Bordeaux Wine Festival- “Fête le Vin”
By far, this is the best and most enjoyable wine festival I have ever been to. Held every other year (even-numbered years) Bordeaux Fête le Vin celebrates all things wine (from the Bordeaux region of France of course) offering white, rosé, sparkling, red and dessert wines for every palate. Over a span of 4 to 5 days, usually Thursday to Sunday/Monday, you’ll find all kinds of activities and events including vintage sailboat tours, wine seminars, food trucks, grand cru tastings, chateaux wine dinners, cocktail receptions, live music and even salsa and bachata lessons. An impressive fireworks show over the river that is synchronized to music, closes out the day’s events every night after 11pm.
One of the things I love most about this festival is first, its location along the Garonne River waterfront and second, that it is open to everybody. And so anyone from children to seniors can enter the festival site for free and participate in any non-wine tasting events. However, for those who would like to discover and taste the wines, there is a tasting pass available for purchase that comes in the form of a wristband, and includes 12 samples, plus a ticket for public transport that takes you to and from the festival.
The event also features ¨art de vivre¨ from the surrounding villages of Southwest France such as oysters brought in fresh daily from the bay of Arcachon, duck from the Périgord, clothing typical of the region, food samples from the Basque country, and touristic information on surrounding regions such as Bergerac, Gascony, and Cognac.
The festival stretches over a total distance of 2k (about 1.2 miles). So be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes! Another tip too is since festival goers can come and go at anytime throughout the days, you can always visit small sections at a time- for example half day at the festival and the rest of the day touring the city or wine chateaux.
Casino Salsa (Cuban style salsa) at the Bordeaux Wine festival!
Bachata lessons and dancing…
Sailboats on the Garonne River are open for touring
The food scene was great! Fresh oysters brought in daily from the the bay of Arcachon plus a selection of different cuisine from the food trucks.
The festival was equipped with wine refrigerators to maintain proper bottle temperature and also portable wine glass washers to allow for optimal tastings. So well organized!
A nightly fireworks show on the Garonne River is the perfect ending to a superb day of wine and food tasting in Bordeaux!
