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Bordeaux, the unofficial wine capital of the world, may have given its name to the most famous appellation in the world, but on the vinicultural map of the region, its territory is represented by a lone blank spot: Bordeaux is virtually the only place within the Gironde département where no commercial vineyards operate, and it has ever been thus.

Right from the start (in the days of the Roman Empire), Bordeaux was the place from where the wines were shipped (mainly to the British Isles), not where they were produced.

In recent times, however, the growing city has swallowed up much of the surrounding countryside, and what once were quiet rural idylls have become residential districts with hypermarkets, warehouses and noisy roads.

Getting to know Bordeaux and Its Wines – The Country

This may be regrettable but has the positive side effect that there are now some vineyards within the city limits and its network of public transport infrastructure, …

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

… which means: when you are in Bordeaux and want to visit a vineyard (and frankly: who doesn’t?), you do not need to reserve a full day in your travel schedule for a trip to the outer reaches of the province, booking trains and buses and perhaps even taxis for the “last mile”.

No, you can do it all in a single morning. Just hop on the tramway, and within 30 minutes, you are (nearly) there.

“Nearly there” is Blanquefort tramway station, the final stop of line C, with outward bound services every five to ten minutes from the central train station or the Place des Quinconces, the hub where all four tramway lines meet (and many bus lines, too).

Now walk down the Rue de la Gare und turn left at the crossing with Rue Jean Duvert until you reach the roundabout.

Do not let the scruffy exurban sprawl around you spoil your holiday mood, and – you gotta accentuate the positive – embrace the moment as a welcome opportunity of discovering what much of the French countryside really looks like outside of the travel brochures.

Turn right into Avenue du Novembre 11 – the walk continues in this vein for another quarter of a mile or so – before, opposite the Lidl supermarket, entering the gravel path on the left hand side of the road.

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

This country lane has a name, it is called the Chemin de Cantenac, which is, however, not indicated on all the maps of the region. On one of the electronic maps that we regularly use, it was identified as Chemin Rural 5.

After a short while, it leads into an alley-way, which is lined by trees on both sides and flanked by vines on your right, and all of a sudden, the travel brochure image of France looks a lot less implausible.

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

At the end of this alleyway, turn right into Rue Saint Ahon.

After a few hundred meters, the outbuildings of the Chateau Saint Ahon will come into view …

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

… as will the driveway that takes you straight to the building of the chateau itself.

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

The original Saint Ahon manor house was built in the 17th century, the age of Cardinal Richelieu and the Three Musketeers. It was destroyed in the French Revolution, rebuilt during the age of Napoleon and redone in the original Louis XIII style later in the 19th century.

The house and the estate are now owned by the Colbert family, the inheritors of another famous name (they are direct descendants of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the powerful Prime Minister of Louis XIV).

Vineyards, even in the Bordeaux region, do not come much more grand and magnificent than this.

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

You can walk around a little on your own, but if you want to join a tour of the vineyard or learn more about the chateau and viniculture in general on the wine-themed educational trail inside the award-winning Jardins de Mirabel, you should book in advance or at least inquire about the schedule for these guided tours (phone +33556350645).

And if you feel like spending more than one day on the estate, you can rent one of the vineyard’s on-site holiday gîtes.

This is the reality of the contemporary winegrowing industry: modern vineyards do not just produce wine but also wine experiences.

Oenotourism, as they call it, is the industry’s new premium product, the one with the potentially largest margins, and few vineyards these days can afford to operate as they did a mere 50 years ago.

Whether you have booked a guided tour or not, do not miss a visit of the Petit Boutique where you can enter freely at any time during business hours and buy local delicacies such as foie gras, honey and olive oil.

Plus, of course, different vintages of the Saint Ahon wine, by the bottle or the caseload (depending on the size of your wallet and your backpack).

The estate of Saint Ahon produces a Cru Bourgeois, a distinction – one level below the Cru Classé – which is awarded to approx. 250 chateaux in the Medoc region north of Bordeaux. (Strictly speaking, since 2010, the classification is being awarded to specific wines rather than chateaux, but awarded vintages tend to come from the same producers year after year). This is still an elite group of wine growers, considering that there are over 6000 chateaux in the entire Bordeaux region.

Saint Ahon is one of two vineyards that can be easily reached on foot from Blanquefort station. If you turn left at the first roundabout behind the station, you will be heading for the Chateau Dillon, also the producer of a Cru Bourgeois. This vineyard, however, shuts down in August, so we never had to make the choice.

The walk to either vineyard is about 4 km long in total (back and forth). This allows you to be back in town for lunch and a siesta – not a bad idea in the scorching summer heat.

The walk is short but varied, there are lots of different things to see along the way, and you will be glad in the end that you made the effort.   

"Bordeaux and Its Wines"

Discover Bordeaux and its wines – the country of its origin

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