Saturday morning we made the drive out to Arcachon and spent three hours on the large bay on the southeastern edge of France. We saw fishermen, saleboats, and boats of all size while cruising one of Europes best known oyster areas.
Here is the U.S. wine writer delegation of yours truly, Janelle Carter, Denise Medrano, and Pam Mandell
These young fishermen seem baffled by the attention.
And what's wrong with a sense of humor just off the beautiful beaches and docks of Arcachon?
Nicolas Therese was one of two young men representing their family wineries on board pouring wine for us the entire trip. NIcolas is getting ready to intern for a year in Napa. His family winery Chateau Nardique La Graviere arranged for him to work for Fleury in California.
The label of Nicolas' family. And note, it's a Bordeaux with the grapes listed on the LABEL! Not sure I had ever seen that before out of Bordeaux.
Not bad, huh? All during the trip they kept bringing out more and more fresh seafood to go with that great wine.
And ... Matthew's family label.
The town of Arcachon is clearly a tourist, summertime destination. But the downtown shops were charming.
Wine! Yes, more wine. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of wine you find in European wine growing areas for 5-6 Euros ... or not quite $10.
Arcachon has a lot of amazing architecture, including this Disney-like casino downtown.
WE had a great conversation with Alfredo Ruiz -the first Latino-American Chateau owner in France. He poured his wines, shared his family history, and talked about the future of his efforts in Bordeaux.
Alfredo talked his wife Esther into joining him for a photo and he rewarded her with a kiss!
Alfredo's wines - which, by the way, are available in limited distribution in the U.S. including the Chicago area.
We kept busy during the press trip and Saturday afternoon was my only real free time to walk Fete le Vin.
The festival had lots of fun including a set of men who could roll wine barrels up and down the sidewalks at a rather amazing brisk pace.
This is just a typical booth at the Fete le Vin. For admission, the public would get a small wine glass in a carrying case and coupons for a handful of tastings. More tickets could be purchased to continue the exploration.
