One of the major attractions of Southwest France is the wine region of Bordeaux. It can be a little daunting to find which vineyards to visit and which parts of Bordeaux to explore, so research is a must. Just be sure you know before hand which vineyards you need reservations for to avoid disappointment.
To explore the vineyards by bike, stop by the Bordeaux or St. Emillion tourist office and rent a bike for a full day or a half day. Chris and I rented bikes for the afternoon and then we were off.
That sounds like so much fun! Do you think we'll be able to do that while we're visiting with you? Rob and I are getting really excited, and can't wait to see you guys Saturday!
Posted by: Kal | July 14, 2008 at 04:27 PM
Yay! I'm looking forward to having you guys come visit.
As far as biking in Bordeaux, you definitely can rent bikes and go out on your own through the vineyards.
To be honest, this picture was taken while I was still smiling. The roads had no shade and I'm not a big biker, so I quickly tired. I don't think I'd do it again.
In addition, despite detailed planning of our route and finding vineyards that don't require reservations (most do) we ended up only getting to do one vineyard tasting since the others closed for lunch. I suppose we could have made reservations or scheduled our trip at a different time, I just didn't realize it would be an issue.
That said, the St. Emilion tourist website has great information about the vineyards (http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/pge_degus_chais.php?id=8&lang=uk) and we can help make reservations. So hopefully, by learning from our mistakes, you'd have better luck. :)
Posted by: Jess | July 15, 2008 at 07:16 AM