Wine – Bordeaux Expats

Printemps des Vins de Blaye

Mike Foster — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:24:00 +0000

This year is the 16th edition of the Blaye Spring festival of Wine.

Each year, more than 10,000 visitors visit the festival which is situated in the splendid Citadelle of Blaye, in order to taste some of the best wines from 80 growers around the region.

The festival kick starts on Saturday 10th April at 10am and runs right up until 8pm the Sunday night.

You will find markets, guided tours, performances, and obviously food and wine tasting!

When: 10/04/2010 & 11/04/2010 (10am until 8pm daily)
Where: Citadelle of Blaye
Cost: Admission is free (wine is not)

www.printemps-des-vins.com

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Le Week End des Grands Amateurs

Mike Foster — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:00:00 +0000

The Weekend des Grands Amateurs is devoted to people who love the Grands Crus of Bordeaux and wish to taste them in the world capital of wine.

This weekend features an extraordinary tasting of over 100 Grands Crus as well as dinners at famous châteaux with the owner and a unique wine tourism opportunity.

The Week-End des Grands Amateurs is a wonderful way of unlocking the secrets of the great wines of Bordeaux, meeting the people who make them, and enjoying an eminently pleasurable experience!

Tastings, dinners, visits Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June 2010
More than 100 Grands Crus to discover and taste…Under one roof in Bordeaux.

The Giant Tasting
Over 100 Grand Cru chateau owners will welcome wine lovers all day long on Saturday and pour two vintages of their wine (the 2007 vintage and a second one between 1998 and 2006). This tasting is organised under ideal conditions usually restricted to trade professionals, journalists, and professional buyers. Participants will also be able to talk to the people who actually make the wines. This event takes place in Hangar 14, in the centre of Bordeaux, overlooking the Garonne River and the Port de la Lune. Meals (either simple or gastronomic) are available on site.

When: Saturday, 5th June – 10.30am to 5:00pm
Where: Hangar 14 – Quai des Chartrons – Bordeaux
Cost: €56 with reservation; €71 on the door (1/2 price for students)

www.wga-ugcb.com

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Bordeaux Fete le Vin 2010

Mike Foster — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Well, if there is one thing that is synonymous with Bordeaux it would be wine.

The Bordeaux Fete le vin takes place over 4 days in June and runs in alterance with the Fete du fleuve (river). The festival has been in exsistance since 1998 and is the perfect day out for lovers of wine, food and culture.

The event accomodated nearly 300,000 visitors last year that came from all over France and Europe.

Thanks to a Tasting Pass, visitors will be able to discover a diverse range of wines from Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region. There will be 57 appellations of Bordeaux and 23 appellations of Aquitaine on offer to discover. Also, there are plenty of possibilies to taste the regional culinary specialities.

Tasting Pass sell between €15 (1 person) & €20 (shared between 2 people) includes:

12 tasting vouchers
a glass and glass holder
several privilege tickets

The Vineyard pass is also on offer and there will be several excursions every day on various themes during the Festival.

The Vineyard pass sell between 50 and 90€ includes:

air conditioned coach transport
English-speaking tour guide
a visit to three different wine estates or heritage sites, with wine tasting
Lunch

There will be concerts, street performances and fireworks over the 4 days and is one of the largest events on the Bordelaise’s calendar.

When: 24-27 June, 2010
Where: Place des Quinconces & Quays
Cost: Free to look or €15 tasting pass

www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com

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Bordeaux’s Wines go English!

Mike Foster — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:14:00 +0000

A guide has just been published about Bordeaux, specifically tailored for English visitors.

Laurent Moujon’s prospective readers are English-speaking people who either live in or visit the region. Among these are the low-cost airline regulars who commute between Great Britain and a handful of airports in South-West France.

The quality hallmark awarded by UNESCO has boosted the number of visitors to Bordeaux. A suitable guide was needed for this type of public. This is how “Bordeaux World Heritage and its Wines 2010”, a 300-page publication entirely in English, was born.

The book was launched during the city’s wine festival in June. Its author, who has been living in Bordeaux for twenty years, has worked on several editions of the “Petit Futé” city guide. He knows his market well. “There is a plethora of guides in France, but most of those sold in the Aquitaine are non-specialised,” Laurent Moujon observes.

And rare are those which include an English translation.

