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The port cities of Bordeaux and Bristol both played a distinguished role in the history of the wine trade, such that even in the 13th century more than 85 per cent of all imported wine came from South West France and as much as 3,000 tons (750,000 gallons) was being landed in Bristol.
The trade with Bordeaux fluctuated, dependent on our relationship with France (war, peace, occupation) but key names in the UK wine trade were established in Bristol, such as Harveys and Averys. Both Bristol and Bordeaux have the advantaghe that navigable rivers reach right into the heart of the city. In Bordeaux the “Quai des Chartrons” on the Garonne river front. In 2007 the cities of Bristol and Bordeaux celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their twinning.

Sadly little there remains little of that trade physically - no cargo ships leave the Chartrons quayside, and in Bristol only Averys of the long-established merchants remains in the city centre.
However, all that could change with a shipping company (CTMV - Compagnie de Transport Maritime a Voile) starting to use sailing ships to transport wine from Bordeaux, initially to Ireland, but later to Bristol. Initial consignments are of Languedoc wines, which are initially transported by barge on the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux and then loaded onto the sailing ship Belem for the 4-5 day crossing to Ireland. This trip with a load of 60,000 bottles will save over 18,000 lbs of carbon emissions - so a veritable eco-friendly wine.

UPDATE

The Telegraph (25 July 2008) has a report on the same company bringing a “Green Energy” wine to Ireland:-

The first commercial cargo of wine shipped from France by sail since the late 1800s arrived in Ireland on Friday aboard a British schooner, with almost zero petrol costs and carbon emissions.
Some 30,000 bottles of “green energy” wine, arrived in Dublin aboard the 108-year old Kathleen and May - the last wooden hull three-masted topsail schooner in existence - after leaving Brest a week ago with a stop at Penzance.

Each bottle carried has saved 4.9 oz of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a regular shipment. The wines come with the label: “Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet.”

Furthermore the return trip is planned to be with an equivalent cargo of crushed glass for re-making into wine bottles back in France - sounds clever to me!

One of the growing band of British winemakers in France is the Quinney family at Chateau Bauduc near Creon (33 Gironde, Aquitaine).

As well as delivering to private customers in the UK, we supply some of the country’s leading chefs: our Bordeaux Blanc has been the house wine at all Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants for eight consecutive vintages and a bespoke Bauduc red is the top selling wine in his three Michelin star establishment – still the only London restaurant with that accolade. Our white is also a ‘special selection’ at Rick Stein’s.

Since they bought the Chateau in 1999 the reputation of the Chateau has grown, not an easy task in the competitive marketplace that is Bordeaux. There is a 4-bedroom farmhouse on the estate which

…. is rented out on a weekly basis, overlooks the vineyards and backs on to the farm buildings and chais where the wine is made and aged. This 18th century stone dwelling was completely restored in 2002 with painstaking attention to detail and is a great place to spend a week or two in lovely surroundings.

For more details see www.bauduc.com
Chateau Bauduc, Creon 33670, France T: 00 33 (0)5 56 23 06 05 Email: team@bauduc.com

Jancis Robinson in the Financial Times (12 May 08) talks about the growing number of Brits who have followed their dream and bought a vineyard in France.

It is hardly surprising then that a substantial proportion of the hundreds of thousands of Brits who own French property have been tempted by the apparently bucolic life of a vigneron……
Are there any French winemakers left down there?
I asked Walter McKinlay, whose Domaine de Mourchon southern Rhône wines are some of the most successful from a British domaine, whether his Domaine de Mourchon wines were financially viable. He frowned. “Just about,” he said cautiously, then smiled. “But it’s a lovely lifestyle though.”

My own observation would be that it can be incredibly hard work and despite the attractions of the climate, landscape and the French way of life, it can also be very stressful. And as with all winemakers, a bad harvest, particularly in the early years can be devastating.

