Tag Archives: Bordeaux

Have patience with older wines

26 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in California, Napa/Sonoma, Uncategorized

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What is old wine? Nearly 20 years of wine enthusiasm has led me to think there is no single answer. A decent base-level understanding of wine only leads to more questions.

Two bottles of recently consumed wine have me reflecting on somewhat older wines. I haven’t consumed much 1980s Bordeaux or Burgundy but I have learned some things with Napa Cab and Oregon Pinot Noir.

The real starting point for this discussion is the truth about wine consumers. I’ve worked about 20 hours a week for two years in retail wine sales. Our shop is in an affluent neighborhood with a nice mixture of young people as regular customers. The average price point ranges $15 to $25. Still, we sell a good amount of higher end wine, $60-$125 and up.

Customers occasionally do ask about aging a $20 bottle of wine. I try to politely explain those wines are not made for aging. Drink them. I advise they find a decent decanter and air those red wines out for an hour or so and it will  probably improve them a little. The truth is American consumers want to drink wines when purchased. Winemakers are largely making wines for immediate drinking.

I make a point to ask winemakers how long to hold wines before consumption. During a trip to Napa the consistent answer was 5 years – though some high-end Cabs can certainly be held much longer. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, winemakers say 4-5 years.

IMG_0346In my personal wine-drinking experience I’ve found those numbers to be pretty accurate. In the last month I have enjoyed a 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia. Insignia is an iconic label, a wine that has always scored 90 points and higher. It’s always a stunningly gorgeous bottle of wine. The current released vintage, a 2016, sells for $300 a bottle and received a 96 point rating from Wine Enthusiast.

The second bottle was a 2012 WinderleaCrawford Beck Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Dundee Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The ’12 has always been hailed as a classic Oregon vintage. This wine can be found online for $50-$80.

image0These two slightly older wines performed the same. Both bottles were disorganized with an off-putting nose when opened. But, after an hour-and-a-half decant both started coming around. After another half hour in the glass both wines were coming into their own and showing as outstanding wine.

No one can tell you exactly when to open an older bottle. Pedigree and time in oak have an impact on how long you can age wine. The best advice is to experiment. Take a small taste when opening a bottle then “check in on it” while the wine opens up.

I’ve never tasted one of those 50-year-old Burgundys. Though I did have a 1991 Gevrey Chambertin this past winter that showed me potential for what aged wine can be.

Buy what you can afford, give the reds a decant, and decide for yourself what makes sense in aging your more pricey wines. If you really want to test aging, but a couple bottles – open one and wait another year or two and try the other. That will help determine your palate for aging.

 

 

 

Hard to believe: 10 years of Grape Sense

04 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Newspaper Column 2017, Uncategorized

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We all know time goes fast from time we’re aware of the calendar on the wall until we’re discussing retirement and beyond. Who could have guessed this little wine column would enjoy the success it has when it began in October 2007?

grape-sense-logoFrom five newspapers, mostly close to home base Crawfordsville, to more than 20 newspapers and websites across the state. At one point the column’s reach, based on print circulation numbers reached more than 300,000 Hoosier, Michigan, and Illinois homes. I only had one small paper in each of the two neighboring states but they’re worth including.

Today the number reached is harder to determine because several newspaper companies run the column as exclusive to their website instead of print. That’s okay because it still expands reach. If I had to figure out the number of homes I’d safely guess 200,000-250,000 homes.

That was always the goal to reach as many people as possible with some wine education. Arguably, the column has done that. It has also afforded me numerous opportunities to learn more about wine. The most impactful result was several press trips I participated in, and reported on here, to some of the great wine regions of the world. In 2010, I visited Paso Robles and it was back to California in January 2011 to Mendocino.

DrinkingWDon

Talking Oregon Pinot with Don Lange

But the big year for me was 2012. I took a press trip to Montpelier, France, in the Languedoc wine region for the world’s biggest organic wine trade show. That summer was another trip to the beautiful city of Bordeaux. In the fall, it was a quick trip to Chablis and its delicious whites in northern-most Burgundy.

