Bastille Day in Bordeaux

On Bastille Day, we traveled first class to our first class wine tour and ended with fireworks! Our wine weekend in France marked an excellent Bastille Day in Bordeaux!

[divider class="" ]How?

As I mentioned, Mary Frances and I really wanted to explore the famous wine countryside of Bordeaux. Initially, we had several tracked flights on Google flights for 2-3 weekends. Randomly, they dropped, but only if we flew to Toulouse and returned through Bordeaux. I quickly looked up the train schedule and there was one train to Bordeaux leaving at 6:45am from Toulouse. I consulted the travel buddy and away we booked!

For our Toulouse flight, we would have to fly through the dreaded Standsted airport. Words cannot describe my contempt for this awful place!! I managed to score cheap early bird tickets on the train, but already loathed the journey! For Bordeaux, it would land at a very reasonable time at Luton on Sunday. We did decide to increase bag allowance to account for some purchases while in Bordeaux…

For hotels, there was really only two choices. For Friday night, regardless of quality, we had to be within a five minute walk of the train station. Thus, we landed at the very respectable Hotel des Ambassadeurs hostel. While in Bordeaux, we would travel in style. Thanks to my stash of IHG points to the credit card, we could stay in the very luxiorous Intercontinental hotel! It dates back to the 1900s and the Michelin star Gordan Ramsay restaurant. I would win MF over if I just brought up this hotel over the Friday night hostel..

As for the wine tour, my resident “expert” researched for over an hour on all the various possibilities. In the end, she went with the Bordeaux Wine Tasting, Lunch, and St-Emilion Wine Tour. The tour is run by Bordovino and they are a very well known company in Bordeaux. I would highly recommend!

Fixed Costs:

• Flight: £150pp
• First Class Train: €35/2
• Hotel: €50 + 50k points
• Wine Tour: £257/2
• French Wine & Countryside: Priceless!!

[divider class="" ]To Toulouse!

Since we decided to fly from Stansted, it meant dealing with the awful commute to Stanstead. Nothing is pleasant about this journey! It was a hot train with no AirCon. Next, it was running about 30 minutes late due to London rush-hour. Finally, it was crowded and just not a pleasant experience. Once at the airport, we had to rush to get our passports checked at the counter, grab food, and then we boarded our plane. When we reached the line, the people around us had a similar experience!

For the first 20 minutes, it was a very frustrating flight. Ryanair decided to delay our flight our flight while we were sitting on the tarmac. As we patently ate our Pret sandwiches, I noticed a familiar sight. The big ol’ Air Force One was lumbering down the runway! No wonder why we were delayed! (Apologizes for the blurry photo!)

Once we took off, it was a pleasant and easy journey. Toulouse is the home of Airbus so it was a very cool experience as I saw some testing planes at the airport. Just kidding! We just wanted to go to sleep since we had an early wake up the next day!

[divider class="" ]Bordeaux Day

From French wines to ideallic country manors, we explored the lovely countryside surrounding St Emilion and Bordeaux.

Training in Style

To avoid any repeats of our missed train experiences Italy, I set early alarms for us and ensured I knew how to get to the train station. We arrived about 5 minutes early and I am glad we did. We somehow got lost on the way to the first class coach, but once we did, we realized why! No one else was boarding it!

The first class coach was amazing! The seats were very large, in AirCon, and very quiet. Granted, it was a train at 6:45am on a Saturday, but we certainly were able to relax! We were very comfortable, I just hope this isn’t the expectation going forward!

Once we arrived at the Bordeaux train station, we went to catch the tram to the city center. As expected with a really nice hotel, it is located in the middle of everything! Compared to my hotel last night, the Intercontinental was heaven!! Everything is extremely classy and historic. We were in awe of the building!

Brunch before Booze

Since we had an hour or two before the wine tour began, we went to one of the top brunch places in the city, according to my research, called Horace. While we walked through the sleepy city, we stumbled upon the staff enjoying their own breakfast! Although we disrupted their morning coffee, we were eager to try it all! While we waited for our food, we saw the staff prepping the amazing looking cookies, pastries, and other baked goods!

For our brunch, I ordered amazing eggs on toast with REAL bacon while MF had the fresh yogurt bowl. Everything was extremely tasty! The waiter was also very nice and sad to see us only visit Bordeaux for one day. I was also very sad to only have this brunch once!!

