Getting a Handle(bar) on Bordeaux Wines
France, June 2012
The word “Provence” refers to several regions that stretch from the Rhône Valley to the Alps and this part of Southern France was the first Roman provence outside of Italy which is how it got its name. It is therefore not surprising that the towns and countryside are sprinkled with Roman ruins and what better way to see them than from your own two wheeled carriage.
700 million bottles are produced each year and 89% are red.
I had no idea that the Bordeaux wine region, on the south west coast of France, was so vast with vineyards covering 287,000 acres. An average 700 million bottles are produced each year and 89% are red. There is not one but five different wine regions each covering totally unique terrain. It all starts at the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary, which eventually splits into two rivers – the Garonne to the south and the Dordogne to the north. Two of the wine regions lie on the right bank of the Dordogne and two on the left bank of the Garonne and the region in between the two rivers is known as Entre-deux-mers (which translates as “between two seas”). Some areas only produce reds whereas others predominantly produce dry or sweet whites or as in Graves, south of the city of Bordeaux, they produce all three.
The five wine areas are then further divided into sub regions eg Pomerol, Médoc, Blaye etc and then again into different appellations of which there are 60. To say your wine is from a specific appellation, your grapes not only have to be grown within a defined geographic area but you also have to adhere to a list of “rules” in order for your wine to qualify, such as the type of grapes grown, alcohol levels etc. There are however five appellations that can be produced throughout the whole area – Red Bordeaux, Red Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux Rosé, Crémant de Bordeaux (sparkling) and Bordeaux Clairet. The latter is where the rather old fashioned English word - Claret - comes from. Clairet is now an uncommon dark rosé but until the 18th century, thanks to King Henry II, it was the most popular wine exported to England.
There are several world famous vineyards with familiar names such as Chateaux Petrus, Margaux, Latour and Mouton-Rothschild. However, I’m embarrassed to admit there was one I had never heard of - Château d’Yquem – a dessert wine. The majority of Bordeaux wines are prefixed with the word Château which doesn’t mean there is a castle or large manor house on the estate – although many of them do – here the term means “producer of wine” and there are 8,500 of them. As well as vineyards there are also several well known towns that produce famous wines such as Saint-Émilion, Sauternes and Cadillac.
No wonder I have found wine from this part of France so intimidating. It was therefore with some trepidation that I got onto my bike and left the market town of Libourne, heading into the vineyards of Pomerol. This is the home of Château Petrus where a 2003 bottle from Berry Brothers in London will cost you almost £2,000 or a 1982 vintage over £34,000!
From Pomerol, we climbed a few hills into the Montagne wine district before descending towards the river Dordogne. We stopped for a rest at the archaeological site at Montcaret where we visited a villa, complete with thermal baths, from the 1st century AD. In the 11th century Benedictine monks built a church on the abandoned grounds and the cemetery and village grew up around it. It wasn’t until 1827, when a wash house was being dug, that they discovered a mosaic floor and in 1921 official excavations were started.
That afternoon we crossed the Dordogne River and after negotiating a horrible hill - where I had to get off and push my bike - we arrived at a small 20 acre estate run by an English couple. Paul and Kirstie Rowbotham took over the Château La Tour de Chollet estate back in 2006 and while Kirstie was ploughing between the vines in a tractor, Paul explained to us the difficulties of growing vines in Bordeaux and how much the weather can affect wine production. We then sampled their wine, which I was delighted to learn could be bought on-line or found in gastro pubs in London. The appellation their wines are governed by is the Sainte-Foy Bordeaux and as their wines are organic this involves even stricter controls. They produce two types of reds (my favourite was their 2008 Prestige), a sweet white wine, a dry white and a very delicious rosé.
The cycle to our hotel was exhausting but my weary legs were soon forgotten when we arrived at Château de Sanse. This hotel is a hidden gem with stunning panoramic views and a pool, where I happily collapsed for a couple of hours. We then had an amazing dinner in the hotel’s conservatory and, even if I say so myself, I had earned every morsel.