 

I have led a couple of wine tourism trips in that time. The first trip to Oregon, which I’m thinking of repeating in 2018, really had an impact on my guests. I took four couples to Burgundy, France, in 2016 and it was my first as well. It takes a lot of time to comprehend the complexities of great Burgundy so I’m sure I’ll be going back.

The important thing about all those trips is I always tried to take you along here and on my blog.

GroupAlexana

2014 travel group having fun tasting the wines of Alexana Winery in a beautiful outdoor setting.

More important than what Grapes Sense has done for the author is what I hope it has done for you. The most consistent message through 231 500-700 word columns has been to try new things, new grapes, and new price points. Visit winemakers and ask lots of questions about what they do. And always remember you learn more about wine in the vineyard than the winery.

For the future, I’m not sure. I still enjoy writing the column and seldom have much trouble with finding topics. Perhaps a bit more focus on food in coming months and a narrower look at some wines and wineries.

Snowstorm Wine Choice: Go Classic!

06 Monday Jan 2014

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SnowTrees6pmBeen monitoring the dog and the snowfall in Central Indiana throughout the day. Weather forecast called for 8-12 inches of snow with sub-zero temperatures tomorrow. As I write, about 6 p.m., we seem to have reached the 8-inch level already!

And … it’s still snowing!!!!!

I waited until 5 p.m. to pop open a bottle of wine and chose Bordeaux. I also wanted to give props to a French sparkler I opened New Year’s Eve.

DinnerChateau Lassègue  2007 Grand Cru – This is a wonderfully smooth Saint Emilion Grand Cru wine for under $50. That can be hard to find.

I wasn’t in mood to cook but had lots of freshly made frozen chili. Snowed in and probably snowed in tomorrow with work called off — I thought I should open something really good.

I pulled this trade sample Bordeaux from the rack and it just keeps getting better with each sip as it opens up. It matched up with the chili pretty good too – I don’t make my chili spicy at all so it was great pairing.

The wine has some blueberry feel in the mouth along with the kind of limestone secondary hints one would expect from Saint Emilion. It’s a Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon blend that may not be as well structured and rewarding as better (but higher priced) offerings, but definitely satisfies.

This is a great example of affordable Bordeaux and part of the Bordeaux Today marketing campaign aimed at making that point. Online I found prices ranging from $39.99 to $69.99 – the lower end makes the most sense for this one

BertrandChateau Lassègue  2007 Grand Cru, SRP $50, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended at this price.

Gerard Bertrand 2010 Cremant de Limoux Brut – The Limoux region of Languedoc has actually been making sparkling wine longer than Champagne!

This is widely available wine from one of southern France’s best known producers. All of his wines are good value and usually very good wine. Production in the region dates back to the 1500s!

The Cremant was delightful. The bubbles come off on the milder side. The taste was a nice combo of apple, pear and maybe even Grandma’s apple pie! The wine is  70 percent chardonnay, 20 percent chenin blanc and 10 percent mauzac, the indigenousness grape that used to dominate all Limoux sparkling wine.

For those who want less fizz and smooth taste, this is an easy drinker at really great price.

Gerard Bertrand 2010 Cremant de Limoux Brut, $18, Highly Recommended.

A Weekend of Wine Reviews

27 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in California, France, Italy

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In a land far away and definitely a long, long time ago, I did radio sports play-by-play for basketball and football. I thought I might take that approach through Tuesday for the two or three wines I taste over that time period.

Now before my friends get concerned about an intervention, I haven’t consumed wine in nearly a week because of the holidays. So with lots of time home for taking down the tree, house cleaning, laundry, and making a couple of massive pots of chili – a few bottles are likely to get popped open.

