|
Great
Bordeaux wines:
The classiest wines are to be found in the Médoc
on the South bank of the Gironde estuary.
Here there are world renowned vineyards to be found such as
Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Clos
d’Estournel and many others. At
these exclusive vineyards it is not so easy to just turn up on spec to
taste wine. Better to ring ahead. And
expect to pay for the privilege. All
these wines take many years to mature so patience is required!
Arguably the best of the best Bordeaux vineyards are in the Margaux
region, also on the south bank of the Gironde, covering the villages of
Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Arsac and Labarde.
Here, quality control is at its highest, there are no
co-operatives and wine may not be sold without a certificate of quality
conformance issued by a tasting panel!
By complete contrast on the north bank of the Gironde are the
appellations of Côte de Blaye and Côte de Bourg where there are many
small producers willing to provide dégustation without charge and
without pre-booking. The
red wines from this area are very affordable and yet still pleasant and
of a high quality. We
purchased some lovely wine at the grandly named “Château Grand Renard”
which can be found on the D18 just south of St Ciers-sur-Gironde.
Heading south of Bordeaux following the Garonne river you find the
Graves region which produces predominantly white wines. In the far south east of this region is the small area
producing Sauternes and Loupiac wine.
These are excellent desert wines.
Between the two great rivers of Garonne and Dordogne you have the Entre
Deux Mers region which again produces predominantly white wines.
North of the Dordogne you have the St Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac areas
which produce excellent red wines that compete quality wise with the
best Médoc vintages.
|
Favourite Bordeaux wines:
“Chateau
Grand Renard” which can be found on the D18 just south of St
Ciers-sur-Gironde. We rate this 1992 red “Grand Vin de
Bordeaux” highly because although it only cost the equivalent of £4 a
bottle, every single person we’ve shared it with has commented that it
is the nicest red they have ever tasted.
|
|
Visits to Vineyards, museums etc:
To
learn more about the wine growing tradition of this area we recommend
that you visit one of the wine museums. There are many examples, but
one of the most fascinating is at the Château Mouton-Rothschild in Pauillac. Other options are the Musée du Vin either in Bergerac or
Bordeaux.
Unquestionably the one place you must visit in the
Bordeaux area is
St Emilion. This
wine producing village, classed as a world heritage site, is surrounded
on all sides by acre upon acre of vineyard. And the town itself is
a real architectural gem with historical roots established more than
1200 years ago!
St Emilion's maison du vin and the tourist information offices
can provide you with information booklets on the region's vineyards,
alternatively you can book to join one of the tourist information
office’s guided afternoon tours.
In fact you are recommended to join the tourist office’s guided
tour as there are some parts of the village that cannot be seen any
other way. Or you can just
wander through the streets of St Emilion and try your luck in one or two
of the towns cellars.
|
Follow
the Route du Vin around Mareuil ~8km north of Luçon in the direction of
La Roche-sur-Yon. For an excellent & generous dégustation visit
holidays.