Medieval St-Émilion is the oldest wine town in France. It is about 22 miles northeast of Bordeaux and sits high on a limestone rock overlooking the seemingly endless vineyards, châteaux and Romanesque churches of the Dordogne valley. St-Émilion is a cluster of stone houses, churches and wine shops surrounded by ramparts. The most famous sight […]
Tag Archives | wine
Château Pape Clément, Pessac, France
One thing I’ve learned after visiting a few wine regions in France is that popes really liked wine. Château Pape Clément was Clement V’s love. The vineyard was given to him as a gift when he was appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux. It was an ideal grant since the pope (well, back then he was known […]
Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, France
Since Pauillac is famous for its dense concentration of outstanding châteaux, we visited a second area winery, Château Lynch-Bages. Here, we toured the facilities, learned about the process and toured the cellars. A unique part, however, was the second-floor museum, situated over the steel vats, where old equipment including transport rails, presses and sorting table […]
Château Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac, France
We were looking forward to visiting at least one Premier Cru in the infamous Médoc region, which is about an hour northwest of the city of Bordeaux. Since two of the three first-growth châteaux were closed (Lafite was closed until October and Latour was closed for renovations), Mouton-Rothschild it was. Visiting a top château in […]
Bordeaux, France
The main purpose for visiting Bordeaux was to run the Marathon du Médoc, but visiting wineries, or châteaux, was a priority. The area is overwhelmingly vast, with châteaux and vineyards stretching in every direction. We knew we wouldn’t be see many regions, so we aimed to get a general overview of the area and dig […]
La Bottega del Nobile, Montapulciano
This was our favorite wine shop in tiny but saturated Montapulciano. La Bottega del Nobile carries more than 300 labels of Tuscan wine- everything from Vino Nobile dii Montepulciano to Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Super Tuscans and more. The young sommelier owner, Cesare, was eager to talk about local wines, show off his wares […]
Montapulciano
I’ve always enjoyed Montapulciano wines, so I was really excited to go to the source of beloved Vino Nobile! It wasn’t surprising that this small town (14,000 residents) was saturated with wine shops, wineries, wine accoutrements and restaurants serving wine. As the town is mostly pedestrians-only, we parked right outside the town walls and walked […]
Poggio Antico, Montalcino
Poggio Antico produces what Montalcino is most famous for – Brunello di Montalcino. We tasted two Brunellos and a Super Tuscan. The microclimate, high altitude and winemaking process contribute to turning out elegant, complex wines. Poggio adheres to the traditional method and refines the wine in barrels for at least three years and in bottles […]
Bulles & Millesimes Wines, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
We ducked into this basement wine shop because it is one of the few that sells some of the region’s best wines – Chateau Rayas, Chateau de Beaucastel and Clos des Papes. Think of it as a boutique that only carries a few high-end brands, only in a crumbling, dusty cave. The owner, Pierre, was […]
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
Since we were in the area, we had to swing by Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which is considered one of the finest appellations in the world. It is one of the 16 Crus of the Rhône Valley and one of the first of France’s AOC’s (appellations d’origine controlee). Within the official area of 32 square km, 320 chateaux […]