His project is based on this observation. He spent ten months working with the various tourist offices, the Bordeaux Wine Council, the Department’s Tourist Board and the wine châteaux. He also spent whole days visiting monuments, towns, searching out hotels, restaurants and the châteaux where the staff speak English.

There were two imperative conditions. The guide must be positioned for a middle or upper range tourism bracket. For example, hotels must be credited with more than 2 stars. Secondly, full emphasis must be given to the region’s heritage and its gastronomy.

His guide, printed on glossy paper and illustrated with a great many colour photos, has two parts. One presents Bordeaux with its monuments, a selection of 48 restaurants, 7 wine bars, hotels, and shops other than the big international chains. The second part deals with the wine-producing zones with suggestions for wine itineraries including châteaux providing a family welcome in particular. At every stage, the guide also provides advice by wine specialists.

This guide, written first in French and then translated by professional interpreters, provides a large number of very practical maps and town plans.

In his editorial, Laurent Moujon explains his wish to present his readers with “the real Bordeaux hospitality,” so as to encourage them to return.

“Bordeaux World Heritage and its Wines” is available at some bookshops but above all in the tourist offices, as well as from fine wine merchants, wine bars, and from chateaux. Millésima is offering it at their New York wine shop.

The author has also promoted his book in other tourist spots frequented by English-speaking tourists, such as the Basque Coast and Monaco. Next year, the second edition will also be translated into Mandarin Chinese and perhaps Russian.

Details: “Bordeaux World Heritage and its Wines”, self published, 324 pages
Cost: €12
Info: www.bordeauxworldheritage.com

Article taken from: www.greatwinecapitals.com

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Fete du Fleuve – 2011

Mike Foster — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The 18th and 19th of June, 2011, the Bordelaise will get a chance to show their appreciation and love of the big brown (but clean) river that runs through this fair city…

This year will see the 7th edition of the Fete du Fleuve take place on the quays between the Pont de Pierre and the Bourse maritime. As this year’s events runs in alternation with last year’s Fete le Vin, which was considered such a success, there are high expectations for this year to be larger than life.

There will be dancing, music and fireworks from 3pm until around midnight on the Saturday night, with the fireworks getting a repeat performance at 11:30pm on the Sunday night.

Special mention:

Swim across the Garonne (Saturday 18^th June between 10am until 3pm)

This will be the fifth year the ‘Swim across the Garonne’ event will take place. Contestants will depart from the new pontoon on the left bank and will (aim?!) to finish Bastide du Port on the right bank. There is an expectation of 500 swimmers to take place in the contest.

National de Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra (Saturday 18^th June from 9:30pm until 11pm)

There will be a free outdoor concert help on the Miroir d’Eau by the Bordeaux Symphony Orchestra. They will be performing a ‘Tribute to John Williams’ with live images from films such as, Superman, Schindler’s List, The Fiddler on the roof, Harry Potter, Star Wards and JFK.

When: 18th and 19th of June, 2011

Where: Between the Pont de Pierre and the Bourse Maritime, Bordeaux

Cost: Free!

For more information on times and events, click here.

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Le weekend

Mike Foster — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:40:00 +0000

By Jill Hanby

Pretty Bordeaux

Hello tout le monde. ça va?

I am writing this at the weekend, which is fairly unusual, but it has made me wonder what all you other expats get up to at the weekend? What is your favourite way to relax in Bordeaux at the weekend? Or maybe you work at the weekend, so end up relaxing at other times? Are there any places or activities you would recommend to other expats new to the city? Is there something that you think people ‘have to do’ whilst they are here?

Well, to help you along, here is what I did last weekend (it was a pretty good weekend if I am honest, not the usual stay at home routine for me!)

Friday evening:

Quick drink in the Bar a Vin at Quinconces. This is a great place for a Friday evening tipple, good value wine, helpful staff who will explain the different wine choices available or even the differences between a wine from St Emilion and the Medoc! This was accompanied by a yummy plate of blue cheese and bread… hmmm.

Dinner at The Bistro Regent– easy and simple – steak, chips, salad, oh and of course their ‘secret sauce’. Both me and the man were tired after a week of work and more work so decided on a simple meal, without fuss or pretence – just good food and *another* glass of local wine. I also happened to notice their deal, if you print a voucher from their website and take it in during the week, you get a **FREE** bottle of champagne – sounds like a good mid-week, avoidance of cooking technique to me!

Saturday:

Bit of a lie in – luckily without any little BritGirls/boys to worry about, I am lucky, and after a week of early starts and busy-ness, I can enjoy a nice lie in followed by a coffee and book in bed… ahhh bliss!

