Bordeaux is a famous wine region in France, known all over the world and it's about two hours south of La Rochelle by train or car. My first reaction to the city is that it's beautiful and historic, just like La Rochelle. I took a weekend trip to Bordeaux with some friends, and was lucky enough to take a tour of two different Châteaux, taste different kinds of wines from the region, and try some of the food that is most known for being distinctly French.
Day One: Friday
I started my day (while still in La Rochelle) with a typical French breakfast. I realize this isn't REALLY a part of my trip but I wanted to share it with you nonetheless.
If what you're thinking is "That just looks like a basket of bread...?" you would be absolutely correct. I got a lovely basket full of bread. More specifically 2 baguette pieces, 1 croissant, 1 pain au chocolat, and butter and jelly to go with it. Also on the left is my hot chocolate, which I have been indulging in probably way to often but I'm not much of a coffee drinker so it usually just seems like the obvious choice. I should really switch to tea though, I think it would be better for me.
I ate what I could of this and had to take some of it with me, because embarrassingly enough I'm not accustomed yet to eating so much bread at once and regardless of feeling full, you just kind of get tired of chewing. At least I do. But it's delicious nonetheless and a good way to start the day!
I ate what I could of this and had to take some of it with me, because embarrassingly enough I'm not accustomed yet to eating so much bread at once and regardless of feeling full, you just kind of get tired of chewing. At least I do. But it's delicious nonetheless and a good way to start the day!
I'll admit I'm having a difficult time picking from my pictures to decide which you get to see in this post!. There are just so many beautiful places I'd love to share. In order to travel from La Rochelle to Bordeaux, Hannah and I used a service called the Covoiturage which is the word in French for Carpooling. It's an organized and secure ride share service, which you pay through the website to people who post their journeys and how much space they have in their vehicles. It was convenient to be able to pay about 15 euro each way, and I got to practice my French some so that's good. We arrived in Bordeaux at about 1:00pm on Friday, January 30th and dropped our backpacks off at the youth hostel so we could commence exploring!
Our friends had taken the train to Bordeaux so we didn't end up meeting up until later that evening. Hannah and I did a walking tour of Bordeaux, taking pictures all along the way and familiarizing ourselves with the City Center. Of course during our venture I had to have a raspberry macaroon, because why not?
Our friends had taken the train to Bordeaux so we didn't end up meeting up until later that evening. Hannah and I did a walking tour of Bordeaux, taking pictures all along the way and familiarizing ourselves with the City Center. Of course during our venture I had to have a raspberry macaroon, because why not?
I apologize for my lack of hand-modeling skills. This beautiful delight was delicious, as usual. Always worth two euro in my book.
We looked around the grand theatre and hotel, wandered into lots of beautiful old churches and cathedrals, took a walk through the botanical gardens and eventually we ended up at a back-alley museum of wine and trade for Bordeaux. Here I learned all about the wine trade in Bordeaux, dating back centuries and about how the big river that runs through the entire Bordeaux region, called La Garonne, was used to transport hundreds of barrels of wine. At the end of the museum visit we got a brief tasting of Bordeaux wines and an explanation of the different wine regions of Bordeaux (which I'll get into more later).
We looked around the grand theatre and hotel, wandered into lots of beautiful old churches and cathedrals, took a walk through the botanical gardens and eventually we ended up at a back-alley museum of wine and trade for Bordeaux. Here I learned all about the wine trade in Bordeaux, dating back centuries and about how the big river that runs through the entire Bordeaux region, called La Garonne, was used to transport hundreds of barrels of wine. At the end of the museum visit we got a brief tasting of Bordeaux wines and an explanation of the different wine regions of Bordeaux (which I'll get into more later).
Hannah and I then continued walking, and eventually stumbled upon a French circus and bought tickets for the 8 o'clock show. We then rushed down the street to find something for dinner before we went to the show. I ordered a steak hauche, which is ground beef usually topped with something: in this case an egg! Hannah had a pasta dish similar to a carbonara. Here they are:
In my opinion, they were both amazing--like most of the food I've eaten thus far--but it was slightly upsetting how fast we ate in order to make sure that we weren't late for the circus. It was a wonderful show, I didn't take a lot of pictures to share with you because it wasn't the best lighting or quality for that type of thing. But I guess you'll just have to take my word for it!
Day Two: Saturday
On the second day, we were sitting in the hostel common area eating our breakfast (cereal, baguette, juice and coffee) when my friend Onno offered that he had discovered a student trip held by the Bordeaux Office of Tourism and the École du Vin (School of Wine) in which for just 15 euro, students of French Universities (ME!) could take a six hour bus trip, tour two different Châteaux and learn about the types of wines produced in Bordeaux. Obviously being cheap, informative, and the inclusion of free wine is right up my alley so Onno, Hannah, and I decided this was just the adventure for us. The tours of the wineries were all in French, but I was able to understand more than I would've thought!
