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A French Wine Tour Honeymoon
Connoisseurs the world over turn to France for the ultimate wine-filled adventure. Any trip to France’s wine country is a memorable event but the ultimate hedonistic experience may be a French wine tour honeymoon.
France’s Wine Regions
American wine aficionados are familiar choosing wines according to varietal, the botanical name of the predominant grape, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, or Shiraz. In France, these same grapes are cultivated but labels list the region of growth instead of the names of the grape. For this reason, French wine labels list regions, such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.
Bordeaux - Just off the Atlantic Ocean near the south of France, the varietals of Bordeaux include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc. The warm, sunny Bordeaux climate is ideal for full-bodied, rich wines, most of which are red.
Burgundy - In Burgundy, in eastern France, the most predominantly grown grapes are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay.
Champagne - About 100 miles east of Paris, the Champagne region sets the standard for its sparkling wine made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes.
Alsace - Along its northwestern border with Germany, Alsatian wines are made from Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat grapes. The cool, mountainous regions here produce wines that are light, fruity, and quite easy to drink.
Cognac - Often overlooked as a wine, brandy is actually distilled grapes. To be called Cognac, a brandy must be made here according to very exacting standards.
Premier Cru Chateaux
All French wine falls under one classification system or another but the most revered classification is that of Premier Cru, or First Growth. Of all the vineyards in the world only five of them, all in the French Bordeaux region, have earned this designation since its inception in 1855.
Chateau Lafite Rothschild - A single bottle of Chateau Lafite wine, a 1787 vintage, brought the highest price ever paid for a bottle of wine - $156,000. It was thought to have been owned at one time by Thomas Jefferson. Visit this legendary chateau for a truly sumptuous taste of wine-making history.
Chateau Margaux - The wine bottled here so captivated Jack, the oldest son of Ernest Hemingway, that he named his daughter Margaux in tribute to the wine he and his wife, Puck, shared on the night the child was conceived.
Chateau Latour - Proving quality trumps quantity, this estate produces just three wines, all red, but this tasty trio is coveted the world over.
Chateau Haut-Brion - This estate documents its wine-making history as far back as 1423 but historians say the ancient Romans enjoyed wine produced from these lands, too.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild - This rather modern estate is the last to be named a Premier Cru, achieving that lofty goal in 1973, instead of 1855 as the other four were. Mouton means sheep in French so the labels, designed by different famous artists for each vintage, usually feature a sheep in some, often whimsical, way.
Tasting Notes
For many people who love wine, there’s no need to make a big fuss over analyzing what’s in the glass. They like wine because they like wine. Other people enjoy a more multi-layered experience, which is enhanced by knowing a little bit about what to expect from a wine tasting tour. Pack a pocket-size handbook on French wines for quick reference but do immerse yourself in the unique ambiance of the individual wineries you visit and the people you’ll encounter there. And for ultimate experience, leave that wonderful French perfume in your suitcase; save your nose for the glass and keep your fellow wine-tasters happy, too.
Take notes and don’t rush through a tasting. Preprinted tasting notebooks are available or make your own. Be sure to include a label whenever possible.
Swirl, sniff, and sip your way through a tasting and share your thoughts as you go to get the fullest experience. And remember overindulgence dulls the senses.
Enjoying wine is a sensory experience, putting all our senses to use, beginning with the festive sound of the cork leaving the bottle.
Knowing a few commonly used descriptive words or phrases will make it easier to determine what it is that makes each wine unique.
Horizontal tastings showcase several wines produced in the same year. Vertical tastings focus on one wine from one winery over several successive years and offer an ideal glimpse into what makes one vintage so much more desirable than another.
Eat frequent, small meals throughout a day of wine tasting but stay away from highly fragrant foods with bold flavors that might compete with the wine. Save big meals for the end of the day.
How to Get Around
France is a tourist mecca so overnight accommodations are everywhere and come in all forms. Transportation can be almost as much fun as the wine, too.
France’s tourist bureau offers expert advice on travel and tourism throughout the country.
Explore Eurail possibilities to cover a lot of ground in a short time. This railway operates throughout Europe, with stops at all France’s most popular travel destinations.
Bicycle your way since France is, of course, Tour de France country and bicycles are a very popular mode of transportation everywhere. Bicycle tours often come with admission tickets to places of interest along the way.
Hot air balloon rides offer a bird’s eye view of wine country that's a perfect way to start or end an idyllic day.
French barge tours offer the chance to learn in luxury as these opulent riverboats gently drift through France’s picturesque wine country.
Pick a central location and explore it in depth, an option especially attractive to budget-conscious newlyweds.