A Weekend in Mendoza, Argentina

17 January 2010 by Leave a Comment

My current business trip to Santiago is for 2 weeks so I had a weekend in between to either:  walk around Santiago and re-discover parts of it, opt to go and visit southern Chile (Puerto Montt or Pucón, for example; both of which I had visited in 1991), or go to nearby Mendoza, Argentina (capital of Argentine wine country).  Because it is peak season in the south (high airfares, no rental cars available, and only 2 days) and due to a colleague strongly recommending Mendoza, I chose the quick trip over the mountains to Mendoza, Argentina, a place I have been wanting to visit because of its wines.

Mendoza, as the eagle flies, is pretty darn close to Santiago.  However, the magnificent Andes sit in between.  So the drive takes 6-7 hours over spectacular landscape from what I hear.  However, I also hear customs on either side of the border can be quite bad so for a 2-day weekend visit, I had to fly.  Luckily, LAN had an $82 fare (taxes included) and a 30-40 min flight time so it all became a no-brainer for me.   My colleague suggested a moderately priced hotel ($60/night) in a great location so that eliminated guesswork and research time which I didn’t have.  She also got me some recommendations for restaurants which was great.  Flying over the Andes brings with it incredible winds and both flights gave me a run for my money in terms of scary moments!

Exploring the town of Mendoza proper

I arrived in Mendoza around 5 PM and had no problem getting a taxi at the airport at the rate I had been told ($23A or $8US).  The Hotel Internacional where I stayed was OK.  The room was not as nice as the pics on the website but the hotel was quite decent for the price.  For the $60/night, it included a good breakfast and wi-fi.  The location was great, surrounded by good eateries and close to the center of town.

I walked the town Friday after I arrived and on Sunday morning.  The contrast couldn’t have been any bigger:  the pedestrian part of Sarmiento (the main street) was a beehive of activity Friday but almost deserted Sunday morning.  It sports cafes and shops and you can see the locals coming out from their homes to enjoy fresh air – and likely “cooler” temperatures than their own homes.

Calle Sarmiento in Mendoza, Argentina

The not yet crowded Calle Sarmiento

Calle Sarmiento in Mendoza, Argentina

Calle Sarmiento begins to pick up customers!

Mendoza is very, very hot this time of the year (90s – but dry) and I doubt everyone has AC at home.  So it is nicer to sit in a plaza and enjoy some breezes under the shade of the many trees that line the streets of Mendoza (an odd thing considering it rarely ever rains here and that it is very arid land; the answer is that snow melt is captured and then released to the city and farms via an ingenious curbside open flow system).

Water collection from snow melt curbside in Mendoza, Argentina

The ingenious way to collect water!

Sunday morning, I got to walk almost in total solitude around town, covering all major squares and parks in the center.  Mendoza struck me as a town that would be probably a great place to live as it is pleasant, clean, and not chaotic as Buenos Aires.  At the same time, the time I spent walking around was probably all that a tourist needs to do in the town itself while visiting (surely, I am omitting some museums or theaters) outside of just chilling (in which case a tourist can do a LOT of that perhaps while enjoying wine, beer or ice cream at a café…).

Bank building in Mendoza, Argentina

Government building in Mendoza, Argentina

Need I say? A government building, of course…

Statue in Mendoza, Argentina

Now, while the city is not a grand collection of sites for tourist interest, there are 2 things that make it quite a good choice destination to see:  1.  the food.  2.  wine country.  Food, I will share here.  Wine

Food

I ate at Mi Tierra on Friday night where I enjoyed empanadas to start and deer raviolis for dinner.  The food was definitely good but I wouldn’t call it spectacular.  The ambience of the restaurant is outstanding.  (Watch out:  the menu offer is only valid if you pay cash!)

Mi Tierra restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina

Mi Tierra

Saturday night, I ate at La Florencia on the corner of Sarmiento and Peru, a few steps away from my hotel.  This is not the same type of fancy restaurant than Mi Tierra (or a couple of the other restaurants recommended by my colleague, like Azafrán).  It feels very local (in fact, most of the customers seemed either local or, at least, Argentinian) and was highly recommended by my wine tour guide.  She was right!  I was wanting just a normal Argentine piece of steak and fries and this place was PERFECT!  The menu was quite broad and everything I saw served looked fantastic.  We sat there for 3 hours and we felt we were at home.  THAT’S the experience I was wanting and I got it!

