Bordeaux… great wine and a lot of charm

Visiting a vineyard and doing a wine tasting in Bordeaux, France is one of those things that I imagine is on most people’s bucket lists. Fair warning: don’t go on a Sunday!

We did that and found that almost every place was closed.

After considerable driving and calling around, we did manage to find a vintner who was willing to open his doors just for us. We got a private tour of the vineyard and his operation. He gave us a free wine tasting and we ended up buying a case of his delicious wines.

If you ever find yourself in the region, I highly recommend that you look up Patrice Melin. One of the photos I’ve posted here of Patrice and MaryRose shows the sign to his vineyard with both his address and phone number. Patrice speaks only French but is a wonderful person and we managed just fine with him despite the language barrier.

Another warning: shipping a case of wine from France back to the US will cost about €203 (~$248). This, when it only cost us €46 to buy the whole case. Instead, I bought a new suitcase and carried it back myself.

Between the cost of the suitcase and the airline’s baggage fee, I still ended up paying €158. But I also got a new suitcase out of it.

Bordeaux… great wines and a lot of charm

At any rate, the whole Bordeaux region is lovely. Even the city of Bordeaux is quite charming. And it has the most gorgeous post office I’ve ever seen.