Taking a bicycle tour at Château de Reignac.
Most visitors to Bordeaux head straight for St-Emilion, Bordeaux city centre or the Me?doc’s Route des Cha?teaux along the D2, and don’t get much further. But those who prefer to get off the beaten track and don’t mind focusing on less glitzy wines will be amply rewarded by a stay in Entre-deux-Mers. Often overlooked, this is Bordeaux’s largest wine region, scenically beautiful, with a gamut of affordable wines made by traditional winemaking families.
The name Entre-deux-Mers refers to the mare?es (‘tides’) of the bordering large tidal rivers: the Dordogne and the Garonne. The region accounts for about one third of the Gironde’s wine production, thanks to some 7,000ha of vines spread over 18 communes, so there’s plenty of choice when it comes to estates to visit and wines to taste (for more information, go to the regional tourism site).
Among rolling hills of vineyards, some of which were first planted in Roman times, you’ll find bastides (fortified villages) built in the Middle Ages, centred around bustling market squares. Visitors will find much to do and see in this dynamic region. Here are 10 reasons to convince you.
1. Stay a while
Restaurant Le Jardin d’Henri at Château Toulouse Lautrec Malromé
From the four-star, newly renovated rooms at Cha?teau Fage, southwest of Arveyres, to tree houses, gypsy caravans and transparent bubbles at Cabanes de la Romaningue, near Pompignac, the Entre-deux-Mers has plenty of accommodation offerings. The grand 17th-century Cha?teau de Reignac, just outside St-Loube?s, is available to rent via Airbnb, while Cha?teau de Bonhoste in St-Jean-de-Blaignac is home to two 20m2 wooden fermentation vats converted into mini studios.
Wellness retreats can be found at Cha?teau Toulouse Lautrec Malrome?, St-Andre?-du-Bois, while La Girarde B&B, run by English couple Trish and Mark Tyler, has four ensuite rooms and a pool set in beautiful gardens, just north of St-Quentin-de-Caplong. Cha?teau Ferret Lambert in Gre?zillac has two gi?tes, one in the orangery of the cha?teau with its own pool, and the other in a renovated pigeon tower. Cha?teau Bauduc, near the bastide town of Cre?on, is surrounded by woods, fields and vineyards. The well-known Quinney family rents its four-bedroomed farmhouse with pool from April to October.
2. Diversity of styles
The region’s limestone subsoil is a continuation of the St-Emilion plateau, with streams that dissect the slopes depositing clay and sandy gravel. Thanks to this diversity of terroir and topography, Entre-deux-Mers produces excellent dry whites, some semi-sweet whites, red Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supe?rieur (see point 4, ‘A new focus on reds’), rose?, clairet (sitting between red and rose?, with extended skin contact during maceration, often a few days compared to rose?’s few hours and red’s few weeks) and Cre?mant de Bordeaux sparkling – often all made by a single cha?teau.
3. Art & architecture
The terrace at Château de Camarsac
Dotted with charming medieval villages and towns, each boasting its own architectural style, Entre-deux-Mers is filled with historic cha?teaux, numerous art galleries and Romanesque churches such as La Sauve-Majeure Abbey in La Sauve, founded in 1079 for pilgrims on the Santiago de Compostela route and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cha?teau de Camarsac in Camarsac was built over five centuries from the 11th century. It has been restored by Solange and Thierry Lurton, and visitors can ascend to the roof terrace for some of the best views of the region. In 1888, the 16th-century Cha?teau Toulouse Lautrec Malrome? (see point 1, ‘Stay a while’) became home to its most famous resident, artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His apartments are perfectly preserved for visitors.
4. A new focus on reds
The Entre-deux-Mers appellation was created in 1937, uniquely for white wines that are a blend of at least two of four principal…
Source : https://www.decanter.com/wine/entre-deux-mers-ten-reasons-to-discover-the-region-530651/
