Wine

Day 8 - Beaujolais Wine Tour

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

Wine

After breakfast we left at 8:30 to take a scenic drive through the rolling hills of Beaujolais, an area rich in wine making traditions. Because the ship was docked in Lyon it took us a bit longer to get to the Macon / Beaujolais region but it was an enjoyable drive.  We went to a lovely winery where we tasted 4 different wines plus a lovely liqueur.  The Chardonnay grape is very popular in this region.  I don’t think that any of us on this trip would claim to know very much about wine but we have learned quite bit on this trip.  First you must experience wine with your eyes and note the color, then your nose as you sniff it twice, once still in the glass and the second time after you have swirled it; only then do you experience wine with your mouth.  

 On our drive back we saw the legendary Moulin-à-Vent, the windmill that gives its name to one of the most prestigious wines of the region.  

 Everywhere we looked today we saw acres of vineyards and have come to understand just how important wine is to the South of France.

This afternoon we had free time to explore more of the city of Lyon. I was quite taken with this flower tree sculpture.

Lyon is a lovely city currently filled with soccer fans cheering on their favourite teams. 

  We also spent time this afternoon packing our suitcases as tomorrow we will leave this ship and head for a new home away from home in Paris. Our plan is to travel by high speed train to Paris if they are not on strike and if that they are, we will go by bus. The first half of our trip has gone very well and everyone seems to be doing well.  I hope that the second half goes equally smoothly.