Know your station

I love traveling by train in France, and, in my opinion, if you are traveling to the city centre rather than the airport the TGV is the best way to travel between Bordeaux and Paris. Libourne is even easier if you are visiting the right bank. A warning though keep the luggage light as the time allowed for alighting and unloading can be tight.

The only problem with using the train in Bordeaux has, up until now, been the station. Bad enough that it is situated in the crummiest part of town, the station itself also left a lot to be desired.

After having spent a fortune on the very efficient tramway the town is turning it’s attention to the mainline station.

The work should be completed by later this year and the new counters are temptingly under wraps to welcome almost 12 million passengers that pass through each year. There will be new waiting rooms and new services all in preparation when Bordeaux will soon be only a 2 hour trip from Paris. To learn more and organise your way through the station check out the web site Gares en movement which also gives you live train times and platform numbers.

The bakery chain Paul have already installed an eat in (as well as take out) in the front of the station and have managed to keep the elegant original decor that dates back to 1898. Not quite worth missing your train for but it certainly makes the wait easier

Elegant snacking at Paul in Bordeaux St Jean Station.

High glamour in a bottle

Jean-Paul Gautier is no stranger to designing bottles; his perfume bottles are collectors items. But it’s not just about perfume or his signature striped T- shirts that were last summer’s fashion statement. He knows sex sells and not just perfume either. He has just put his talents to work for the Champagne house Piper Heidsieck to create a very sexy limited edition bottle draped in a alluring fishnet stocking.

The launch was celebrated in Hollywood style as befits an event in the midst of the Cannes film festival. Anne-Charlotte Amory, CEO of Piper Heidsieck and Jean-Paul Gautier received 150 guests in the Forville market in Cannes transformed for the evening.
Sadly only available in the exclusive Nikki Beach in Cannes and La Maison Blanche in Paris, you’ll just have to fly over here to share the glamour

More than wine in Saint Julien

The Saint Julien is a favorite restaurant in the Medoc, see my previous post even more so with this fabulous weather when the chef, Claude Broussard’s talents are at play on the enormous barbecue. The new layout means you can sit up the bar and watch your langoustines or steak being grilled to perfection right in front of you. New also is Madame Broussard’s Julius flower shop. In face more than just a beautiful flower shop it is full of fun gifts and tablewares in including the famous house soap!

Mme Broussard in her new store Julius

Comptoir Cuisine and Fauchon

Bordeaux is the first town in France to have franchise of the famous Fauchon fine food emporium opened at the end of last year in partnership with Bordeaux caterers Elodie and Olivier Boyer. On the glamorous site opposite the Grand Theatre and in the same building as the Grand Hotel Regent 160 m2 of cakes and breads, ‘snacking chic’ and gifts including fine foods and teas will are on offer to the Bordelais.
The elegant wine cellar communicates directly with The Grand Hotel and every Thursday evening they hold tapas and wine tastings on different themes but be sure to book ahead.
Next door is their Comptoir Cuisine restaurant, a fun and dynamic place to enjoy the spring sunshine on the terrace or the ‘buzz’ inside. It is now THE place for a light lunch or informal dinner, with an all in lunch starting at 17 euros .

It is the first of an expansion plan through provincial France – once again you saw it first in Bordeaux

Colours of wine and shades of beauty

You will know by now that ‘Women in Wine’ is one of my favourite themes – and there are more and more women making wine that really appeals to a wider audience. One of the dynamic groups of women wine makers in Bordeaux, and one of the first to launch joint wine tourism products, is ‘Les Medocaines’, a group of 4 wine makers and owners from the Medoc : Armelle Falcy-Cruze from Château Le Taillan, Martine Caseneuve from Château Paloumey, Marie-Laure Lurton from La Tour Besson and Florence Lafragette from Château Loudenne.

They organise regular joint events including days participating in the harvest, food and wine tastings, blending workshops, etc. As they work closely with the Bordeaux tourist office you can just hop on a bus and go explore their Medoc properties without giving a thought to driving home afterwards.
Two of them, Martine and Armelle, have now taken the feminine theme a step further with Palmoumey and Le Taillan organising wine and beauty workshops with local makeup artist Annie Lay. While sipping a glass of rosé guests will enjoy a make up class and then off to the cellars to discover the beauty of wine making with tasting from different terroirs of the properties and finally the beauty of serving wine with a special tasting about decanting and presenting wines.

Men are allowed but will be ushered off to the cellars for a blending workshop whilst the ladies sip their rosé.