So, here’s our list of British vineyard owners (and 1 Irish couple) - that we are aware of (not an exhaustive list I am sure). Visits can be much more informative if the language is no barrier:-

Domaine de Laroux - Cotes de Gascogne, Armagnac (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) - Nick and Karen Kitchener
Chateau Haut Garrigue - Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Sean and Caroline Feely (the Irish couple running an organic vineyard also known as Wild Earth Vineyards)
Domaine de Fontenay - Cote Roannaise AC (42 Loire, Rhone-Alpes) - Simon and Isabelle Hawkins

Chateau Richard - Bergerac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Richard Doughty

Domaine de Merchien - Coteaux du Quercy and beer! (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees - David & Sarah Meakin

Clos d’Yvigne - Cotes de Bergeac, Saussignac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - Patricia Atkinson

Chateau des Milles Anges - Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Cadillac AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Heather van Ekris

Chateau Lezongars - Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Philip and Sarah Iles

Chateau Teyssier - Saint Emilion Grand Cru AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Jonathan and Lyn Maltus

Chateau de Sours - Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Esme & Sara Johnson

Domaine Gourdon - Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) - John Coulthard
Domaine du Grand Mayne - Cotes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) - Andrew Gordon
Domaine de Begude - Limoux AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Catherine and James Kinglake
Domaine de Mourchon - Cotes du Rhone Seguret AC (84 Vaucluse, Provence) - Walter McKinley
Maison des Bulliats - Regnie AC Beaujolais (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) - Fred and Helen Lockwood
Chateau Méaume - Bordeaux Superieure AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Alan and Sue Johnson-Hill

Domaine a Sauvageonne - Coteaux du Languedoc AC, Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc - Roussillon) - Gavin Crisfield

Domaine Sainte Rose - Vin de Pays d’Oc (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Charles and Ruth Simpson

Chateau Bauduc - Bordeaux AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Gavin and Angela Quinney

Domaine Sainte Croix - Corbieres AC (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) - Jon & Elizabeth Bowen

Chateau Monplaisir - Bergerac AC (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) - David and Helen Baxter

Chateau du Seuil  - Graves AC (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) - Sean and Nicola Allison

Watirose online is currently running a special offer of £10 off a mixed case of classic French wines (and free delivery) until 5 March 2008.

This offer is available to French Duck readers by quoting code WINE77 at the checkout.

Whilst I tend to prefer to support small independent wine merchants, Waitrose’ selections are often excellent, always reliable and generally good value.

This is a good selection of wines from all the main classic wine regions of France including reds from Beaujolais, Cahors, Fitou, Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone (Chapoutier) and a red Burgundy.

For the whites there is a Macon Lugny, Saumur, Bordeaux, Touraine Sauvignon and Chablis.

The offer means that a case of 12 bottles is just £55.00 including free UK delivery - i.e under £5.00 a bottle. And if you prefer only reds or only whites, you can have that for the same price (2 bottles of each). But this offer is only available with thediscount voucher code above and until 5 March 2008!

See Watirose online

For all that Bordeaux is synonymous with fine wine around the world, the city has not had a decent wine museum in recent years. To some extent you could argue that with so many great vineyards in the area who needs a wine museum?? Yet Bordeaux can be a little difficult to come to terms with, and some of the best vineyard cellars can feel a little intimidating.
Whilst the ultimate key to Bordeaux is the quality of its wines, the wines would not have been a success without the history and geography of the city and its rivers, nor without the entrepreneurial structures of the wine trade and the relationships with countries such as England and the Netherlands.
So it has to be good news that a new Musee des Negociants will be opening in the Spring of 2008 in the historic Chartons area of Bordeaux, along the banks of the Garonne river, where barrels of wine were loaded onto sailing ships in earlier times.
The museum is being developed by a young wine merchant (negociant) under the banner of Bordeaux Historia Vini. Negociants were (and to some extent still are) a key feature of the Bordeaux wine trade, buying from, or acting on behalf of the vineyard and selling on to merchants at home and abroad. In some cases they would blend wines to produce a consistent blend which would be widely marketed. This undoubtedly helped the Bordeaux wine trade to consolidate its predominant position in the wine markets of the world.
Musée des Négociants, 41, rue Borie, Bordeaux

For more info on visiting Bordeaux see www.bordeaux-tourisme.com

I have previously been a little cynical about the tendancy of the French to imbue elements of their gastronomic heritage with just a tad too much pomp and often doubtful history and ceremonials. If they had such things, I am sure there would be the equivalent of “The Worshipful Company of the Most Glorious and Authentic Pickled Onion or Shallot”, (oignons conservés au vinaigre?) enriched by elaborate costumes and rituals - and a history dating back to 1992! Having said that I admire their pride in their local produce and agree that it should be celebrated.