The bliss was swiftly followed by a trip to Rue St Catherine and the centre of town. We began Christmas shopping! Yes, this may be early, but when you need to think about sending presents, packing presents or even deciding which presents to by online or which presents to do ‘a la francaise’ we decided to start early and reduce the stress levels. We made a good start and Rue St Catherine wasn’t so busy….

I am now also quite looking forward to visiting the Christmas market on Allees de Tourny – always a nice evening wandering along the little huts and drinking some ‘vin chaud’ in the cold!

Marche de Noel – 2011

I was then treated to a mid-shop lunch. We managed to sit outside and eat – another reason I love living in Bordeaux, it might be the beginning of winder but we could still enjoy lunch outside (not something I would EVER experience back home in the UK!). If you haven’t been before, I can highly recommend what I think might be called …. Cafe Gourmand for a wrap/burger/sandwich US style and nice lunch time break!I am still not certain of the place’s name as it doesn’t have a sign outside like most places – but nevertheless it was a great pitstop for lunch!

Saturday evening was spent enjoying raclette with French friends (I provided a delicious chocolate brownie for dessert) … we were not calorie counting!! I was also very proud of myself and fellow expat fiancee – we spent the whole night talking and listening in French – we are lucky to have very patient friends! A lovely lovely evening – full of good food, wine, chat, singing and laughter!

Sunday:

Phew what a weekend so far!! With the sun still shining, we opted for a morning walk along the quais (at high tide this has to be one of the best places to be in the sunshine!) and then a quick trip to the market on the quais for our weekly veg! Again, not much can beat being greeted by the stall holder (as a regular) and buying fresh produce for the week, and as a result, on the menu chez moi this week… squash and sweet potato soup.

The wonderful Quais Market near Chartrons.

A Sunday morning special: Wine and Oysters – not my thing but something very local and traditional!

My scientist boyfriend then had some work to do (this is a common weekend theme I am afraid) but instead of being stuck in our flat missing the sunshine, we trotted over to the Jardin Public and had a cup of tea, wrapped up warm in ‘L’Orangerie‘ overlooking the park and got some work done! What better way to work on a Sunday than enjoying the view and the peace and quiet! Have you seen the trees there – the colours are beautiful – all reds, golds, oranges and yellows!

So my weekend seems to have contained far too much food, possibly not enough Christmas shopping, but lots of activities around Bordeaux. It would be great to hear your weekend thoughts, activities, favourites and even suggestions – I know that sometimes the weekends are not all that fun when you are far away from friends and family, so any advice for readers out there would be greatly appreciated!

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AROM…or the Art of Corporate Canapés

Chris Tighe — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:46:00 +0000

By Maxine Colas

Bordeaux Wine News

Maxine Wine Tours

This week I was lucky enough to visit the impressive new ‘laboratory’ of the AROM group, the largest luxury catering company in South West France. The group, based in the suburbs of Bordeaux, is owned and run by CEO Didier Oudin and offers a mouth-watering range of luxury corporate and event catering services, including the famous Maison Lacoste creations, which no self-respecting corporate cocktail in Bordeaux would be without. I had never before been inside a professional catering establishment and was duly impressed by the 1700 square metres of pristine kitchens, preparing and cooking rooms – they even have their own smokehouse for homemade smoked salmon, duck breast and cured hams…

The group, which moved to its brand new premises in Eysines last year, is well equipped to cater for any event – from weddings to trade shows – but also offers personalized ‘picnic’ baskets and cocktail canapé boxes for delivery to your door or as takeaways (a welcome rarity in Bordeaux I can tell you!). This more informal trademark of the group is called “dabbAwala“, named after the traditional food porters which operate all over India, carrying meals to offices and private customers. The group is looking at the possibility of setting up an outlet in central Bordeaux, for what promises to be a popular (and very affordable) concept.

“Our aim is to be operating on a 24-hour basis,” said Carlos Porras, the group’s PR representative.

After watching the sous-chefs at work preparing delicious-looking savory and sweet canapés for delivery to various events, we enjoyed a welcome glass of Perret-Jouët champagne and some of the in-house specialities, including sublime smoked salmon and foie gras macaroons, before tucking into a superb 3 course lunch served in the “Atelier” or workshop kitchen/dining room, which is ideal for a hands-on cookery class or tasting for intimate groups of up to 8/10 guests.