So here’s the format for the call:

Day 1, Friday Dec. 27

chteau-bonneau-2008-montagne-st-emilion-bordeaux-433-1Chateau Bonneau 2009 Montagne St. Emilion, Bordeaux – This is outstanding table wine. The bottle was a gift from a French national who was quick to note it was nothing special just really good table wine. And that tops any description I could give it.

A few notes though would call attention to its drinkability. There’s not much going on here but it’s very well-made wine. Bonneau is a very small operation near Montagne in the Saint Emilion region east of Bordeaux (the city).

The alcohol is a modest 13.5 percent. I picked up nice fruit from the Merlot and Cab Franc blend. It has a modest little finish that most would find pleasing. In doing a little research I found recommendation that the bottle would peak in 3-4 years. I’d say it’s there right now.

What’s wrong with a nice round and soft Bordeaux blend with a pot of chili? Nothing at all.

This wine is available through several outlets in the state for just under $20.

Chateau Bonneau 2009 Montagne St. Emilion, Bordeaux, $19.99, Recommended Bordeaux at this price point.

Day 2, Saturday, Dec. 28

Beringer 1999 Marston Vineyard, Spring Mountain, Cabernet – Wow! A little wow is needed when you open up a bottle of older wine and it lives up to expectations.

MeRiedelCab

Sipping the Cab from my new Riedel Vinum XL Cabernet glass! It’s HUGE!

But let’s set this up: It’s 50 unbelievable degrees in Indiana today. So this afternoon I decided I needed to grill out – when will that chance come again – April? So I bought a nice ribeye and pulled an older bottle from the wine storage fridge.

My grill would not fire up 😦 .. not sure what’s up with that. But I spiced up the ribeye with a thick coating of sea salt, Texas spice rub, and fresh ground pepper. I seared the steak in a frying pan then tossed it into a hot oven for just a few minutes. It came out perfectly medium rare.

beringerI had three bottles of ’99 Beringer Cab but the first two had gone bad. I suspect too much travel and bad corks. But this bottle of Cabernet had held up nicely. I jumped online to find reviews and found several 2013 tasting notes. I found those to be consistent with what I found in the glass — big tannins, big finish, big nose of oak and fading fruit. Now while that may sound negative it’s not – it was great wine for the steak and some sea salt chocolate that followed.

If you’re into wine and have not consumed older bottles, it’s really a step you need to take to expand your palate. This was a $50 bottle of wine when released. It’s was a nice change of pace and great ribeye companion.

Beringer 1999 Marston Vineyard, Spring Mountain, Cabernet, $50, Highly Recommend – if you can find it.

Day 3, Sunday, Dec. 29

chili

cantina-tudernum-fidenzio-Cantina Tudernum Fidenzio 2007 Montefalco Sagrantino – This is not your local grocery’s wine. My wine buddies and I call this “big boy” wine. So put on you’re big boy pants as we round third heading for home (thanks to the late Joe Nuxhall for that) and let’s talk Sagrantino.

I’ve written about this wonderful Umbrian wine before and decided it would be perfect for a day of making chili. Each winter I make two giant pots of chili and freeze it in single serving containers. I end up with chili for the rest of the winter season.

But I digress. Sagrantino is grown only in a small area of Italy – Umbria to be exact. There is a limited number of producers. The wine is probably best known for its scarcity and it’s big tannic characteristics.

This wine is aged 12 months in oak. It has a roasting spice characteristic .. think thyme or rosmary. It’s rich with a heavy but wonderful feel in the mouth. This is not wimpy wine.

It’s also not cheap. This bottle retails at $46. But Sagrantino is unique. You can find Sagrantino at better wine shops – but probably only in larger cities. It’s great wine and definitely something a bit different. I love it.

Caintina Tudernum Fidenzio 2007 Montefalco Sagrantino, $46, Very Highly Recommended.

Affordable Bordeaux is Out There!

12 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in France, Newspaper Column 2013

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There is an old saying among wine enthusiasts: ‘The more you drink wine, the more you gravitate toward the French.’

