Where to head in France, and for how long?

[PaulG]

Well, Jas and I are planning a trip to Europe next year, and during this trip we'll be getting a car and driving through France.

One thing we would like to do is to spend some time visiting a wine region, seeing the sites and tasting the wines. Unfortuantely we have no idea:
1. Which to head to; or
2. How long to stay there.

We're red drinkers, rather than sparkling/white drinkers, but are woefully uneducated about French wine.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
P

[PaulG]

Well, to give some further background, we're heading first to Lyon, then Paris, and then we will be making our way to Spain somehow.

Interests: Food, wine, experiencing the difference in culture, historical sites are a plus, as are breathtaking landscapes.

I speak French very poorly (I can say "I look for the igloo" and "I like chicken sandwiches", which prepares me for two very distinct situations, but that's about it!)

[n4sir]

Remind me before the next time I see you Paul to loan you a copy of Oz & James's Big Wine Adventure which is a nice, light introduction to wine around France.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_and_Jam ... _Adventure

Cheers,
Ian

[DaveB]

What time of the year are you thinking of heading over also Paul?

[PaulG]

Thanks for the offer Ian, and for the responses, everyone!

We'll be there between March and April (actual dates not set quite yet).

From the snatches of information I've found, I get the impression we have to prebook wineries - is that right?

[Wayno]

I can heartily recommend Burgundy but don't expect immediate tasting gratification - there are, however, a couple of places that put on lunch tasting that are excellent. With a car, the Cote d'Or is brilliant as is the opportunity to hire bikes which makes a trundle through Volnay, Pommard and onto Mersault and Puligny-Montrachet and the like a fabulous experience. Tastings are available at some of the bigger negociants although be wary of open cellar doors in the Cote De Nuits, especially some of the bigger-named villages as they can be overpriced and ordinary. There are a few iconic restaurants in Beaune too (one in particular).

Suggest broadly speaking, a car trip down through Chablis, onto Burgundy via Dijon and then down into the Rhone.... then maybe a side step through into SW France and onto Spain. This would be close to my next dream-itinery with several more details to get fleshed in as well.

Happy to PM loads more detail if you like.

[DaveB]

Thanks for the offer Ian, and for the responses, everyone!

We'll be there between March and April (actual dates not set quite yet).

From the snatches of information I've found, I get the impression we have to prebook wineries - is that right?

I'll be in Burgundy around the 25th - 28th of March, Bordeaux - 29th March-1st April and Paris sometime around 4th - 6th of April if you want to catch up

[Julio G]

If you're starting in Lyon I'd head north through Burgundy (Make sure you don't miss Beaujolais and the Macon - very under rated)... given you not a white wine fan you should probably give Chablis a miss - although if you're interested in being educated on French wine I would definitely go to Chablis. You say you're not a bubbles fan, but Champagne is a logical next stop on your trip to Paris and, again, well worthwhile from a learning perspective (also, the gothic cathedral Reims is amazing). Post Paris, Bordeaux is the logical stop off on the way to Paris then the Languedoc/South west. If you do your homework before and arrange appointments in advance you will have a very rewarding experience. Be sure to sample the local cheeses as you go from place to place - wonderful!

Good luck driving in Paris!

[mmeyer]

First, we found there is a large drop off charge if renting a car in France and finishing in Spain. In 08 we dropped the car in Perpignan and took the train to Barcelona-which is a beautiful city. 2nd, I would fly into Paris and then drive to Lyon via Chablis,Burgundy, Macon, Beaujolais. Then south of Lyon thru the N Rhone and S Rhone into Provence. From the wife's point of view she could well find Chablis and most of Burgundy/N Rhone rather boring-then again she could be like my wife who had one of her best ever runs thru the vineyards of Meursault recognizing the different plots that we drink from. The S Rhone/Provence should be beautiful in late Mar/Apr with plenty to do and taste. We are particularly found of St Remy-near Avignon and Chateauneuf du Pape.

If you do Lyon to Paris then I would recco you go to the Loire-too many castles to mention-even tho you don't drink whites Vouvray-Huet- could change your mind and Chinon has some great reds-in particular Bernard Baudry-which takes visitors. From Chinon it is 2-3 hrs to Bordeaux. Dont miss St Emilion.

mark meyer

[JDSJDS]

Agree with most others. The route from Lyon to Paris can take you through some great regions - the southern and northern Rhone, Provence, Burgundy (including Beaujolais and Chablis if desired), Champange perhaps, then Paris. Alsace and the Loire and fairly close by if you like, but they focus mainly on white.

You won't need appointments in the southern Rhone, but everywhere else they will be far more necessary (with some exceptions).

It's hard to go wrong anywhere - I'm sure you'll have a great time!

