We spent two days docked in Grattequina, France. When we first arrived into Grattequina, Ray (our cruise director) said something along the lines of “I would tell you all to enjoy beautiful Grattequina but I can’t bring myself to say that” – and by that he meant that there is a whole lot of nothing in Grattequina. It was as if we docked on some farm land in the middle of nowhere. So we certainly didn’t really spend time here… rather, we spent our two days exploring the other nearby areas, which included Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion.

For our first day we took the shuttle bus into the heart of Bordeaux with the intent of wandering around and making our way to the wine festival that was going on. it made sense to us since Bordeaux is so famous for wine.

Bordeaux wine is famous for many reasons, including its quality, aging potential, and location. In terms of quality, Bordeaux is the world’s largest fine-wine producing region and has a reputation for its quality and credibility. The region’s climate and soil are ideal for growing grapes, and its winemaking traditions are diverse. Bordeaux red wines also have great aging potential, being aged in traditional barrels before bottling, and then further aged in the bottle, which allows the tannins to soften and the wine to blend. Some of the greatest Médocs can age for a century in the bottle! Finally, Bordeaux is a prime location for winemaking. Bordeaux is close to a major port city, which has given winemakers easy access to export markets for centuries. Dutch engineers also drained the marshes and swamps, which allowed for quicker transportation of the wine and created more vineyard land.

So, into Bordeaux we went. The city itself was lovely, with unique statues and fun side streets with the fun flags and umbrellas hanging overhead.

There were also the standard impressive buildings scattered about.

We wandered for a little while in the heat before finding the wine festival along the river. The wine festival was large and much like other such festivals we’ve been to, you were given a glass for tastings. Unlike other ones, however, instead of tokens we were given a card that was to be scanned at each stop. We had 11 tastings, which ranged from white wines and roses to red blends and port. Some were sweet, others dry. All were tasty.

At the festival, they had some tall ships on display in the water, which was a fun touch and something you certainly wouldn’t see at a brew fest in Bend. We didn’t go onto any of the boats but they were fun to look at from afar while sipping our wine.

The next day we went on an excursion to Saint-Emilion, a medieval village and UNESCO World Heritage site which included a private wine tasting at a nearby estate. Highlights included seeing the ancient arched gate over Rue Cadene, one of the roads leading into Saint-Emilion, the 13th-century King’s Keep, and the Romanesque-style Collegiate Church, which was constructed even earlier. During free time we explored Saint-Emilion even deeper, though mostly we just wandered the streets and then stopped for a little coffee/hot chocolate and a crêpe and galette (savory crêpe).

After wandering around Saint-Emilion we went on a more comprehensive private tasting at a nearby estate (Chateau Fleur De Lisse).

We went on an enlightening tour that showed us the behind-the-scenes of the winemaking, including some very modern equipment that kept temperatures automatically in check.

After our tour, we were able to sample some of the region’s wines, which are predominately made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. The local soil composition is filled with sand and clay, which fosters the creation of savory wines. During the tasting, we learned a little more about the wines’ complexity and production. Once finished, we headed back to the ship, pleased with another full day of sightseeing.