And if you haven’t heard that one, certainly you’ve read and heard people talk about expensive French Bordeaux wines. The 2010 Chateaux Margaux sells around $1,000 a bottle. I found it for a palty $985.

Grape Sense LogoSince the worldwide economic downturn five years ago, you may have even read Bordeaux winemakers and marketers have tried to sell U.S. consumers on the idea of affordable second and third label Bordeaux wines.

As the market for those $1,000 wines softened, Bordeaux’s winemakers realized there was money to be made in countries that had, to some degree, turned their backs on the expensive and often snooty French production houses.

When I visited Bordeaux in 2012 the buzz was about marketing and tourism in the lesser known estates. Bordeaux has embraced marketing and created a “Today’s Bordeaux” campaign that features 100 wines at a price point between $9-$55.

The campaign is in its eighth year but taken a higher profile in the U.S. in the last 12 months.

Photo courtesy Conseil Interprofessional du Vin de Bordeaux

Photo courtesy Conseil Interprofessional du Vin de Bordeaux

“Today’s Bordeaux brings together wines that are meant to be enjoyed during every occasion — and these value wines can be enjoyed by wine aficionados and novices every day or when they are entertaining their nearest and dearest during the holidays. The program, in its eighth year, is a proud reflection of Bordeaux’s diverse terroir and vibrant and distinct appellations,” as stated in a Creative Feed release. The New York firm is marketing the campaign in the U.S.

The campaign is targeted on the northeast, west and interestingly Florida, Texas and the Midwest’s Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.

The wines were selected by a panel of nine judges featuring wine educators, buyers, sommeliers and wine press.

The real value in Bordeaux wines is Saint Emilion. Of course you can find good prices on other Bordeaux but Saint Emilion offers beautiful wines at a wide price range. These wines are always Merlot driven with other grapes added to balance the flavor profile. They tend to be round and full bodied. And if you haven’t enjoyed the French Merlot-driven wines, just forget everything you know about Merlot.

Value Bordeaux is really inexpensive when in the country.

Value Bordeaux is really inexpensive when in the country.

Merlot from France’s famed right bank of the Gironde River is extraordinarily rich, spicy and smooth. Many of the wines can be consumed immediately or cellared for a long time.

Ask you retailer about “Today’s Bordeaux” and seek out a few recommendations. The wines range from $9-$55.

Howard’s Picks:

Chateau Lyonnat 2009, Price Range: $20-$29: Pure Saint Emilion with 90 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet. The finish wasn’t particularly long on this wine but it would be good as a sipper or a light meal.

Chateau Phelan Segur 2010, Price Range: $20-$29: This was certainly a much bigger wine as one would expect from the left bank. It was a 51-49 blend of Cabernet-Merlot with big flavor, noticable oak, and a longer finish.

Chateau Recougne, 2009, Price Range: $10-$19: This is a Bordeaux Superior which is the largest classification in Bordeaux and produces 55 percent of all the Bordeaux consumed around the globe. The wines are often quite a bargain. This particular wine certainly had a fresh palate from its 75 percent Merlot, 15 percent Cabernet, and 10 percent Cabernet Franc blend. This one has been honored numerous times in French wine competitions for its price point.

Understanding Bordeaux – Matter of Right or Left?

12 Thursday Jul 2012

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It’s time to discuss Bordeaux. Of all the world’s wine regions it’s probably the most legendary and mystifying. It’s not easy to understand France’s iconic wine country but it’s possible.

The French, of course, make it difficult to understand any of their wine regions.

