In northern Gironde, where the Isle River merges with the Dordogne, Libourne is a venerable bastide town with mythical wine labels in its backyard.
In medieval times the wine from Pomerol, Fronsac, and Saint-Émilion was brought to Libourne’s river harbor to be exported to England, the Netherlands and the Hanseatic trading cities. Now, Libourne is a great wine destination, with an incredible amount of châteaux nearby for tours, tasting, and purchasing. Also in the blend are bucolic landscapes, rich culture, loads of outdoor activities and the UNESCO city of Bordeaux only a brief drive away. Discover the best to do in Libourne.
[toc]
1. Château de Sales
The old wine estates around Libourne have the dual charm of world-class wine and centuries-old architecture. The Château de Sales, in the Pomerol appellation, has been in the same family for 500 years and remains an intimate operation to this day.
You’ll be welcomed to tour the sublime 17th-century property, gaining privileged insights about contemporary winemaking paired with exciting snippets of history. You’ll see the vat house, storehouse and the vineyard growing cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon grapes to make their silky smooth wines.
After getting to know this legacy and culture, you’ll be able to taste a selection of vintages in a matchless setting.
2. Saint-Émilion
No more than 10 minutes east of Libourne is the enchanting World Heritage town of Saint-Émilion. The name is already known far beyond France for its red wine, which despite being grown over a small area is very diverse due to the mix of limestone, sandy and clay soils.
But the beauty and history of the place will win your heart: Saint-Émilion is on a crag, mined for more than 1,000 years for its limestone. Some monuments were hewn straight from the rock, like the awesome monolithic church.
It’s the second-largest construction of its kind in the world and was built in the 11th century to store the relics of Saint-Émilion, the Breton hermit who was the first to settle here in the 8th century.
3. Château du Tailhas
Like the Château de Sales, this wine estate is run by a family. So you’ll receive a warm welcome and get eight decades of savoir-faire from the horse’s mouth. This is also a Pomerol winery with 11 hectares of vines and crafts its red wine from merlot, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon according to sustainable principles.
On an hour-long tour, you’ll be impressed by just how much of the process is done by hand, from picking to sorting and crushing. You’ll get to see most of the processing and storage equipment, being talked through the finer details on the way. And as you’d hope you can taste past vintages of this famously smooth wine.
4. Wine Tourism
We’ve dealt with the châteaux within a couple of minutes of Libourne. But the truth is that you could devote a whole holiday just to winery visits and tasting sessions. Libournais regional labels, such as Pomerol, Fronsac, Côtes de Vayres, and Côtes de Castillon.
These are household names, and they’re only the beginning. What makes the wine here so superior? Centuries of family-shared knowhow, a climate softened by the Atlantic and 2,000 years of viticulture in the very soil.
These qualities and many more place Libourne among the best places in the world to indulge your fascination for wine and winemaking.
5. Isle River Quays
You have to go down to the water on the River Isle in Libourne. Not so much because of what’s there now, but because of what this place represents. Libourne was founded in the 13th century to be the outlet for wines produced in the Dordogne Valley.
Therefore, at Quai des Salinières and Quai Souchet there is a large inland seaport, loading wine exported to England and the Hanseatic ports on the Baltic Sea. Go for a restorative walk under the shade of the plane trees, and see the imposing Tour du Grand Port, the last of the 13th-century defenses.
6. Musée des Beaux-Arts
For a small provincial town, Libourne has a large fund of Baroque paintings. That’s down to the many donations by wealthy benefactors and deposits by the state. Élie, duc Decazes, who was a one-time Minister of Police in the 1810s endowed the museum with its first collection of works.
Earlier, it built a large collection of Flemish and Italian Baroque paintings by artists such as Jacob Jordanens and Bartolomeo Manfredi. The 19th and 20th-century collections are also first-rate, with works by Foujita, Raoul Dufy, Rodin, and Libourne native René Princeteau. It’s all waiting for you on the second floor of Libourne’s town hall.
7. Libourne’s Water Mills
After the Hundred Years’ War, Libourne and its surroundings were in disarray and the region’s new lords decided to build dozens of flour mills as an economic stimulus. Because, with the Isle and Dordogne Rivers, there’s definitely no shortage of water power.
And while they started out grinding flour, when the Industrial Revolution came along many were transformed into steel and oil mills. Although most of these industries are long gone, these old buildings still contribute to Libourne’s character.
Two remain open to visitors: The refined Moulin d’Abzac is from the 1700s and holds the headquarters of the Abzac SA industrial group. While the Moulin de Porchères on the Isle is special because it has kept all of its flour milling machinery intact.
8. Lac des Dagueys
In the cooler seasons, you won’t be blamed for ignoring this body of water a couple of minutes up from Libourne. But when the sun’s out from the last weekend of May to September the lake takes center stage, most of all if you’re holidaying with little ones.
There’s a generous beach, supervised during the school holidays, and an inflatable adventure playground in the water that will get thumbs up from the kids. On land, there are yet more playgrounds for youngsters, along with beach volleyball and basketball courts.
In the water, you can hire a pedalo, canoe or kayak and paddle off to see what you can find around several kilometers of wooded shoreline.
9. Château de Vayres
Around a bend in the Dordogne River is a sumptuous waterside château with exquisite gardens.
The story of the castle is both complex and compelling: It was beefed up by a nobleman loyal to the English King Edward II in the 14th century, and a lot of these works are still visible in the moats, gate and keep.
After changing hands between the British and the French, the future king Henri IV stayed here in the 16th century, around the time it was updated in the current Renaissance style. But today, it has gardens as headlines, with boxwood and yew trees next to the English-style park.
There’s a stairway leading down from the château, and the scene of the parterres and river behind will stay with you long after you’ve left.
10. Place Abel Surchamp
Like most medieval bastide towns, Libourne has a grid system and is centered on the main square. This is Place Abel Surchamp, which is home to the town hall, built in the 1500s and remodeled at the start of the 20th century.
The Place Abel Surchamp remains a fixture in everyday life, as there is a large outdoor market here on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. It also has the trademark bastide arcades on all four sides, which now boast cafes and restaurants with tables that overflow onto the square.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Yaroslavl, Russia
from : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-libourne-708886.html
from Wiki Topx
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét