It is perhaps not surprising that Bordeaux is among France’s top destinations if you want to eat delicious food. Here you will find top- quality French gastronomy, at least on the lunches that we have on our wine tour to Bordeaux. They are often at one of the chateaux that we visit, yet they are […]
Tag Archives | France
What a wine consultant in Bordeaux really does, with Stéphane Courrèges | Britt on Forbes
Is the consultant oenologist the most important person in the Bordeaux wine cellars? Maybe, maybe not, but few Bordeaux chateaux nowadays make their wines without one. One of these consultants is Stéphane Courrèges whom we met recently when he was in Paris for the day. Sometimes they are simply called “wine consultants” or even “flying […]
Full throttle in Champagne this fall | wine tour
Champagne is the world’s most famous sparkling wine, even though Prosecco has overtaken champagne counted in volume. Champagne immediately brings to mind festivity and luxury, but today more and more people find that there is no need for a party to open a bottle of champagne. But maybe it becomes a party when the bottle […]
Champagne, September 26-30, 2018
Champagne wine tour: luxury and gastronomy on the highest level — Nothing else in the world of wine brings out the festive feeling as champagne does. But on this wine tour we will discover that champagne is so much more than a drink just for celebrations. It is above all a very exclusive and delicious […]
Bordeaux, October 10-14, 2018
Bordeaux, a classic wine tour destination! Luxurious châteaux and ambitious winemakers! — In Bordeaux you find world famous châteaux and world famous wines but also a lot of new exciting initiatives – less famous but maybe more important for the future of Bordeaux! – and young enthusiastic wine makers. On this trip we will visit […]
Harvest time in Champagne | wine tour
In Champagne in late September the harvest is probably in full swing (but it depends on the weather). There will be a lot of activity in the vineyards and in the cellars. This is an interesting time to visit the wine region and we will get to know some of the secrets of champagne on […]
Burgundy, the Quintessence of a Wine Region
Wine touring in Burgundy is an experience filled with wine, food, beauty and history Burgundy… Say it. Feel it. Taste it. The word evokes a very special wine country and a very special wine. It makes me think of gently rolling hills. Vineyards all the way to the horizon. Winding roads. Small villages. Unique wines […]
Bordeaux: 7000 “castles” and lots of vineyards | wine tour
Bordeaux is one of France’s largest wine regions with 112 000 hectares of vineyards. There are about 7000 chateau (“castles”). Everyone does not make their own wine. Some sell their grapes to a negociant or belong to a cooperative. The chateaux exist in all sizes and looks. Some are no more than a regular little […]
Burgundy: a short introduction to grapes and appellations
La Côte d’Or of Burgundy Some of the most unique wines in the world – reds and white – come from Burgundy. A well-made red Bourgogne (or Burgundy wine if you prefer), made from the elusive pinot noir grape variety, is a wine of elegance, hardly found anywhere else. The fruity aromas are mixed with […]
Our pretty winner’s award certificate for the Champagne book
You will have heard it (more than enough?) by now: our Champagne book, Champagne, the Wine and the Growers, was awarded the prize as “the best wine book on France” by the Gourmand Awards in Sweden. We have just received our very pretty certificate as winner in that category. It came in a very posh […]
Beaune City Guide
Beaune, “the Capital of Burgundy” Beaune is the capital of the Cote de Beaune, which together with the Cote de Nuits makes up the Cote d’Or, the heart of Burgundy. Cote d’Or is a small wine district some 80 kilometres long, from Santenay in the south to Marsannay in the north. For the wine traveller […]
Bordeaux City Guide
Bordeaux, “the most elegant city” Bordeaux is a wine, a wine district and a city. A city that is strategically placed for visits to the well-known wine districts like the Medoc, Graves and Saint Emilion. It is a city well worth visiting before going off to the vineyards. It is one of the biggest cities […]
Bordeaux: lots of wine and water | wine tour
The Atlantic Ocean is 50 kilometres away from the wine district of Bordeaux. But the Ocean still plays a major role for the climate and the weather. There is a lot of water around Bordeaux. The elegant city of Bordeaux is located on the river Garonne. Garonne merges with the Dordogne, another large river, north […]
The biggest wine producer in the Loire Valley focuses on quality
“Maison Ackerman is a famous producer of sparkling wine in the Loire Valley. The company is part of a bigger group that owns 1120 acres (453 hectares) throughout the Loire Valley, from Muscadet close to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to Sancerre in the east. In addition, they buy grapes from 186 growers. In […]
France FAQ: tipping, restaurants, transport, shopping
Handy tips on tipping customs, shopping hours, restaurant etiquette, transport and more One should perhaps not take too seriously rules about how to behave. On the other hand, it can be dangerous to be totally ignorant about local customs and traditions when travelling in a foreign country. So here are a few half serious, half […]
Bordeaux with old quarries and fashion-designed cellars | wine tour
Jacques, our host at Château Franc Mayne in Saint Emilion, opens the cellar door and tells us to stay close to him, making sure to count how many we are. The cellar is actually an old, enormous limestone quarry. It’s easy to get lost in here. (He’s supposed to count us when we leave too, […]
Château Bernateau In Saint Emilion: Great Wines With Organic Growing And High-End Equipment | Britt on Forbes
Bordeaux is not only about big, famous châteaux in Médoc. If you cross the rivers to the right bank you will find a myriad of smaller chateaux, often with less than 10 hectares of vineyards. Often family owned, like the remarkable Château Bernateau in Saint Emilion. The chateau owners are Pierrick and Karen Lavau. Pierrick […]
If only you could read this Champagne book
With regrets I have to tell you that you probably cannot read this rather unique book on Champagne. It is our latest book, number nine, but it is so far only available in Swedish. What is unique with it is that it is dedicated to the independent producers, the “champagnes de vignerons”, or RMs (récoltants-manipulants) […]
Experience the 7000 châteaux in Bordeaux | wine tour
The châteaux in Bordeaux are amazing, sometimes even spectacular. At least some of them. Others are more discreet. But all 7000 wine estates in Bordeaux are allowed to call themselves “château”. On this tour you will not see all 7000, but quite a few. Now, you don’t go to Bordeaux just to look at the […]
“You surpassed our high expectations “, what travellers think of the wine tour Three Classics, Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy
Some of the world’s premier white wines are made within just a few hours’ journey from each other. Near Paris, an hour and a half east, we have Champagne with its stylish sparkling wines. The southern border of Champagne almost touches the border to Chablis, where they make some of the world’s most elegant chardonnay […]
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