  |
|||
|
North America , South America, the Caribbean, and Caribbean Cruises |
Okay, we only “lived” in France for a couple of weeks, but you should have seen it! Scott (my husband) and I have been fortunate enough to travel to many parts of the world. We are always pulled back to France-probably because of the food and wine, which are some of the best in the world. We had the urge to go back again and just had to decide where in France to go this time. We love food, love to cook and love wine so of course we went to the Dordogne. Where exactly is the Dordogne? Dordogne is a department of the Aquitaine region in southwest France where the famous (to food-geeks) Perigord is located. Aquitaine also encompasses Bordeaux and the smaller wine country east of Bordeaux. A legend pretends that when God distributed his castles, he started by the Loire Valley. Going far away from there, his bag burst over the Dordogne river and the Perigord region will be eternally thankful for his clumsiness! Perigord The Perigord, rich and fertile country, is densely forested and crisscrossed by rivers flowing out to the Atlantic. Of these, the Dordogne River has carved out through the center a beautiful winding valley of gentle greenery. Many Stone Age relics and caves have been found here dating from around 20,000 years ago. In the village markets, the fruit and vegetables, nuts, and mushrooms of every description show off the region's self-sufficiency in food. It was less expensive than a hotel and we really felt like we were living there. We went to the outdoor market and I planned our menus according to what looked the best that day. They have everything you can think of and it’s all fresh; asparagus, sausages and other meats, cheeses, eggs, herbs, spices and wine from the local wineries. I could have spent all day at the food market, but Scott wanted to visit the famous wineries in nearby Bordeaux. We took a private cooking class from a chef that lived in the area. She had retired here after running a French restaurant for 30 years. We cooked a 6-course meal and then ate it along with the chef and her Portuguese husband. There was a storm and just as we finished our dessert, the electricity went out. We barely noticed as we sat by candlelight enjoying the wine and the atmosphere. It was like we were transported back to the 17 th century (with better dental care). Bordeaux If you want to visit any of the 5 first-growth wineries (wine geeks will know) in Bordeaux , you must plan ahead. Napolean III wanted the wines of the this area along the Gironde River to be categorized by quality. The 4 best were named Premier Cru in 1855: Château Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac), Château Margaux (Margaux), Château Latour (Pauillac), Château Haut-Brion Pessac (Graves). Château Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac) was elevated to a first growth in 1973. I arranged for tours at Mouton-Rothschild, Latour and Margeux. Margeux has a public tour that was very good but private tours at the others are not always allowed. The Chateaux themselves are incredible—gorgeous castles surrounded by the vineyards as far as you can see. All of the tours eventually wound up in a private tasting room. The public tour at Margeux ended with a small taste of a recently bottled vintage. The other private tours ended with Scott, me, and several half bottles of wine. These were different categories of the currently aging vintage that would not even be bottled for almost a year. This was an exceptional experience that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in wine. There are several hundred wineries in Bordeaux and many of them offer tours and tasting for a minimal cost (or free!). This is a great way to learn about wine. It is also a great place just to hang out and enjoy some of the best food, wine and scenery anywhere in the world.
| Home
| Hot Specials | Go With a Group
| Tips & Tid Bits | Been
There Done That | |
||
We rented a 17 th century manor house five minutes from the small town of Lalinde. They had all of the French essentials; a market, a bakery (for your daily baguette and croissants), a tabac/newsstand, a wine shop and a fine linen shop. Our house had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room/dining area and a lovely garden with a stone patio that overlooked the countryside. It had modern fixtures and appliances along with a chef (me) and a dishwasher (Scott). 
