The culture and the history of Aquitaine, in the south west of France, owes much to the Celts. When touring by caravan in France and exploring the region of Aquitaine, you will come across Roman churches and monuments dating back further still, bearing ancient celtic and druidic symbols. Aquitaine was at the epicentre of the numerous conflicts between France and England that span centuries.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was once queen of France when married to Louis VII but became the queen of England when that marriage was annulled and she married Henry II just two years later in 1154: proof, as if it were needed of the tumultuous relationship of the cross channel neighbour. In fact it wasn't until the end of the hundred years war in 1453 that Aquitaine became finally and indelibly French.
Despite this rich history and the wonderful gastronomic delights that await visitors to the region, Aquitaine is relatively unspoilt by the tourist hordes. The long white beaches and forests carved out with cycling and hiking routes, skiing and the scenic lakes means this region can endlessly entertain the whole family if you're planning a longer break. "Playful" isn't necessarily a word you could use to describe many philosophers but is quite opposite when it comes to Bordeaux thinker Michele de Montaigne, whose great work, essais, contained the famous tract on "The Art of Living" taken as law by many a French man and woman and Francophile alike.
In just five departments Aquitaine is the showcase of all that's great in French wine and gastronomy. Drive through the regions and you will feel as though you are not so much reading road signs as a great restaurant's wine list. There's Bergerac, C?tes de Bergerac, Rosette, Pécharmant, Monbazillac, Montravel and Monbazillac in the Dordogne départment alone. However the region's largest wine producing area is Gironde. Gironde is the birth place of Barsac, Cadillac, Médoc, Saint-Emilion and Sauterne to name but a very few. It's most famous wines take the name of Aquitaine's capital: Bordeaux. With perhaps the most famous vigniers in the world such as Rothschild, Petrus and Margaux quality is beyond question.
Cheese and wine go hand in glove in France and the region of Aquitaine produces cheeses every bit as good and distinctive as their wines. Cheeses made from ewe's milk are a speciality of the region and include Ossau-Iraty which is produced in the Pyrenean valleys. This medium soft cheese has an edible rind and a delicate pale yellow colour. Flavour wise it is subtle but complex with a rich nutty flavour without being at all sweet.
The nuns of the convent that was formerly a trappist monastery near the village of Forêt de la Double in the Dordogne produce the exquisite cows' milk cheese Trappe Echourgnac. The dark brown rind is the result of the cheese being washed in nut liquor which lends it a certain fruitiness that makes it a delicious accompaniment to regions nuts and prunes.
We've had ewe's milk and cow's milk but the goats of Aquitaine are not to be outdone! Cabécou is a soft goats' milk cheese produced in the Lot-et-Garonne area. Its rind is exceptionally thin and within a fortnight grows a blue mould that contrasts beautifully with this otherwise sweet and creamy cheese.
While in the Lot-et-Garonne area, why not partake of its famous apple tourtière - a pork pie baked with spices apples or apple chutney inside. Delicious hot or cold this would be the perfect lunch box treat on any of the Aquitaine wine tours (more on those later).
Landes pastis is a sweet cake sometimes infused with orange blossom water that can be eaten alone, with cream or with fruit - a wonderful little friend to take on your travels. For an even sweeter treat try the Bordeaux speciality, canelé. Like Landes patis, this is a doughy cake not unlike brioche in texture but with a dark brown caramelised coat and a creamy custard centre. According to local folk lore the canelé was invented as soon as flour reached the quays of Aquitaine though more likely is that they are an eighteenth century invention of local nuns. So popular were these delicacies and such artistry involved in their production that in 1663 there was a guild of Canauliers registered with the Parliament of Bordeaux. Oh, and should you fancy a crème brulèe you'll find this dessert which is Aquitaine in origin on the menus of all good restaurants.
Traditional and world renowned French delicacies are on the menu in Aquitaine which prides itself on its excellent pates especially the archetypical pate de fois grois - goose liver pate. The very heartiest of soups and stews, garbure is native to Aquitaine. This thick and heavy cabbage soup al women's jackets so contains salted meats and beans. Traditionally, this soup is made with goose stock and is found as a main course dish it is so satisfying. Veal piperade, that is a stew or sauce made of locally grown peppers or axoa, veal minced and stewed in onion and spices are traditional dishes in the region.
As well as the veal and beef produced in the region Aquitaine offer fine specimens of foul, again a soup, Pot au poule is a firm favourite in the region and local caught fish and seafood is as fresh as it gets. Love them or loathe them during your time in Aquitaine you'll be hard pressed to avoid oysters and all the myths and superstitions that surround their production and consumption. Did you know that you are supposed to avoid oysters and other closed shell sea food such as mussels if there is no "R" in the month? Well, supposedly so. These Summer months, June, July and August are these delicious sea creatures' spawning period.
Aquitaine Wine Routes
It is more than fair to say that Bergerac, in the Dordogne, is the beating heart of the Purple Périgord and is a popular starting point for wine tours taking in the other appellations of the area Montravel, Haut-Montravel, Pécharmant, Rosette and Saussignac. There are three signposted routes you can take from Bergerac ranging between 80 and 150 kilometres in length and collectively encompassing more than a hundred ch?teaux all of which have signed up to the Aquitaine "welcome charter."
Before heading off, visit Bergerac's Maison des Vins. Tasting wines here is an education - an award winning education as the Maison des Vins de Bergerac won, in 2005, a Best of Wine Tourism award. At Sauterne and Montbazillac you can sample some of the best semillon wines France produces and they only get better with age.
For real variety and a little bit of everything that Bordeaux has on offer take the D2 road. You will pass quaint, typically French half timbered homes and grand ch?teaux alike as you stop to sample the wines of Médoc, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac and Saint Estèphe.
Which way you wish to tackle such an onerous task as tasting your way around Bordeaux's wine routes will depend very much on how much exercise you want to get in between tastings! There is a famous (and signposted) hillside wine route which will take you through the Gironde estaury, the ch?teaux route which includes Médoc, Ch?teau Margaux, Latour, Mouton-Rothschild the latter two each having their own wine museum. The Heritage route has something for everyone - hillsides, ch?teaux, wind mills and plenty of excellent wine.
There are various other routes to choose from depending on the mix of wines, history and landscapes you might be seeking. These routes include including the graves route that encompasses Maison du Vin des Graves in Podensac and Sauterne. You might prefer the Bastides Route, which is a show case for much of the region's most grand and opulent architecture as well as taking in Entre-deux-Mers, producer of fine reds and roses. Perhaps the best approach is to visit the local tourist office and draw up one of your very own that encompasses not just your taste in wine but intersperses cellar visits and tastings with educational tours and a real insight into the landscape and wonderful variety of architecture the region has to show.