The French labeling system tells you the producer, the appellation (region) where the grapes were grown, and the vintage but those darn French don’t tell you what grapes are used for the wine. That’s old world wine making and you’ll find the same from Italy and Spain. Burgundy isn’t Burgundy at all it’s Pinot Noir. The Loire Valley is Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. Champagne is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and some minor varietals
Vineyards of Saint Emilion
Bordeaux is largely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. There are other grapes but we’ll get to that.
If you know just a little about Bordeaux it’s probably all the confusion over left bank and right bank. Let’s try to simplfy. The area is divided by the Garone River running about 375 miles through the southwest region of France and a bit of Spain. The river divides Bordeaux right down the middle.
The left bank is the one closer to the Atlantic Ocean. The soil has gravel allowing for good drainage – ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon. The right bank has limestone and clay soils which act like a sponge when it rains keeping vine stock roots moist long after the rainfall. That is perfect growing conditions for Merlot.
If you can remember those simple facts Bordeaux gets a lot simpler. We’ve mentioned Cab and Merlot but the area also grows Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carmenere, and Malbec. Bordeaux wines are driven by the two dominant grapes but almost never 100 percent Cab or Merlot. So remember Bordeaux is always going to be a blend.
Now, let’s say you’ve seen Sideways one too many times and you’re convinced you don’t like Merlot. That is probably because the only Merlots you have ever tasted was crappy Merlot. The right bank wines of Bordeaux which are Merlot driven will surprise you. The blends are big and rich and might even make you think you’re drinking Cabernet.
The left bank wines, and particularly the areas of Medoc, Haut-Medoc, and Margaux are where the insanely expensive French wines are produced. But that still leaves more than 15 other appellations on the left bank for you to explore. There are more than 20 appellations on the right bank, perhaps the best known is Saint Emilion. And those wines are beautiful.
The French love regulations when it comes to making wine. Let’s just say what grapes grown, how long those grapes are aged, and virtually every step of the process has some government regulation.
It’s highly unlikely you’re going to find Bordeaux wines in your neighborhood supermarket or neighborhood shop. But retailers with larger inventory and shops catering to wine enthusiasts will definitely have Bordeaux wines. But with just under 10,000 wineries how do you decide what to buy?
I’d suggest you start with your preference of Cab or Merlot and go from there. There are plenty of good Bordeaux wines at value price points.  But keep in mind that Bordeaux’s high end goes to thousands of dollars per bottle for the world’s best wine.
Grape Sense has always focused on finding a small wine shop where the proprietor knows wine. That’s never more true than when buying Bordeaux.
Having visited Bordeaux recently, it’s not as complicated as it seemed before. We can argue if Bordeaux makes the world’s best wines. But it’s a region wine enthusiasts need to sample and understand.
Au revoir!
Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, IN., writes Grape Sense every other week for 18 midwestern newspapers.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Photo Albums From Bordeaux Now Posted

04 Wednesday Jul 2012

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You can now scan through the posts below and see photo albums from each day of my trip to Bordeaux. Or, simply click on the photo at the right labeled “My Wine Travel” and see the three photo albums and others from previous wine country trips.

It takes a little time to get these done and it’s usually pretty difficult on the road with wireless internet in old European hotels. All that being said, they’re now posted.

I have lots of stories to tell from the trip. The first challenge is sorting out the material – a big challenge! But the trip was worth every minute of frustration from my travel to France and back. My knowledge of Bordeaux is still limited compared to many but so much further along after this trip.

Enjoy the photos. I’m going to write a generic Bordeaux column for the newspapers which is due to go out tomorrow and catch up on a bunch of wine reviews.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Fellow U.S. Wine Writers From Bordeaux Visit

02 Monday Jul 2012

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 Me, Janelle, Denise, and Pam – wine writers all!

Getting to tour the great wine regions with other writers/bloggers is a great opportunity to meet people with a similar interest. But it’s also interesting to hear what others are doing with their blogs and writing. Everyone also brings different levels of wine expertise.

There were plenty of wine writers in Bordeaux for the Fete le Vin. The sponsoring organization had groups from several countries. We often mixed and matched during the three days which made it fun.

This is the first of several “catch up” posts. I have a full Sunday of travel to get home and will post this one or whatever else I can. The U.S. contingent consisted of two midwesterners, a west coast representative and a U.S. native living in England.

