 4th June 2008
On David's recommendation, we made a detour on departure from Avignon to visit the Provence markets in St Remy. What a selection of cheeses and local produce. Delicious! We bought 5 different cheeses, local dried meat and fresh bread.
We drove the back route out of Avignon towards Marseille, passing the village of "?". which had a fortress carved in stone at the top of the hill.
Back on the autoroute, we stopped for coffee in St Trophez. Not exactly on the way, but in an effort to see how the life of the rich and famous lived, we did a slight detour. However, the township of St Trophez is not where the beautiful beaches are, so all we saw was a lovely wharf lined with characters buildings, where all the super launches were docked. We had our super expensive e$8 long blacks, and were on our way.
We finally arrived in Nice at 7.30pm in the evening. It was a long day driving, we should have taken the train. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. The weather closed in and it started raining. Luckily we had a great apartment in the centre of the Old Town. Our friends from London joined us, and we enjoyed cheese and fresh bread before heading out to the local wine bar.
On David's recommendation, we made a detour on departure from Avignon to visit the Provence markets in St Remy. What a selection of cheeses and local produce. Delicious! We bought 5 different cheeses, local dried meat and fresh bread.
We drove the back route out of Avignon towards Marseille, passing the village of "?". which had a fortress carved in stone at the top of the hill.
Back on the autoroute, we stopped for coffee in St Trophez. Not exactly on the way, but in an effort to see how the life of the rich and famous lived, we did a slight detour. However, the township of St Trophez is not where the beautiful beaches are, so all we saw was a lovely wharf lined with characters buildings, where all the super launches were docked. We had our super expensive e$8 long blacks, and were on our way.
We finally arrived in Nice at 7.30pm in the evening. It was a long day driving, we should have taken the train. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. The weather closed in and it started raining. Luckily we had a great apartment in the centre of the Old Town. Our friends from London joined us, and we enjoyed cheese and fresh bread before heading out to the local wine bar.
France Wine Trail: Day 8 - 3rd June 2008
Today was our favourite wine tour of the trip!
Our guide, David from Provence Panorama was a wealth of knowledge, friendly, funny and an all round great guide. We started the day in Gigondas. Our first stop was on the side of the road to check out the terroir, then up to the Church as the top of the Gigondas village with a spectacular view across the region. We walked through the village and met David (and the car) at the bottom. I wished we had stayed in this village - oh well, next time. The village was small but gorgeous.
We visited a wine bar which showcases the cooperative of Gigondas producers. It was my favourite tasting of the entire trip, as it involved a food match. They gave us a selection of options for a food match to choose from. I choose the regional cheese. Then they matched the wines you tasted with the food you have chosen. So lovely to have something to eat with your first tasting of the day at 10.30am! My dish came out as two shot glasses, one with chevre (soft goats cheese) and thymne, the other with olive oil and cassis. You pour the oil over the cheese and eat it with a little spoon while tasting each wine. Delightful!
Next we visited Chateau Rasteau(?). It was a organised tourist tasting cellar, much like it is at home, only all the wines are kept in the fridge. It wasn't very intersting and the wines weren't much to write home about.
Finally we visited the region of Chateauneuf du Pape. It was once again, gorgeous! I wish we had spent more time here in the countryside. We visited a wine merchant cave in the hillside who gave us a tasting of 10 wines they sell. Really good stuff. The kind of wine you want to order by the case, but we were only allowed 2 due to our 12 bottle luggage limit back to NZ.
Today was our favourite wine tour of the trip!
Our guide, David from Provence Panorama was a wealth of knowledge, friendly, funny and an all round great guide. We started the day in Gigondas. Our first stop was on the side of the road to check out the terroir, then up to the Church as the top of the Gigondas village with a spectacular view across the region. We walked through the village and met David (and the car) at the bottom. I wished we had stayed in this village - oh well, next time. The village was small but gorgeous.
We visited a wine bar which showcases the cooperative of Gigondas producers. It was my favourite tasting of the entire trip, as it involved a food match. They gave us a selection of options for a food match to choose from. I choose the regional cheese. Then they matched the wines you tasted with the food you have chosen. So lovely to have something to eat with your first tasting of the day at 10.30am! My dish came out as two shot glasses, one with chevre (soft goats cheese) and thymne, the other with olive oil and cassis. You pour the oil over the cheese and eat it with a little spoon while tasting each wine. Delightful!
