Bordeaux and the Wine Country

If you're looking for the good life, your search may be ended. Few other regions of France pack such a concentration of fine wine, extraordinary spirits, and gustatory delights ranging from exquisite cuisine to the most rib-sticking of country cooking. The countryside will enchant you without your quite knowing why: what the French call la douceur de vivre (the sweetness of living) may have something to do with it. To the east, extending their lush green rows to the rising sun, the fabled vineyards of the Route de Médoc entice visitors to discover such enchanting medieval wine towns as St-Émilion. To the north, the Atlantic coast offers elite enclaves of white-sand beach. In between is the metropolis of Bordeaux, replete with 18th-century landmarks and 20-year-old college students. Some complain that Bordeaux is like Paris without the good stuff. If you're a wine lover, however, it's still the doorway to paradise. More »