For many people, especially outside France, Bordeaux is synonymous with wine. But this city whose name is inscribed on thousands of bottles does not actually have any large vineyards within its boundaries. I have a few places wher…

Actually, I only drink water. But this presents no problem and does not prevent me appreciating the history of its wines, the multifarious  vineyard landscapes nor from trying to understand all that is happening in this field of w…

Salies-de-Béarn, a small town in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques is not a million miles from Bordeaux, and at the end of the journey there is the discovery of an unanticipated setting, the discreet charm of a spa town and an atmosphere a…