Next we visited Chateau Rasteau(?). It was a organised tourist tasting cellar, much like it is at home, only all the wines are kept in the fridge. It wasn't very intersting and the wines weren't much to write home about.
Finally we visited the region of Chateauneuf du Pape. It was once again, gorgeous! I wish we had spent more time here in the countryside. We visited a wine merchant cave in the hillside who gave us a tasting of 10 wines they sell. Really good stuff. The kind of wine you want to order by the case, but we were only allowed 2 due to our 12 bottle luggage limit back to NZ.
France Wine Trail: Day 7 - 2nd June 2008
We left Carcassonne at 9am and headed towards Avignon. We stopped just outside of Avignon to visit Pont du Gard (the old Roman bridge) and arrived in Avignon at 2pm. I found it extremely hard to find a reasonably priced B&B in Avignon, and ended up going with a buget hotel. It was very basic.
We headed straight to the Tourist Office as I was unable to find any tours on the internet to book in advance. They managed to find us a English speak tour guide for a private half day wine tour the following morning from 9am - 2pm. It was only e$210 between the four of us which was very reasonable.
We headed uptown towards the Palace of the Pope, and walked through the pedestrian walk of restaurants, bars and cafes before heading into a bar which was recommended by the ladies at the tourist office as the "fashion" place for people watching.
After some photos of the palace, we headed out to dinner. We found 'Le Bain' which was a little pricey for our budget e$35 per person, for the 3 course menu. But we decided to splurge. The food was amazing. Absolutely delicious!
We left Carcassonne at 9am and headed towards Avignon. We stopped just outside of Avignon to visit Pont du Gard (the old Roman bridge) and arrived in Avignon at 2pm. I found it extremely hard to find a reasonably priced B&B in Avignon, and ended up going with a buget hotel. It was very basic.
We headed straight to the Tourist Office as I was unable to find any tours on the internet to book in advance. They managed to find us a English speak tour guide for a private half day wine tour the following morning from 9am - 2pm. It was only e$210 between the four of us which was very reasonable.
We headed uptown towards the Palace of the Pope, and walked through the pedestrian walk of restaurants, bars and cafes before heading into a bar which was recommended by the ladies at the tourist office as the "fashion" place for people watching.
After some photos of the palace, we headed out to dinner. We found 'Le Bain' which was a little pricey for our budget e$35 per person, for the 3 course menu. But we decided to splurge. The food was amazing. Absolutely delicious!
France Wine Trail: Day 6 - 1st June 2008
We drove to Carcassonne (after numberous tolls and speeds of 130 km/h), and arrived at our B&B outside the Medieval City. Fortunately as it was a Sunday, the streets were dead quiet so we were able to park in the centre without a problem. We walked up to the Medieval City (only 15 minutes from the city centre). It was HUGE. We headed straight to the old castle to do the audio tour. It's extensive tour took hours! We were the last to leave (closes at 6pm). After all the other tourists had left (mostly French tourists which was interesting), we had a fantastic photo opportunity at the front of the castle with just us and no passerbyers.
We found a lovely wine bar inside the Medieval city for an aperitif before dinner. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the restaurant we wanted to go to for dinner (Cinq), it was full! Instead we wondered around in the rain, until we found another cute looking restaurant which looked closed, but on closer inspection, the waiting staff has closed all the doors to keep out the cold, and were having a merry old time inside by themselves! We interrupted their hangout but they were very friendly and gave us great service. We were the only ones there. After dinner of the local regional dish cassoulet, the place started to fill with their friends, it was obviously the local hangout for their group of friends.
We managed a photo shoot in the dramatic lighting surrounding the front of the castle, before the rain came down in buckets and we made a made dash home.
We drove to Carcassonne (after numberous tolls and speeds of 130 km/h), and arrived at our B&B outside the Medieval City. Fortunately as it was a Sunday, the streets were dead quiet so we were able to park in the centre without a problem. We walked up to the Medieval City (only 15 minutes from the city centre). It was HUGE. We headed straight to the old castle to do the audio tour. It's extensive tour took hours! We were the last to leave (closes at 6pm). After all the other tourists had left (mostly French tourists which was interesting), we had a fantastic photo opportunity at the front of the castle with just us and no passerbyers.
