Boozy Bordeaux: Part II

The rest of our week spent in the Bordeaux region was made up of wine tastings and day excursions to the city and surrounding beach towns. 

The city of Bordeaux is a bustling metropolis filled with fast moving cars, floods of people, and fabulous shopping. I would love to go back someday and see more of the city itself but wine tastings were calling and I was more than happy to answer. 

French Wine completely inspired me. We took multiple château and cellar tours throughout our week in Medoc. This region is one of the most famous red wine producing areas in the world. About 80% of the wine produced here is red. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot grapes are combined in a variety of proportions to produce mostly full bodied and a few softer red wines. We had some memorable tours at Pichon Longueville, Kirwan, and Lynch Bages. My favorite château tour was at Pichon Longueville where we learned about the history of the winery, harvesting the grapes, and even saw some of the winery workers in action transferring wine into new barrels.

Chateau Pichon Longueville

 A grape almost ready for harvest. The wineries test the sugar content and acidity in comparison to weight.

 After destemming, pressing, crushing, and the whole fermentation process, the wine is put into barrels to begin aging.

Generally wine is pumped into a new barrel every 3 months to separate the clear wine from the sediment filled.

This sediment filled wine is sold to other wineries for blending and our tour guide also said something about the wine being sold to the government for tax deductions. Sweet deal huh?

Overall, my experiences in France have given me a whole new appreciation for food and wine. The amount of time, energy, and passion that goes into creating such beautiful products inspires me to do the same. I'm actually thinking about going back to France sometime next year to work on an organic farm. Learning where and how our food is grown will just intensify my knowledge and respect for wholesome delicious food. If anyone has any experience or advice please pass it on! I hope to one day have my own business to show off the enthusiasm I have for food and peoples' enjoyment of it.