To start us out, here is a picture of a map so I can explain to you the regions shown and where I went:
To start us out, here is a picture of a map so I can explain to you the regions shown and where I went:
The five regions as shown here are the Médoc (Red), the Bourg and Blaye including the Côtes de Bordeaux (Blue), Saint-Emilion (Purple), the Entre-Deux-Mers (Green), and finally the Graves and Sauternes regions (Orange). Just a small break down of why the map is colored like it is, the Médoc region is especially known for it's red wines, Saint-Emilion for it's Rosés, Entre-Deux-Mers for it's Dry Whites, and the orange of Sauternes for sweet whites. I won't completely bore you with the details, but if you'd like more information about the history and break down of the regions feel free to let me know!
The 1855 Classification system that has been used since in the Bordeaux region labels wines by Châteaux, given the different appellations in each region. The Châteaux that we visited on Saturday were both in the Médoc region, so I will go into a little more detail about these types of wines. The majority of these wines, including all of the ones I've tasted, are made up of a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Depending on how much you know about viticulture you're aware that wines are named for the grapes they're made with, so all three of these previously mentioned are grape varieties. The Médoc region is one of the most famous of Bordeaux especially for it's world-renowned red wines. They are typically very strong but can also be consumed at a very young age, not all of them need a long time to mature.
The 1855 Classification system that has been used since in the Bordeaux region labels wines by Châteaux, given the different appellations in each region. The Châteaux that we visited on Saturday were both in the Médoc region, so I will go into a little more detail about these types of wines. The majority of these wines, including all of the ones I've tasted, are made up of a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Depending on how much you know about viticulture you're aware that wines are named for the grapes they're made with, so all three of these previously mentioned are grape varieties. The Médoc region is one of the most famous of Bordeaux especially for it's world-renowned red wines. They are typically very strong but can also be consumed at a very young age, not all of them need a long time to mature.
This is Château Larose-Trintaudon, specifically located in the appellation Haut-Médoc. The beautiful property and delicious wines were certainly a treat, but it's also exemplary to note that this Château has been dedicated since 1999 with it's specific approach to quality and sustainability.
Both wines we tried at this Château were 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. I favored the 2009 pictured here over the 2007 but they were both certainly worth a mention. It was the start of a very good day (despite the rain and the wind, which seems to follow me in France wherever I go).
Next up, the Château Fourcas-Hosten, which is located in the Listrac-Médoc village. This 18th century manor house has been entirely renovated while maintaining the aesthetics of it's period, although it certainly looks different than the other Châteaux I had seen along the way.
Next up, the Château Fourcas-Hosten, which is located in the Listrac-Médoc village. This 18th century manor house has been entirely renovated while maintaining the aesthetics of it's period, although it certainly looks different than the other Châteaux I had seen along the way.
The property at this Château in my opinion was what was truly breath-taking, it has been recognized in the past as a "classified woodland". It was, however, very very windy and starting to rain again so we proceeded to go inside as quickly as possibly to continue our tour.
It's always an amazing thing to me to visit wineries and listen to the processes, the time and dedication put into creating the wines. It really is an art, and to me it's inspiring to see all the places that take such pride in their products. Everything from seeing the big fermentation tanks, the rooms filled with barrel upon barrel of aging wine, and then coming to the end to get a taste of what is being created is a new experience. |
The wines that we had at Château Fourcas-Hosten were also typical Médoc reds, except these blends were of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. I think that of the four wines I tasted on Saturday, the one shown above was my favorite, and I tended to favor the wines from Larose-Trintaudon over Fourcas-Hosten.
Day Three: Sunday
Our final day in Bordeaux was not as action-filled as our first two, but really we took our time to just finish exploring the city all together and get some good pictures! The weather was just as bizarre as ever, rainy and overcast one minute and then sunny without a cloud in the sky the next, but we did our best to enjoy ourselves no matter the conditions.
From just walking up and down streets to visiting many old cathedrals and churches, it was a good day with great friends and a nice, peaceful end to our little excursion.
And finally, after all of our friends had left by their different means of transportation, Hannah and I decided we would find somewhere to try some dishes that are authentically French, since we had a little time to kill before our ride back to La Rochelle arrived.
And finally, after all of our friends had left by their different means of transportation, Hannah and I decided we would find somewhere to try some dishes that are authentically French, since we had a little time to kill before our ride back to La Rochelle arrived.
We were extremely adventurous and ordered three classics to share: Foie Gras, Frog Legs, and Escargots. To my surprise, I loved the escargot and didn't so much love the foie gras. The frog legs are pretty standard taste--everyone who says they taste like chicken is not exaggerating--so it was easy to like those. The escargot was made with a pesto sauce of some kind and was probably my favorite of the three. I'm proud of us both for going out of our comfort zones and trying new things!
So this is where I leave you for now, I'll keep trying to post updates as often as possible. Thanks for reading!
So this is where I leave you for now, I'll keep trying to post updates as often as possible. Thanks for reading!