Wine tourism is a favourite hobby. What’s not to like about sweeping landscapes often with sunny blue skies and a massive variety of grape types pressed into tasty wines across the globe? From the volcanic vineyards of Santorini and Sicily, to Tuscany and the Cape Winelands; and the dramatic Douro valley and Galicia on the north Atlantic to Priorat and Corpinnat lands in-between to the Med, this was my first trip to the French winelands. The first of many I’m sure. I had been to Paris a few times and imagined Bordeaux to be as pricey and unfriendly (if you don’t speak French) as Paris – but this part of France, not too far from the Spanish border in the South West, was like a refreshing, underrated and undiscovered gem.
As the 7th biggest city in France, Bordeaux city is much smaller than its Parisian big cousin but boosts the longest shopping street in Europe and was a crucial wine exporting hub. The locals talk of the time when Paris and Bordeaux were in competition as Bordeaux had close connections to the UK which made it unpopular to the French population. Between 1152 and 1453; after the marriage of Henry II to Eleanor of Aquitaine, Bordeaux fell under English rule.
We arrived in Bordeaux for our short stint on €30 return flights (our taxi fare to the airport was almost as much as our flights!) as budget airlines continue to make European travel very affordable. Although there’s a cheap bus service from the airport into the city, our taxi straight to our hotel was convenient and reasonably priced. We booked an affordable central hotel next to the Opera house but were disappointed that the windows overlooking the beautiful buildings were only for 8 of the 50 rooms. We had visions of getting a bottle of wine and sipping it in our room overlooking the stunning buildings; but those visions were shattered when we saw our tiny room with the shower curtain that clings to your body!
After dropping our luggage we went on the prowl for some food. We’d read a few reviews saying that many restaurants close around 14:30 and only reopen for dinner, so we found a square with a few establishments that are ‘open all day’.
From there we popped into a wine shop on the corner, Cousin et Compagnie. The friendly owner said he had a wine tasting event on the river by his staffer, Anatole, which would start in an hour and there were two open spaces! We changed our plans around and spontaneously joined a memorable cruise up and down the river as we learnt about local wines and the region. But first we saw the beautiful Miroir d’Eau which faces the Place de la Bourse and is one of the world’s largest reflecting mirrors which achieves the effect from water.
We had a few local treats (icecream and Bordeaux’s traditional dessert cake which has a rum and homeless story) before we visited Consonance a lovely and well-themed establishment that we couldn’t get enough of! The food was tasty and fresh and the wines were sublime. It was hard to tear ourselves away as we had an early start in the morning for a tour.
We joined the ‘Free Walking Tour’ (though you can tip generously) which started on the other side of town at the gothic cathedral at 10am and took us past La Grosse Cloche to Esplanade des Quinconces. Our guide was Irish and very knowledgeable on his history dates – and we enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine.
Then we hired cheap bicycles for under two euros (though you have a €140 card block on your bank card for a few days!) and cycled all along the brown river to the Wine Museum. Next door we went to the gourmet food market for lunch and wine first. I scored a bargain for €10: 6 fresh oysters, a glass of white wine and fresh baguette.
The Wine Museum (apparently in the shape of a decanter) isn’t cheap but is worth the entry fee for the tons of interactive displays and considering this museum showcases the world of wine quite well – not just Bordeaux. We even saw our favourite South African wine for sale in their shop! You get a glass of wine to enjoy at the end with views over the city.
We took a day tour to the countryside and visited 2 family-run wine farms (La Renommee and Le Chatelet) and a quaint village with a cloister, Saint-Emilion.
We went to numerous wine bars and restaurants during our stay in Bordeaux city – including a restaurant with a 40-minute queue! You get a number when they start letting customers inside to ensure you get assigned a table quickly and to ensure that everyone in your party is present before you’re seated.
But we also found some last minute great meals like a delicious cheese burger experience at Petit Mignon.
Shortlisted for Thacks Awards, these were some favourite memories from our time in Bordeaux –
Best Tourist Experience:
Cousin et Compagnie’s wine tasting on the river event was a great introduction to Bordeaux. Although the river would be prettier if the water wasn’t brown, the whole intimate experience of meeting 6 like-minded wine lovers over an interesting rundown on Bordeaux Wines in the sunshine and fresh air was great. We went up the river to the Wine Museum and then back down again and concluded the tasting at the wine shop with our final tasting.
The Wine Museum (La Cite du Vin) focuses on international contrasts in the wine industry with informative and interactive displays and features. The only downside is that some displays are hard to get to as they get crowded. The glass of wine at the end is appreciated!
Best Drinking Venues:
Consonance ‘Bar a accords mets & vins’ stood out for great service, massive and good quality wine list and tasty food. The décor is classy and fresh.
Bar a Vin is a beautiful space including stained glass windows and wine walls in a historic building, serving up great cheese/meat platters and the best thing is the price: wines priced from €2 to some great Brut offerings for €3.
Best Coffee and Fresh Treats:
Contrast was a favourite coffee shop with a great breakfast/brunch selection in the heart of the city. Note the detail in even the cool teaspoons!
Best Food:
Son restaurant is already awarded and great value for an amazing dinner experience. Book in advance – it’s really worth it. For €65 of fine dining you get around six courses of tasty and well-presented treats.
Best Value:
Le Entrecote is like a franchise and you’ll notice it if you go to Bar a Vin as there often seems to be a queue to go inside. For €21 you get a salad starter, a generous steak portion and all-you-can-eat-French-fries. They only have house red wine, but it’s not bad. So the bill for two people including a small bottle of wine is just 53 euros.
Three days in Beautiful Bordeaux written by John T – one of the international Thacks Awards panelists, living in Spain. When not traveling and wine-tasting, John is an iGaming specialist reporting into director level in the sports betting industry with a degree in Information Technology.
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