Let’s hope Annie shares the secrets for disguising the damage the morning after !

Bleu de Chanel

Luxury is synonymous with Bordeaux, reinforced by the well-known presence of luxury conglomerates LVMH and Pinault owning leading estates, Yquem and Cheval Blanc and Latour respectively. Less well know is that couture and perfume house Chanel owns two leading Bordeaux properties, neatly balanced between left and right bank : Château Rauzan Ségla, deuxième grand cru classé of Margaux and Château Canon, première grand cru classé of Saint Emilion. At first their seems little synergy, unless of course you take into account the commitment to quality which can clearly be seen in the rigorous renovation that has taken place in these properties.
Chanel purchased Château Canon from the Fournier family in 1996 and they have invested a serious budget in renovation, starting with the vineyards (that needed a dramatic replanting programme), the cellars but also the amazing underground quarries on which the château is perched. This has all come beautifully together with the recently completed cellars. If you look closely here is where you can see a Chanel signature – – the decoration of the cellars echos the recently launched aftershave Bleu de Chanel.

It is apparently the colour used for the family’s racehorses – an elegant touch of luxury indeed.

A sparkling 50th

In 1961 when it opened its doors the Carlton Tower Hotel was a very innovative addition to Knightsbridge as the tallest hotel in London. Now part of the Jumeirah group they are celebrating their 50th birthday in due style with the creation of The ‘1961’ exclusive cocktail served in Gilt, Chinoiserie and The Rib Bar only throughout 2011. It has been created by the bar team using 1961 Armagnac, bitters, orange bitters, orange Curacao and topped up with Pommery Champagne. If you prefer your champagne straight you can celebrate in the Gilt bar with the special birthday offer of Pommery at the round number of £50 a bottle. Book an event with them before the end of April and a celebratory glass is on the house.

Happy Birthday Carlton!

A Jurassic experience – only a flight away.

Last week Bordeaux Blonde tested the new direct flight from Dijon to Bordeaux on her way back from Burgundy. This weekend the same route but for different wines. The wines of the Jura are only an jours’ drive away Dijon. One flight 3 wine regions – brilliant! You could do worse than to Start your discovery of the Jura at the Chateau de Germigney in Port-Lesney on the banks of the Loue. The old ‘Relais de Chasse’ has a spectacular bar in the old cellars and a great regional wine selection offered by the glass by the 2 young sommeliers to accompany the tasting menus. The food is excellent, the chef brilliantly show cases seasonal and regional produce. If you fancy something more low key their Bistro in the village, offers a more relaxed fare – but book, especially et the weekend they have gained a reputation with both locals and the Swiss from across the border.

The Cellar Bar at Château de Germigney

A Royal Visit

The Queen visited the newly renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon today. As usual Bordeaux Blonde is one step ahead and had lunch at the Rooftop Restaurant there earlier this week. Reopened since November last year, the 112 million renovation, hasn’t added much charm to the architecture of the theatre, locally known as the ‘jam factory’. It is one of those buildings that is nicer from the inside out. The view from the 3rd floor riverside restaurant is wonderful, you can choose a table overlooking the town centre or the Avon river, where you can watch the dog walkers trying to stop their pets chasing the swans and huge geese.

The wine list is excellent, not surprising as it was designed by BBR, and an oenomatic allows an interesting small prestige selection by the glass. The food is proper food, mainly locally sourced with my second favourite Stilton, Colston Bassett featuring in a couple of recipes, as well as a light lunch option served all afternoon.
An eclectic mix of tourists, arty types and pensioners can choose between the restaurant and the riverside cafe and you can’t help wondering if some of the delightful wait staff are
are budding Shakespearian actors and actresses.

Winter warmer at the Rose and Crown

Back to freezing cold blighty was a bit of a shock to the system so what was called for was some warming pub grub. So off to the Rose and Crown in Warwick. Tucked in behind the market square, a stone’s throw from the castle, the Rose and Crown is probably a gastro pub but without any of the horrors this name sometimes implies. Run by real people, serving real food with friendly staff and friendly customers too.
A slow cooked, locally produced, beautifully prepared and presented traditional lunch made me remember how great the seasons are after all. A short but sweet wine list with a few good ideas by the glass finished off the job.

You can see that they take local sourcing very seriously by the upcoming Pork to Fork event on 26th March (see details on their web site http://www.roseandcrownwarwick.co.uk) where you will not just meet the producer but get up front and personal with the product – not for the faint hearted!