La Florencia restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina, great for parrillada

 

I definitely think I chose wisely how to spend a weekend.  While another day would have allowed me to go to the base of Aconcagua (I really wanted to do that), I cannot complain because I did get to sample great food and a taste of life in this western town!

Filed Under: Argentina, Good Eats and Drinks, South America Tagged With: , , ,

Arriving in the Southern Island of Middle Earth: Christchurch, New Zealand

21 June 2009 by 5 Comments

There are so many awesome places in New Zealand but I feel Christchurch, though not one of the top 2 cities in NZ, may be the best place to hit first on a trip over (Dunedin is not far behind!).

The arrival

I arrived in Christchurch on the eastern coast of the southern island of New Zealand (where Lord of the Rings was filmed; the lands in the movie were called “Middle Earth” for those who may not be familiar with the movie!).  From the plane we flew over the southern Alps, as they are unofficially called.   In this picture, we pass over the highest peaks and you can even see a glacier coming down.  This is the view you want to see ahead of coming to NZ!

Southern Alps, New Zealand, Christchurch, glacier, nature

Glacier flowing to lower right corner of pic as I fly over the Southern Alps in New Zealand

It was around 230 PM and we were delayed getting off the plane because a passenger had flu-like symptoms.  Nice.  The health person from the airport had to board the plane and do some kind of test on the passenger before any of us could get off.  I could not see exactly what he was doing but after a few minutes of whatever, we were allowed to get off the plane.  The airport claims to be the “top carbon neutral airport company in the southern hemisphere” which I found amusing for a couple of reasons, one of which is the recurrent theme in Australia and NZ of claims about a place being the “—-est” (tallest, biggest, cleanest, etc.) in the “southern hemisphere”.  Considering how little of the world is in the southern hemisphere, these claims almost seem too easy 🙂  but, heck, someone’s got to make the claim!

Besides being carbon neutral, the airport is nice and small and it was very easy to just go to the bus stop and catch bus 29 intown.  It dropped me off very close to my bed and breakfast but apparently I signaled “stop” one street too early so I walked an extra block.  No worries, extra exercise.  The streets were very pleasant and had the air of a place where people knew each other, where people felt safe, and where the pace was not too fast and not too slow – a great place to get to know NZ and, especially, the south island.

A great place to stay in Christchurch

The Orari Bed and Breakfast was in an old house and was very nice.  At 6 PM they cracked open some wine for the guests so I knew I had ample time to walk around before sunset (around 430 PM) and be back to shower, unpack and get some wine.  The room was frigid when I got there though they had turned on the standing heating unit probably just before I arrived.  I thought I would freeze that night but the standing units (there was another one) and the heating blanket worked really well.  In fact, all too well, I was burning up in the middle of the night and had to turn off the heating blanket!  It was the first time I had used one…  I was very glad with my choice of place to stay due to a great location next to an art museum but otherwise not in the middle of things, yet a short walk away from places to eat, the city center, etc.  Oh, and the staff is great!  It definitely made me feel Christchurch and NZ was putting its best foot forward to welcome me.

The Garden City

The town of Christchurch is called the Garden City and I would agree with that although it was the beginning of winter.  The “suburbs” were very nice but also the areas closer to the city center.  The city center itself was manageable and with some key sights to check out.

Christchurch, New Zealand, cathedral, earthquake, southern island, architecture, Canon EOS Rebel

The ill-fated cathedral, fatally damaged in the earthquake and now being rebuilt in Christchurch

Christchurch cathedral New Zealand earthquake southern island

Interior of the cathedral of Christchurch before it was destroyed

Christchurch square plaza chess New Zealand

A friendly game of chess in Christchurch’s main square

architecture center of Christchurch New Zealand, Canon EOS Rebel

Beautiful architecture in the center of Christchurch

New Regent street in Christchurch before earthquake New Zealand Canon EOS Rebel

New Regent St. in Christchurch – seriously damaged during the earthquake

I strolled down Oxford Terrace by the small river that cuts through the town as there were a lot of restaurants/cafes/pubs along the street and I wanted to scope out where I would have dinner later that night.  I settled for a place called Sticky Fingers where I later got to enjoy a very nice Sauvignon Blanc wine from Marlborough called Cloudy Bay.  The place has a nice smart and modern ambiance.  The seating areas was very comfy and next to but separate enough from the bar area.  The food was good but I would not say stellar.  Other restaurants in the strip that caught my attention were Ferment and Liquidity.

