I’m on a research trip to Bordeaux this week but there are no barrel room tours involved. Instead of writing about the intricacies of claret I’m researching what the region has to offer tourists beyond the wineries.
It turns out the region is a golfing hub. I’ve always thought golf spoiled a good walk but I’m slowly coming round to the idea it might be enjoyable. I had my first-ever golf lesson yesterday and while I probably won’t be taking up the sport after my abysmal performance on the driving range (my putting was a little more respectable), the Golf du Médoc complex has plenty to offer the wine lover who needs time out from all the eating and drinking. It’s got 72 holes of golf action, each named after a Médoc chateau. Apparently the par 3 on the 5th, otherwise known as Château Pontet Canet sorts out the men from the boys. As I struggled to hit the ball, I’m unlikely to make it past the first hole let alone make it to the fifth.
Plastic penguins and pit bulls
Bordeaux has been seen as a region that is impenetrable to tourists without an appointment or a contact in the wine trade. Two years ago, France’s equivalent of Tony Laithwaite, Philippe Raoux, opened a free visitor centre and wine shop to make the region more people-friendly complete with plastic red penguins at the entrance. La Winery may not be imaginatively named and the huge complex may look like a cross between a greenhouse and a warehouse but it’s a great place for those who know little about wine to start with an introductory video and a 4×4 Land Rover vineyard tour. There’s a sculpture park to walk around with four-foot high blue plastic pitbull terriers, which is a bit off-putting, but you can’t fault their originality!
All hail
Ok, so you can’t come to Bordeaux without talking a little bit about wine. Gavin Quinney is an Englishman who owns Château Bauduc in Entre-deux-Mers. Unfortunately his tenth year at the property has proved to be difficult with severe hailstorms wiping out 80% of his crop in May. He’s even kept some of the hailstones in his freezer and they’re the size of golf balls. No wonder the grapes didn’t survive. Individual properties from St Emilion to Graves experienced similar devastation, which must be a major blow in such difficult economic times.
