So it can sail right up the Garonne river into the heart of Bordeaux city and
down the Loire to Nantes. And it means our wine tour has all the luxuries of
life onboard – sun decks, a pool, bars, plentiful food and the Spirit’s
wonderfully friendly staff. Plus air-conditioned cabins with comfy pillows
on which to lay wine-addled heads.
The trip starts, though, on land. After flights to Spain we have a three-day
stay in La Rioja, with its open, rolling vineyards, small towns and
contrasting mix of wineries, from tiny and very traditional to large,
gleaming, modern “wine factories”.
We are based at the impressive and very traditional parador (housed in a
12th-century former pilgrims’ hospice) overlooking the cathedral square in
Santo Domingo de la Calzada. This pretty town is on the southern edge of the
Rioja region, but within easy striking distance of its attractions – such as
the stunning, ultra-modern winery of Bodega Ysios, with its “rolling waves”
roofline, designed by acclaimed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, which
is our first visit.
In the evening, at the parador’s private dining room, there’s the first
tutored tasting of the trip, with our excellent wine guide, Marc Millon, who
is to spend the whole 10 days with the group, telling us about the wines we
encounter and leading our tastings. He is an inspired choice, proving to be
an amiable companion and a fount of information, but wears his knowledge
lightly – so no one feels awkward asking questions (even stupid ones).
We are also lucky in having onboard a director of the Spirit of Adventure,
James Duguid, who is able to brandish the company credit card and buy local
wines, meaning we end up with more evening wine-tastings than originally
planned. And this is exactly what the trip needs – after all, no one wants
to go on a wine-tasting tour if there’s a shortage of wine. Perhaps they
need to send a director on all such trips. Or at least a company credit card.
The trip is aimed at non-experts – so if you already have a cellar full of
Bordeaux first-growths and your personal wine dealer’s number is on speed
dial, then it’s perhaps not for you (although visiting the regions is still
fascinating). But if you enjoy wine, want to know a bit more about it and
are keen to see where and how it is created, you’ll be among like-minded
people.
Our stay in Spain takes in two more wineries: first, the Bodegas Dinastia
Vivanco, with its magnificent new wine museum which includes the world’s
largest collection of corkscrews (more than 3,000, if you’re wondering); and
then Bodegas Alcorta, the headquarters of Campo Viejo, one of the best-known
Rioja brands in the UK.
This is a massive operation, with gleaming stainless steel tanks and pipes,
tended by personnel in while coats and illuminated with eerie low lighting.
It is all underground, like the secret headquarters of a James Bond
arch-villain who is planning to take over the world. Emerging back into the
daylight, we sample the Campo Viejo Reserva 2001. It is overcooked, thin and
disappointing. Global domination is still a long way off, judging by this.
Then we’re off to Bilbao, pausing for a visit to the Guggenheim Museum (just
about the only place on the trip that doesn’t give us free wine), before
joining the Spirit of Adventure for the rest of the journey.
After an overnight journey up the coast of France, we sail up the Garonne,
cruisng past some of the Bordeaux region’s fabled wine chateaux, before
mooring up right next to the centre of this elegant 18th-century city, which
has been carefully renovated in recent years. The riverfront is imposing,
and the Spirit’s mooring is just a short walk from the narrow streets, grand
mansions and impressive squares that recall Bordeaux’s glory days.
Our two-day stay involves visits to several vineyards and, of course, their
tasting rooms as well as journeys through the enchanting vine-covered
hillsides of the region. It is noticeably prettier than Rioja, the
wine-making is distinctly more traditional and the vineyards are very much
more cosseted and manicured.
We have tours and tastings at Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Chateau Batailly and
Chateau Trottevieille as well as seeing many of the area’s world-famous
vineyards, including the magnificent Chateau Margaux, and the beautiful town
of St Emillion. We also have a dinner in the private room at Chateau Smith
Haut Lafitte, where we take part in – you’ve guessed it – another wine
tasting. Funny how the novelty doesn’t seem to wear off. (And, incidentally,
it is amazing how well you sleep on a wine-tasting trip.)
Before we know it, we’re cruising back along the river, past the chateaux and
heading up the coast to the Loire, a much more industrial river, towards the
city of Nantes. This is where we dock for the Muscadet area, a homely
wine-producing region which, instead of the grand chateaux of Bordeaux, has
family farmhouses. We visit a vineyard and a wine merchant – where (and I
know this will come as a shock) we taste more wines. By now my resistance
has built up to an impressive level, and several glasses before lunch hardly
puts a dent in my ability to stand upright. I even manage to carry a
selection of bottles back from the merchant’s shop without dropping them –
something I would usually fail to do when sober.
Although, to be serious for a moment, you can drink as much or as little on
this trip as you like. And tastings are exactly that - there is always the
option to spit. So, don’t think you have to be Oliver Reed to join in.
All in all, it is an impressive trip. To be honest, I’m a bit of a wine-lover
– or even more than a bit of one – so I will raise a glass to any
wine-tasting holiday. But with the chance to visit three top regions and
travel by cruise ship, this trip has put itself in the premier cru class.
And everyone that I spoke to, out of the 30-odd people on the trip said they
had not only enjoyed it but had also learned a lot. Including, perhaps, how
to drink at 11 in the morning. But maybe we should draw a veil over that . .
.
NEED TO KNOW
The 10-night Wines of La Rioja and Bordeaux trip cost from £1,434 with Spirit
of Adventure. The ship operates a rolling programme of trips, and the
next planned similar cruise (but in the reverse direction) is Vineyards of
France and Iberia, in conjunction with the National Trust, departing August
7, 2008 for 14 nights, from £1594. Contact details as above.
Other wine-tasting trips may be added to the ship’s schedule. Contact details
as above. The Spirit of Adventure is owned by Saga Holidays but is open to
anyone over the age of 21.