With a permanent staff of 40 and plenty of ‘extras’ for the busiest times of the year, their own bakery, an impressive fleet of delivery vans and a young, dynamic management team, Arom has set its sights high. “A normal day for us includes 20-25 events to cater for, but we can cope with a lot more,” claims Jean Aubinat, Arom’s marketing and communication manager.

www groupe-arom.com

www dabbawala.fr

British-born Maxine Colas has a Masters degree in French from the University of London. She also studied wine at the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and the University of Bordeaux Oenology department. She holds a diploma from the Insititute of Wines and Spirits.

Maxine lectures at the Bordeaux Wine School and the CIVB, specializing in both Bordeaux wine tasting initiation and advanced levels.

She has worked in public relations for various Bordeaux châteaux as well as for Wente Vineyards in California : for whom she has organised gala events around wine, in Château Pape Clement.

Maxine is also involved as a consultant and seminar leader for corporate wine-tasting events and organizes customized Bordeaux wine tours for private or group tours.

When planning an itinerary it is always important to know which types of wine, which particular areas & which châteaux visitors would prefer to discover.

Also what sort of accommodation & meals would suit them (country-style, city-style, gastronomic etc…).

Maxine Colas

Bordeaux Wine News

contact@maxinecolas.com

+33 615 791 509

If you are interested in Maxine’s services, please do not hesitate to contact her via email or phone Please fill in the form for a private or a group tour.

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English Wine Tours in Bordeaux

Mike Foster — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 11:35:00 +0000

Rustic Vines – Wine tours in English

For the ultimate blend of tasting, learning and sightseeing in this stunning region, look no further. Rustic Vines takes an altogether more relaxed approach to the world of wine, perfect for wine-lovers of any age! Not only do they visit some of the grandest of Bordeaux châteaux, but also some amazing family-run estates, what they like to call the Two Worlds of Wine.

You’ll be invited to taste and compare numerous varieties of wine, but don’t panic! If you’re at the very beginning of your journey into the world of wine, you’ll finish your day feeling much more experienced and confident about sharing what you’ve learned. If you know your Pauillac from your Pomerol, put your skills to the test at the tasting tables!

If you don’t quite know what you want from your Rustic Vines experience, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the wine and the scenery! With a great choice of Châteaux spanning 3 world-famous regions, you can choose your perfect tour!

The Regions:

Saint Emilion
Saint Émilion is overflowing with charm. For over 1000 years Saint Émilion has had an impact on France in some way or another, but notably in wine.
Named after the Monk Émilian who took refuge here in the 8th century to avoid prosecution for helping the poor. Saint Émilion is now a world heritage site. Hardly surprising really. Once you visit Saint Émilion you can really appreciate and feel the history that once filled the village.

Médoc
Médoc is one of the youngest regions in the Bordeaux area. But the evolution of its rich soils began over 50 million years ago.
In 1855 Napoleon III decided to classify and rank the most prestigious wines in Bordeaux. Nearly all of the best wines were from the Médoc. This classification still stands today and since this classification there have only been a few changes.
Once covered in boggy marsh lands, the Médoc has become one of the best wine producing areas in the world. The Freash wine experts say sometimes the terroir has to go through dramatic changes from the worst conditions possible in order to create the perfection that is now the terroir of Médoc. With the Grand Châteaux such as Châteaux Lafite Rothschild and Margaux its easy to see why.

Grave
Unlike most Bordeaux appellations, the Graves region is just as famous for its white wines as its reds. Pessac-Léognan and Graves have a long wine-making history. Red wine from this region was much loved by the English during the 300 years that Aquitaine was under English rule, from 1152 to 1453. Described usually as having a blackcurrant and cedar flavour with and commonly described as earthy, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular grape but there’s also a strong blend of Merlot.

www.rusticvinestours.com
www.facebook.com/rusticvinestours
https://twitter.com/rusticvines

NAMA – FRENCH FUSION BISTRO

Chris Tighe — Sat, 23 May 2015 07:57:00 +0000

To experience the ultimate in French fusion bistro cuisine accompanied by top quality wines at a reasonable price, get down to Nama in Bordeaux.

Pioneering a brand new concept of charging an entrance fee, Nama is more like an exclusive members club than a traditional restaurant. For a cover charge of just 20 euros, you can enjoy stylish contemporary Franco/Japanese fusion cuisine of the highest quality for the price of a standard bistro.

