“Bonjour. My name is Berit Simonsen. I was born and raised in Denmark, but I felt a compelling attraction to France and the French language at an early stage in my life. And so, a year that was “meant to improve my French” (Ha! Classic!) turned into 10 wonderful and adventurous years in Paris.
In 2000, my husband and I decided to move to Bordeaux. At the time, France’s wine capital appeared as a very dark and dull city. The 20th century pollution had set its mark on the local limestone buildings and the city was – all in all – a little run down. In fact, there were no wine bars in Bordeaux in 2000!
Very quickly though, the sleeping beauty that is Bordeaux awoke. The tramway was constructed, classical and neoclassical buildings were progressively sandblasted, entire neighbourhoods were renovated, la Cité du Vin (cultural, recreational wine site) was designed, and bicycle and pedestrian areas were created, followed by a multitude of new bars and restaurants. The urban zone was listed UNESCO World Heritage in 2007 and the world started to notice Bordeaux. Tourists flew, drove and sailed into the city and French people from all over the country suddenly decided to move here.
Bordeaux has become an exceptionally beautiful and pleasant place to live. We are only two hours away from Paris by train, an hour’s drive from the Atlantic Ocean with its magnificent large sand beaches, two hours’ drive from the mountains and Spain, AND – top of the list, if you ask me – we are surrounded by fantastic chateaux and vineyards. Paris has nothing on Bordeaux today!
Photo Credit: Chateau Gruaud Larose
Wine quickly became a passionate hobby for me and got me into studying wine. When your passion becomes your profession, it feels like a dream come true – I was lucky to be offered a position in one of the top rated Médoc wineries: Château Gruaud Larose (CGL).
Château Gruaud Larose, 2nd Grand Crus Classé since 1855, AOC Saint Julien was established in 1725. The first owners were Mr. Gruaud and Mr. Larose and its current owners since 1997 are the Merlaut family. The vineyard consists of 202 acres – the size hasn’t changed since 1725. Conversion to organic viticulture began in 2019 with implementation of agroecology and biodynamic methods. The soils are mainly gravel, but clay and sand are found, too. Cultivated are 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc and approximately 400,000 bottles produced per year.
In spite of several laudable initiatives, “wine tourism” was not “a thing” in Bordeaux before 2009 (we even used the word with care). Bordeaux, considered by many as “the cradle of wine”, was highly conservative and seemed to be resting on its laurels – voluntarily or not. The Médoc, home to most of the prestigious grand cru chateaux, was even more traditionalist and saw little use in offering wine tours.
The owner of Château Gruaud Larose, Jean Merlaut, was quite the forerunner when he passionately believed that it was important even for well renowned châteaux to show what went on behind their walls. In 2009, the lovely Maisa Mendonça, Brazilian sommelier, was entrusted with the creation and development of a genuine Wine Tourism unit in the chateau. People were finally able to visit an “inaccessible” Grand Cru Classé chateau and taste their wine.
A German-speaking colleague and I were asked to develop new offers that would enchant visitors from all over the world. We launched vertical tastings in the historical buildings, lunches and dinners in the château lounges (that was my job), extended tours in the vineyard to discover sustainable viticulture with the use of modern equipment, cheese or chocolate/wine pairings, harvest lunches with the grape pickers, among other experiences.
The number of visitors per year went from 1523 in 2009, to 4252 in 2011 and 9000 in 2019.
Along with châteaux Kirwan and Giscours, Château Gruaud Larose was quite the model for other Médoc châteaux. As a result, wine tourism has developed steadily in 12 years. Restaurants that were hard to find in the rural Médoc in 2009 now have a raison d’être and there are some wonderful places to discover.
In 2016, a genuine visitors’ centre was designed in the corner of the Château Gruaud Larose park where it did not conflict with the 18th and 19th century buildings. A substantial modern tower was designed to offer visitors the unobstructed view of the Saint-Julien appellation. The tower is metallic and perceptible from a distance, so, expectedly, it created a bit of a buzz in the classic Médoc, but in the end, everybody succumbs to the view. Château Gruaud Larose is still one of my absolute go-to châteaux.
The New Tower – Photo Credit: Chateau Gruaud Larose
One of my all-time favourite wines is the Château Gruaud Larose 1996. It reflects the “old style” Médoc wines that needed long cellaring. The colour is still dark with a tawny rim. The nose – oh! the nose! – shows well integrated aromas of dark fruit, spices, leather, with a wonderful presence of candied orange peel and rose petals. The wine is beautifully balanced with ripe fruit, elegant, silky tannins and a lovely fresh and lingering finish.
After four years at Chateau Gruaud Larose, followed by two more châteaux in different Bordeaux appellations, I was ready to create my own company “B for Bordeaux” in 2018. I set up private customized wine tours for small groups and it’s one of the best decisions I have ever made. It combines so many of my favourite things: meeting people, communication, passing on information, languages, architecture, nature, wine from the whole Bordeaux region… everything I love!
If you are looking for a wine tour in Bordeaux, please get in touch with me by clicking here. I would be very happy to guide you!”
Thank you, Berit! I’ll see you in Bordeaux!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
Xtine
Berit Simonsen