03-28-2008, 02:16 PM
The 2008 Bordeaux Wine Festival will take place from the 26th to the 29th of June on the quays of the left bank of the Garonne River, from the Pont de Pierre to the Bourse Maritime.
![[Image: BordeauxWineFestival.350.jpg]](http://www.food-e-matters.com/images/BordeauxWineFestival.350.jpg)
The Bordeaux Town Hall and the Tourist Office present visitors this new change of setting to mark the tenth anniversary of the Festival. Lovers of wine, food, festivity and culture are invited from all over the world to share these celebrations in the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Saint Petersburg, guest of honour
The city of Saint Petersburg will be the guest of honour at the 2008 Bordeaux Wine Festival, following in the footsteps of Oporto, Munich, and Fukuoka. A pavilion will be devoted to this city, with which Bordeaux has developed numerous exchanges in the fields of aerospace, scientific research, language, education, art and culture.
Furthermore, Russia is the 15th largest export market for Bordeaux wine and has a strong growth potential.
A Wine Road between the river and XVIIIth-Century façades
Thanks to a TASTING PASS (costing 13 Euros, which includes a glass, glass case, tasting notebook and numerous tickets with special offers), visitors can, at their own pace, explore the rich diversity and quality of wines from Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region at the new Pavillon des Appellations and Pavillon des Négociants.
There is also a new DUO PASS this year. For an additional 3 Euros, visitors can have an extra glass and glass case to share this unforgettable event with a friend or partner.
Musucal performances
The Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra (conducted by the talented Kwamé Ryan) and the Bordeaux Opera Choir will open the festival with a concert on the 26th June. The musicians and singers will perform Carmina Burana on Place de la Bourse.
For the first time, there will also be a ‘son et lumière’ show on the 27th, 28th, and 29th June: accompanied by music, giant images will be projected onto the Palais Gabriel.
The Port de la Lune will be illuminated as a different firework display brings the end of each evening to a brightly-coloured close.
Numerous wine-related special events
Placing special emphasis on matching food and wine, the six restaurants at BORDO’MUNDO will be open on the banks of the Garonne starting on the 20th June.
A parade of Confrèries (Wine Brotherhoods), the giant Banquet de Bacchus and barrel rolling competitions will constitute other highlights of the festival.
For those who wish to go on a tour of the wine country, a VINEYARD PASS costing 70 Euros provides an excellent opportunity to visit three Châteaux or estates on the same day with a tour guide (nine different itineraries).
NOTES TO EDITORS
Please see the APPENDIX for full details concerning all of the events and passes mentioned here.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT ‘BORDEAUX FETE LE VIN’
The ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ site is open to the public between 11am and midnight from Thursday 26th June to Sunday 29th June. Entry is free.
A FEW IDEAS FOR A STAY:
The ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ package deal, offered by the Bordeaux Tourist Office, includes:
- A two nights in a double room in a 2, 3 or 4-star hotel
- A tasting pass (including 13 tastings and other services)
- A meal at Bordo Mundo
- A vineyard pass
- A free access card (available on request) valid for 2 days for the urban public transport network
- A guided tour of the city
- A free access card for the main sites, monuments and museums.
Price per person: €185 for a 2-star hotel, €225 for a 3-star hotel, €300 for a 4-star hotel. Bordeaux travel agents also offer all-inclusive packages for ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’; information on www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com.
Recap of 2006
In 2006, ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ was host to almost 300,000 visitors hailing from every region of France and around twenty countries. 200 French and foreign journalists received accreditation and covered the event. 30,000 Tasting PASS cards were sold, over 2000 wine-lovers attended the workshops set up by the ‘École du Vin’ and over 400,000 tastings were organized.
‘BORDEAUX FETE LE VIN’, an initiative of Bordeaux Town Hall, with the support of the C.I.V.B., the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry or ‘CCI’, and the participation of partners, both public (The Bordeaux Urban Community or ‘CUB’, the Conseil Général de la Gironde, the Aquitaine Region) and private (Castel, Cordier Mestrezat, Ginestet, Casino Barrière, Cofinoga, Veolia, Suez, Sud Ouest…), is an event taking place under the aegis of the Bordeaux Tourist Office, and organized by ‘Bordeaux Grands Évènements.