[darby]

Get yourself a copy of Rick Stein's French Odyssey the book or the DVD He goes from Bordeaux to Avignon by canal boat. Do the trip in reverse but instead of continuing into Bordeaux head south from Marmande into Gers, Madiran then down thru the Basque and Armagnac county to San Sebastian. Try the local white Txacoli, 9% alcohol and truly wonderful. This itinerary assumes you don't want to waste your time drinking Parkerized reds.

Don't worry about the lack of language, but make sure you always say "Bonjour Monsieur/Madame" to the salesperson whenever you enter a shop, restaurant, hotel or cellar door. That way they'll know you're not a boorish Anglo-saxon or American.

Step outside the square and enjoy.

[ChrisV]

I would recommend Bordeaux and the Rhone for red drinkers. I would avoid Burgundy as it's tough for non French speakers. Unfortunately Bordeaux and the Rhone are geographically quite far apart, so you may want to pick one only.

Edit: Also a lot of the responses seem to be ignoring the fact that you said you were red drinkers and recommending visits to areas which mostly produce whites. Since you said you were French wine novices, here's a quick run down of the red wines produced in France:

The big three:

Bordeaux - Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines. Extremely prestigious region. Will be well set up for English tourists.
Burgundy - Pinot Noir. Very prestigious, zillions of producers so very hard to get to grips with. I found this region pretty hard to deal with as a non French speaker.
Rhone Valley - Shiraz (Syrah) and Grenache based wines with a number of other grapes (Mourvedre, various white grapes) blended in. Again should have reasonable facilities for tourists. Wines range from the prestigious/expensive (Chateauneuf du Pape, Hermitage) to cheaper stuff (Cotes du Rhone).

And some lesser known regions. There are some good wines made here and you're likely to get value for money, but there are unlikely to be many facilities for tourism:

Loire Valley - Cabernet Franc based wines. Somewhat obscure and virtually impossible to get hold of in Australia. Cellar doors might be hard to come by.
The Languedoc - All sorts of stuff made here (a lot of Shiraz and Grenache), the biggest wine producing region in France, mostly producing cheap wines for mass consumption, but there are good wines made here too. Again, tourists not likely to be well catered for.

[Eboracum]

Rhone Valley - Shiraz (Syrah) and Grenache based wines with a number of other grapes (Mourvedre, various white grapes) blended in. Again should have reasonable facilities for tourists. Wines range from the prestigious/expensive (Chateauneuf du Pape, Hermitage) to cheaper stuff (Cotes du Rhone).

If you stay with the large négociant operations like Guigal, Jaboulet, Delas and Perrin, you will prbably find visitor reception routines including English speaking, but you will be missing a lot. For me the real interest lies in contact with smaller high quality growers like Jamet (Côte Rôtie), Gonon (St. Joseph), Graillot (Crozes-Hermitage), Richaud (Cairanne) and so on; if you are looked after by the vigneron himself, it could be a fascinating experience. The only way to find out if the vigneron in question speaks English is to send an Email asking for an appointment and specifying the need for English. My guess, however, is that the producers I have named do not speak English but their wives or children may.

Loire Valley - Cabernet Franc based wines. Somewhat obscure and virtually impossible to get hold of in Australia. Cellar doors might be hard to come by.

Wrong about cellar doors being hard to come by; the vignerons here are extremely welcoming and the wines are some of the finest value for money in the world; real finesse at accessible prices (but whites a small notch above the reds); someone nurtured on Aussie reds may, however, find it initially difficult to get to grips with their lighter body and greater natural acidity. There are less large good négociants than in the Rhône valley but Langlois-Château springs to mind. The same remarks apply as for the Rhône about the interest of visiting small quality growers and again sending Emails should identify English speakers; it is my guess that Thierry Germain at Domaine des Roches Neuves (Saumur-Champigny) and the commercial manager (I forget his name) at Charles Joguet (Chinon) speak English and they are probably not alone.

The Languedoc - All sorts of stuff made here (a lot of Shiraz and Grenache), the biggest wine producing region in France, mostly producing cheap wines for mass consumption, but there are good wines made here too. Again, tourists not likely to be well catered for.

Don't underestimate Languedoc/Roussillon. There are some very fine producers. Again I think that visitors would be very welcome at the estates but English speaking is far from universal. Send Emails.

There are several good annual guides to French estates in French. Don't let the language put you off because the best have a lot of practical information, e.g. contact detail, info on varieties planted and wines available, which don't require translation. You may also be surprised by how much of the text you can decode. That is my own experience with guides in Italian, Spanish and German. The most user friendly is Les Meilleurs Vins de France 2010 by Olivier Poussier, etc; published by la Revue du Vin de France; you can have it sent by Amazon France http://www.amazon.fr/meilleurs-vins-Fra ... 286&sr=1-1 .