Sauternes, France
- Amaris Scipione
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
I slept so well last night, and I’m rested for another wonderful day in France. Most excursions are included with Avalon Waterways and today I’m experiencing the Sauternes Vineyard and Tasting at a Local Wine Estate. I thought we would sail to Sauternes, but we take a bus and it’s about an hour away. Our guide is from Bordeaux and does an excellent job talking about the city on our way to the winery.
The winery is picturesque with miles and miles of vineyards and the cutest buildings that make up the winery. It is called Château Sigalas-Rabaud. We are shown each of the rooms such as the room where they press the grapes, the room with all the barrels of wine, and of course the tasting room. The barrel room is the most visually appealing, but the tasting room is the one that is the most fun! We are given three samples of wine and there is cheese that we can pair with our wine. The tasting is a nice end to the tour.
We return to the ship and it’s time for lunch! There is a nice selection at the buffet, and I enjoy beef bourguignon and orange glazed carrots which were both delicious. We had time to watch the river sail by as we relaxed in our cabin and then it was time for our second round of wine tasting.
A sommelier boarded our ship for a Bordeaux wine tasting. I wasn’t going to attend at first and decided last-minute to join. I walked in right as the wine tasting started and tried to quietly slip into a seat. I tripped on my way to the seat causing a cascade of wine glasses and the most graceful entrance ever. This is what happens when someone that normally doesn’t drink goes to two wine tastings in one day. This wine tasting was much more about how to wine taste. We learned about swirling the glass and tipping it against a white napkin to check the color. She also talked about the different regions in Bordeaux and how the land composition on each side of the river changes the wine. They really know about wine in this city, and it may be the best place to visit for those that really love wine.
Soon enough it was happy hour and the drinking continued. There are cocktails, beer, and wine that is available for free during happy hour or you can order a premium cocktail or drink for 50% off. I opted for one of the specialty cocktails. I had the Cinema Espresso which included popcorn vodka, Amaretto Disaronno, Monin Salted Carmel, Espresso Cacao and it was delicious. It had a very strong flavor, but I enjoyed it.
Dinner tonight was exceptional. Many of my meals were modified for my allergy and it was done seamlessly. I gave my room number when I ordered and that alone is enough to tell the chefs my allergy. I had a salad which would have had a honey mustard dressing, but they gave me a special dressing which was safe for me. I also had the pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and finished the meal with cherry ice cream. The food was all exceptionally delicious!
We spend the evening at the back of the ship in the quiet lounge. We socialized and hung out. Our group was the only people back here, so it was nice to spend the time together. I love river cruising because there is a nice balance of being active and seeing sites, but also time to relax and unwind. This particular day involved a lot of alcohol, but it certainly doesn’t have to. We were docked in Bordeaux so you could choose to spend the time in the city. We are focused on trying all the things that Avalon offers which today happened to be a lot of alcohol. Tomorrow is an e-bike tour so it should round it out nicely.
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