The following morning, our cycle through the vineyards was idyllic with thankfully not a hill in sight. After a brief photo stop at the Abbaye de Blasimon, built between 1317 and 1322, we struck our first hill but were rewarded at the top with a cup of coffee in the town square. 6km later we arrived in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne in time for a cold beer, in the arcaded square, before lunch. The weekly market was in full swing and the cafés were doing a roaring trade despite all the fresh produce and food stalls available a few steps away.
After our leisurely lunch we found ourselves on the Roger La Pebie cycleway, a converted railway track linking Sauveterre to the city of Bordeaux. It was heavenly to cycle on the flat although we had been warned there was another steep hill to tackle before we reached Château Isabelle de Naujan, our next hotel where thankfully we would be staying for two nights. This stunning Château, set in a walled courtyard, had its own winery and we had a tour and wine tasting before dinner and I was particularly partial to their dessert wine.
Dinner started off with yet another wine tasting this time in the middle of a vineyard, behind the home of a wonderful couple who were friends of our tour organiser - www.frenchcyclingholidays.com. It was here that I had my first taste of Bordeaux’s sparkling wine – Crémant de Bordeaux. The wine is made in the same traditional process as Champagne but because it is not from the Champagne region of France it can only be called a sparkling wine. It was certainly on par with a good Cava or Prosecco.
The following day took us into the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards and we saw our first glimpse of the ramparts of Saint-Émilion and after a coffee break we tackled the steep, cobbled road into the heart of the town. However, before we were “let loose” to explore we first cycled a short distance to the pretty Château Laniote St Émilion for a pre lunch wine tasting and watched a very interesting video explaining their wine production.
We had a delicious picnic in front of the abbey before tackling the second half of the hill
Saint-Émilion is a picturesque medieval town which explained the number of tourists strolling along the narrow pedestrianised streets. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Not surprisingly, every second shop was a wine shop with many offering tastings. With so many to choose from we decided to try the one directly opposite the tourist office, where we had purchased beautiful fabric wine bags and “drop stops” – a simple invention which prevents your red wine dribbling down the bottle. It was here we met Jean-Baptiste who let us sample over a dozen different wines!
At last I was starting to figure out that wine from the vineyards of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are predominately Merlot (70%) with the remainder made up of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. Whereas your classic Bordeaux blend a.k.a Claret and also wines from the Medoc area, which unfortunately we didn’t visit, are usually 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot.
An hour later, having chosen our favourites and arranged to have them shipped home, we crossed the square and had a lovely light lunch on the outside terrace of the Relais & Châteaux hotel – Hostellerie de Plaisance. From here you could look down at the cafés, covering the cobbled square, in the lower part of the town or across the grey terracotta tiled roofs to the castle tower and rolling green hills beyond. Sitting in the sunshine, beneath the church bell tower, enjoying a bottle of rosé we were glad we had decided to skip the tour of the catacombs.
The cycle back was definitely wine-powered - I even made it up the hill - and we had time for a short rest by the pool before a delicious dinner in the Château’s dining room.   Although my bed was calling me I managed to stay awake long enough for a quick coffee on the terrace under an amazing clear blue sky, criss-crossed, by dozens of aeroplane slip streams.
The next day we were once again on the Roger La Pebie cycle path heading into the Entre-deux-mers wine region. On leaving the cycle path our first stop was half way up a hill and another UNESCO World Heritage site. Abbaye de Sauve-Majeure was founded in 1079 and was once home to 300 monks. Next to the abbey was La Maison des Vins de l’Entre-deux-mers where we had our first “white” wine tasting. Bordeaux whites are predominately Sauvignon Blanc (80%) with the balance made up from Semillon and Muscadelle grapes and the wines are dry and crisp.
We had a delicious picnic in front of the abbey before tackling the second half of the hill, heading south towards the River Garonne and the town of Cadillac. This part of the route was mostly downhill and was the most exhilarating of the trip and we arrived in the centre of the town smiling and in need of a very cold beer – or two. This town has a vague historical connection with Detroit and the motor manufacturer of the same name and also has an impressive 17th century Château which unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit.