My visit in Christchurch was short and I am going back at the end of my tour of the southern island so I should get to sample another restaurant and sip on the wine at Orari.  The tempo of the city and its charm served as a great welcome mat for this first time visitor to the magical place that is New Zealand.

(Pictures taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Australia & NZ, New Zealand - Southern Island Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Exploring Wineglass Bay in Tasmania

16 June 2009 by 22 Comments

Our exploration of Tasmania in no time continued on Day 3.  After taking breakfast overlooking Coles Bay, we wasted little time in getting going to see Wineglass Bay, which some call the best beach in Australia (I am sure there are many who may not agree; I certainly don’t know much about Australian beaches to opine conclusively!).

Again, Getting There Is Half the Fun

Yes, Wineglass Bay beach is not of the type where you drive up and park next to the beach with your cooler, chairs, bodysurfing board, bags of food, etc.  Nor is it the type where you walk a few blocks to get to, similarly loaded with things.  And what a good thing it is that it is neither!

To get there one embarks on a 1.5 hr or so hike.  Of course, there is a lookout available way up higher than the trail to the beach so we made our way to the lookout for a good view of the beach.  The path to the lookout is really not much higher than the highest point on the trail on the way to the beach so if you are making to the beach might as well climb a few more steps to the lookout!  The view is quite worth the small extra effort.

Gorgeous Wineglass Bay

We were discussing why it may be called Wineglass Bay.  As we had no computer access except the kiosk at the hotel and, as we were not about to get on a computer anyway, we speculated on the why.  Our main theory is that the shape of the bay does look like a wineglass but the cup part of it.  That is, it may be more appropriate to have called it Stemless Wineglass Bay but we realize that does not quite flow out as easily and musically as Wineglass Bay so we accepted the poetic license.

After the lookout, we descended into the beach itself.  As most beaches, just the sound of waves itself is a reward but the setting of this beach is indeed quite spectacular.  It was nice to hang out and soak in the view and sounds, as well as rest from the effort to get there so we could do it in reverse!

At Wineglass Bay

The Other Half of the Fun?

The other half of the fun, if I put aside my attempts at artistic picture-taking, could be the sandsurfing on a tiny sand “dune” of 3 ft in height.  After a few times doing it and getting it on video, we had a good amount of sand in our shoes.  Good for me, I had thick socks so I didn’t really notice or care – until I got my boots off at the hotel that evening!

IMG_9749The hike up clearly was not as exhilarating as the climb down as we had already seen the trail and we were just headed back to the car to hit the road.  However, the beauty of this trail is that a good part of it is set between massive red boulders, especially towards the highest point of the trail.

Waiting for us at the parking was one of the 2 wallabies we had deemed to be “drunk” when we saw them on our way in.  It was used to humans enough to be petted and still stay put.

Tasmanian Wine on Our Path

As with the prior day’s hike, what followed was lunch.  We ate at the bistro at the lodge where I enjoyed fish and chips and a fantastic mixed salad.  Oh, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for good measure.  With that, we started our 3 hr drive to Hobart but we quickly found out that the Milton winery, whose wine we had enjoyed the night before, was about 40 minutes away from the lodge and on our way to Hobart to boot!  We stopped at the winery where we got to sample their Pinot Grigio, Rose, Riesling, Iced Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and the Pinot Noir (not in that order!).  They were all decent wines but the Riesling was not quite like the German Rieslings I am used to; does not mean it was not good but not what I was expecting.  However, the Iced Riesling was simply delicious so I bought a bottle – not sure when I would drink it or how far I could carry it with me but I was willing to take the risk!

Wrapping Up the Day and the Trip in Hobart

The drive to Hobart was on the Tasman Highway which gave us a glimpse on the beauty of the east coast of the island.  It was a nice way to wrap up exploring…

On the way back to Hobart on the east coast

We did not have much time left for Hobart but did follow a Lonely Planet recommendation for a restaurant.  The restaurant was called Da Angelo and it was located in the Battery Park area.  I had the carbonara which was close to the best I have ever had (maybe number 2 after a place in Rome near the Vatican).  I could not eat the entire serving though I so badly wanted to eat every bit of it!

