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 …