The famous French city of Bordeaux is located on the coast of South-West France, in the department of Gironde, and the Region of Aquitaine. In Bordeaux you will encounter the Bordelais (men of the city) and the Bordelaise (their lady counterparts). The city itself is traversed by the large and majestic River Garonne as it makes its way into the sea.

On a historical note, Bordeaux actually became an English town in the 12th century, following the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine, former wife of Louis VII. And the town remained thus for three centuries, becoming prosperous during the 13th century due to commerce with England. Its second period of prosperity began in the mid 17th century up until the French Revolution - due to the importance of its port for international commerce.

Because of its climate, Bordeaux is often considered to be a bit of a turning point, being both in the north and the south at one and the same time. And from her former English domination, the town has cultivated a certain composure, or class, and an air of cool professionalism with its regular trading with Hanse and Holland. From the period of Louis XIV the town has maintained a certain upright, aligned, classical style of architecture, which you encounter in the innumerable castles made of white stone.

But that’s not all there is to Bordeaux… beneath the sophisticated surface of professionalism lies a heart which beats to a rhythm altogether different… a Latin tempo. Doubtless this is due to its close proximity to Spain. And in this lies the other side of Bordeaux one given over to festivals and all manner of frivolity. You’ve been warned!

Returning to the weather, the climate of Bordeaux is Oceanic, such that there isn’t too much difference between summer and winter temperatures. This is due to the proximity to the sea. In general summers tend to be hot, but not overtly so, and the winters are normally quite mild without being too cold. The region does however succumb to its fair share of rainfall spread throughout the year, although droughts have been known to arise from time to time. However in Bordeaux, only one thing is a constant, and that’s the enduring popularity of its fine wines!

The left bank of the river Garonne, where the majority of the town is located, comprises wide, often marshy, plains; and although there are a few hills, the typical altitude is low. However these hills are ideal for viticulture. And in this, Bordeaux is a meeting place between the Medoc and Grave wines.

The other side of the Garonne, the right bank, is entirely different, and it is made up almost entirely of chalk. And it’s here that most of the world famous vineyards are located vineyards such as Pomerol, Fronsac and Saint Emilion famous around the world, not least for their expense.

Bordeaux is the world wine capital. In the Bordeaux region, a major wine grower will produce several wines, a number of them being amongst the most prestigious in the world, designated collectively as “Vins de Bordeaux”, or simply “Bordeaux”. Around Bordeaux there are in fact about 14000 wine producers with an annual production of about 700 million bottles. These are both white and red wines, the latter being the origin of the Bordeaux color.

And as for the local Bordeaux cuisine? Indeed Bordeaux cuisine, as the cuisine of the whole of the Gironde department, is justly celebrated throughout the country as one of the finrest local French cuisines. You won’t have to go far without savouring the delights of well-known regional dishes such as the local wood pigeon speciality, palombe, or dishes made from the equally famous cepe mushroom. Then of course there are the famous shallot sauces. All of this, obviously, needing to be accompanied by a fine Bordeaux wine!

And what to say about the famous little “canele”? A cake, speciality of Bordeaux, made of soft and tender pastry, perfumed with rum and vanilla, then covered with a thick caramel crust. The Bordeaux canele was given birth to by a convent in the 16th century, with the nuns gathering flour in boat stocks to make these little cakes for the poor. They are also delicious with a white wine. However they do have a tendency to soften the next day (that is if you haven’t eaten them already). However it’s just necessary to put them back in the oven for a few minutes, and they’ll be crusty once again!

But that’s not all… as for savouries, how about sampling the unusual lamproie fish. This fish in fact possesses neither backbone, jaws or scales in fact its more akin to a big eel… but delicious nevertheless. After that there’s always of course the famous snail sauce (sauce d’escargots), often going by its facetious local name of “truffe de Bordeaux”, or Bordeaux truffle. This sauce incorporates not only chocolate, but also grapes and a lacing of alcohol. Following on, you might also encounter the Aquitaine Tome cheese (made from goats milk and Sauterne wine). Then last, but of course not least, there is the ubiquitous “foie gras”, famous throughout South-West France.

So on that culinary note, I wish you a happy stay in the heart of Aquitaine and the famous city of Bordeaux, doubtless accompanied by all the savours and delights of this festive region in the company of your new friends, the Bordelais!