We found a lovely wine bar inside the Medieval city for an aperitif before dinner. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the restaurant we wanted to go to for dinner (Cinq), it was full! Instead we wondered around in the rain, until we found another cute looking restaurant which looked closed, but on closer inspection, the waiting staff has closed all the doors to keep out the cold, and were having a merry old time inside by themselves! We interrupted their hangout but they were very friendly and gave us great service. We were the only ones there. After dinner of the local regional dish cassoulet, the place started to fill with their friends, it was obviously the local hangout for their group of friends.
We managed a photo shoot in the dramatic lighting surrounding the front of the castle, before the rain came down in buckets and we made a made dash home.
France Wine Trail: Day 5 - 31st May 2008
We drove out to Medoc as our friends missed the tour we did on the first day. Our first stop was the Margaux Tourist Office, where we were informed, as it was a Saturday, there happened to be a cycle the vines road race, which meant the roads to most Chateau in Margaux were closed. Bummer!
We headed off to the Pauillac Tourist Office. They were very helpful and told us chateaus who had set tour times (only one on a Saturday), and they were more than happy to call and book us an appointment at any Chateau in Pauillac (e$0.50 per call). We made an appointment at Lynch Bages for 2pm and headed off to lunch in the meantime.
Yet another wonderful meal of mussels and fries. The mussels are very small, the biggest stands no larger than the NZ$2 coin. Fantastic!
Our tour guide at Lynch Bages was very informative, and gave us a detailed history of the Chateau. It was one of the first in the region.
The wine was fantastic. And so it should be for e$86 per bottle.
We headed back to the Pauillac Tourist Office as they had their own tastings of wines from Pauillac. Three wines for e$5.
We returned to Bordeaux for our final Bordeaux wine tasting back at Ecole du Vin. We tried a variety of regions, but I settled for my favourite as the Medoc Boyd Cantenac. Delicious.
So much for having an apartment with a kitchen, we ate out for the 5th night in a row!
We drove out to Medoc as our friends missed the tour we did on the first day. Our first stop was the Margaux Tourist Office, where we were informed, as it was a Saturday, there happened to be a cycle the vines road race, which meant the roads to most Chateau in Margaux were closed. Bummer!
We headed off to the Pauillac Tourist Office. They were very helpful and told us chateaus who had set tour times (only one on a Saturday), and they were more than happy to call and book us an appointment at any Chateau in Pauillac (e$0.50 per call). We made an appointment at Lynch Bages for 2pm and headed off to lunch in the meantime.
Yet another wonderful meal of mussels and fries. The mussels are very small, the biggest stands no larger than the NZ$2 coin. Fantastic!
Our tour guide at Lynch Bages was very informative, and gave us a detailed history of the Chateau. It was one of the first in the region.
The wine was fantastic. And so it should be for e$86 per bottle.
We headed back to the Pauillac Tourist Office as they had their own tastings of wines from Pauillac. Three wines for e$5.
We returned to Bordeaux for our final Bordeaux wine tasting back at Ecole du Vin. We tried a variety of regions, but I settled for my favourite as the Medoc Boyd Cantenac. Delicious.
So much for having an apartment with a kitchen, we ate out for the 5th night in a row!
France Wine Trail: Day 4 - 30th May 2008
We hired a car from Europcar and drove our group of 4 friends to St Emilion for the 2pm Medieval City Tour (arrive at the Tourist Office 15 minutes early to ensure a spot on the tour).
We thought we would have a quick lunch at the restaurant next to the Tourist Office. Unfortunately our waiter promised we would receive our lunch before 2pm so we would have time to eat before the tour. Naturally our food arrived on the dot of 2pm, just as our tour group walked past our table. We slurped what we could and wrapped the rest in napkins as we dashed down the road to catch up with the group. Neighbouring French customers watched us in horror! Lunch is an extravagantly long afffair, not the eat and dash type scenario we're custom to at home.
We managed to find the group and headed underground into the caves where Saint Emilion lived as a hermit, as well as a type of Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor.
The medieval city was amazing and beautiful. The underground caverns were spectacular!
We spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around the Medieval Village taking photos of the architecture, shopping and taking photos.
