Bordeaux – Saint-Émilion and Medoc

Bordeaux, July 21st 2024

On the programme today was a full day trip to three wineries in the Bordeaux region.

*The five main areas of Bordeaux on the map*

We were a 7 person group from different parts of the world, and our first stop was the town of Saint-Émilion, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list.

It is a beautiful hillside town with cobbled streets and cozy squares.

Founded in the 1200s, it has a church carved out of limestone, with a tall bell tower as a beacon for earlier pilgrims.

*A part of the remaining old wood buildings, later everything was built in limestone to prevent fires from spreading*

*Granite cobblestones were used as ballast in the ships sailing empty down from England, switching to wine going back home…*

Apart from numerous wine shops and tasting room there was a farmers market inside an old monestary.

The wine plots are bordering the town, and frames it beautifully.

On our way to our first winery we also passed by some impressive estates.

Our first stop was at Château Guegrosse, which has been in the family for seven generations. We were given a tour and tasting from the current wine maker.

She explained how they have kept the style of the wine and also about her work to improve the biodiversity of insects that is important for the plants.

It was a very personal and fun tasting. On our way onwards we stopped at a modern panorama point, where they had decorated in the hues of the wines of Bordeaux.

Our second stop was in Medoc, a more modern facility of Château Haut Breton Larigaudière, where we were given an interesting insight into the barrel preparation, and how different levels of smoking of them creates the different characteristics of the wine.