Nama is run by Patrick and Junko, a French/Japanese couple who have worked closely with both French and internationally renowned Michelin starred chefs (Jeff Ramsey – Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo/World Sushi champion; and Paul Gouzien who has worked for Nicolas Magie of the Saint James, Bouliac) to create their unique fusion of the best of French and Japanese cuisine. All products and ingredients are from the local region and have been given an innovative and delicate Japanese twist. Their wide variety of dishes have been paired with an extensive and exclusive regional, French and world wine selection.

Patrick the owner spent more than 8 years working for a Bordeaux-based wine merchant in Japan is an experienced and passionate oenologist. His carefully chosen modern wine selection includes Grand Cru classé alongside a subtle range of hidden gems from regional and world wines.

Nama also hosts a “Wine Makers Dinner” on a regular basis – you can meet and dine with the Chateau owners while enjoying wine pairing with dishes specially created for the wine selection. You can taste and learn about wine directly from Chateau owners – the perfect way to improve your wine knowledge in the world’s wine capital. Please contact the restaurant for further details.

Come and enjoy the very best regional-fusion food Bordeaux has to offer and get a master class in wine from Patrick and his team of multilingual staff. Welcome to NAMA.

Opening Hours

Lunch – by reservation only. Please call a day in advance.

Afterwork – from 5pm-7pm (before 7pm the cover charge is €10)

Evening – 7pm-midnight, €20 cover charge (last orders for food is at 11pm)

Fusion cuisine menu

Lunch menu – Chef’s special set menu, from €19

Dinner

A la carte (starters from €4.50; mains – €10; dessert €4)

‘Degustation’ menu (2 starters, 2 mains, 1 dessert) – €29 per person

Special requests

We can happily cater for special dietary requirements such as vegetarian, gluten free etc.

nama

24 rue Lafaurie Monbadon

Bordeaux, France

05 56 44 88 54

http://www.namawinerestaurant.com/

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Château Carsin – Bordeaux wines in a league of their own

Chris Tighe — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:28:00 +0000

After a chance encounter with a Finnish bloke at the Bordeaux beer shop the other week, I found myself being treated to an exclusive wine tasting and bespoke tour of one of Bordeaux’s most fascinating and unique vineyards

Château Carsin – a Finnish institution 25 minutes south of Bordeaux

Château Carsin is Bordeaux’s (and France’s) only Finnish-run vineyard and set up shop here in 1990. The founder and MD Juha Berglund is the son of world famous Finnish violinist and conductor Paavo Berglund who personally worked with and interpreted Sibelius throughout his internationally acclaimed career. Indeed, Juha himself started out as a violinist (the chateau’s violin logo gives a nod to the owner’s musical roots) before discovering a passion for wine in the 80’s which was to ignite the trail for Bordeaux. Over the past 30 years he has built up a veritable wine empire starting with the Decanter wholesale wine accessory shop in Helsinki (they are the sole supplier of Riedel glassware for the whole of Finland) followed by the country’s first wine magazine Viini – now an independent company and main organiser of Finland’s wine trade fair Viini Expo and the Wine, Food & Good living fair. He has written a number of wine-related books including –

Viiniä mieli (Thinking about wine), Otava 1994
Makuasioita viinistä ja ruoasta (Tastes of wine and food) Written together with Antti Rinta-Huumo and Pekka Immonen, 1998 Otava
Ruoasta Viiniin (From food to wine) Written together with Antti Rinta-Huumo and Antti Vahtera, 2011 Otava
Ruoasta Viiniin, (From food to wine, taste travel through Europe). Written together with Antti Rinta-Huumo, Jaakko Heinimäki and Antti Vahtera, 2013 Otava
Viinistä viiniin – The tasting book “From Wine to Wine”, which includes tasting notes from all the wines available in the Finnish monopoly shop Alko. Updated and published every year. Written together with Antti Rinta-Huumo since 1999, Otava

Since 1999 he has been the co-editor of the renowned Viinistä viiniin (From Wine to wine) guide. If all that wasn’t enough, he also happens to be Chairman of their 4^th generation family owned Finnish clothing company Nanso!