However, one august body to which my fond cynicism should not apply is the Jurade de St Emilion, who do have elaborate red robes, a spectacular procession through the town and a banquet which does justice to the fine wines of St Emilion. Every autumn they celebrate their “Ban des Vendanges” to mark the official start of the grape harvest, and many years ago I was lucky enough to accompany members of the Jurade on an extensive itinerary of tastings, a series of lavish meals with grand cru wines and the grand banquet. Although we were often only tasting young wines at the chateaux, some wonderful and mature vintages were brought out for the banquet.

As Timothy Hartley kindly informs me, the Jurade de St Emilion has a rich and important history in the development of the wines of St Emilion:
LA JURADE DE SAINT-ÉMILION

The roots of the Jurade lie deep in both French and English history - as its Arms, Great Seal and banners, which bear both the Lilies of France and the Lions of England, show. Saint-Émilion, together with the rest of Acquitaine, formed part of the dowry of Eleanor of Acquitaine on her marriage to King Henry II. The Jurade goes back at least as far as 1199, when their son, King John, confirmed privileges apparently earlier granted by Richard, Coeur de Lion. Saint-Émilion became effectively a free City under the Crown with the Jurade having control of its legal and economic affairs. The Jurats’ duties included the control of production, and sale of, wine, closely monitoring its quality, branding approved casks and destroying any which were unworthy. Under Edward I, in 1289, the area of the Jurisdiction was enlarged to cover what is still the wine growing area composing the appellations of Saint Émilion. In return for these privileges, the Crown required that regular, and very large consignments, of wine be tasted, judged, its good quality assured, and then be consigned to England in casks quality assured by the Jurade’s seal. After Saint-Émilion reverted to the French Crown, the Jurade’s rights and duties were confirmed by French Royal Charters but, in the French Revolution, Jurats lost both their heads and their privileges.
The Jurade no longer has its extensive former civic and legal powers but its Grand Council still sits once a year, in Spring, to conduct a blind tasting of the wines of Saint-Émilion to assess their merits and pronounce a Jugement du Vin Nouveau. In September, it authorises the start of picking, in a ceremonial Ban des Vendanges from the top of the Tour du Roi, the Jurats wearing the scarlet and white robe of their mediaeval predecessors and calling upon their spirits to witness the continuation of over 800 years of tradition, passion, experience and skill.
The Jurade honours its historic links by giving us the privilege of two Chancelleries, based in the two ancient leading cities of England, York, serving the north of England and Scotland, and London, for the south of England and Wales. They organise tastings for those who would like to know more about the Jurisdiction’s wines, often in combination with charitable fund raising. They also arrange visits to Saint-Emilion for members of the Association de la Jurade in England for the important festivals in Saint-Emilion’s calendar, the Fête de Printemps and the Ban des Vendanges. More information about their activities, and contact details, are on their website - www.jurade.org.uk. They are always happy to welcome new members and to introduce them to Saint-Émilion’s renowned hospitality, its beauty and its enormous range of wines.

St Emilion produces some of the best Bordeaux red wines, wines which in the Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes dominate. The town and vineyards of St Emilion (33, Gironde, Aquitaine) are to my mind the most interesting to visit, the town being on an outcrop and the vineyards stretching down to the Dordogne river. The Spring celebration “Fete de Printemps” takes place on the 3rd Sunday in June, whilst the harvest celebration “Ban des Vendanges” takes place on the 3rd Sunday in September.

For more info on St Emilion see www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com

UPDATE: The St Emilion Ban des Vendanges takes place on Sunday 21 September 2008

For a classy B&B in the region see www.chezkelly.eu

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, the city of Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) is making a serious claim as a tourist desitnation. I must admit most of my visits have been fleeting - on the way to the airport or to the vineyards beyond the city centre. The Times (26 Nov 07) provides a new look at the city:

The region is one of the most vaunted wine producers in France but until recently many of visitors gave the city itself a pass. Prostitutes and shady characters strolled its rundown waterfront, black grime obscured the architecture.
But a recent regeneration project, backed by mayor (and former French Prime Minister) Alain Juppe, has scoured buildings, turned the area by the Garonne River to a sweeping promenade with a shallow pool reflecting the Place de la Bourse and resurrected its graceful beauty.
Multimedia

A new whisper-quiet tram, free from overhead lines in the central city, whisks visitors and locals around its 35kms tracks (expanding to 45kms).

