Bordeaux and wine have been an item since Roman times but after Bordeaux wine was served at the wedding of Henry Plantagenet, future King Henry II, and Eleanor of Aquitaine it became the plonk of royalty. When Richard the Lionhearted proclaimed it his every day beverage, wine-savvy Englishmen decided if it was good enough for the king . . .
Chris and Connie’s plan for the
day took us back through the medieval city, through the Grosse Cloche clock tower, perhaps my favorite part of Bordeaux. The streets are narrow and cobbled with interesting details. Even the tourist shops seem like they belong. The going was slow—Chris and Rose have different interests than we have. Rose has never met a museum or a book store she didn’t love while Chris is drawn to bistros once or twice a day so we often stopped and were always well-caffeinated. They actually seem to look forward to the “Exit through the Gift Shop” experience and usually find that special something to buy.
Following Connie from one narrow alley to another, we eventually arrived at today’s destination, the unpretentious Musee du Vin et du Negoce, where we were educated about the business of wine. Not the agricultural soil, climate, exposure stuff, nor the fermentation and aging of the wine, but about the wine agents—the Dutch and even Irishmen who controlled the trade. There were sections about the barrel-making coopers and even how corks are made—a much more expensive and labor-intensive process than you could imagine. They even had ledgers from the 1800s listing purchases.
The “Wine Cellar Insider” says that Bordeaux wine “delivers fruit scents and flavors of cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, vanilla, black cherry, coffee bean, spice, and licorice.” Another source mentions aromas of black currant, plums, and earthy notes of wet gravel or pencil lead. You decide.
To add to the confusion there are five classifications—Grand Cru being the best—and more than 60 “appellations” from nearly 6000 vineyards in Bordeaux alone. And all of those narrow doors along the streets leading to the quai were filled with barrels of Bordeaux wine awaiting shipment down the Garrone and on to England.
Cité du Vin focuses on the heritage of wine “around the world, throughout the ages, across countless cultures and civilisations”—TMI for our weary minds. We just wanted to see the building. It was designed by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicholas Desmazières and reminded us of something by Frank Gehry. Rose bought a Bordeaux hoody and some post cards at the gift shop. Chris, bless his heart, stopped at our local grocery store and bought a couple of bottles whose “appellation” and vineyard we can’t recall. But the wine tasted great and was much needed after our dizzying day.
