Page 366 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

For a fun and informa- N89, then south down the A63 small Maison de l’Huître
tive introduction to wine following signs to Arcachon (www.maison-huitre.fr; rue
tasting, get stuck into and then Gujan Mestras. It’s a du Port de Larros; adult/child
some ‘blind’ tastings 100km journey that should, but €5.80/3.80; h10am-12.45pm
probably won’t, take an hour.
at L’École du Vin de & 2.15-6.30pm Jul & Aug, 10am-
St-Émilion. The adjacent 12.30pm & 2.30-6pm Mon-Sat
Maison du Vin (%05 57 55 7 Gujan Mestras Sep-Jun) has a display on
50 55; www.maisonduvin oyster farming, including
saintemilion.com; place Pierre Take a break from the a short film in English.
Meyrat; h9.30am-12.30pm grape and head to the
& 2-6.30pm) also offers seaside to eat oysters in The Drive » It’s 10
sometimes-traffic-clogged but
bilingual 1½-hour wine- the area around Gujan well-signposted kilometres from
tasting classes. Reserve Mestras. Picturesque Gujan Mestras to Arcachon.
all tours in advance. oyster ports are dotted
around the town, but the
54 p366, p409 best one to visit is Port TRIP HIGHLIGHT
de Larros, where locally
The Drive » To get to the next 8 Arcachon
stop you’ve simply no option but harvested oysters are sold The seaside town of
to endure the ring road around from wooden shacks. To Arcachon has lured
Bordeaux – avoid rush hour! learn more about these bourgeois Bordelaises
Head toward Bordeaux on the delicious shellfish, the
since the end of the 19th

ON THE WINE TRAIL
ATLANTIC COAST 33 HERITAGE WINE COuNTRY
Thirsty? The 1000-sq-km wine-growing area around the city of Bordeaux is, along
with Burgundy, France’s most important producer of top-quality wines.
The Bordeaux region is divided into 57 appellations (production areas whose
soil and microclimate impart distinctive characteristics to the wine produced
there) that are grouped into seven families, and then subdivided into a hierarchy of
designations (eg premier grand cru classé, the most prestigious) that often vary
from appellation to appellation. The majority of the Bordeaux region’s reds, rosés,
sweet and dry whites and sparkling wines have earned the right to include the
abbreviation AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) on their labels, indicating that
the contents have been grown, fermented and aged according to strict regulations
that govern such viticultural matters as the number of vines permitted per hectare
and acceptable pruning methods.
Bordeaux has more than 5000 châteaux, referring not to palatial residences
but rather to the properties where grapes are raised, picked, fermented and then
matured as wine. The smaller châteaux sometimes accept walk-in visitors, but
at many places, especially the better-known ones, you have to make advance
reservations. Many close during the vendange (grape harvest) in October.
Whet your palate with the Bordeaux tourist office informal introduction to wine
and cheese courses (adult €25) where you sip three different wines straight from
the cellar and sup on cheese.
Serious students of the grape can enrol at the École du Vin (Bordeaux Wine School;
%05 56 00 22 85; www.bordeaux.com; 3 cours du 30 juillet), within the Maison du Vin de
Bordeaux, across the street from the tourist office. Introductory two-hour courses
(adult €25) are held Monday to Saturday from 10am to noon between July and
September.

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