France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a true culinary paradise for wine lovers and those who like delicious food! There you can find world-renowned winemakers as well as classic and high-quality wines, but also a lot of new things alongside the traditional. On the way, you will get to know Bordeaux’s most famous wine regions; Médoc and Saint-Emilion and the Finnish winery Chateau Carsin. We visit famous value farms as well as smaller quality farms to meet the winegrower himself. On the way, you can also get to know the world-famous oyster farms and the wonderful beach town of Arcachon, where you can enjoy fresh seafood. The bay of Arcachon is especially famous for its oyster farms. Fine sandy beaches are a couple of kilometers away from the center of Arcachon. In the same direction is a wonderful residential area of old villas.

Bordeaux brings to mind Paris with its squares and parks, bridges and boulevards. However, it is considerably smaller in size, the sixth largest urban area in France.

In Bordeaux, almost 400 buildings are classified as historical monuments. The older town with its houses along the riverbank is partly a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In France, only Paris has more protected buildings. Throughout the ages, Bordeaux has been a lively port city. In the 18th century, traders brought French colonial cocoa, sugar, coffee and spices to their warehouses in Chartrons. Many of the magnificent houses on the riverside remind us of the wealth created by the merchants.

France’s Bordeaux is the largest in the world as a unified region producing quality wines. Its size is roughly 80×130 kilometers and is divided around the Gironde river flowing into the Atlantic on the left and right sides and the Entre-Deux-Mers crossing of the rivers.

The Bordeaux region accounts for a good tenth of France’s wine production and a slightly larger share of the vine industry.
The Medoc of the left bank is a well-respected sub-region. It is further divided into Haut-Medoc and Bas-Medoc. Haut-Medoc is home to idyllic villages such as Saint-Estephe, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Listrac and Moulis – the Chateaus of these small villages produce the world’s most expensive red wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most used grape, and Medoc wines are classically tannic and masculine.

Located on the left side of the river, south of the city of Bordeaux, Graves produces not only red wine, but also some oaked white wines. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, a lot of Merlot is used, so the red wines are a little softer than in the Medoc further north.

Located on the right bank, the Saint-Emilion sub-region produces only red wines and usually the pear grape is Merlot. Because of this, the wines of Saint-Emilion represent the so-called feminine Bordeaux, i.e. the wines are rounder and drinkable younger than elsewhere.

Pomerol is also located on the right bank and there are several very prestigious farms, but still there is no Cru classification in Pomerol. The grapes in Pomerol are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, so the wines are harder than in Saint-Emilion.

In the south there are quite small but even more famous regions, i.e. Sauternes and Barsac are famous for their sweet white wines.

Provence

The wine regions of Provence are located between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, the landscapes are breathtaking and the wine regions are the oldest in France. The Phoenicians brought wine with them to the region about 2600 years ago. Herbs, lavender, olive oils, truffles; Provence is full of scents, flavors and colors. No wonder so many artists spent their time there capturing the scenery, one of the most famous, Paul Cézanne, was from Aix-en-Provence.
Provence is a dream for many, full of herb and lavender scents in a romantic landscape. Provence is also considered the landscape of painters and art.

On the way, we will stay in the middle of Provence, in the lovely city of Aix-en-Provence. On the way from Nice to Aix-en-Provence, you can visit a winery near the village of Les Arcs-sur Argens. From Aix-en-Provence we travel towards the city of Avignon, many consider this region to be the most authentic Provence, the landscape is dominated by the Alpilles limestone mountains, the climate and soil are well suited for producing delicious red wines. Although the wines of the region are classified as part of the Rhône wine region, we are in Provence. The famous Châteuneuf-du-Pape wines also come from here, for which we can thank the popes who spent hot summers in the village in the 14th century.

We will visit the estate of Chateau Montfaucon for a wine tasting and the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the wine region. The trip also includes a visit to an olive oil producer, where you can taste oils typical of the region, learn about different olive varieties and the secrets of oil tasting. On the last day, we will drive towards the coast and spend the day in Bandoli’s wonderful beach scenery and visit the traditional Sunday market. This is the realm of the spicy and powerful Mourvèdre grape, wonderful red wines and of course the famous rosé. Here, the market is part of everyday life. The market offers the delicacies, smells and tastes of Provence. You can combine the trip with lunch on the last day in the town of Sanary-sur-Mer.

Rhone Valley

On the way, we will visit the Lirac wine region and cross the southern Rhône in a couple of days. We will also visit the charming town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where you can get a feel for the village’s vineyards. The soil here varies from clay to large angular limestone and quartz rocks. A visit to a major producer gives perspective on commercial wine production. A small family farm, on the other hand, lives on its gardens and traditions. Both have passion.

The vineyards of the southern Rhône are bordered to the east by the jagged and beautiful Dentelles de Montmiral mountain range. At the foot of the slopes of Montmiral, most of the cru-classified wine regions of the southern Rhône are located.
The theme here is the wine regions on the slopes of the mountains, such as the rich and full-bodied Gigondas and the slightly lighter Vacqueiras, Rasteau and Vinsobres.

The rest of the trip can be spent in the Northern Rhône. Let’s go to the corners of the Hermitage hill to admire the famous vineyards, which are now devoted mainly to syrah, but from which the most famous wines of the Rhône – white wines – were released to the world. We travel through the landscapes of Cormas and St. Joseph all the way to Condrieuhu and Côte-Rotieh. Here you can admire the elegance of rich and intensive Rhône wine.
On the trip, we usually stay in Avignon for the beginning of the trip and the rest of the trip to Lyon, the capital of culinaryists.

The Rhône valley is divided into two very different and also different-sized parts. In the Great South between Montélimar and Avignon, a warm, even hot, Mediterranean climate prevails. The soil varies from the limestone of the mountains on the edges of the valley to the gravel, clay and round stones of the valley floor. The most common grape variety here is Grenache, which is usually mixed with at least Syrah and Mourvèdre. The end result is spicy, multidimensional, mostly soft tannic, full-bodied wines.

In the small but well-known Northern Rhône between Lyon and Valence, you can choose a warm and dry continental climate with some Mediterranean influences. The shelters are steeper and the soil stonier than in the south and partly iron-rich. This is where Syrah is at its most authentic. The wines are rich, acidic, forest-aromatic and intense, but also sophisticated. The wines of the North also withstand aging very well.