Philpott Family Adventures: European Vacation 2023 (Part Trois)

The adventures continue in the Libourne area this morning, then we'll head for Fort Medoc in the afternoon. 

Friday, June 23

We begin this morning (after a hearty breakfast and a cappuccino) with a trip to a vineyard called Chateau Siaurac. One group sets out through the countryside on e-bikes, while several other groups take coaches to the vineyard. Our tour guide gave us a lesson on winemaking on the way. One of the most important lessons I took away from her talk was the 4 layers of wine nomenclature:

1) The major region, which in this case is the Bordeaux region. Not included in the nomenclature, but of interest, is that we are on the right bank, i.e., northeast of the Dordogne River. 

2) The local area, which here is Pomerol. As noted previously, Pomerol is both a city and a region. In this case, we are in the region, somewhat northeast of the actual city.

3) The appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC, or simply appellation), which is a "label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how." In other words, it is a specific wine blend made in a specific area using specific techniques. The appellation of today's wine is Lalande-de-Pomerol.

4) The vineyard which actually makes the wine, in this case, Chateau Siaurac. The word chateau literally means "castle," but has traditionally been used to designate a vineyard, including its winemaking facilities. 

Those of us in the coaches arrived a bit sooner than the cyclists, so we had a little time to enjoy the exceptionally pretty grounds of the chateau, including the Jardin remarquable, or "remarkable garden." In addition to interesting topiary and colorful flowering shrubs and plants, there were large sculptures and art installations scattered throughout the grounds.

Once all the troops had arrived, we got a peek at the winemaking facilities, which include a huge storage room filled with barrels of aging wine, carefully stacked and labeled by year. The smell in that room was an incredible combination of yeast, grapes, wood, and mustiness. 

Our guides at each location (and our coach guides, when we were walking) used a headset that we could hear through our phones, so despite the large group, everyone could hear. Unfortunately, my phone did not always play nicely with their system so I frequently could not connect, but I just stayed at the front of the group and listened the old-fashioned way.

While the rooms of traditional wooden barrels felt like going back in time, the other processing rooms were full of modern stainless-steel equipment that was more like jumping into the future. 

It seemed especially appropriate, as Bordeaux is a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new, with buildings that are hundreds of years old next to structures built within the last decade, and a constant balancing of ancient traditions and modern technology. There are still winemakers who taste each barrel and determine the exact blend of grapes to use, but there are also on-site laboratories that analyze each batch of grapes. 

Our tour ended in the tasting room, where we tasted several wines from the chateau. We did get a brief lesson on smelling, swirling, sipping, and swishing - and spitting, although only the tour guides spat. The large hourglass-shaped vessels on the table were used mainly to pour out any of the wine that people preferred not to finish. We were also served crackers and small bits of cheese, both to cleanse our palates between the wines and simply as a pleasant accompaniment to them.

Oops, I think Herb caught me mid-swish

We headed back to the boat in time for lunch and launching off to Fort Medoc. With the help of a pair of birdwatchers among our fellow passengers, we identified black kites, ospreys, and vultures soaring lazily above the river as we sailed. (Well, we didn't actually "sail," but I haven't come up with quite the right word to describe our travels on the river, so please just go with it.) Today's lunch was creamy artichoke with bacon and an assortment of little bite-sized treats, such as the "rice stuffed wine leaf" on the right, which was wrapped in a grape leaf that seemed to have been marinated in red wine, and the marinated artichoke heart on the left topped with fresh tomato, goat cheese, and microgreens. 

We headed up to the sun deck to watch the scenery. The landscape was green and lush but occasionally parted to reveal a little house or even a grand chateau or tower. 

Once we reached Fort Medoc, we had a rather unusual docking: there was a flat, wide, muddy beach with bollards in the greenery about 50 feet inland that we had to tie up to. Two of the deckhands, including our strong friend Bora, put on tall Wellington boots, took guide ropes from the ship, walked up the long gangway, and then dragged the ropes across the mud, pulling them over various obstacles along the edge of the mud to reach the bollard.

If you zoom in, you can see them climbing up the stone ramp pulling the rope across the beach

We gave them a round of applause when they got back on board - that was dirty, sweaty work! We felt a bit warm ourselves, so we retired to our balcony with some chilled cocktails before dinner. And Pringles. As you do.

Our dinner table was in front of a beautiful wine refrigerator which had individual lights underneath each bottle, making for a striking backdrop. We enjoyed a particularly excellent local wine this evening, and the "real" French dish of the night was a dessert of luscious sweet crepes served with powdered sugar, local peaches, and a delicious toffee-like crumble. 

This evening's entertainment was a special treat, as our Cruise Director, Mitch, sang for us - a fun combination of pop, jazz, and Broadway! He was quite the showman, in addition to having a wonderful voice. Of course, there was plenty of dancing afterwards, as well. Our gang - as was to become a standard event - was the last to leave the dance floor, but not before meeting Beret Ray's wife (see yesterday's post), an elegant, petite, white-haired lady with a striking resemblance to Helen Mirren in both looks and demeanor, who introduced herself thusly: "You know Rocky Horror? 'Dammit, Janet!'? Well, I'm Janet." Best introduction ever. 

Tomorrow we get to explore Chateau Lagrange and Fort Medoc!