Picture of the Week – Grapes of Bordeaux
Visiting Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou in St. Julien was a neat experience since we got a private tour. But, of course, my eyes go to the grapes and the vines. Thinking how these little round things will produce a wonderful liquid for us humans to enjoy… This picture is to not me about perfection in photographic technique but about the grapes, full of color, full of pulp, and ready to be taken…
Registration for the 25th Bordeaux Marathon (Marathon du Medoc) is Here!!
Ok, the time has come…registration for the 25th Bordeaux Marathon (Marathon du Medoc) is finally here! I received an e-mail yesterday stating the registration forms would be available on the Marathon du Medoc’s website tomorrow (Feb 16th, 2009).
Check it out at: www.marathondumedoc.com
I won’t be going this year…maybe next year? I made a “pact” with a good friend (who lives in Bordeaux) that I would attempt to run again in 2009 – that was 2 years ago…man, how time flies when you are not preparing!!
If you are considering participating in the Bordeaux Marathon, DO IT! It is a wonderfully unique experience – imagine a marathon that traverses some of the best and most beautiful chateaux and vineyards in the world.
If you want to know more about the Bordeaux Marathon, make sure to read our other posts and comments…and by all means, ask!
If you’ve already participated in the Bordeaux Marathon, please share your thoughts and experiences.
Happy costuming!
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Check out “So Much World Hotel Bookings and Travel Guides” at http://somuchworld.com
France – The Bordeaux Marathon (Marathon du Medoc)
No, this article is not about drinking lots of Bordeaux wine until you are exhausted from all the exercise of lifting the glass, pouring wine, lifting the glass again, uncorking another bottle, and pouring again. Nor is it about visiting 26 chateaux in one day for wine tasting. It is about the race that takes place in September in the Medoc area of Bordeaux (actually the name of the marathon is Marathon du Medoc, http://www.marathondumedoc.com/).
The Bordeaux Marathon…
My friends (Chris and Wendy) and I thought of going after a larger group had spoken about going together, renting a house, and perhaps some of us running the marathon. In the end, between one thing and another, the group whittled down to just the 3 of us. We pretended to train for the marathon as we planned the trip…
My plan was not to run the entire marathon (while I have ran a half before, I really think the human body is not intended for the punishment of a marathon; marathon runners out there, I am not saying you are crazy, but I would be if I ran one!). I figured I could train for about 6 or 7 miles and, on the day of, perhaps crank another 6 miles out of adrenaline gained by just being part of the event. And I say event not race because this marathon is an event. People typically dress up in costume or use props in their run. Then participants go through small towns in the Medoc, past chateaux, through chateaux, or even in between vines in a chateau (and I won’t tell you what I saw some runners do on those vines…). Oh, and did I mention that along the way, various chateaux are serving wine to the runners? I don’t know how the finish line scene looks but after 26 miles of running-walking and sampling wines, I can only imagine.
Going through Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien
As I said, I had planned to run part of the marathon but I was not planning to walk 13 miles to get to the end. So, my friends and I scouted the route the day before with the route map to find what would be an easy-to-find spot for them to pick me up that fit within the range I planned to run. In reality this turned out to be around mile 6 as for the next 10-15 miles, there did not seem to be a town that would be easy to get to with the road closures or a spot easy to find. It so happened that my stopping point was one of the chateaux that was serving wine to runners… coincidence or miracle? You be the judge…
Runners do get to pick up their race number, etc. the day before at the race fair event. It is a good thing as it helped us figure out how to get to the starting line since we were not familiar with the region. Even though we had done that, the day of the marathon itself we still had some challenges along the way and ended up following a bus that we identified outside of the city of Bordeaux as likely heading to the marathon!
I greatly enjoyed the run and those 6 miles passed so fast not because I am fast but because of the fun environment. I carried my small digital camera with me and enjoyed snapping pictures along the way. People dress up for the event and some have props though watch out, one big thing on wheels got out of control on a downhill and almost ran a few of us over…
Even if you are not a serious runner or not ready for the distance, I would encourage anyone to try it like I did and experience running and wine in a new way. I do recommend to stay close to the Medoc (we were staying at the far end of the Bordeaux region which led to a too-early-for-humans wake up call). If you are a serious runner, it is a fantastic run through beautiful land and sites but you may want to stay away from the wine stops 
There was a good number of things we wished we had known about the marathon and the area before we got there. Do you have any questions? Maybe we can help? We found it hard ahead of the trip to find good info in English, hence the offer…
This entry has received a lot of hits, I assume because of the application for the 2009 marathon coming out. What information are you seeking about the Bordeaux marathon? We’d love to hear from you!
