The Grape Escape

The Grape Escape

Baron Philippe de Rothschild, legendary owner of Bordeaux's famed Mouton-Rothschild vineyard, was known for his custom of drinking vin ordinaire at most lunches and dinners. Indeed, any French person knows you can't enjoy fine vintages at every meal. Still, if you're traveling to Bordeaux, you're going to want to enjoy some of the region's celebrated liquid fare. With over a thousand square kilometers of wine-growing country, over five thousand châteaux (also referred to as crus, clos, and domaines), and more than one hundred thousand vineyards producing around seventy million annual gallons of wine, you'll find it hard not to resist sampling this ample liquid bounty—but where do you start? Best bet is to head north for the Route des Châteaux (also called the Route de Médoc or the Route des Grands-Crus), stocked with maps and pointers from the very helpful Bordeaux tourist office (the tourisme de viticole desk is the place for this)—they can be found at 12 cours du 30-Juillet in the city center. Or check out the "Wine Tours" section of the Bordeaux tourist Web site before you travel: www.bordeaux-tourisme.com. A map is essential, as signage is poor and many "châteaux" are small manors hidden in the hills.

Northwest of Bordeaux city is the most famous wine district. All along the west coast of the Gironde estuary south, until you hit the meeting point of the Dordogne and Garonne rivers just north of the city, you will encounter the Médoc wine region. The farthest north is the Médoc appellation itself with, to the south of it, the Paulliac appellation, which surrounds the Saint-Estéphe and Saint Julien appellations, nearer to the estuary. Nearer Bordeaux and just south of the Paulliac region is the conglomeration of the Listrac, Moulis, Margaux, and (nearest to the city along the Garonne) the Haut-Médoc appellations. The D2, or Route des Châteaux, to the north of the city cuts northwest through the majority of the wine country along the Gironde all the way to Talais, and the N215 farther west runs through the other side of the region passing through appelations like Listrac and Moulis that the D2 bypasses. If you head in the other direction, toward the Libournais and St-Émilion regions, use Libourne as your main transportation (train) hub.