Texas native Mary, owner of Decanter Tours
was such a help with her years of knowledge
about the Bordeaux wine region.

We spent Saturday morning together on a boat with great seafood, wine, incredible scenery, and great company.

Janelle Carter works out of Chicago. She is a former attorney who has gotten serious about her wine. You can learn more from her blog, the Cork Chronicles. Janelle and I shared a similar plight of delayed arrival and lost luggage.

Pam Mandell has a great attitude as a wine novice but great experience as a travel writer. Check out here NerdsEyeView blog.

Denise Medrano considers California home but now lives in England. Her wine blog is The Wine Sleuth.

NOTE: I started writing this post this morning during a layover in Nice, France. My flight was delayed which means I missed my connection to Indianapolis when I arrived in New York. So I’m in airport hotel tonight and will fly home tomorrow. The travel fun just never ends!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Final Day in Bordeaux Highlights Tourism

30 Saturday Jun 2012

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We had several plates – several – that looked like this one.

ARCACHON, France – Fresh oysters, shrimp, langostines, crab, snails, and a few other things I didn’t recognize was Saturday’s highlight of my three days in France.

I have been here as a wine press guest of the CIVB, or Bordeaux’s professional winery association, marketing group and producer cooperative. But those are my words and not the association’s description.

See photos from Friday’s Bordeaux visit here.

Today was our final day in Bordeaux with all three U.S. wine writers facing an early day tomorrow and the long flight home. It’s hard to quantify the amount of knowledge I’ve absorbed about Bordeaux in three short days.

Today was about seeing other things the area has to offer and, frankly, enjoying ourselves. We headed out of town at 9 a.m. toward Arcachon on the French coast. The bay is known as one of the best oyster regions in all of Europe. It’s also known for its charming small town, fabulous beach, and incredible homes of the rich and famous along the shore lines.

The trip wasn’t all wine all the time like many of these press trips or the three previous ones I’ve joined. This trip all accentuated the wonderful things to do in the Bordeaux area besides wine. And I bought it enthusiastically. The Arcachon area is good as beach life gets. It was fun seeing kids playing a handball/beach volleyball combo game as we walked to our boat. The town was charming.

The boat captain was a great sport and toured us around the bay on a three hour cruise. It just doesn’t get much better than that – but then add the fresh seafood and representatives of two Bordeaux wineries pouring white, Rose’, and red wine and it was quite a morning. Arcachon may be new to many but is a fabulous vacation area.

Another highlight was a quick visit with Alfredo Ruiz, the only Latino-American winery owner in France. He had a restaurant at the Fete le Vin and we visited for a good 45 minutes. We heard his story and tasted three of his wines that I thought were some of the best I tasted at the value price point. He sells his white, Rose, and red for 10 Euro so under $15 with the U.S. conversion. He’s trying hard to expand his U.S. market. It’s really a great story. I intend on telling that story in the near future in one of my wine writing venues.

I finally had a small bit of time to walk through the Fete le Vin wine festival after that interview. It’s one cool event that draws a half million visitors in three days. There is constant live music, food, and all that Bordeaux wine. Each evening wraps up with a  really sophisticated light show and then big fireworks.

We then had a couple of hours off to do that ‘last day’ shopping. Bordeaux really is a great food city to go along with the wine, and a great shopping city. I bought French milled soaps, chocolate, Bordeaux’s favorite dessert, a t-shirt and other odds and ends to take back home.

We finished up our trip at a café in the city’s grand Opera House on the Place de Comedie – or the old theatre.

I have photo albums from Friday and Saturday to get up on the blog but it will probably be early in the week. So, please check back. We’re in a charming little hotel near the riverfront and the wine festival but the internet access is quite slow.

I’m like many people and have always found Bordeaux a bit intimidating. After spending just three days here, noting it was a pretty incredible three days of experiences, it’s now demystified. Bordeaux should be on any oenophile’s bucket list!

