Bordeaux 2009
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In June of this year I was fortunate enough to spend a week at The Bordeaux School of Wine sponsored by the Bordeaux Wine Council. Better known by its initials in French, the CIVB is responsible for bringing together the winemakers, merchants and brokers of the Bordeaux region to consider matters such as; guaranteeing the quality of AOC wines, studying of the local wine economy and worldwide markets, and promoting Bordeaux wines both in France and abroad. |
| Because our days were spent with at least a half day at the school in class, the experience was geared towards learning, but also was a fun week. We visited many top restaurants in the city of Bordeaux, and most evenings traveled to Chateaus for tastings and tours. The afternoon that we spent touring the town of St Emilion was everything that every tourist could imagine. Meeting the winemakers of Brane-Cantenac and Domaine de Chevalier was something that most wine geeks only dream about. The overall theme from everyone we met, from brokers and negotiants, to the wine makers themselves, was that Bordeaux does not want to rest on its laurels to compete with the myriad of new wines in the world. It was good to see that the new generation of winemakers seemed focused on improving the quality of their wines. So if it's been a while since you have been drinking French wine, maybe it's time you too learned about the new Bordeaux. -Geoff Hansen |
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Chateau Guiraud, Sauternes |
Here I am with Henri Lurton, owner of Brane-Cantenac |
Our group in front of the gates of Chateau Brane-Cantenac |
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| In the cellars of Chateau Citran | Barrel tasting at Chateau Cadillac | Sunset over the Gironde River |
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| Standing in Front of Chateau Fonplegade | Learning How a Barrel is Toasted | In the Classroom |