After our refreshments we headed across the river again and into the Sauternes region famous for its “vins liquoreux” or dessert wines. Several exhausting climbs later we arrived at Château D’Arche, a beautiful hotel and vineyard overlooking the town of Sauternes. After a very enjoyable tasting of their own label, we walked into town in search of somewhere to have a pre-dinner drink. For a town with such a prestigious name and despite being very pretty there was nothing to do. The couple of shops and restaurants and the town’s only bar were closed. We therefore descended on the only place that was open, a lovely deli, where we relieved them of all their cold beers and wine and sat outside and waited for the restaurant, where we were having dinner, to open.
The following morning we headed north, stopping for a quick photo at the ruin of Château de Budos, before crossing the river once again. We were now in the Graves wine region, named after it’s gravely soil. Our destination was one of the prestigious wine producers - Château de Chantegrive - where we got to see wine production on a much larger scale as well as sample their latest vintages. After a few more hills we thankfully re-joined the cycle path and, with the exception of a stop for a coffee at one of the old train stations and a beer an hour later, we stayed on it until we reached Bordeaux.
The city of Bordeaux is limestone white and looks brand new. I later discovered that Alain Juppe, the Mayor of Bordeaux since 1996, made it mandatory that every building be cleaned. The city has 350 buildings listed as historic monuments, mainly from the 18th century, which explains why it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
cooling your feet in the Miroir d’Eau opposite the Place de la Bourse
The best place to admire the architecture is standing with your back to the Garonne River, cooling your feet in the Miroir d’Eau (a modern, flat paddling pool with water jets) opposite the Place de la Bourse. Thanks to the river front park, with its cycle and jogging paths and the wide boulevard, with designated car, bus and tram lanes, nothing will block your view.
Walking north along the river will bring you to Les Quais, a row of restaurants with outside dining, located in converted warehouses. In the other direction, near the Pont de Pierre, two chateaux-like entrance gates lead into the city. From the river you will also find the entrance to one of the largest squares in Europe, laid out in 1818. Place des Quinconces doesn’t feel like a square and is really a large empty rectangular space covered in gravel. Two columns, 21 metres in height, stand at the river end and the spectacular Girondins Monument at the other. However, the square is not named after these monuments but after the pattern the trees are laid out in that run down one side - like the 5 on a dice – or a quincunx to give it its proper name.
Bordeaux is a great city to walk or cycle around. Must do’s are a visit to the public gardens for a coffee at the L’Orangerie café; window shopping around the Marchés des Grand Hommes; picking up some chocolate covered Sauternes raisons at Cadiot-Badie (est. 1826) and enjoying a glass of wine on the Regent Hotel’s terrace whilst admiring the Grand Theatre opposite. The Café Francais, in Place Pey-Berland, is another great place to enjoy a glass of wine, as you gaze up at the gargoyles on top of the Cathedrale St-André or watch wedding parties coming out of the l’Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall).
As well as the large squares there are several small ones dotted throughout the maze of narrow streets located behind Place de la Bourse. Surrounded by coffee shops and restaurants you can sit with the locals – or Bordelais as they are called – and have a platter of paté, cheese and a French baguette. Another place to hang out with the Bordelais is at the Marché des Capucins. There has been a food and flower market here since 1749 and on a Saturday morning, after buying their groceries, everyone heads to the bistros located just inside the entrance doors, to enjoy carafes of white wine and plates of fresh oysters. As well as these very popular old fashioned bistros there were also modern cheese & wine bars and a Spanish tapas bar, which sold the best Pata Negra (Iberian ham) I had ever tasted.
Seeing Bordeaux and learning about its wines by bicycle is thoroughly recommended – despite all the hills. But if you don’t fancy the idea of hills, or bikes, you can always sign up for a two day course at one of Bordeaux wine schools. I certainly felt ready to put into practice what I had learnt during the week, particularly as I now knew a “Bordeaux blend” was my kind of red. However, as with biking up hills, I think it will be a case of “practice makes perfect” the only difference being I can’t wait to be handed a wine list!