While consumers discover the range of alternative white wines, sauvignon blanc remains truly one of the world’s greatest varietal wines and is still one of the major go-to wines in restaurants for its bright acidity, citrusy flavors and aromatic appeal.  Sauvignon blanc reflects the climates and styles where it is grown and made.  In the Loire’s Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, the wine is lighter bodied, flinty and restrained, while in the Napa Valley, it is full-bodied and fruit-driven.  New Zealand is in a class by itself, with exaggerated aromas of kaffir limes and fresh …

The last two times I visited Sauternes, the sweet wine appellation in Bordeaux, I was treated to wine pairings with savory foods.  The conventional pairing with Sauternes and/or neighboring Barsac, or its lighter-versioned cousins across the Garonne river Cadillac, Loupiac and St. Croix du Mont, are strong cheeses or desserts.  At Chateau Guiraud, and last week at Chateau Sigalas Rabaud, we tried Sauternes with savory dishes that work.  As we approach the holiday season, you might want to include variations of the following dishes to impress your friends.  At Chateau Sigalas …

If you are travelling to Bordeaux, you probably love food and wine.  Some of the specialties of Bordeaux given its proximity to water are duck, foie gras and lamprey eel and you will find some of the best entrecote (beef) dishes anywhere.  Lest you think Bordeaux is all about heavy food, don’t worry, there is also a good choice of seafood such as salmon, sole, cod, sea bream, oysters and shrimp.  There is a great balance of foods and restaurants to choose from and plenty of wines to pair
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La Brasserie Bordelaise at 50 Rue Saint Remi serves …

Wine tourism is important in developing brand awareness for a wine region and its producers’ wines.  It also generates a lot of revenue.  Napa Valley drew about 3.5 million tourists in 2006 who spent a little over $700 million on hotels, restaurants and other leisure- and wine- related activities.  In many wine regions around the world, wineries open up their doors to hospitality including tours and various seminars on blending, wine tasting and food/cheese and wine pairing.  Bordeaux – not so much.  However, this is rapidly changing as Bordeaux competes with the New World.
In …

October 6th.  Napa, CA 71 degrees, Bordeaux, France 84 degrees.  Since arriving on Sunday, the weather has been almost uncomfortably warm.  In Bordeaux, the risk of rainy and cool weather in September typically increases.  Indian summers in the fall can save wet summers and rainy Septembers can ruin a fine summer.  This year, rain in mid-September was actually welcome.
The 2009 vintage is turning out to be one of those potentially great vintages with higher than average sunshine and temperatures and lower than average rainfall from June through September.  In August, …

Bordeaux is not just a wine region, it is a bustling commercial city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Since receiving UNESCO status in 2007, tourism is up 40%.  If you are travelling from abroad, you may find yourself staying in the town of Bordeaux for one or two days before hiring a car and driving to the major wine areas.  I like to stay in the city center, or centre ville, because there are many things to do within walking distance such as attending wine classes, discovering the rich history of …