Join us for our Wine With Everything Tour In Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France’s 6th largest city, located in the southwestern part of France on the Garonne River near the Atlantic Ocean, has long been a seat of power and authority in France. Renowned for the elegance of its architecture and quality of its wines, the city has known extreme riches and devastating wars. It prospered in the 2nd century BC, then was plundered in 406 AD and fell into obscurity. In the 12th century, Bordeaux rose once again to importance following the marriage of the Duchess of Aquitaine with Count Henri Platagenet of Le Mans, France, who became King Henry II of England shortly after their wedding. The city prospered, primarily due to wine trade, and the cathedral of St. André was built. In the 16th century, Bordeaux participated in the slave trade, becoming one of the centers of distribution of slaves and sugars from the West Indies.
Bordeaux’s most glorious period came in the 18th century, when peace reigned and the wine industry flourished. Beautiful buildings lined the quays of the Garonne River; the Baron Haussmann, responsible for recreating Paris under Napoleon III, did so after the gracious avenues of his native Bordeaux. In the 20th century, the French government moved briefly to Bordeaux at the onset of World War II when it became clear that France was to fall to the Germans; from there it moved to Vichy.
In the late 20th century, Bordeaux was renovated under the direction of Mayor Alain Juppé. Modernized, revitalized, and streamlined, the city has found once again its dynamism and vibrancy. Boasting a lively and prestigious university, a well-run public transportation system, elegant shopping and superior dining, the city takes pleasure in more than just its wines. Along the newly renovated 80-meter-wide quays of the Garonne River, you can shop, dine, jog, or stroll for almost 5 kilometers, from the Saint-Jean rail station to the flood basins further up the river. Blending 18th century architectural facades with trendy new boutiques, gardens, flowers, restaurants, cafés and ice cream stands, the quays have become a destination for leisure and pleasure, one of the most magnificent urban environments in all of France.
And of course: les vins. Bordeaux’s fame resides in its extraordinary wine industry. Blessed with an excellent climate and geography, the vines first planted by the Romans in the 2nd century BC have thrived and the vigernons have become market-savvy. First promoted by the English when they dominated that country, the wine growers learned to cultivate the vines and bottle them properly. Bordeaux has about 116,160 hectares (287,000 acres) of vineyards, 57 appellations, 10,000 wine-producing châteaux and 13,000 grape growers, producing large quantities of both everyday wine and extremely expensive wine. Included among the latter are the area’s five premier cru red wines established by the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855: Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion, Château Mouton-Rothschild. The Bordeaux appellation is comprised of five distinct wine-growing areas: Blaye (Cotes de Blaye, Cotes de Bourg); Northwest (Margaux, Médoc, Pauillac); Northeast (Fronsac, St Emilion, Pomerol); Southwest (Graves, Pessac-Legnon); Southeast (Bordeaux, Entre-deux-Mers, Loupillac, Cadillac).
It’s difficult not to find something to love in Bordeaux!
- suggested itinerary Wine Tour 2014
- Cost & tour details 2014
- Registration form Wine with Everything Bordeaux 2014