Juha Berglund, – a visionary winemaker

The foreign invasion of Bordeaux…

Despite a mountainous magnitude of ludicrous local claptrap to the contrary (or words to that effect…), Bordeaux has a long and established history as a melting pot of international winegrowers and merchants. The colourful spectrum of past and present chateau owners includes Belgians, Irish, English, Japanese, Australians and Americans (along with the banks and insurance companies!) – more recently, Russian and Chinese investors have also appeared on the horizon. According to Nicolle Croft from the SIP Wine blog, “inflated land prices causes problems with the locals as it raises inheritance tax which makes it increasingly difficult for them to keep it in the family”.

Over the last few years, the upsurge of Chinese buyers investing in local vineyards has been the talk of the town. So far they have only been interested in smaller châteaux from more modest appellations but their arrival as part of China’s wine-mania has been the cause of a fair amount of local anxiety…

The Chinese wine market – about as solid as a snake soup sandwich…

Maxwell-Storrie-Baynes, which acts as Christie’s Bordeaux affiliate, has compiled a table of purchases since the late 1990s and finds at least 40 chateaux are Chinese-owned. However according to partner Michael Baynes, “There’s a totally different reaction in Bordeaux; we’re delighted to have the Chinese here. They couldn’t have come at a better time. This region has a long history of foreign investment, from the Irish to the Belgians, the English, Australian magnates, Americans, Brazilians, Saudi princes. It’s nothing new.”

Baynes also notes that in a region of 8000 chateaux, Chinese owners represent only 0.5% of ownership. “In the grand scheme of things they are a blip on the radar.”

The chateaux of the Bordeaux heartland are such a treasured part of French culture and ‘terroir’ that many feel that they have to be protected from foreign ‘invasion’ at all costs. The fact that numerous chateaux here have been under international ownership since the year dot and that the entire Bordeaux wine industry was created by the English anyway seems to have been conveniently forgotten!

Bordeaux wine – planted by the Romans, fostered by the English, spiced up by the Finnish

There have however been occasions when the locals were possibly ill-advised to sell out to the highest bidder – in 2012, the 18^thcentury Château Bellevue in Yvrac, bought up by a Russian oligarch in 2010 for €800 000 was mistakenly bulldozed by Polish builders specially flown in for their high-quality renovation skills. The original 13 000 sq m chateau, which featured grand horseshoe steps and a once palatial ballroom, previously hired out for wedding receptions and functions was reduced to overpriced Renaissance rubble in a couple of fun-filled hours (they were only meant to demolish the outhouse…) It has since been rebuilt in conformity with modern French construction regulations complete with a large pool and sleazy-looking palm trees and apparently now looks like it was bought “in Ikea”…

Château Bellevue – “an architectural gem”

The “Pride and Joy” of local village Yvrac

How to bulldoze an 18th century priceless UNESCO heritage site in under 2 hours…

And rebuild it again as tastefully as possible – TOP JOB LADS…!!!

On the flip side you have vineyards like the English owned Château Bauduc in Creon who grow, produce and bottle the house wines for Gordon Ramsay, Rick Stein and the Hotel du Vin and deliver to customers at home from their cellars near London – they also rent out their farmhouse which has a tastefully done pool!

The inspiration behind Château Carsin’s wines

The Carsin story started in the Petaluma wine ‘cult’ in Coonawara between Adelaide and Melbourne where Juha earned his winemaking stripes. It was here that the ‘New World spirit’ of the chateau was born under the guidance of Australian Mandy Jones who was head winemaker at the château for 14 years. Having invested in 5 container-loads of New World cellar equipment, Carsin wanted to break the Bordeaux mould and stand out from the 20 000 or so vineyards that were in business in the early 90’s. And this they did in no uncertain terms. By becoming the ‘black sheep’ of Bordeaux and abandoning all local winemaking methods they focused on the cellar-work to create entirely New World Bordeaux wines. As time has passed (the number of Bordeaux vineyards has also dropped to around 8000), they have gradually shifted back to more traditional methods of viticulture with a focus on ‘terroir’. Their goal today is to present the characters of the different soils in the various vineyard parcels they have dotted around the area.
Then there are the grapes…

Repatriating Bordeaux classics – quality over quantity

Continuing to buck the trend in spectacular fashion, Château Carsin works with a wide range of grape varieties. As well as the standard fare (Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc for whites; Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc for reds) they have been experimenting with lesser know rare and nearly extinct varieties such as Sauvignon Gris, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. For example, they produce a white (L’Etiquette Gris) from Sauvignon Gris which was almost entirely out of use in Bordeaux. Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste it but description is mouth watering: Sauvignon Gris wines (with their pinkish grey grapes) are characterized by the aromas of gooseberries with flowery and perfumed characteristics. The acidity level packs a punch and the wines have a strong concentration of flavors.

