June 26, 2021

Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part Two

June 26, 2021/ Château de Kirwan/ PJ Adams

Bordeaux Wine tasting in Southwestern France and surrounding areas is plentiful. And you will have your choice of low cost large group bus tours, small group guided tours, or intimate (and relatively expensive) private tours. We like to try several wine tasting venues when visiting an area, but our favorite is one or two personalized tours of high-end estates. These are two of our Bordeaux favorites: Château Kirwan and Château Pontet-Canet.

June 26, 2021

Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part One

June 26, 2021/ PJ Adams

When I first made my way to Bordeaux in Southwestern France, I drove in from Barcelona, Spain. I sped west toward along the fantastic superhighway that stretches across southern France. My little Citroën soon entered the Bordeaux region via small roads cutting through the wine fields of Saint-Émilion.

Grapes!

I was enveloped immediately by ripe grape aromas and an earthy smell that hinted at dark soil, freshly mowed grass, and fermenting juices. As I passed by wine château (estates) and the local rivers that bring a palpable moistness to the area, it felt like ripe molecules were practically seeping into my pores. This is one of the most famous wine regions in the world to visit. And it does not disappoint, especially when you get to sample the liquid delights of a region that produces some of the most famous wines on the planet.

July 20, 2019

Enchanting Bordeaux: The Paris of Southwestern France

July 20, 2019/ Bordeaux/ PJ Adams

The lush Bordeaux region sits regally on the edge of the Atlantic in southwestern France. The city of Bordeaux (same name) has a rich history and an even richer present as the gateway to one of the most fabled wine regions of France.

This area, known as the Aquitaine. was a medieval political focal point as one of the largest regions of France helmed not by a king, but a powerful woman: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bordeaux city served as her power seat when she married young Henry II. Soon the two reined over a French/English kingdom famed as much for courtly love, as cruelty and bloodshed (see The Lion in Winter movie, a real-life royal struggle that paved the way for the likes of Game of Thrones).

July 17, 2019

Sonoma Wine Country Offers Some Gems

July 17, 2019/ Sonoma Wine Country/ PJ Adams

Just 45 minutes north of San Francisco lies Sonoma Wine country, one of the trendiest grape-growing enclaves in Northern California. Many know Napa with its famed vintners and Micheline-starred restaurants. But Sonoma is its more rustic—and more accessible—cousin over the hill, home to more than 425 wineries ranging from rustic to regal.

January 05, 2019

California Wine Tasting

January 05, 2019/ John Birkhead

It’s a proven fact—at least according to our taste buds—that wine tasted at the vineyard source seems richer than the same wine consumed at home or in a restaurant. This is probably a situational prejudice that has to do with vineyard eye candy, wine bouquet aromas, and conviviality of the experience. If we admit it, we love to taste most ANY wine at the source because it makes such a delicious memory.