APPENDIX
IN 2008, RENDEZ-VOUS…
WITH WINE
The Confréries (Wine Brotherhoods) parade, the giant banquet of Bacchus (Saturday 28th June), the barrel rollers’ race, the activities organized by the city of Saint Petersburg… the Master Class given by the Union des Grands Crus (on the morning of Saturday 28th June – Salons of the Chamber of Commerce)
WITH AROMAS AND FLAVOURS
How do you recognise the aromas of Bordeaux wines? How do you read a label? How do you taste and serve wines? The bilingual wine workshops organised by the Inter-professional Council of Bordeaux wine (C.I.V.B.) will answer these and many other questions in half-hour sessions organised by an oenologist. (From 26th to 29th June - 4 half-hour sessions per day – free with the Tasting Pass (PASS Dégustations)
WITH MUSIC AND LIGHT
Opening concert, Carmina Burana, performed by the Bordeaux Aquitaine Symphony Orchestra and the Choirs of Bordeaux, conducted by Kwamé RYAN: Thursday 26th June at 9 pm – Place de la Bourse (Duration: 1 h 30)
Son et lumière: Friday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June at 10.30 pm
Fireworks, Thursday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June at 11 pm
SOLO PASS or DUO PASS ?
The TASTING PASS (€13), valid for all four days, will be available for purchase at the entry point of the site, and from May at the Bordeaux Tourist Office. Including one INAO glass and a booklet of 11 tasting tickets, it entitles pass holders to tastings at:
- The Appellations Pavilion (Bordeaux – Bordeaux Supérieur)
- Blancs d’Or (sweet white Bordeaux wines)
- Blancs secs de Bordeaux (dry white Bordeaux wines)
- Côtes de Bordeaux
- Médoc and Graves
- Saint-Emilion-Pomerol-Fronsac
- The Pavillons Millésimes (“Vintage Pavilionsâ€) (Castel, Cordier Mesterzat, Ginestet).
The new feature: the DUO PASS enabling two people to make the most of the tasting pass (includes two glasses and a booklet – €16).
And for the experienced tasters: one “dégustation +†ticket which entitles the holder to five additional tastings (€5).
The VINEYARD PASS – five different excursions will be on offer between Thursday and Sunday for the following destinations: Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Graves-Sauternes; these are sites of special interest represented by the ‘Best Ofs’ in wine tourism. On Saturday 2nd two additional excursions are on offer: Entre-deux-Mers and Bergerac. On Sunday there will be excursions to the Haute-Gironde and the vineyards of Duras and of the Marmande area.
(Departure from the place des Quinconces between 9 and 10 am depending on the destinations – guided luxury bus tour including three visits of properties with tasting and lunch basket)
(From 26th June to 29th June – €70 /person). With the tasting pass: €80
TO HAVE A BITE TO EAT: BORDO MUNDO
How best to appreciate wines if not by subtly combining them with food? From 20th to 29th June, six appellations and wine merchants (Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur, Entre-deux-Mers, Pessac-Léognan, Côtes de Bordeaux…) will be host to epicureans along the Garonne river to enable them to taste amazing flavours.
The Bordeaux Town Hall and the Tourist Office present visitors this new change of setting to mark the tenth anniversary of the Festival. Lovers of wine, food, festivity and culture are invited from all over the world to share these celebrations in the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Saint Petersburg, guest of honour
The city of Saint Petersburg will be the guest of honour at the 2008 Bordeaux Wine Festival, following in the footsteps of Oporto, Munich, and Fukuoka. A pavilion will be devoted to this city, with which Bordeaux has developed numerous exchanges in the fields of aerospace, scientific research, language, education, art and culture.
Furthermore, Russia is the 15th largest export market for Bordeaux wine and has a strong growth potential.
A Wine Road between the river and XVIIIth-Century façades
Thanks to a TASTING PASS (costing 13 Euros, which includes a glass, glass case, tasting notebook and numerous tickets with special offers), visitors can, at their own pace, explore the rich diversity and quality of wines from Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region at the new Pavillon des Appellations and Pavillon des Négociants.
There is also a new DUO PASS this year. For an additional 3 Euros, visitors can have an extra glass and glass case to share this unforgettable event with a friend or partner.
Musucal performances
The Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra (conducted by the talented Kwamé Ryan) and the Bordeaux Opera Choir will open the festival with a concert on the 26th June. The musicians and singers will perform Carmina Burana on Place de la Bourse.
For the first time, there will also be a ‘son et lumière’ show on the 27th, 28th, and 29th June: accompanied by music, giant images will be projected onto the Palais Gabriel.
The Port de la Lune will be illuminated as a different firework display brings the end of each evening to a brightly-coloured close.
Numerous wine-related special events
Placing special emphasis on matching food and wine, the six restaurants at BORDO’MUNDO will be open on the banks of the Garonne starting on the 20th June.
A parade of Confrèries (Wine Brotherhoods), the giant Banquet de Bacchus and barrel rolling competitions will constitute other highlights of the festival.
For those who wish to go on a tour of the wine country, a VINEYARD PASS costing 70 Euros provides an excellent opportunity to visit three Châteaux or estates on the same day with a tour guide (nine different itineraries).
NOTES TO EDITORS
Please see the APPENDIX for full details concerning all of the events and passes mentioned here.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT ‘BORDEAUX FETE LE VIN’
The ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ site is open to the public between 11am and midnight from Thursday 26th June to Sunday 29th June. Entry is free.