For more info see Times Online
Bordeaux Tourist Office

Along with the new Vin de Pays de l’Atlantique in South West France there is also to be a new Vin de pays des Gaules (Wine of the Land of the Gauls)in the Beaujolais region - or is there??
The proposal was for the Vin de Pays des Gaules to be produced in the Rhone region and parts of the Saone-et-Loire departement : from Leynes, in northern Beaujolais to Chazay d’Azergues in the south.

Both appellations are designed to offer an alternative to an oversupply of Bordeaux and Beaujolais AC wines, offering winemakers the opportunity to make a wide range of wines with fewer restrictions. In the Pays de Gaules Gamay will be the overwhelmingly predominant grape, with Chardonnay, Pinot, Syrah, Viognier, Aligoté and 13 other allowed varietals.
However, there is a hitch in the system as the EU has ruled that the names of these 2 appellations are not sufficiently geographically recognisable. Someone, somewhere has got something wrong, which is a shame as these new wines could be very helpful if reducing the volume of over-priced and mediocre Bordeaux and Beaujolais and encourage some experimentation, WInemakers have been planning this new wine for some time, with labels already printed, as the above image demonstrates - from the Cave des Vignerons de St Laurent d’Oignt.
The new Vin de Pays des Gaules will not be allowed to compete with Beaujolais Nouveau however, as it cannot be marketed until mid-December, a month after the release of the Nouveau.

Jonathan Ray in The Telegraph selects his top 10 sweet wines, which includes the little-known and hard-to-pronounce appellation of Pacherenc du Vic Bilh from South West France. Reserved solely for white wines, it is the white sister to the red Madiran AC, covering virtually the same area in deepest Gascony.
It is most often seen as a late harvest dessert wine, but you can also find dry versions. Permitted grapes include Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Arrufiac and Petit Courbu grapes, similar to nearby Jurancon AC, but tending to have a touch more mineral edge.

2005 Rive Haute Reserve Pacherenc 13.5%vol, France (£8.99 per 50cl; Playford Ros 01845 526777, Coe Vintners 020 8551 4966, Wheeler Cellars 01206 713560).Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl is the white wine AOC from Madiran in south-west France. Made from Gros and Petit Manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac picked between St Martin’s Day (Nov 4) and St Albert’s Day (Nov 15), this has hints of lemon and apricot. Great with fruit tart.

This comes from the Plaimont Co-operative, who also produce another superb Pacherenc - Cuvée St Albert.- for more see www.plaimont.com
Other French wines on the list included a Jurancon from the Southwest, a Barsac from Bordeaux and a demi-sec Champagne from Pol Roger!

Johnathan Ray makes the point that we too often pigeonhole such wines as “dessert” or “pudding” wines, when there are ocassions when they can be a perfect compliment to other foods.

“Pan-fried foie gras, simple pâté de foie or even smoked fish at the start of a meal can work beautifully with a sticky. I once enjoyed a fine German Beerenauslese with a main course of roast wild boar.”

The artist Margaret Loxton is very English, and very Yorkshire – as is her style, but she has neverthess produced some very atmospheric images of France, and particularly French rural life. With her buxom men and women it may be a style you love or hate, but these pictures are so French they could not be anywhere else.

She has a whole series of scenes, including wine-related ones such as the Pavement Café in Riquewihr (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) shown above, but also Nuits St Georges (Burgundy) and the Luberon (Provence).

Limited edition prints are available online from La Provence Collections (along with a host of other gift items and fabrics on a Provencal theme) – thet also have a shop on the Square at Stow-in-the-Wold, near Cheltenham, Glos.

If you don’t want a print, you can see some of pictures in her book

Travels Through Burgundy

A recent missive from the “Seigneurs de Cahors” helped to unravel some of the varying terms used for oak barrels in France.

The “Seigneurs” or “lords” is a self-selected group of some of the best Cahors producers – but whilst I will agree that they are amongst the best, there are other producers outside the hallowed group who produce great wines.

The Seigneurs of Cahors include Chateau de Mercuès, Chateau Haut-Serre, Chateau Leret-Monpezat, Chateau les Bouysses, Chateau de Caix, Chateau de Chambert, Chateau du Cedre, Prieuré de Cénac and Chateau Triguedina.