With that and our early morning flight on the next day, our long weekend in Tasmania came to a close.  I was wishing my trip had been for even longer so I could spend even more time in Tasmania but I am finding that I am feeling that way pretty much about every place so far in this trip…  I am astounded when I am told that New Zealand scenery will be even more impressive so I am eager to get there to check it out.  In the meantime, I will continue exploring Melbourne and hanging out with my friends whose idea it was to explore Tasmania together – for which I am very thankful!

Tasmania deserves being explored though it may be far for many of us and it does deserve more days than we could give it.  The folks there are super friendly and the scenery will indeed leave you wanting more.

(Pictures taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Australia - Tasmania, Australia & NZ, Good Eats and Drinks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Of Mountains, Caves, and Wine – Leaving Sydney Is Hard to Do

9 June 2009 by Leave a Comment

So today I leave Sydney.  I have greatly enjoyed seeing friends and getting to know this awesome city.  I am actually sad at leaving it and wish I can come back some day soon.  But I am off to see other friends in Melbourne and that is helping me depart.  I have packed all the stuff I brought plus all that I acquired here (souvenirs).  It all fit so now let’s see how I do taking the bus and then the train to the airport.  It will save me like $50 so I am willing to do a little work.  Fortunately, the bus stop is very close to my friends’ apartment.

Of course Sydney has a Chinatown

One of the final explorations of the city itself started with a trip to Chinatown where, after enjoying a stop at a Chinese bakery :), we went shopping for souvenirs.  Paddy Market (not to be confused with Paddington) has an incredible amount and variety of stuff for sale, including souvenirs, the same you find around town but much much cheaper (thanks Kelly for the tip!).

I got to do some good shopping which, of course, wore me out (I really do not enjoy going shopping) so we went to the Lowenbrau restaurant at The Rocks to recover by sampling their pork knuckle and enjoying some beers.  It was a great place to sit outside on a beautiful afternoon, relax, and soak life in.

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Awesome a city and a setting as Sydney is and has, beyond the city proper are some really neat things to see.  I explored those before wrapping up visiting this corner of Australia

A quick getaway to wine country!

How could I let Sydney end without seeing wine country??   Sunday we went to the nearby wine country:  Hunter Valley.  We visited 4 wineries and enjoyed sampling wine (oe swallowed; well, except the driver – thanks Dave for taking one for the team!).  It wasn’t  a bad drive heading over though we did face some roadwork traffic delays.  Folks at the wineries were very pleasant and eager to talk about the wine – and pour for free. The most common wine as Semillon, which is fairly unfamiliar to me.  It seemed a good summer wine or good for fishy fish (salmon comes to mind).  We did also sample Pinot Noirs, Cab Merlots, Cab Sauvignon and Moscato.  The latter was my favorite!

Tyrrell’s Wines in Hunter Valley

I felt like a tree hugger… This is a fat tree!

And leaving Sydney to see mountains and caves

Tuesday I visited the Blue Mountains and the Jenolan Caves.  I went on a tour since the places would be about 3 hrs away.  Unfortunately, though, we did not get to spend enough time doing the hikes around the Three Sisters area which I would have loved – I only got to spend like 45 minutes walking around the tropical forest near the old mines. Having now explored it, if I get to return to Sydney, I will plan to spend way more time in the Three Sisters area!

Driving on the Blue Mountains gave me a good view of the local mountain towns and I also wish I had gotten to spend time in these small towns.  They look like a delightful place to live.  The Jenolan Caves were pretty spectacular (we visited the Lucas cave; I liked the “slide” cave).

The tour we took was 1.5 hrs which was about the right amount of time to spend in caves.  The temperature inside, as in any cave, was in the 60s which was extremely nice given it was much colder outside where I wore a cap and gloves!  The Jenolan Caves also deserve more time so one can explore other caves (though I am told usually in this time of year there is only one cave open per day).  Some other day…

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My final night in Sydney

My visit in Sydney ended with a dinner at the Belgian Beer Cafe in Harrington St. in The Rocks.  A former school dining hall, it has a lot of charm and you can see the ruins under the building which probably date to close to the founding of Sydney by the British.  There we enjoyed good Belgian beer as well as kangaroo loin, and mussels in white wine and cream sauce.  The kangaroo meat was quite tender (cooked medium rare) and the sauce was delicious.  I highly recommend it!

Now, I will wrap up my writing and posting of pix so I can head to the airport to my next stop in this great trip:  Melbourne.  I close this post with one of my favorite pictures of Sydney…

View towards Harbor Bridge and the Opera House

Thanks to my Sydney friends for a truly memorable time and for the hospitality.  Til next time!

