Bordeaux is the largest wine making region of France with about 7,000 chateaux producing 700 million bottles of wine annually. (By the way, the word chateau in France refers not to a "castle" but to a winery.)I had a memorable visit today to a vineyard in St. Emilion. Monsiur Lanoite, owner of Chateau Lanoite St. Emilion, provided a tour of his small wine-making facilities followed by an incredible dejeuner in his dining room. A simple French lunch of charcuterie and paté was accompanied by glasses of his 2005, 2004, and 2002 vintages. (The 2005 St. Emilion was still young but will be outstanding when it ages ... and I'm bringing a bottle home with this in mind). The lunch was followed by trays with an incredible variety of cheeses and patisseries, and we enjoyed Monsieur Laniote's entertainment of magic tricks and patter of jokes throughout the meal.
Napa and Sonoma counties in California are great, but wine lovers should get back to the place where the fine tradition of winemaking began. Consider a trip to experience winemaking in Bordeaux. There are beautiful accommodations at all price levels, and you will leave Bordeaux both with bottles of wine that you sampled and enjoyed as well as with memories that will last a lifetime.
winemaking in Bordeaux (search here on Google)
copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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1 comment:
My wife and I visited Chateau Lanoite this past week and found it one of the more enjoyable tours not only in Bordeaux but anywhere else in this vast wine producing country. The wine is very good and Monsiur Lanoite is very entertaining. A truly enjoyable experience.
K. Shelton
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