However, back to barrels and barriques. As it is France, there is inevitably quite a lot of regional variation in names and sizes. The most common is the Bordeaux barrique (as pictured) used for ageing (and sometimes) fermenting wines especially to impart the softening and oaky flavours that contact with oak (especially new oak) can bring to a wine. In Bordeaux this is usually a barrique of 225 litres. However, in Burgundy a 220 litre barrel is known as a “pièce”, although sometimes this is 228 litres in the Côte d’Or. You will also find a demi-pièce which holds half of the equivalent quantity.

On a larger scale come the pipe (400 litres), the tonne(or tonneau) at 1000 litres and ultimately the foudre which can be over 11,500 litres. These larger containers tend to be more for storage, as the larger the barrel gets the less contact the wine has with the wood. The larger foudre tends to be quite ancient and will impart no real “woodiness” or “oakiness” to the wine.

The smaller the barrel and the newer the oak, the more intense the impact on the wine will be. Many winemakers will use a proportion of new oak barrels with some that have been used for one or two harvests to get just the right amount of “oak” character in the wine.

Also the French being French, they will usually choose French oak from the massive forests of the Allier or the Troncais for example. American oak is sometimes used, but tends to have a more powerful oaky flavour than the more subtle French oak. There is a whole industry and mythology around the whole process of oak cultivation (sylviculture). cutting and drying the staves, toasting and making the barrels (tonnellerie). There is now cheaper oak available from Eastern Europe to complicate matters, and seeing as how a quality oak barrel from a good supplier can cost €700 or more, then price has to be a serious consideration for the winemaker.

For more info on the wines of Cahors see www.frenchduck.co.uk/cahors.html and www.vindecahors.fr

The City of Bordeaux has been officially recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and so joins a large section of the Loire Valley and the medieval city of Carcassonne as some of France’s most prestigious and important sites - see the others at www.frenchduck.co.uk
For me the most significant aspect of Bordeaux has always been the Quai des Chartrons Chartrons - a curved facade of wine trading houses and warehouses along the banks of the Garonne river set back from the cranes and ship wharves - not so long ago seeming very delapidated, but recently spruced up. This is in many ways the heart of Bordeaux’s prestige, being the port from where wine (both local and from the Haut Pays) was exported to England, northern France and Holland over many centuries.

Certainly in recent years the city seems to have become more vibrant and less stuffy.

“With over 350 historic monuments in a protected area of 147 hectares, as well as 3 churches (Saint-André, Saint-Michel, and Saint-Seurin) that were already listed as World Heritage sites on the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela, Bordeaux had a number of assets to convince the jury.

Bordeaux’s successful bid as a World Heritage site also relied on several ambitious urban renewal projects begun in 1996 under the impetus of mayor Alain Juppé. These include development of the quays along the Garonne River, the restoration of many façades, and a light rail transit system.”

For more info see www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/

Bordeaux can be overpriced and boring! If you separate out some of the finest and most expensive wines in the world, the remaining huge bulk of Bordeaux wines can have a tendency to rely on history, name recognition and reputation with a certain gallic arrogance. That has to be an outrageous over-simplification, but I have so often been disappointed with affordable Bordeaux that I have tended to look elsewhere in France to excite my palate and save my bank balance.
But inevitably something stirs, and the problem then comes for the few adventurous, passionate wine makers in Bordeaux to grab the attention of an increasingly sceptical consumer. Fancy packaging can help, but then I suspect that “modern” labels and garish colours can be just a marketing ploy which disguises an otherwise unremarkable wine.
So it was with some relief that I came across Terra Burdigala - Burdigala being the Roman name for Bordeaux. Certainly the packaging looks modern and funky, the website is swish, but does this necessarily imply that the contents of the bottles are any different?
Well, for a start this is not a traditional chateau operation. Two young Frenchmen, Stéphane Derenoncourt & François Thienpont, create wines by selecting grapes from chosen vineyards (sometimes from some of the less fashionable appellations) and determining precisely how the grape is vinified into wine - a sort of local verion of the flying winemaker crossed with the best negociant approach.

We launched this venture in the spring of 2001 and are involved every step of the way, from the vine to the bottle, so that our wines are a true testimony of our concept of Bordeaux: fruit, balance and pleasure

Another reason to believe that these Bordeaux wines stack up is that Andrew Chapman at www.surf4wine.co.uk is stocking them. Surf4Wine has a strong leaning towards the New World, so any Old World wine has to compete directly with some really exciting wines from Australia and South America to get a place on the list.

www.surf4wine.co.uk stocks half a dozen of these Terra Burdigala wines from a Bordeaux AC at £6.99 up to a St Emilion Grand Cru at £18.99.