The Wine Tasting

Bordvino is located in an apartment building which makes it slightly difficult to find! Since it was only 10:30am, we hoped we weren’t going to start wine tasting immediately. Thankfully, our lovely guide started teaching us about the wine produced in the region. 98% of the wine produced in Bordeaux is red wine blended between cab savugion and merlot. Similar to Italy, the French also have complicated rules about a proper wine! My favorite one is the Chateau rule. If the manor estate grows, produces, and bottles wine, then the place can be a chateau!

In Bordeaux, there are three white wines and six red wines produced. There is the Garonne river running through the city that divides the wine culture. On the left bank, they mostly produce cabernet savuagion where the soil is dry and warm. On the right bank, where the soil is limestone, they produce merlot. Don’t ask me why though!

For our tasting, we had a total of eight wines. We started with a 2016 savogion blanc to warm up our taste buds. For our second and third glasses, we  tasted a rare, special blend of 100% merlot and 100% cabernet. For the fourth glass, we entered into Bordeaux territory with a blend of 80% merlot and 20% cabernet! By the time we reached glasses 5-8, we were mixing and matching the various types (See Video!)

Bordovino Lunch

Since this is a two part tour, we learned before lunch, we said good bye to most people at our table and prepared for our lovely lunch. For our appetizer, we had a refreshing salad and then our guide brought out freshly made quiche! She had stopped at the bakery earlier in the morning just for us! For dessert, my favorite, we had a yummy apple tart! This obviously didn’t stop us from having a glass or two of wine!

Because St-Emilion is 45 minutes away, it was a dangerous car ride. While I socialized with a few former Londoners, MF took a nap or two. It was quite funny. Our new friend was able to give me all sorts of recommendations! We were also able to see the beautiful vineyards and chateaus. I’ve been trying to show MF the beauty of French wine countryside, but she was asleep!

Chateau Cite De Baleau

For our first chateau, we went to the enchanting Chateau Cite De Baleau. The beautifully designed chateau is surrounded by vineyards. It is simply beautiful. We stood under the trees and enjoyed a chilled glass of white wine to refresh and cool down.

The owner then took us into the vineyard to describe their process, similar to other wine tours. He taught us a fascinating tip about merlot leaves - check to see if they form a heart and you can spot the merlot vines!

Inside the chateau, we played a fun game where we guessed various scents. Safe to say, Mary Frances and I miserably failed. I think we only got vanilla right whereas other couples were getting more than one right. It wasn’t too complicated! To reward our failures, he brought us two wines - their 2013 and 2014 vintages. Due to the various weather conditions, the vintages are slightly different in taste. While others preferred the 2014 for the deep boldness, we both preferred the 2013 as it was a bit lighter! We also were incredibly hot in the chateau as they didn’t have AC when it was originally built!

St-Emilion

As a break from all the wine, we stopped in this picturesque village. Everything about it was extremely charming especially the overlooking views of the surrounding vineyards. I wish we spent the night here!

Our guide took us on a mini tour of the city. We first stopped at the ancient church where we stumbled upon two weddings! The scenery is perfect! I also learned why many statue heads are missing since the Catholics did not think they should be worshipped.

The cathedral is also special as it is a mix between Gothic and Roman architecture. Similar to their wine, they blended the two styles perfecting together!

Lastly, we went to a very cool wine cellar - both in temperature and just plain cool! According to the guide, there are cellars all underneath the village. Back in WW2, the people would hide Jews in these cellars as it would go on for miles! Now, they just store really fancy wine!

Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret

Our second and last chateau of the day was the Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret. Unlike the previous chateau, this winery is organic and newly opened in 2011. In their process, they do not use any chemical or pesticides and truly will live with the land. To evidence this fact, they did not produce any wine in 2017 due to the bad weather. It was a combination of hail, late winter, combined with a poor harvest. Thus, all the barrels were empty instead of storing their 2017 vintage.