Filed Under: Australia - The "Mainland", Australia & NZ, Good Eats and Drinks, Wine Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Switzerland: Lausanne and the Lavaux wine region

1 March 2009 by 1 Comment

Guest post by friend and fellow traveler, Chris Sanders.

After a few tortuous days on the Tour de Mont Blanc (see my related post), my wife and I were looking for a place in which to relax and recover…and we wanted to stay in the region…it didn’t take me long to decide on the perfect place…”we’re going to Lausanne” I told Wendy.

 

Getting there and finding a hotel

Lausanne is nestled on the shore of Lake Geneva, about an hour by train from Geneva. The city is sort of like Nice in France – except its smaller, quieter, cleaner, more quaint, more sophisticated, and I could see myself living there…come to think of it, I guess its really nothing like Nice…except that both towns sort of slope downwards towards the water’s edge.

We didn’t book a hotel ahead of time – the prices were just too expensive online. Instead, upon arrival, we immediately found the Tourist Agency (adjacent to the station), where we booked a nice room at a clean little place called Hotel des Voyageurs http://www.voyageurs.ch/en/index.php. The hotel was more than adequate and it was situated off of a quiet and narrow street in the old part of the city – perfect actually. We were pleasantly surprised to find our room also had a balcony overlooking the small street – at night Wendy and I would have a few glasses of wine and watch people coming and going below us…

Out and about in Lausanne

The old part of Lausanne is great to explore on foot. There are several small cobble stone type streets to walk, and since the town is perched on a hillside, there are also plenty of ups and downs to navigate. We were treated to a large outdoor market one day we were there…the streets were so alive with locals strolling and shopping for fresh produce and antiques.

Another “must see” located in the old part of town is the city’s gothic Cathedral – Notre Dame. The church is located at one of the highest points in the city…as such, it is accessed by foot via a quite long and steep flight of stairs, some portions of which lie on the Camino de Santiago (see my related post). After an arduous 10 minute trek, we arrived to the top of the stairs.  Off to the left hand side was the large front door to the Cathedral…in the other direction was a landing area overlooking  impressive panoramic of the city – you could see all the way down to the lake!

Aside from the old part of town, another great aspect of Lausanne is the lake front, which was very nice indeed. A wide asphalt path runs parallel for miles and on good days, people walk about,   rollerblade, and just sit on benches. Out on the lake, sailboats and rented paddle boats lazily sweep across the water…against the backdrop of steeply rising mountains of the opposite bank – it really is the perfect place to relax.

As if it needed more, the lakefront also boasts the headquarters of the International  Olympic Committee and the Olympic Museum (http://www.olympic.org/uk/passion/museum/index_uk.asp). Wendy and I visited the museum and actually watched some of the Beijing games (which were going on at the time of our visit). Among the many treasures on display in the museum is a large Olympic torch collection – its definitely worth a visit.

 

A day trip to Lavaux

After recuperating in Lausanne for a few days, Wendy and I decided to explore the nearby wine region of Lavaux – a region knows for stunning landscapes of steeply sloped vineyards that extend all the way down to the lake.  It was easy to get to by train and there were several small villages to explore.  We took a train to Vevey, where we then boarded a smaller “wine train” that passed through several small villages.  We ended up in a small village called Cully, which was supposed to the an epi center of the region…unfortuntelyit was Monday and the place was empty and pretty much closed down. But all was not lost – we found a small cafe where we sampled a local white wine and asked the waiter what we might do to pass the time. His suggestion was a walk through the nearby vineyards, which we did over the course of about an hour – it was absolutely beautiful!! Wendy and I decided if we ever returned to the region, we would book into a countryside bed and breakfast so we could really take in the beauty of the region and have a full experience.

Incidentally, the Lavaux wine region was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1243. We were not surprised…

If you’ve been to Lausanne or the Lavaux region, please share your experiences and  recommendations. We welcome your comments!

Filed Under: Europe, Switzerland Tagged With: , , , ,

Wine and Running DO Mix: The Festive Bordeaux Marathon in the Medoc, France

3 January 2009 by 17 Comments

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/).  It is one of the funnest races I have been a part of – not only the wine but because runners come all dressed up and bring props too (be careful one of those props doesn’t run you over, I had a close call!).

Bordeaux marathon (France)

Lady bugs ready to run

Wine barrel as a prop in the Bordeaux marathon (France)

The barrel is to push ALL the way during the marathon. Nuts!