Dry white made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc – fresh with citrus aromas – rich with toasty and honey characteristics after a little ageing

“We want to get closer to the roots of the wine”

For the reds, they have reclaimed the Malbec grape for the Bordeaux region which was somehow transplanted to become the main variety of Argentina. The full flavoured spicy characteristics of the grape are put to good use in their formidable Château Carsin Rouge dinner wine which went perfectly with the chilli-con carne we had last Saturday night. The Carmenere is another of their spicy secret weapons which has found notoriety in Chile and is used in the blend of the Carsin reds to add complexity and personality.

Cuvée Noire red is made using a higher percentage of Merlot using specially selected grapes of all the red grape varieties that we produce: Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere and Petit Verdot. The wine has rich and intense fruit flavors as well as aromas of earthiness, berries, leather and light smoke…

Cuvée Vintage, which has been produced in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012 is their answer to the Bordeaux fine wine competition. The wine is a classic ”Bordeaux Claret” in style and is a combination of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Very smooth mouth feel and deep intensive dark aromas and is partially matured in new oak barrels to give potential for long ageing

The range of land parcels owned by the château also help with their experimental quest for the perfect wine – they currently own 22 hectares spread out over a 5km area. Their location in the ‘Côtes de Bordeaux’ provides some variety in the soil composition with gravel areas being used to give grapes ripeness and more intensive aromas and clay to produce heavier and stronger wines. They also experiment with biodynamic cultivation – everything is worked manually and they have been testing out different lunar/star cycles. Then there are the Finnish volunteers who line up in their hundreds to come to Bordeaux and handpick grapes in the Aquitaine sun.

There are worse views to wake up to

Sauvignon Gris grapes in action

Finnish picker parties

For a country of 5 million, Château Carsin is understandably a bit of a local celebrity in Finland’s wine community. As there is no wine trade to speak of, anyone with a passion for the drink has to look further afield. With the prohibitive cost of all alcohol in Finland, it is logical that they might want to head south for sunny booze-filled afternoons – after all that’s exactly why I left the UK… They receive hundreds of volunteer applications spread throughout the year to come and work down here.

Ville, the resident tech guy – he also likes to get the beers in…

During the grape harvest they have a team of 40 voluntary pickers (WWOOFER ‘slaves’) who live in-house and are fed like royalty. This helps to keep them in top shape for the 100 000 kg of grapes picked by hand.

The lady-pickers are so busy, they simply don’t have time to wax

Over the years there have also been hosts of resident chefs who come to ply their trade (many of whom have gone on to greater Michelin-starred glory later on). Then there are the wine fuelled parties which help everyone to sleep in a variety of scattered and bizarre locations in the chateau (Juha has a preference for a spot behind the grand piano in the library…).

Wine-fuelled dinner parties and haute cuisine – the good life!

Magret cooked over vine leaves at sunset… Nuff said

Marketing the grog

From their 22 hectares, the château will produce around 70 000 litres in 2015 (compared with 50 000 for 2014), all of which is sold outside France. Red makes up 60% of exports with white at 30% and rosé/sweet (appellation Cadillac) wines at 10%. Finnish sales are exclusively online (the government’s “Alko” monopoly has tightened the screws on all booze sales) and account for 40-45 000 bottles – Rosé is happily on the rise as it is in England. The rest of the market is shared between Finland, China, Sweden, Australia, England and Germany.

The final words go to the owners…

“Even though we have become more traditional over the years, we still use some New World equipment and techniques in our cellars. Our fresh white wines are meant to be consumed relatively young, and the reds can be drank younger or older. Our aim is not to create wines that have to be aged for 20 years before they’ve reached their peaks. Although what we produce is mostly in a Bordeaux style we above all want to stand out from the crowd.” – Nea Berglund, Juha’s daughter who works at the winery

“We are looking for a wine that has more attack, a wine that has more balls.”

– Juha Berglund

Cheers…

Château Carsin, 33410 Rions,
Aquitaine

tel – (+33) 7 87 36 37 61 / Nea
Homepage – www.carsin.com

email – info@carsin.com

facebook – https://www.facebook.com/chateaucarsin

blogsite – http://carsin.com/blog/

instagram – https://instagram.com/chateaucarsin/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKLZ8zg10xk

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