Bordeaux in Texas (Thankful List Day 29)

Considering that the French have a fragile relationship with the US, I was surprised that the Union des Grands Crus of Bordeaux decided to include Dallas in their four-city tour/meet-and-greet, 2006 vintage tasting. It was their last stop, after San Francisco, New York and Chicago - three of the largest wine-consuming cities in the States.

It was indeed a grand event, held at the Dallas Frontiers of Flight Museum, no less. It felt very surreal for me, probably because of the venue, and the fact that I'd not been to a proper wine tasting for a while, let alone one of this stature.

By the time I got there, Jon was already thick in the midst of sniffing, swishing and spitting...wine, that is. One has to spit if tasting professionally. Otherwise, you'd be drunk as a skunk after your tenth glass. I roamed around, feeling a little intimidated by the crowd, and not really knowing where to start. After warming up with some assortment of cheese and crackers, I decided to dive straight into my favourite châteaus beginning with Château Angelus from the Saint Emilion region, and then moved forth onto the other superb wines - Troplong Mondot, Pape Clément, d'Angludet, (and managed to squeeze the last few drops from Lynch-Bages), just to name a few.

What was really exciting was that this was no ordinary wine tasting - we got to meet with the actual winemakers or château owners or family members. Ah, to feel the excitement and soul exuding from both the wine, and the stories that were shared; the passion in the winemaker's voice as he enthusiastically recites anecdotes about that particular year's harvest. Now, that was worth braving rush hour traffic for.

Jon and I had a marvelous time and in truth, this may be the last great wine tasting we'll both get to enjoy for a while. And so, I thank the Bordeaux Union for this excellent opportunity.

À votre santé!