Tag Archives: France

Graves Open Doors 3: Château Caillivet in Bordeaux

Posted on February 3, 2014 by waywardwine

Today continues our exploration of Graves: Bordeaux’s diverse, left-bank, value region that struggles in the shadow of famed and pricier Haut-Médoc. A white van has toured us around the village of Langon, visiting its wineries for free (this is an EU Austerity Drinking Tour after all).

We leave “Château” la Croix’s rustic charm. A new driver asks for our next winery. The local girls say something. I blankly agree. But my wife’s glare cuts me down.

“They don’t like you”, she growls. “I know. But it doesn’t really matter which winery we go to.” “Yes, but you choose one, they don’t want us around”. “Fine”. Angry, tipsy, and both of us sick and stuffy we continue to whisper/fight. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Caillivet, Château la Croix, France, Haut-Médoc, Langon, Medoc, merlot, Oak, wine | 5 Comments

Getting Dirty in Graves: Château la Croix

Posted on January 27, 2014 by waywardwine

We pick up last Monday’s EU Austerity Drinking Tour post south of Bordeaux, sick, but thirsty. Our free, Open Doors, van tour of Graves had started decently. Château Pont de Brion let us taste a mini-enprimeur of 2012’s just-harvested varietals. They were tidy, well-branded, but too clean to be outstanding. Then I kicked a dog (accidentally), and they kicked us out.

Today, our van bounces to its next stop: Château la Croix.

The word Châteaux clearly gets applied to anything in Bordeaux. A child plays with gravel in the driveway. A stable-winery glares orange. The center tree shades a large, black dog who greets with a lazy bark.

But superficiality be damned. We came for wine, not glamor. Our van clatters off, leaving us and three, twenty-something ladies in the parking lot. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, Botrytis cyneria, dessert, France, Garonne, grapes, Graves, malbec, Muscadelle, Petite Verdot, Sauternes, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, wine, wine tour | 4 Comments

Bordeaux Begins: EU Austerity Drinking Tour: Day 91

Posted on January 13, 2014 by waywardwine

For 91 days my wife and I have drunk on a budget from New York to France. Finally, we reach Bordeaux: home to more of the most expensive, collectable wines than any region in the world (as well as many thin, cheap, ones). Here we can fulfill our dream, forged in the fire of the Advanced WSET exam. We will smell the soil, try the food, and revel in the wines of this unique terroir. And it’s my birthday.

The rub? My wife’s flu has hit with full force. The sniffles have also begun to muddle my mind, and worse, my palate.

So there we stand, inside one of the most posh tasting rooms bequeathed by Bacchus: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bordeaux, France, Garonne, Gironde, Negociant, wine, Wine Merchant | 4 Comments

Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame: New Wine Kid on the Block

Posted on January 6, 2014 by waywardwine

Day 91 of our EU Austerity Drinking Tour sees us leaving Nantes and the Loire. But before Bordeaux, we toast to this river ribbon of viticulture one last time.

Since this is an Austerity Drinking Tour, walking, public transport, and home-stays have helped us save money for drinking. Free tastings at Nantes’ Maison des Vins de Loire helped us visit over twenty wineries that only a pricy rental could. Of those, three came home with us.

It is our last day. Heavy rains and my wife’s emerging flu keep us in our cosy, colorful basement. Between packing, I create an advanced wine-chiller and put it outside: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Anjou, Cabernet Franc, chenin blanc, France, Loire, Moulin de Chauvigné, Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame, Savenniéres, wine | Leave a comment

My Fair Muscadet: Plain Grape Turned Into Audrey Hepburn

Posted on December 30, 2013 by waywardwine

Before New Year’s Eve kicks in, this Monday’s EU Austerity Drinking Tour post revisits a candy shop on France’s Atlantic Coast.

We zig zag through Nantes’ medieval streets.

The rain and gray sky drives us in and out of glittering shops. But not far from city center glows Gorges Gautier: chocolatier:

“Chocolate? But this an EU Austerity Drinking Tour travel post”, you wonder. Fret not. Past the window’s marzipan mountains and licorice forests, which look like a Francophilic Candyland, we spot Muscadet:

Inside, surrounded by a sea of gilding and ornate wood paneling, we go to the bar. A magic mound of green foil promises chocolates with Nantes’ famed grape Muscadet and its spirit hide inside. Continue reading →