For our second full day in Bordeaux we were awake nice and early (thank you jet lag and time differences!), so we got up and out as the sun was rising. It was so peaceful walking along the water, watching the sun illuminate the buildings, and seen the city come to life for the day.
Fortunately for us, it happen to be a morning for one of the large farmer's markets, so that is where our feet led us. Our stomachs were forever grateful, except for the fact that we could have filled them a little less! But once you see examples of our options, you will understand why we had no choice but to overindulge!
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| France is truly a carb-lovers paradise |
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| Mmm...fresh eclair. It tasted even better than it looks! |
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| Really nice to be early, getting the first pick of everything, and it was super fresh! |
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| Meat and potato fry up. Happy belly! |
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| Baked vegetable tastiness |
With full bellies, we headed to class.
One of the things that I was looking forward to the most on this trip was a wine class.
I cannot recommend a company more highly than
Bordovino (click to see their website) if you find yourself in Bordeaux. Our morning was spent "in class" learning about wine, doing an extensive wine tasting, and practicing making wine blends. We learned SO much about colors and notes, and all things wine. It was fantastic!
Notes: How to taste wine like a pro
- See (color)
- Sniff and swirl: 1st and 2nd nose (smell)
- Savor: 1st and 2nd mouth (flavor range)
- Spit or swallow
You best believe that I savored ever drop of wine, and none of mine was wasted in a spittoon!
Following a solid introduction into competent wine tasting, a few of us loaded up into the van to go practice our newfound skills out there in the world of French wine and gorgeous chateaus in the Saint Emilion wine region. Our group was led by Stephane, and it was AWESOME!
First Stop:
Chateau Siaurac
We were given a tour by the managers of the chateau, so we learned about both the history of the estate, as well as the history and method of their wine making. You would be surprised how complex and varied the entire process is. The entire estate was absolutely stunning.
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| Chateau Siaurac |
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| Beautiful location for a wedding! |
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| Honeybees! |
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| Chateau Siaurac |
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| Chateau Siaurac |
Second Stop: Medieval city of Saint Emilion
This is a very small city, and a very quick one to explore on foot. You get quite a work out with all of the stone steps, as it is build into the side of a hill. The stone work of all of the buildings, walls, and roads is really incredible and picturesque.
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| City of Saint Emilion |
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| City of Saint Emilion |
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| City of Saint Emilion |
Final Stop:
Chateau Soutard
The was an older chateau that was in the process of modernizing their processes. We were disheartened to learn that many chateaus are being bought up by foreign investors, consolidated, and turning into mass production for profit. It seems that may families that have owned the chateaus and produced wine for hundreds years can no longer afford to do so with the cost of estate maintenance, taxes, and cost of trying to meet production requirements.
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
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| Chateau Soutard |