Before our tasting, they brought a lovely cheese, meat, and chocolate board. I think I like how the French do their chacurerie boards more than the Italian versions! We started with a white sparkling wine that Mary Frances actually enjoyed! Usually, she does not enjoy sparkling wines or champagne! I instantly knew we would be buying it.. We then tasted their 2011 and 2014 red wine vintages. Both were good, but I preferred their 2014!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We went into the van and drove back to Bordeaux. During this drive, we learned Matthew and Kristen were engaged! We both were really excited despite the van being half asleep. Mary Frances and I were texting everyone and learning the details! What a great way to end our tour!

[divider class="" ]Wine Tour Summary

Bordvino is well known in the travel book sources for great wine tours. We certainly were not disappointed as we easily had 15 glass of wine! We were able to actually learn about Bordeaux wine without being distracted by the views. Then, we explored an amazing little village and two chateaus! I would highly recommend this tour!

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Bastille Day in Bordeaux!

Thankfully, when we booked our trip, we were in France on their independence day - Bastille Day! Similar to the America’s celebrations, the French are crazy with fireworks, food, and alcohol. In Bordeaux, they celebrate along the river as fireworks light up the city. I am excited!

After a long hard day, Mary Frances walked into our glorious Intercontinental room, and fell asleep. She went to lay down for a brief moment, then, boom, she was asleep! I knew I had to go exploring on this special day! I earmarked a few places and choose Meat Pack BBQ.

The restaurant specializes in smoking and grilling meat. When I walked into it, it felt like coming home to dad’s place! Since I was alone, I choose a special Austrian sirloin cut with a side of freshly made fries and salad. Everything was incredibly tasty and yummy. I instantly knew Mary Frances would regret sleeping at 7pm, but hey, I wanted to go to my preferred place!

As it was approaching dusk, I walked around the city enjoying all the festivities. Everyone was in a merry mood and all places were jammed packed! All the bakeries were closed and ice cream shops closed! I went to the riverside and sat and enjoyed the view. Everyone was getting ready for the big display of fireworks! I decided to go somewhere with probably better views of the fireworks - the rooftop bar of the IC hotel!

Although the views were amazing, the drink prices and company were not great! Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long before the “long” display of fireworks happened. Unlike the Fourth of July, their fireworks just are not that great. Everything was still really awesome, but I definitely miss America.

[divider class="" ]World Cup

Not only was Bastille Day this weekend, the French football team advanced to the World Cup finals! We would be in the city for the pre-game and some of the first half. Thankfully, the English squad did not make it.

[divider class="" ]Easy Sunday Morning

Since certain people decided to go to bed at 7pm, we had early plans to go explore the city. However, on second thought, we decided to sleep in and enjoy the hotel! We figured the French would be just as tired after drinking all evening and knowing French habits on a Sunday…

Due to my points, we were able to book a standard room. Because I am an IHG platinum member, we were upgraded to the deluxe suite!! The room is beautifully decorated and the bed was extremely comfy! As evidenced by Mary Frances’ 12 hour slumber…

Although I was tempted to return to Horace for a yummy brunch, we decided to try another hipster place called Contrast. It is mostly a vegan and vegetarian place, but we were able to find tasty options. I ordered a lovely açaí bowl while Mary Frances had the avocado toast! I felt very healthy after our boozy Saturday.

Viva La France

As we started walking around the city, World Cup fever was everywhere! People were dressed in the tri-colors and very ready to support the national team! We explored the churches, museums, riverside, and the various little alleyways. For breaks, we tried the French rose at French cafes.

I decided the only thing missing were my French pastries. However, literally all the good bakeries were closed! We wandered and searched high and low until finally one was open. It wasn’t that great, but it served it’s purpose!

Back Home

All good things must come to an end… To get to the airport, we could take a taxi, bus, or shuttle bus. We decided the shuttle bus would be the best option and it was a fantastic deal. For 15 euros, we had air conditioned bus while the other silly tourists took a hot crowded bus. It definitely was well worth the cost!

At the airport, we started to watch the French game. Everyone was so tense! Thankfully, the French scored a few goals in the first half and every time they did, the airport would erupt in cheers! Unfortunately, there is no lounge so we had to watch in the very rustic Bordeaux airport. This airport would make Luton feel luxurious!

[divider class="" ]The UnChartered 13 Summary

Although we expected to enjoy Bordeaux, we both were really impressive with every part of the trip! While we will explore the surrounding towns next time, Bordeaux makes for a perfect weekend getaway!

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