Our Independence Day was spent a bit differently than in years past...although it still involved plenty of good food, beer, and wine!
Itinerary for the day . . .
We'll head out from Le Bouscat where the Bonnaires live - technically a suburb of Bordeaux but it's only 3 miles from the city center.
Claude was kind enough to make a tasting and tour appointment at Brasserie de l'Entre-deux-bières (B on the map) http://www.entre-deux-bieres.com/ which is in the area of Entre-Deux-Mers. Entre-Deux-Mers is a Bordeaux AOC (wine appellation). Direct translation is "between two seas" but there are no seas, just rivers. The Garonne and the Dordogne. I thought it was a cute play on words for the Brewery to be "Between Two Beers"
After our tasting, we went on to Saint-Émilion (C on the map), one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux. The primary grape varieties used are the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with relatively small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the agenda, a bit of walking, a bite to eat for lunch, exploring a (wine) cave, and a bit of wine tasting.
Benedicte before we head out for the day
Our drive started off well. However we could not find the Brasserie in the GPS.
We made it to the town of Mauriac, we knew it had to be nearby, but we weren't sure where!
Benedicte called the Brasserie, and the apprentice met us at town hall and led us to their brewery.
This was a very good thing, as I don't think we could've navigated all of the turns on our own.
And so we began our tour of a small French brewery in the middle of wine country!
They brew mainly Belgian style beers
Adding the hops
Price List - approx $3 / 12 oz bottle
At this point we're approximately 20 minutes away from Saint-Émilion. Ready for food & wine!
On the way we stopped at the Abbaye de Blasimon. The use of this location dates to well before the Middle Ages, and the foundation dates to the tenth century.
We were so close, and yet so far from Saint-Émilion when the railroad crossing arms went down across the road.
Saint-Émilion! The town is built on a hill which lends itself to very steep and narrow streets. There have been vineyards in this area since as early as the 2nd century. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.
I may have had a bit of a head cold, or allergies while explore Saint Emilion. Guillaume was kind enough to take a photo of this sign. It provides advice on what to do to cure anything that ails you.
The answer for allergies? Drink more wine!
Views from around Saint-Émilion
After a bit of walking - we were ready to enjoy some food.
Charles was enticed by the Duck Confit. An actual leg of Duck. Not just a few pieces.
And what are fries if they are not fried in Duck Fat!?!?! Yummmmm. (If you need to try Duck Fat fries in the Triangle - go find the KoKyu BBQ Truck around town >> http://www.kokyubbq.com/)
What can I say - we love some Duck.
And suddenly we had coffee and some delicious sweets including a few canelles
We had to make our way back up to the top of Saint Emilion to go visit the Clos De Menuts Cave.
Oldest building in Saint Emilion.
Clos de Menuts Cave. It's huge!!!
Bottles from 1982!! Our Birthyear. Not in our price range. : )
On to the tasting!!
Yes - They do start young. : )
We returned home to continue our day of indulgence (and celebration of Independence Day??). Starting with the beer we purchased earlier in the day.
La tchanquees, Biere Brune Artisanale: (Brown Beer) Dark beer is not just for amateurs and this is a beer that can be enjoyed by all! Hopped with restraint (some bitterness), brewed with roasted barley (light aroma of roasting), this low alcohol beer goes very well with seafood, especially oysters. According to a traditional Scottish, an infusion of oysters has been added to our wort iodine to give a taste beyond compare.
My favorite by far was La Baine, we wondered if there was a bit of unintentional wild yeast. It provided excellent complexity. Refreshing!
Then on to wine with a beautiful steak!
And lastly with some after dinner liquors. Specifically Claude's favorite - Armagnac. It's in the BIG bottle on the table, left hand side.
So what's the difference between Cognac and Armagnac? (Both are a Brandy)
Cognac is produced only in the town of Cognac in France. Armagnac is a light brandy which is produced in the Armagnac region of France.
Cognac is distilled twice whereas Armagnac is distilled only once.
Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits, but the brandies produced have a lower profile than those from Cognac and the overall volume of production is far smaller. In addition they are for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas in Cognac production is dominated by big-name brands.
Enough of that. Bottom line - Charles liked it. I enjoyed some Cointreau.
I'm optimistic it will be MUCH sooner than later after learning how easy it is to fly from London to Bordeaux....and how cheap!
Back in Luton...waiting for....the bus.
