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The
Bordeaux vineyard
The
whole vineyard of Bordeaux extends over more than
100000 hectares.
From Royan, the Médoc area with the prestigious appellations
and the Côtes de Blaye and Côtes de Bourg appellations, are
within one hour’s drive.
It would really be a pity not to take
advantage of that and to do some tours. Wine enthusiasts will
enjoy them and others will enjoy the magnificent scenery.
A bit further away, about 130 kilometres from Royan, we
recommend driving down to Saint-Emilion to visit the town and
the famous vineyard.
On the East and West sides of
the Gironde estuary and from North to South, you can drive many
kilometres on small roads passing numerous Châteaux . The term
'Château' in this area, refers to the property and does not
always indicate an historic house. A large number of these
Chateaux are open for wine tasting and purchasing on the spot,
others can be visited by appointment only and some are not open
to the public at all.
The Charentais vineyard
Both
Charentais departments, the Charente and Charente-Maritime
produce wines intended as a basis for the production of cognac
and pineau des Charentes, but they also produce a vast range of
local wines, Vins de Pays and vine wines called "Vins de
cépages".
The
Charentais vineyard with 80 000 hectare surface
is the second largest french vineyard after Bordeaux.
Personal discovery
The
‘Maisons du Vin’ and the trade organisations, publish leaflets, index
cards and guides which allow one increased knowledge of the vineyards.
But more important ways of finding out about wines are by personal
discovery, by-word-of-mouth and intuition. You learn much more about
terrains, vines, wine making and vintages during conversations with wine
producers, a glass in hand, in the cellars or tasting rooms.
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