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.

The festive atmosphere begins at the starting line with music blaring and a lot of staring – at the wild and crazy costumes (or sometimes, almost nothing on…) and props.  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…  that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes Bordeaux wines SO unique…).

Chateau in the route of the Bordeaux marathon (Frnace)

Great views along the way

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.

Bordeaux marathon going through Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien

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.

Large wine bottle landmark in Bordeaux, France

Easy enough landmark to remember, you think?

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…

Wine stop at a chateau during the Bordeaux marathon (France)

Wine stop!

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…

Going through Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, St. Julien

Runners with their LARGE prop – runners beware: they are drinking and pushing!

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!  What information are you seeking about the Bordeaux marathon?  We’d love to hear from you!

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Filed Under: Europe, France Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sampling South African Wine in Stellenbosch

29 December 2008 by 5 Comments

Ready to hit a new wine region? How about Stellenbosch in South Africa, a short drive east of Cape Town?

The Wineries

So, we finally hit the road east from our hotel to get to Stellenbosch.  We made a few stops in the wine region hitting some wineries pretty much randomly.

Vine against a perfect blue sky in Stellenbosch, South Africa

The vine of happiness!

We did apply enough intelligence to the itinerary to make sure the first one we hit was one that had a place to eat since we were getting there around lunch time.  The winery we chose (Vergelegen) had very large fields and gardens and a café where you could eat lunch in the shade of trees overlooking a rose garden.  We then proceeded to the wine tasting area where for a fee (on top of the R10 we paid to enter the property…), we could sample 6 wines.  Not getting into details, the wines generally were refreshing and quite drinkable.  It was a blue-sky day and we faced a mountain range so the setting was perfect to sit back and enjoy life.

View of the gardens and backdrop of the Vergelegen winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa near Cape Town

View from the Vergelegen winery garden

After the initial winery, since wineries began closing after 4 PM, we chose a road where there were a few wineries back to back to minimize driving time (did I say we both studied engineering??).  The first winery was in an old building and the wine was quite nice.  In this winery, the person who served us stood there by us and happily answered our questions but the conversation was nothing special.  In a later winery (Peter Falke, not to be confused with the actor; the owner, if I remember correctly, was a German who owned a socks company in Germany) that seemed a little bigger (but not as big as the first one we went to), the only employee in that afternoon was the winemaker himself who was quite willing to sit outside with us and sample the wine on the backyard as we overlooked the fields and the nearby mountains.  You can tell this winery is new but the setting is perfect to be rented out for events as it has the right lay out in the patio, has great outdoor furniture, etc.  He was quite willing to discuss winemaking and generally answer our questions so I think this winery was my favorite .  The wine was also quite nice.

In Stellenbosch Town

As the wineries closed, we headed into town to check in and have dinner.  Our hotel was a local small hotel (the Eendracht) right in town.  The architecture of the town as in much of the Cape region, is Cape Dutch.  I, not being a student of architecture, have to admit I was clueless about it.  I really found it quite charming.  I will make a note to someday google it and learn something about it…

Typical construction in Cape Dutch architecture style in the Stellenbosch wine region of South Africa

Example of the Cape Dutch architecture

The town was very nice and we quickly ran into the shops and restaurant area of the town.  We also hit a wine store where we were given samples of wine without any pressure to buy.  The store had a long wooden table that indicated frequent wine tastings took place.  If I lived there, I would likely frequent it :).  That night we decided we were done with seafood so we smelled our way around the various restaurants until we found one that seemed right for a good meal.  I don’t have the name handy but I think we did well.  The place was full of locals and the meal was great.  I ate springbok (a type of deer) in a brown sauce – it was delicious!So with that ended my weekend escape to the Cape region and I proceeded to the less magnificent Johannesburg area (but with interesting history) (read about it here).  I also learned quickly in my trip to South Africa how cheap things are given the exchange rate!

Big thumbs up for the Cape region and here is to hoping to go back!

Does anyone have any recommendations for other wineries in Stellenbosch?

(Photos taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Africa, Good Eats and Drinks, South Africa, Wine Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lillet: Visiting a Favorite

16 December 2008 by Leave a Comment

Guest post by Chris Sanders.  His intro:  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!

Tour of the Facility

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 Reserve – 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!

 

Filed Under: Europe, France Tagged With: , , , , ,
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