We bought tickets for the St. Emilion wine tour at the tourism office. For just 10€ each we got a wine tour of the famed chateaux, a tasting later at the Maison du Vins, and complimentary macarons at a village bakery. Fearing that it might be a little cheesy-- like a tour of celebrity homes--we put on our headsets, tuned them to Anglais, and we were off for a very pleasant hour.
The tour narration was far from cheesy. In fact we both learned a lot about how the region evolved geologically, geographically, politically and economically. Religion also played a huge role in the formation of St. Emilion as there were five different monastic orders with roots there.
Ultimately, putting the heady topics aside, it was all about the vines--million of vines with billions of berries sitting in the sun and soon to be the 2015 vintage. The neat rows make me feel calm--everything in such order.
When the tour was over, we headed into the village and enjoyed a pleasant lunch of gazpacho and crepes under a big, white umbrella that protected us from the Africa-like temperatures. With low humidity and a nice breeze it was quite comfortable.
We walked into the tasting rooms of two wine producers and explored the chilly, dark caves, then went into the wine museum where we had a tasting of two wines from La Greniere, a vinyard in Lussac. The owner/winemaker was doing the pouring and he was happy to share a lot of information about his wines. We picked two, the I asked him if he had any favorites among the wines of his neighbors and he was very accommodating and showed us some of his personal favorites from among the racks.
Back home to the Clocktower Cottage, we turned the key thinking that it would be stinkin' hot in there--but no! It was cool and comfortable--stones are a natural form of air conditioning.
You two always make the most of your time and find great adventures. I felt very nostalgic reading your blog !
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