Celebrate Christmas in Bordeaux with food and wine matching and cooking classes

Come to Bordeaux in-between Christmas and new year in 2019 and enjoy a series of food and wine tasting sessions and cooking classes with your own chef! Here is some text from my book about the region's specialities to whet your appetite"Bordeaux Sip by Sip - getting to the heart of Bordeaux." Bordeaux’s Food Specialities …

Step by Step how to Taste Bordeaux wine

How best to taste Bordeaux Red Wine Every wine has a story and it is our different senses that narrate this step by step, revealing clues as we taste. The Wine’s Appearance We look at the colour of a red wine and compare it to precious stones like ruby or garnet. Its colour can give …

Top Tips at the Bordeaux Wine Bar to understanding the region in 4 wines

The CIVB wine bar (open from 11am through until 10pm) is a great place to start your wine holiday in Bordeaux (no booking just turn up). It is located opposite the Tourist Information not far from the Grand Theatre. There are a number of wine bars in Bordeaux since the last 10 years or so. …

Top 5 Misleading Wine Myths

There are a number of beliefs in wine that are untrue and misleading. (Many of them seem to come from or be spread by so-called ‘wine experts’ themselves) Here are some of my favorites that have popped up over my 25 years ‘in wine’ (part one): “To correctly age wine you need to turn the …

Bordeaux’s Key Grape Variety Aromas

RED GRAPE VARIETIES Cabernet Sauvignon Blackcurrant, blackberry, violets, spices, cedar, eucaplyptus, green pepper  -  unripeness (green pepper, IBMP), mint, chocolate With Age: Leather, nutty, toast, toffee Characteristics: high tannins due to thick skins, good ageing potential, ‘skeleton’   Cabernet Franc Raspberry, violets, pencil shavings, leafy, earthy, spicy, tobacco With age: musk, nutmeg, sandalwood, savoury Characteristics: …

The 13 Different Aroma Families in Wine

Why do wines smell and taste like other natually ocurring substances like fruits or spices? Because they are made up of the same chemical compounds. These come from several sources. Primary aromas – come from the fruit, within the various grape varieties these aromas exist as non odorous elements that are transformed by fermentation. Each …