We popped into Planet Bordeaux on our way home but it closed at 7pm, so although we didn't have time for a tasting, we did have time to buy a couple bottles from their extremely large cellar. Thought we thought we try a Cremante (sparkling wine outside of Champayne). It was pretty average.
Back to Bordeaux we headed out to one of the plazas for dinner. Although the French spend a long time eating dinner, they start quite early, so it was difficult to find a place to serve us food late at night (to be fair, we spent so long lounging with our bottles of Chateau de Bel we didn't head out to eat until close to midnight).
We hired a car from Europcar and drove our group of 4 friends to St Emilion for the 2pm Medieval City Tour (arrive at the Tourist Office 15 minutes early to ensure a spot on the tour).
We thought we would have a quick lunch at the restaurant next to the Tourist Office. Unfortunately our waiter promised we would receive our lunch before 2pm so we would have time to eat before the tour. Naturally our food arrived on the dot of 2pm, just as our tour group walked past our table. We slurped what we could and wrapped the rest in napkins as we dashed down the road to catch up with the group. Neighbouring French customers watched us in horror! Lunch is an extravagantly long afffair, not the eat and dash type scenario we're custom to at home.
We managed to find the group and headed underground into the caves where Saint Emilion lived as a hermit, as well as a type of Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor.The medieval city was amazing and beautiful. The underground caverns were spectacular!
We spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around the Medieval Village taking photos of the architecture, shopping and taking photos.
We popped into Planet Bordeaux on our way home but it closed at 7pm, so although we didn't have time for a tasting, we did have time to buy a couple bottles from their extremely large cellar. Thought we thought we try a Cremante (sparkling wine outside of Champayne). It was pretty average.
Back to Bordeaux we headed out to one of the plazas for dinner. Although the French spend a long time eating dinner, they start quite early, so it was difficult to find a place to serve us food late at night (to be fair, we spent so long lounging with our bottles of Chateau de Bel we didn't head out to eat until close to midnight).
Day 3 - 29th May 2008
Today was our private tour with Frederic from 'Rendezvous au Chateau' wine tours. He had a very comfortable and clean people carrier vehicle. Frederic was very friendly and informative. He had worked for many Chateau's and knew a great deal about Bordeaux wines.
We started our trip with a stop in at Planet Bordeaux on our drive out to St Emilon. This was a tourist facility/collective specilising in Bordeaux wines that did not come from a specific region under the the Appellation Control guidelines, but were still from Bordeaux. There was a separate set of rules for this type of Bordeaux red (not as strict as the appellation rules).
Planet Bordeaux had a tour which gave a visual understanding of what happens to the grapes at harvest time, followed by a room showing various historic winemaking tools, and a blind sniff and guess aroma area. The self guided tour ends with a tasting.
First on the agenda was a visit to Chateau Beauregard in Pommerol. An exclusive appellation, with sort after wines. The two wines we tasted were fantastic.
We drove into the medieval city of St Emilon for lunch at '?'.
Next was a small family run winery in St Emilon called Chateau Bienfiesance. The owner showed us around her small winery with concrete vats! Similar to what we had seen in Mendoza, Argentina. Nice and afforable wine.
Next stop was Chateau de Bel. This is as small as it gets. Their young children and puppy greeted us with enthusiasm as we headed to the cellar for a tasting straight from the barrel. Outside the cellar, in the picturesque garden we sat down for a tasting of his range of wines. For a small producer, he was certainly very generous in opening fresh bottles of all his wines for us to try! His wife, son and daughter joined us in the garden, which ended in a lovely, personable afternoon with the winemaker. Naturally we had to take some back to the apartment for later.
Today was our private tour with Frederic from 'Rendezvous au Chateau' wine tours. He had a very comfortable and clean people carrier vehicle. Frederic was very friendly and informative. He had worked for many Chateau's and knew a great deal about Bordeaux wines.
We started our trip with a stop in at Planet Bordeaux on our drive out to St Emilon. This was a tourist facility/collective specilising in Bordeaux wines that did not come from a specific region under the the Appellation Control guidelines, but were still from Bordeaux. There was a separate set of rules for this type of Bordeaux red (not as strict as the appellation rules). Planet Bordeaux had a tour which gave a visual understanding of what happens to the grapes at harvest time, followed by a room showing various historic winemaking tools, and a blind sniff and guess aroma area. The self guided tour ends with a tasting.
