A Different Type of Exercise

Burgundy and Bordeaux France

After spending a week riding bicycles throughout Burgundy, we were energized from the activity and decided to seize the momentum a bit longer in Burgundy, and also further south, in Bordeaux.  Our bodies were primed and ready for the best that these two famed regions of France had to offer.

It is common knowledge that many muscles are activated when opening a bottle of wine.  The visual, taste and olfactory senses are engaged during the wine tasting process, the jaw, throat, and diaphragm are utilized, mental cognition is challenged. A recent study even found that consuming a glass of red wine has the same physical performance, heart function, and muscle strength benefits as working out for an hour in a gym. While difficult to believe, we thought this theory was worth a test, so we traded in our bikes for wine glasses, and commenced a different type of training. 

One of our most exciting and interesting endeavors since selling Berkeley East has been making our own wine.  We are currently on our third barrel and have become fascinated with the multitude of factors and decisions that impact the end product in the bottle.  And with nearly every visit to a winery we are introduced to something new or different, so we never tire of the activity.  Having the opportunity to see just a bit of two of the most renowned wine regions in the world was stimulating.

Burgundy, and Bordeaux share little in common, but for the fact that the wines from both areas command astronomical prices. The locations, climate, soil, restrictions, quantities, even the attitudes toward viniculture and wine production, couldn’t be more different. Our plan was to learn more about these classic titans of the worldwide wine industry, while touring some of France’s most beautiful, historic towns and cities; one can only taste so much wine.

We began our exploration of Burgundy wine while still traveling with the Backroads bike group.  While many companies offer wine tours on bicycles, we did not partake in any tasting until the daily rides were complete.  We took the approach to do one thing at a time, so we could do each of them well.

Our Backroads itinerary included tours and wine tastings at several Domaines (the Burgundian term for a winery estate). Riding through quiet villages and busy vineyards during the day, visiting historic Domaines and sampling amazing wines in the evening; it was a great combination.

The walled city of Beaune is considered the wine capital of Burgundy.  Some of the region’s largest and oldest wine cellars exist in the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city.  We wandered through caves from the 18^th century including one of Burgundy’s most prestigious wine houses that keeps millions of bottles underground, some of which have been allocated to family members based on birth year and are only consumed on special occasions.  Another presented a tunnel tour highlighting the different senses used in wine tasting. 

Once the bike riding ended, we continued to learn about Burgundy through the eyes of a local wine professional, seeing some enormous wine estates, and finding buried treasures beneath simple farmhouses. 

We heard stories of a rivalry between two billionaires, gobbling up the historic lands and adding them to their corporate collection of wineries.  In contrast, we also visited small Domaines that had been owned by a single family for generations; one of which uses concrete eggs for finishing wines after barrel aging. It seemed very odd, but the wines were delicious. 

Burgundy has more than 4,000 Domaines spread across some 74,000 acres, yet it is considered small in comparison to Bordeaux.  The Domaines have long-term (65-year) leases on a few rows of vines in many different villages, versus the huge vineyard expanses of Bordeaux.   Both Burgundy and Bordeaux still maintain a classification system set up during 1855; in Burgundy, a grand cru vineyard can be owned by several different producers, while in Bordeaux, the estate holds the grand cru status. 

The primary focus of wine in Burgundy is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Limestone soils, warm summers, cold winters, and plenty of rain produce wine with a lighter body, higher acidity, and lower alcohol content.  The main Bordeaux varietals of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon thrive in warm temperatures, are full bodied with lower acidity, and ripe fruit flavors. 

We were more familiar with Bordeaux wines than those from Burgundy and were a bit surprised that our palates adjusted quickly to the lighter styles.  And as we began to really enjoy the different Pinots and Chardonnays, fear crept in as we knew about the extremely high bottle costs.  Fortunately, we discovered many excellent affordable wines in Burgundy.

With our brief introduction to Burgundy complete, we took several trains to the city of Bordeaux to continue our vineyard exercise. While we had envisioned a quaint hamlet, we discovered a vibrant metropolis steeped in culture and history, with modern elements, and of course, wine.  

Situated in southwest France on the Garonne River, the region of Bordeaux is massive with some 287,000 acres, and 6,000 estates that produce nearly 700 million bottles of wine each year.  Again, we engaged the services of a local wine expert and spent three days trying to understand the complex region.

The Left and Right Banks of Bordeaux are two winemaking areas separated by an estuary and two rivers that form a shape like an upside down “Y”.  As their names imply, the Left Bank is on the left side, the Right Bank is on the right side, and the area in between is known as the ‘Entre-deux-Mers’, meaning “between two seas” but in this case it is the territory between the two rivers.

Although there are exceptions, Left Bank wines are typically Cabernet based, and Right Bank wines are predominantly Merlot, due to the soil and growing conditions. The region of Entre-Deux-Mers makes a variety of wines, hidden gems that in some cases are located right next to a premier vineyard but are not in the classification simply because they have the wrong zip code.  Their wines are not as famous, or in demand, but they are often great values. 

We visited Chateaus in each area of Bordeaux, explored famous villages like Saint-Emilion and Cadillac (pronounced kad-e-yak), dined in local establishments on French delicacies, all the while testing the concept that enjoying a glass of red wine is worth 60 minutes of weightlifting.

While each area was very different, they all were suffering the same fate from excessive rains causing mildew on the vines.  Many follow organic processes and do not use any pesticides.  Even those that do use chemicals were finding they were washed away before they could be of any benefit. Most were of the mind that the success of their harvest was simply at the mercy of the elements.

It was raining hard when we arrived at one Chateau, large wet dogs were eager to greet us, men were busy pounding cow horns against a wheelbarrow.  We learned that this was part of Biodynamic Preparation 500, which uses fresh cow manure packed into cow horns and buried in the ground during a specific moon cycle to create a kind of earth-charged natural fertilizer.  The organic matter is removed, dynamized with water and then sprayed on the soil.  Burying hundreds of cow horns full of poop seemed ridiculous, but apparently the biodynamic method is practiced by some of the most revered winemakers in the world, especially in France. 

We thrived on learning about unusual things at each stop.  We had never witnessed the classic racking technique which uses the light of a candle to assess the clarity of the wine. Nor had we ever seen glass vessels in place of barrels.

One winery created the first American-style wine club in the area.  Another had centuries-old caves with fake walls designed so the Nazis would not find, and steal, the wine.

By the time we finished our wine workouts in Burgundy and Bordeaux, we had seen some fantastic wineries and tasted some fabulous wines.  And we came to the conclusion that, while an exhausting process, this approach to fitness reaped excellent results, leaving us better prepared for our next stop on our 36-day, three-country extravaganza, Tuscany.