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| The Grapevines of Chateauneuf de Pape |
One of the many benefits of being empty-nesters is the ability to indulge in new (or forgotten) hobbies. Some empty nesters love camping, others love fishing. Some love golfing and others love reading. Since travel has always been one of our biggest passions, we have learned to combine travel with another hobby . . . wine tasting! Past trips to Napa, Sonoma, Santa Ynez, and Paso Robles in California and the Willamette Valley in Oregon have been made more interesting when we learn about the different wines from these regions. Since we are big red wine aficionados, we thought a trip to the Bordeaux and Rhone regions of Southern France might be interesting. We planned out a two week trip traveling from Bordeaux to Nice with many interesting stops along the drive.
Bordeaux, France
When asked to describe Bordeaux, Gar likes to tell people it's like one of the small regions in Paris. The heart of this semi-large city is bustling with people but the outskirts are perhaps one of the most scenic, quiet and beautiful places in France. The city offers a large selection of hotels, restaurants, shopping and wine-tasting. Since Bordeaux is arguably most famous for its red wines, small shops line every street offering free tastes of the latest vintage. Dining is later than in the US with many reservations beginning at 9:00 p.m. Because of the late nights, most people are not up early and we found this to be the best time to get out and explore the pedestrian streets. These pedestrian streets are lined with designer shops and restaurants. The promenade is very clean and tends to be a place for people to congregate and socialize. We would recommend a minimum of three nights visiting this city but you could easily find enough to do to stay for seven or more!
Where to stay:
Bordeaux, France
http://hotelbordeauxcentre.com/eng/pages/view/1/luxury-boutique-hotel-bordeaux-centre-hotel-design
I booked this room directly with the hotel based on the many great TripAdvisor.com reviews. Perhaps those reviewers had better rooms? The staff here was lovely and ever so helpful and friendly. Their suggestions for dinner were spot on as to what we love. Our room, Chateau La Gaffeliere, was at the back of the bar on the ground floor. It was a very large room, however, we had a few issues with it. First, the jacuzzi is in an attached separate room. Unfortunately it was pre-filled with not so clean water (which they graciously changed the next day). The light in this room never turned off. We told housekeeping and the hotel staff about the problem, however, it stayed on the entire length of our visit. Like many European hotels, the shower leaves a lot to be desired. It is a walk in shower with a wand that sprays all over the tiled bathroom floor. There is no fan so it makes for very foggy mirrors. With no windows in the room, using the shower causes a very humid environment. Like I said, they are very responsive to issues that arise, but this is a design flaw that could not befixed. One day, we returned in the late afternoon to find that our room had not been made up. They apologized and sent housekeeping over immediately. They gave us a complimentary glass of rosé while we waited in the bar. (We would've rather napped before dinner as we were still quite jet-lagged!) One last thing to know, although the hotel is conveniently located in downtown, the parking is in a not so nearby garage. While they have negotiated a reduced rate for guests, it was still pricey (47 Euros for 3 nights). I would definitely recommend this hotel and its lovely staff but I would request a different room.
Where to Eat:
Bistrot Dubern
http://www.dubern.fr/?page=bistrot
This beautiful restaurant was recommended by the hotel staff. A short walk from Le Boutique Hotel, this was one of our favorites in Bordeaux. Described by the hotel as "bistro chic" it was indeed! The foie gras was fresh and delicious. The presentation of each dish was very artistic. Gar really enjoyed his duck and I liked my pork and carbonara. The huge prawn was a bit fishy tasting and I admit I had a very difficult time eating it with the face still on! (Just not how I'm used to having my shrimp served.) All that quickly disappeared when we had dessert. They have a reasonably priced Carte menu. We found if one of us ordered from this menu, the other person could order just an entree because the starters and desserts are large enough to share. It was actually the staff at this bistro that recommended this type of ordering and we did so many times.
Bouchon de Bordelaise
http://www.bouchon-bordelais.com/blog/?page_id=2
This quint bistro was another hotel staff and TripAdvisor.com recommendation. Located within walking distance of Le Boutique Hotel, we enjoyed the ambiance here a lot. Service was attentive and like most French restaurants, we were able to enjoy a nice, leisurely dinner. The wine selection was excellent and the Kir Royale aperitifs were a perfect start to our evening. Gar really liked his lamb and my beef was tasty, although I wish I had ordered it more than just medium as it was very rare! Again, we shared the starter and dessert and each ordered their own entreé. Le Noailles
http://www.lenoailles.fr/index_en.html
We enjoyed dining on the covered cafe part of this restaurant, especially since dining al fresco is one of our favorite things to do in France. It's made difficult when there is rain, however the enclosed patio dining allowed us to feel like we were outside yet away from the elements! Service was excellent and not rushed. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the sole au meniere and my husband really loved his scallops. The wine selection was good and the price was reasonable. It may seem a bit touristy as it is located near the TI (Tourist Information) but we enjoyed it very much!What to Do:
Bordovino Wine Tasting Tours - Medoc Region
http://www.bordovino.com/medoc-afternoon
Gar and I really enjoy learning about the various kinds of French wines in this region of France. Being from California, we are very familiar with Napa and Sonoma wines but knew little about the French wines. We booked the full day Medoc tour prior to leaving home. Medoc wines are more Cabernet Sauvignon based and St. Emilion wines are more Merlot based. I wish I had known this as it would've helped simplify which tour to take. This tour was a really interesting, fun way to learn about wine making in France. We tasted wines at three different chateaus (Chateau Dauzac Margaux, Chateau Lilian Laduoys and Chateau Lagrange) and stopped to look at two other beautiful chateaus (Chateau Margaux and Chateau Pichon). Each chateau explained their process for wine making and the types of grapes that go into them. We were able to go into the vineyards, the cellars, the rooms where the wines are blended and stored as well as seeing how they are bottled. Our guide Sarah, was very informative on the 45-minute drive to the region as well as between chateau visits. It was easy to find the meeting spot right across from the Tourist Information center and that is where we were returned. We also enjoyed the small town of Pauillac where we stopped to enjoy a lunch. Sarah recommended many different restaurants and the one we chose was really good (Hotel Le Vignoble). Compared to the other very pricey private tours we looked at on TA, this one was a really good value and we would recommend it to anyone visiting the Bordeaux region wishing to learn more about the Medoc wines. Our small tour group consisted of us and one other couple so it was almost like a private tour. Unlike California wineries, we were unable to purchase wine from the chateaus. This wasn't a problem as the wines were easily available in local stores and it was nice to not have the pressure to buy after tasting. Sarah also was kind enough to share some wineries in the St Emilion region for our drive through there the next day. A day well spent in Bordeaux!
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