Of course, the other interesting thing in Bordeaux this week is the bi-annual wine trade exhibition - VINEXPO - probably the biggest wine gathering with exhibitors and buyers from around the world. Probably not a good week for visiting French vineyards, as many winemakers will have deserted their domaines and have decamped to Bordeaux for the 3-day event! Also probably not a good week to try to find a hotel room in Bordeaux either!

In general I am not a huge fan of Bordeaux because there is a lot of over-priced claret certainly at the lower bulk end, and also I suspect at the fine vintage wines end of the spectrum.The problem is that there are so many great value, under-rated wines in other parts of France. But it would be churlish to dismiss the many great wines Bordeaux has to offer, and I do confess to great memories of some superb St Emilions (Chateau Figeac, Chateau Carteau Cotes Daugay) and an unforgettable Château Gruaud-Larose, St Julien AC.

Hence for mere mortals who face the difficult choices of what to buy from Bordeaux on a tight budget there is some good advice and an interesting article on visiting Bordeaux by Laurence Marks in the Telegaraph (6 May 07)

“If you are running to a budget, always buy a poor year from a great château, and never a great year from lesser châteaux”. So slowly I built up a wine collection from some of the great châteaux of Bordeaux, and have enjoyed the pleasures of fine wine ever since.

I have to confess that I do not find the Bordeaux vineyards the most picturesque in France (that accolade probably goes to Alsace) - but I can recommend St Emilion - it is a pretty, interesting and historic village which is worth visiting even if you are not interested in wine.
One great way to discover St Emilion this summer would be through the St Emilion Tourist office:-

Every Friday from May 18th to September 14th. Appointment at the tourist office. A whole day spent discovering Saint-Emilion and the vineyards along with a lunch shared with the wine-maker.

Recommended reading:-
Dordogne, Bordeaux and the Southwest Coast (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Bordeaux: Medoc & Graves v. 1 (Mitchell Beazley Classic Wine Library)
Robert Parker’s Bordeaux

If you are a serious wine lover, then the city of Bordeaux is the place to be from 12-13 May 2007.

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux invites you to spend a weekend meeting the men and women behind the Grands Crus de Bordeaux.
An exceptional event: the Grands Crus will provide a warm welcome to Grands Amateurs, offering them the opportunity to taste “just like the experts”.
Meeting the people behind the wine: this weekend offers an ideal occasion to discuss with representatives of the famous châteaux of Bordeaux in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.A treat for the senses: discover new taste sensations and share in the mystery of Bordeaux.
A trip combining tradition and modernity: become acquainted with the expertise and quest for excellence that have always been a feature of Bordeaux.

NB: The French term “Amateur” means “lover” (from “amour”) rather than inexpert, with the meaning that someone does something more from love than duty or profession. Hence I am sure there are wine trade experts who would also be quite happy being referred to as “amateurs” in France!

All the big name Bordeaux Grand Cru Chateaux will be there offering tastings of their wines at a Grand tasting on the Saturday along the Quai des Chartrons by the river - where all the old wine merchants and negociants were based. Tickets for the tasting cost €53 - which is less than an equivalent tasting in London with fewer wines on offer!!! You need to book in advance at http://www.ugcb.net/commerce/wga/programmeEN.html
In the evening there is a series of grand dinners held in various chateaux around Bordeaux - the cost includes transport from the city centre to and from the selected chateau! Sounds positively extravagant.
On the Sunday most of the major Chateaux have open days and there are conducted tours of the appellations of St Emilion, Sauternes, Graves and Medoc - transport and lunch included.

All this sounds quite wonderful and a superb way of learning and tasting more of the great chateaux of Bordeaux - and it need not be expensive as an all day pass to the Chateaux on the Sunday will only cost €15.00 - and gives you access to up to 40 of the major Chateaux!! And that itself is great, as some of the big Chateaux can be a little sniffy about “visitors” whilst others treat everyone like a tourist rather than wine lovers. On this day the welcome should be good - especially as the ticket proceeds will be going to charity.

Links:-
Full details on the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux website
Bordeaux Tourist Office

Recommended Reading
Dordogne, Bordeaux and the Southwest Coast (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Wine Regions of France Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
Wines of Bordeaux (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guide to the Wines of Bordeaux)
Bordeaux Chateaux: A History of the Grands Crus Classes 1855-2005