First on the agenda was a visit to Chateau Beauregard in Pommerol. An exclusive appellation, with sort after wines. The two wines we tasted were fantastic.
We drove into the medieval city of St Emilon for lunch at '?'.
Next was a small family run winery in St Emilon called Chateau Bienfiesance. The owner showed us around her small winery with concrete vats! Similar to what we had seen in Mendoza, Argentina. Nice and afforable wine.
Next stop was Chateau de Bel. This is as small as it gets. Their young children and puppy greeted us with enthusiasm as we headed to the cellar for a tasting straight from the barrel. Outside the cellar, in the picturesque garden we sat down for a tasting of his range of wines. For a small producer, he was certainly very generous in opening fresh bottles of all his wines for us to try! His wife, son and daughter joined us in the garden, which ended in a lovely, personable afternoon with the winemaker. Naturally we had to take some back to the apartment for later.
Day 2 - 28th May 2008
Our Tourist Office 'Medoc 1855' Bordeaux Wine Tour started at 9.15am. It was a huge bus packed to the brim. The tour guide had to repeat everything twice, once in French and again in English. Which was a little annoying as she would speak for 15 minutes in French, then translate for 5 minutes in English, so you felt you were really missing out on half the information. Guess that's what you get at e$85 per person.
We started the day at Chateau Pichon-Longueville (owned by AXA insurance). It was a fantastic Chateau which had been bought by the investment sector at AXA. With the profit from selling the wine, they would reinvest in the winery (new equipment etc) to continue improving the quality of the wine, with the intention to sell the Chataeu in the future and make a huge profit. The old Chateau had been lovingly restored into a guest house for major clients.
The tour guide from Pichon spent a good amount of time with us in the vineyard explaining the terroir of their particular vineyards, the French trellis system and drainage. It was very interesting.
Although we didn't realise it at the time, being the first wine of the day/trip, Chateau Pichon-Longueville was one of the best Bordeaux wines we tried.
The second stop was Chateau Razan Segla (owned by Chanel) where we had lunch. The grounds were from a fairy tale. The Razan tour guide gave an informative account on the family history before the estate was bought by Chanel, and a detailed description of the process during harvest.
Lunch was a superb mix of foie gras (duck liver pate), entrecote (steak) and regional cheeses. The two wines available for tasting were also delicious.
After lunch we had one last Chateau to visit - Chateau Beychevelle. It started badly. The tour guide told us to go to the main building across the courtyard to start the tour, then left us to wait outside in the rain while she talked to other tourists. I personally didn't find the tour very interesting and the wines were pretty average. Don't think I'll recommend this place.
The trip home was exciting as suddenly there was a huge thunder storm and the vineyards started to flood. Those poor vines! And to top it off, our tour guide was quite giddy, which made for a amusing trip back into town.
Had a fabulous seafood dinner at the restarant next to the apartment.
Tomorrow we have our private wine tour of St Emilon/Pomerol. Can't wait!
Our Tourist Office 'Medoc 1855' Bordeaux Wine Tour started at 9.15am. It was a huge bus packed to the brim. The tour guide had to repeat everything twice, once in French and again in English. Which was a little annoying as she would speak for 15 minutes in French, then translate for 5 minutes in English, so you felt you were really missing out on half the information. Guess that's what you get at e$85 per person.
We started the day at Chateau Pichon-Longueville (owned by AXA insurance). It was a fantastic Chateau which had been bought by the investment sector at AXA. With the profit from selling the wine, they would reinvest in the winery (new equipment etc) to continue improving the quality of the wine, with the intention to sell the Chataeu in the future and make a huge profit. The old Chateau had been lovingly restored into a guest house for major clients.
The tour guide from Pichon spent a good amount of time with us in the vineyard explaining the terroir of their particular vineyards, the French trellis system and drainage. It was very interesting.
Although we didn't realise it at the time, being the first wine of the day/trip, Chateau Pichon-Longueville was one of the best Bordeaux wines we tried.