I have a very early flight tomorrow to Nice and then on to New York before Indy. I hope to do some work on the plane getting more photos up and such!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Beautiful Day for Visiting Iconic Saint Emilion Region

29 Friday Jun 2012

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The vineyards of Saint Emilion’s Chateau Franc Mayne

  SAINT EMILION, France – Even for those with little detailed knowledge of Bordeaux wines many have probably heard of Saint Emilion, the small village on a hill of limestone known for its beautiful Merlot-driven wines.

Francophiles with a taste for Bordeaux will know it for its elegant and silky wines that have been around for centuries.

Our Friday was shared with a Brit and a couple of German bloggers for a visit to Chateau Franc Mayne and the village. This is not unusual. We were joined by Chinese bloggers, another story or blog late, at dinner last night. Tomorrow morning French and Belgian bloggers will join our small U.S. group.

Our tour guide for the day was Mary Dardenne of Decanter Tours. Mary has more than a dozen years leading tours in the Bordeaux region and started her own agency, Decanter Tours, just three years ago.

On the ride out to Saint Emilion, Mary gave us great background on all of Bordeaux, some history of the region, of the wine growing, soils, and of the wine classifications of Saint Emilion. Mary was Texas born but has been in France for many years though she still maintains a Brewster, MA., address as well.

We spent a good portion of our time asking Mary questions about wine tourism in Bordeaux. For many, the area has always seemed unapproachable but that is changing. You still can’t drive up to wineries and taste their wines but French Chateau owners are beginning to embrace tourism as a new revenue stream. I also did a video interview with Mary about tourism that I’ll use for a future story.

James Capon of Chateau Franc Mayne pouring two wines.

We were met at Chateau Franc Mayne by native Brit James Capon who works in exporting for the winery. James gave us a walking tour of the winery and a look at the beautiful accommodations of the Chateau. They have a handful of rooms at the Chateau just a few miles outside Saint Emilion. It is a boutique experience staying at Franc Mayne but looks worth the 200E-380E price. There are beautiful views of the surrounding village, a natural swimming pool, beautiful grounds, and we had a fabulous lunch.

Unquestionable, one of the day’s highlights was a tour of Franc Mayne’s underground quarries. They have nearly two hectares, or about four acres, of underground quarries that provided limestone for the iconic buildings of Bordeaux. Franc Mayne’s Belgian owners also understand tourism. They have built a light and animatied tour throughout a portion of the quarries for future visitors. They tested it on our press group but did not allow us to take photos.

The winery owners hope to have the animated tour up and running soon. The tour provides narration about wine aging in the caves and gives a dramatic presentation on the history of the Saint Emilion region.

I detail much of the visit the accompanying photo album. I’ve written before during wine travel that one such trip will increase your wine knowledge and understanding of a region far more than any amount of reading.

We then headed off to the village of Saint Emillion where a tourist office guide walked us through the catacombs of the old village and through the monolithic church which has been delcared a World Unesco Heritage site. There are more than 173 acres of catacombs beneath the city.  Saint Emilion lived below ground here in the 8th century for 17 years.

The church was carved from solid limestone removing 15,000 cubic meters of rock to create the church. It is a stunning site.

The charming and acient little village clearly is a tourist attraction. There seemed to be 3-4 wine shops per street with small bakeries selling macroons in between.

Fellow U.S. bloggers Pam and Janelle with
Saint Emilion tour guide.

As good as yesterday was with a visit to a small village it just seems to get better. Tonight we board a river boat and cruise the Garone River for dinner as the Fete du Vin hits high gear with huge crowds, fireworks and a light show. We should have a front row seat from the river.

Tomorrow morning it’s off to the Atlantic to tour an inland bay where oysters are harvested. Plenty of white Bordeaux is on the menu as well.

This is really tough work – really – but someone has to do it.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com