Bordeaux - Wine Capital of the World
Of historical interest is the fact that Bordeaux actually belonged to the English from the 12th century and for the following three hundred years, due to the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former wife of the King of France. During the following years, the city became increasingly prosperous due its emerging commerce with England. Its second burst of prosperity came in the 17th century due to the development of its port for international trade.
Because of its climate, Bordeaux is often considered to be a bit of a turning point, being both in the north and the south at one and the same time. And from her former English domination, the town has cultivated a certain composure, or class, and an air of cool professionalism with its regular trading with Hanse and Holland. From the period of Louis XIV the town has maintained a certain upright, aligned, classical style of architecture, which you encounter in the innumerable castles made of white stone.
But the heart of Bordeaux also beats to a Latin rhythm, undoubtedly due to its closeness to Spain. This is the other character of the city, one much more frivolous and given over to the fiesta!
The climate of Bordeaux is considered to be Oceanic, that is to say with no great difference between summer and winter temperatures. Here the summers are hot and the winters relatively mild, even warm. However the region does get its fair share of rain spread throughout the year, due to it being on the Atlantic coast. However, extreme periods of dryness can also be a problem from time to time. In Bordeaux, only one thing is certain, and that’s the wine!
The left bank of the river Garonne, where the majority of the town is located, comprises wide, often marshy, plains; and although there are a few hills, the typical altitude is low. However these hills are ideal for viticulture. And in this, Bordeaux is a meeting place between the Medoc and Grave wines.
The other side of the Garonne, the right bank, is entirely different, and it is made up almost entirely of chalk. And it’s here that most of the world famous vineyards are located vineyards such as Pomerol, Fronsac and Saint Emilion famous around the world, not least for their expense.
Without a shadow of doubt, Bordeaux is the world wine capital. In this region, a single wine grower, or viticulteur, will produce several different wines, with several of these being amongst the most renowned in the world. These are identified specifically as “Vins de Bordeaux”. Indeed around the Bordeaux region itself there are no fewer than 14000 local wine producers, some quite small. But collectively, these vineyards account for about 700 million bottles annually. Bordeaux wines are both white and red, with the famous red giving its name to the color known as Bordeaux, after the distinctive color of the wine.
And what about the cuisine of Bordeaux? In fact Bordeaux cuisine, indeed the cuisine throughout the whole of the Gironde, is considered to be one of the finest in France, a veritable way of life. Here the visitor will have his senses delighted by names of dishes such as “palombe” (wood pigeon, in English), “cepes de Bordeaux” (a variety of mushroom), “sauce aux echalotes” (a special shallot sauce), etc. Evidently, this will need to be accompanied by the classic Bordeaux wines.
And what to say about the famous little “canele”? A cake, speciality of Bordeaux, made of soft and tender pastry, perfumed with rum and vanilla, then covered with a thick caramel crust. The Bordeaux canele was given birth to by a convent in the 16th century, with the nuns gathering flour in boat stocks to make these little cakes for the poor. They are also delicious with a white wine. However they do have a tendency to soften the next day (that is if you haven’t eaten them already). However it’s just necessary to put them back in the oven for a few minutes, and they’ll be crusty once again!
But that’s not all… as for savouries, how about sampling the unusual lamproie fish. This fish in fact possesses neither backbone, jaws or scales in fact its more akin to a big eel… but delicious nevertheless. After that there’s always of course the famous snail sauce (sauce d’escargots), often going by its facetious local name of “truffe de Bordeaux”, or Bordeaux truffle. This sauce incorporates not only chocolate, but also grapes and a lacing of alcohol. Following on, you might also encounter the Aquitaine Tome cheese (made from goats milk and Sauterne wine). Then last, but of course not least, there is the ubiquitous “foie gras”, famous throughout South-West France.
So I hope you spend a wonderful and delicious time in and around Bordeaux, meeting the many colourful Bordelais characters!
