Bordeaux, France Today we will talk about the world capital
of wine, Bordeaux.
The city flourished over the centuries because of the wine trade.
It is known to be the capital of wine because of having 60 appellations, 7000 winemakers,
and being a home to the oldest vineyard.
It’s not only a center of exquisite wineries but it’s also surrounded with profound villages
to roam around as well and is flooded with culture, art and much more.
The best part about this city is it’s walking friendly so you don’t have to rent a car
for sightseeing.
The city after going through some restorations is a lot more lovely to look at with an improved
ultra-modern public transport system.
Just the right place to explore greater wines, culture and appealing architectural sites.
So let’s dive into the top five things that you can do when you’re in Bordeaux, France.
5.
Wine tourism in Bordeaux vineyards Take a break in the vineyards of Bordeaux
that are known to be the largest fine-wine vineyards in the world.
As the wine growing districts are diverse it allows the production of different varieties
of wines such as reds, dry or sweet whites, roses, light reds and sparkling whites.
As we speak of diversity these vineyards contain historic villages, archaeological sites, and
ancient Roman churches.
These are not kept away from the public; instead the winegrowers open their vineyards often
for educational purposes, wine tastings, and various cultural and gourmet discoveries.
There’s plenty of fun stuff that you can do here for example you can attend a workshop
where you can learn to make a Bordeaux wine of your own, you can taste wine roosted in
a 200 year old cedar tree or you can stay in a wooden wine that is converted into a
guest room for whoever wants to stay the night or even prolong their stay.
Along with the Bordeaux wines you can also taste some French wines here as well.
4.
Enchanting water cycles of Miroir d’Eau This is that one spot that must be on your
list even if you’re paying a quick visit to Bordeaux that isn’t going to last for
more than a day.
With its relaxing ambiance, and pools it’s one of the very popular Bordeaux attractions.
You can come sit next to the banks of the river, listen to the music, plan a picnic
or just dive in those pools.
It was built as an art installation center but now is included as part of UNESCO world
heritage site designation for Bordeaux.
With its 2 cm in depth it’s the largest reflecting pool in the world and gives a magnificent
mirroring effect reflecting place de la Bourse across the street.
Every day around the same time from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the water in those pools presents
its show in cycles of fog, mirror and pool and within the 26 minutes creates plenty of
different visuals.
However, it’s a challenge to have that one Instagram-able photo here because of the water
cycles and also, since it’s a major attraction of the city, it tends to be very touristy
here.
So if you want to have that one perfect picture you will have to be patient.
3.
Saint Emilion Saint Emilion is a medieval village in the
heart of the famous Bordeaux wine area.
There you will find two thousand years of history and wine bearing the same taste, even
after all these years.
The village is rich in beautiful architecture and fine-wine, making it a very unique, world
famous, winery site.
Emilion was a monk who fled from Vannes and settled in this village in the 8th century.
Accomplishing a few miracles he rapidly became famous and made this place a religious center.
So the town was given its name after his death by his devoted proponents.
Then in the upcoming centuries, men mined the soil for the betterment of the architectural
structure of the village.
It’s all over now but there’s still plenty of galleries underground, and the vineyard
that’s the witness of this activity, shows its authenticity.
Over a decade ago, for the first time, a vineyard was carved on the world’s heritage list
by UNESCO as a cultural landscape, because of the authenticity and the fact that it stayed
intact over the years making it a historical landscape.
2.
Roam around Cite du Vin This distinct cultural center is solely dedicated
to the living heritage of spectacular wine offering experiences to everyone, not just
to the people of the community.
It’s a charitable foundation enlightening people about the history of wine, its civilization
and everything that’s associated with its production in a very artistic manner.
You’d love roaming around in here getting to know about the world’s winemaking regions
that are projected on to big screens and even on the floor leaving one awestruck witnessing
all this beauty.
It also has various large interactive globes in there, placed at various distances so the
tourists can enlighten themselves about the spread of wine around the globe, wine trading,
and much more.
Then there's the terroir section, an interactive station where a landscape comes to life with
50 different winemakers from 10 different regions unveiling their secrets and hacks.
In one section you can find touch screen tablets letting visitors discover how man transformed
grape vines into different exquisite wines that we know today.
There you will also find wine portraits, gigantic wine bottle placements showing different flavors,
and some of the greatest wines.
There's a gallery of the civilization of wine portraying the history from the Egyptian times
covering all the eras till the 19th century.
The most exciting thing about the center is its tasting workshops where the visitors are
educated on the art of tasting and awakening the senses with a profusion of colors, images,
flavors and aromas.
It’s a whole other world in there where you can spend an entire day learning everything
about wine that you may not have known about before.
1.
Applaud place des quinconces (Place des QUIN QUES ES)
Place des quinconces is the largest city Square in Europe making it the central spot in the
city and also is a major transportation hub having plenty of buses, coaches and electric
shuttles passing through the area.
Located at the edge of the river Garrone, place des quinconces shows a very congruous
geometrical pattern where the trees are planted in a quincunx, which is where its name also
comes from.
The place initially wasn’t intended to be a transportation hub but served as a prevention
against any attacks on the city during the reign of terror having guns pointed towards
the city center, strategizing that the enemy may attack from the outside.
But it’s now devoid of all of this.
You can just come on a warm sunny day, sit there and enjoy nature as it’s full of trees
and fountains.
It is also a nice spot to sit and contemplate life.
There is one spot inside the city square where you can have a look at the Girondins monument.
Girondins were the part of a loosely knit political faction and were the victims of
the reign of terror during the French revolution and this monument commemorates them.
Every pedestal and fountain is embellished with large bronze horses and troops.
The center column of the monument has a statue that shows the spirit of liberty breaking
the shackles and setting free.
It’s also a great spot that organizes plenty of events throughout the year including ferris
wheels and fun fairs.
Chances are that you may get to attend one while you’re there.
…………………….
Bordeaux, France is rich in wine civilisations, culture and art and there’s so much more
to explore once you’re here.
You can’t get out of the city without being familiar with everything about wines that
you didn’t know about earlier.
This city once awoke from a deep heavy slumber and made some amazing touristic wonders.
Just the right place to satisfy your exploration palates.
How much do you know about wine and its history and will you try making a Bordeaux wine of
your own once you’re here?
Let us know in the comments below.
And as always, where to next?