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Lillet: Visiting a favorite
On a trip to France a few years ago, I visited Lillet and wrote the article below in hopes of publishing it in a local wine magazine… I can’t remember if I ever sent it in for consideration though…anyway, enjoy!
Lillet: Visiting a Favorite
What do James Bond, Hanibal Lecter, Sandra Bernhard and famed chef Alain Ducasse have in common? They all enjoy Lillet. What is Lillet you ask? Quite simply, it’s an aperitif (French for “before dinner drink”) made of wine and fruit liqueur; and like the notable aforementioned, I quite enjoy the stuff. In fact, alongside red wine and small batch bourbon, Lillet Blanc ranks as one of my all time favorite adult beverages.
So it was that during a recent trip through France, I decided to pay a brief visit to the Lillet distillery in order to learn more about the drink that has drawn such an eclectic grouping of connoisseurs. Located a few miles south of the city of Bordeaux, Lillet is nestled in the small village of Podensac. I park and enter the main office where Roland Coiffe (whose family owns Lillet) greets me. “Welcome to Lillet!” he beams.
It’s a busy day at Lillet as the company prepares to participate in the upcoming Fete des vins in Bordeaux, which is the worlds largest annual wine trade show, kind of analogous to Atlanta’s own Wine South but on steroids – lots of steroids!!
Lillet is known as the ‘aperitif of Bordeaux’ and we’ll have a big presence at the Fete des vins this year,” Mr. Coiffe says excitedly. “We expect to pour more than 30,000 glasses over the two day period,” he adds. But despite his hectic schedule, he takes time out to give a private tour of the facility- NICE!
The first stop is large warehouse where much of the production process takes place. Along one wall there are holding tanks for wine, most of which is purchased bottle ready from select vineyards – but this is changing, indicates Mr. Coiffe: “We are increasingly producing more of our own wine here at Lillet, in order to better control the quality.”
Across the room are a number of large steel containers in which the generations old secret recipe for Lillet’s fruit liqueur is compiled. “Once the wine and fruit liqueur are ready, we mix them together in a solution of 85% wine and 15% fruit liqueur”, Mr. Coiffe says pointing to several huge wooden vats on the far side of the room.
Continuing our tour, we arrive to the aging room, which resembles those I’ve seen at many wineries. Here the product rests after being mixed, in oak barrels, for 6-8 months before it is bottled and shipped out to the world.
Moving on, our last stop is the tasting area, a small bar located in the company’s own museum – it’s the moment I’ve been awaiting – its time for a taste!
Here, amid vintage Lillet posters and other colorful relics, Mr. Coiffe pours up a couple of glasses of Lillet Blanc. Into each glass he drops a small piece of lime, a mint leave, and a splash of Perrier. “This is a recipe you can find on our web site and it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy Lillet”, he remarks. After a sip, I can understand why: “Perfect harmony!” I exclaim.
Soon it’s time to leave and I thank Mr. Coiffe for his hospitality. Smiling, he hands me small bottle of Lillet Riserve – a special formula that includes sauternes wine instead of the traditional semillon. “You can’t get this in the States,” he says smiling. I thank him profusely and am on my way. As I pull out of the small gravel parking lot – beginning my long drive to the Riviera – I glance over at the bottle of Lillet next to me and ponder laying on a beach, enjoying Lillet my favorite way – ice cold with a splash of grenadine – yum!
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About
Part of the fun of traveling, besides the travel itself, is the experiences that happen along the way. Getting hopelessly lost in eastern France, getting stuck in a public restroom in Versailles, finding a tucked away neighborhood park in touristy Venice, being tossed into a stranger’s car in the Sinai peninsula, discovering the most mouth-watering wines in Mendoza, etc. all enhance the travel experience.
I have a passion for travel and seek to share the experiences and sights with others via this blog. And I hope it also gives others ideas of places to go or dream about going to someday! Other passions include dark chocolate and red wine – for the record!
Follow me on twitter @ilivetotravel or in Facebook www.facebook.com/ilivetotravel and drop me a note about your own travels any time – I love discovering new jewels for future travel opportunities!
My friend Chris, who also loves to travel, and others contribute on occasion to this blog to share their own experiences!
