Bike Rides & Vineyards around the Cognac region
No trip to France would have been complete without a chance to take the girls to see the thriving viniculture between the Gironde and Bordeaux… so where better to start then a bike ride around the local vineyards…
With grapes/vines splashed across the horizon, it was a case of choosing our method of transport… in the end ‘Shank’s pony’ lost out to the bikes… and we all headed off to discover some new parts of the Gironde…Starting at Talmont, we headed across the headland on the trail of the Haute Vignobles (the good grapes!!) and a chance for both girls to participate in the well constructed and informative ‘oak barrels’ vineyard tour… passing by the weather station (crucial for any self respecting wine grower) we biked back down to the stunning walled settlement at Talmont…
Having now seen grapes ranging from Cabernet Franc to Colombard…and with the girls knowing more than we did… it was time to move off and explore another region. Having taken the route of the vignboles down to Bordeaux… the girls wanted something a little different, so we headed into Cognac country and a chance to compare/contrast both the farming methods and grapes involved… Suffice to say there not a lot between them, its the magic ingredient they add that makes it either Pineau or Cognac… but both girls were delighted to feel little more grown up.. despite not taking part in the degustation… but at least they grabbing a well earned ‘crepe au sucre’… or in their case with Nutella!!
Should be a good week next week as we head south towards Dune du Pilat and the Dordogne… but we will certainly miss the colourful landscapes and farming community in the Gironde..
Talmont sur gironde
so where did we park the bus for the night?
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