The second stop was Chateau Razan Segla (owned by Chanel) where we had lunch. The grounds were from a fairy tale. The Razan tour guide gave an informative account on the family history before the estate was bought by Chanel, and a detailed description of the process during harvest.Lunch was a superb mix of foie gras (duck liver pate), entrecote (steak) and regional cheeses. The two wines available for tasting were also delicious.
After lunch we had one last Chateau to visit - Chateau Beychevelle. It started badly. The tour guide told us to go to the main building across the courtyard to start the tour, then left us to wait outside in the rain while she talked to other tourists. I personally didn't find the tour very interesting and the wines were pretty average. Don't think I'll recommend this place.
The trip home was exciting as suddenly there was a huge thunder storm and the vineyards started to flood. Those poor vines! And to top it off, our tour guide was quite giddy, which made for a amusing trip back into town.
Had a fabulous seafood dinner at the restarant next to the apartment.
Tomorrow we have our private wine tour of St Emilon/Pomerol. Can't wait!
Day 1 - 27th May 2008
After 40 hours in transit, we finally reached our first destination - Bordeaux!
We arrived at our Bordeaux apartment the night before. We searched online for a long time before we found this great two bedroom apartment with private ensuites, right on the waterfront and very close to the Office of Tourism for two couples at e$64 per couple, per night. It was a great location. Within walking distance from everything.
We spend the morning wandering around the pedestrian only streets, which had some great shopping and beautiful architecture. The city of Bordeaux had a lot to offer in terms of restaurants and wine bars. With many a plaza filled to the brim with sidewalks cafes/restaurants.
We had booked a Tourist Office wine tour of Medoc the following day over the internet, but our friends were already in transit at the time, and were to decide once they arrived - unfortunately when we went to the Tourist Office to book them onto the tour, it was full! It definately pays to book in advance. We struggled with booking a English speaking private tour guide 4 weeks from department as we found only two guides advertised on the internet and had to shuffle around our itinerary to fit ourselves into their busy and booked up schedule.
After the Tourist Office, we walked across the road to the conveniently located 'Ecole du Vin' (Wine School). Although their 2 hour tasting classes didn't start until June, we were still able to buy tastings in their Wine Bar and with the help of their very knowledgeable staff who went into detail on the region and terroir of each wine, we were able to begin our learning of Bordeaux wines.
We tried 4 wines in total, and as the 'tastings' were really a glass of wine rather than the usual 100ml taste I'm used too, we decided instead of buying four glasses each, we would buy 4 in total and share. We started at the top end - e$8 per tasting.
I decided I preferred the wine from Medoc. Dominant Cabernet blend. Tasty!
I was all set for my Medoc 1855 wine tour in the morning.
After 40 hours in transit, we finally reached our first destination - Bordeaux!
We arrived at our Bordeaux apartment the night before. We searched online for a long time before we found this great two bedroom apartment with private ensuites, right on the waterfront and very close to the Office of Tourism for two couples at e$64 per couple, per night. It was a great location. Within walking distance from everything.
We spend the morning wandering around the pedestrian only streets, which had some great shopping and beautiful architecture. The city of Bordeaux had a lot to offer in terms of restaurants and wine bars. With many a plaza filled to the brim with sidewalks cafes/restaurants.
We had booked a Tourist Office wine tour of Medoc the following day over the internet, but our friends were already in transit at the time, and were to decide once they arrived - unfortunately when we went to the Tourist Office to book them onto the tour, it was full! It definately pays to book in advance. We struggled with booking a English speaking private tour guide 4 weeks from department as we found only two guides advertised on the internet and had to shuffle around our itinerary to fit ourselves into their busy and booked up schedule.
After the Tourist Office, we walked across the road to the conveniently located 'Ecole du Vin' (Wine School). Although their 2 hour tasting classes didn't start until June, we were still able to buy tastings in their Wine Bar and with the help of their very knowledgeable staff who went into detail on the region and terroir of each wine, we were able to begin our learning of Bordeaux wines.
We tried 4 wines in total, and as the 'tastings' were really a glass of wine rather than the usual 100ml taste I'm used too, we decided instead of buying four glasses each, we would buy 4 in total and share. We started at the top end - e$8 per tasting.
I decided I preferred the wine from Medoc. Dominant Cabernet blend. Tasty!
I was all set for my Medoc 1855 wine tour in the morning.