A FEW IDEAS FOR A STAY:
The ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ package deal, offered by the Bordeaux Tourist Office, includes:
- A two nights in a double room in a 2, 3 or 4-star hotel
- A tasting pass (including 13 tastings and other services)
- A meal at Bordo Mundo
- A vineyard pass
- A free access card (available on request) valid for 2 days for the urban public transport network
- A guided tour of the city
- A free access card for the main sites, monuments and museums.
Price per person: €185 for a 2-star hotel, €225 for a 3-star hotel, €300 for a 4-star hotel. Bordeaux travel agents also offer all-inclusive packages for ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’; information on www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com.
Recap of 2006
In 2006, ‘BORDEAUX FÊTE LE VIN’ was host to almost 300,000 visitors hailing from every region of France and around twenty countries. 200 French and foreign journalists received accreditation and covered the event. 30,000 Tasting PASS cards were sold, over 2000 wine-lovers attended the workshops set up by the ‘École du Vin’ and over 400,000 tastings were organized.
‘BORDEAUX FETE LE VIN’, an initiative of Bordeaux Town Hall, with the support of the C.I.V.B., the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry or ‘CCI’, and the participation of partners, both public (The Bordeaux Urban Community or ‘CUB’, the Conseil Général de la Gironde, the Aquitaine Region) and private (Castel, Cordier Mestrezat, Ginestet, Casino Barrière, Cofinoga, Veolia, Suez, Sud Ouest…), is an event taking place under the aegis of the Bordeaux Tourist Office, and organized by ‘Bordeaux Grands Évènements.
APPENDIX
IN 2008, RENDEZ-VOUS…
WITH WINE
The Confréries (Wine Brotherhoods) parade, the giant banquet of Bacchus (Saturday 28th June), the barrel rollers’ race, the activities organized by the city of Saint Petersburg… the Master Class given by the Union des Grands Crus (on the morning of Saturday 28th June – Salons of the Chamber of Commerce)
WITH AROMAS AND FLAVOURS
How do you recognise the aromas of Bordeaux wines? How do you read a label? How do you taste and serve wines? The bilingual wine workshops organised by the Inter-professional Council of Bordeaux wine (C.I.V.B.) will answer these and many other questions in half-hour sessions organised by an oenologist. (From 26th to 29th June - 4 half-hour sessions per day – free with the Tasting Pass (PASS Dégustations)
WITH MUSIC AND LIGHT
Opening concert, Carmina Burana, performed by the Bordeaux Aquitaine Symphony Orchestra and the Choirs of Bordeaux, conducted by Kwamé RYAN: Thursday 26th June at 9 pm – Place de la Bourse (Duration: 1 h 30)
Son et lumière: Friday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June at 10.30 pm
Fireworks, Thursday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June at 11 pm
SOLO PASS or DUO PASS ?
The TASTING PASS (€13), valid for all four days, will be available for purchase at the entry point of the site, and from May at the Bordeaux Tourist Office. Including one INAO glass and a booklet of 11 tasting tickets, it entitles pass holders to tastings at:
- The Appellations Pavilion (Bordeaux – Bordeaux Supérieur)
- Blancs d’Or (sweet white Bordeaux wines)
- Blancs secs de Bordeaux (dry white Bordeaux wines)
- Côtes de Bordeaux
- Médoc and Graves
- Saint-Emilion-Pomerol-Fronsac
- The Pavillons Millésimes (“Vintage Pavilionsâ€) (Castel, Cordier Mesterzat, Ginestet).
The new feature: the DUO PASS enabling two people to make the most of the tasting pass (includes two glasses and a booklet – €16).
And for the experienced tasters: one “dégustation +†ticket which entitles the holder to five additional tastings (€5).
The VINEYARD PASS – five different excursions will be on offer between Thursday and Sunday for the following destinations: Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Graves-Sauternes; these are sites of special interest represented by the ‘Best Ofs’ in wine tourism. On Saturday 2nd two additional excursions are on offer: Entre-deux-Mers and Bergerac. On Sunday there will be excursions to the Haute-Gironde and the vineyards of Duras and of the Marmande area.
(Departure from the place des Quinconces between 9 and 10 am depending on the destinations – guided luxury bus tour including three visits of properties with tasting and lunch basket)
(From 26th June to 29th June – €70 /person). With the tasting pass: €80
TO HAVE A BITE TO EAT: BORDO MUNDO
How best to appreciate wines if not by subtly combining them with food? From 20th to 29th June, six appellations and wine merchants (Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur, Entre-deux-Mers, Pessac-Léognan, Côtes de Bordeaux…) will be host to epicureans along the Garonne river to enable them to taste amazing flavours.