Wine Accomodation in Saint Emilion

Tasting & enjoying... in Saint Emilion

A world Heritage location, the history of Saint Emilion is full of interesting stories and facts. Saint Emilion profited from being a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago. One of the most attractive things in Saint Emilion is the vineyard: not only it offers a beautiful picture surrounding the town, but it is a great example of a vineyard that has remained as it was in the middle ages. Very little has changed and traces of modern world are not to be found in the area… Romans built rich villas in the area, surrounded by vineyards we can also imagine. Christian monasteries date back to the 7th Century and the most important story of Saint Emilion, the Legend of Emilian, the monk, dates back to the 8th Century.

The legend says Emilian lived a eremitic life, and his deeds and miracles attracted companions that all lived following his example. The outcome of such way of life led to the construction of the impressive monolithic church of Saint Emilion. The XVIII century witnessed an important increase in wine commerce from the Netherlands. As it was the case with Bordeaux wines in general, their capacity to age and not to become vinegar after long boat trips implied an increase in demand. Despite Roman viticulture, followed by production on Monasteries or the very important growth of commerce, the creation of a Saint Emilion AOC (Appelation de origin controlle) dates back to “only” 1938. During your stay in Saint Emilion (we urge you to use one of the recommended wine hotels here) you will hear a lot about the difference in terroir between the plateau and the cotes. The plateau is rich in limestone, with the cotes including clay. Once you are in Saint Emilion it will be very easy for you to understand what the plateau refers to, since the geography is too obvious here. There are wine estates with vineyards in both areas. Saint Emilion is a place for Merlot, and wines here are meant to be less tannic than in Medoc, despite some critics have highlighted that some properties, specially tose with very small production and yield per hectare, have a tendency to look for over-extraction, which basically means that wines become very tannic maybe in detriment of acidity.

Saint Emilion and beyond...

A very advisable thing to do in Saint Emilion is to hire a bicycle and ride next to the vineyards: the amount of famous chateaux is concentrated in a very affordable distance: Chateau Cheval Blanc, Figeac, Magdelaine, Canon-La-Gaffeliere, Ausone…

Being in Saint Emilion, it becomes clear soon than there is wine everywhere, not just in Saint Emilion itself. Pomerol is not to be compared to Saint Emilion as a touristic destination, but its wines are among the most famous wines in Bordeaux: did you hear of Chateau Petrus maybe?

Well, it is to be found here, as well as others like, Chateau Le Pin, Latour a Pomerol or L Evangile. Merlot also reigns in Pomerol. Most wines mentioned here are of high to very high prices and we recommend you are careful with bargains and inexpensive wines from Saint Emilion. If you want to try affordable, and good value for money, you are more likely to find it in Cotes de Castillon for instance, an appellation near Saint Emilion where value for money is meant to be higher.

One of the best things about Saint Emilion town is the enormous amount of restaurants you will find. There are restaurants for all budgets, and normally up to 3 different menus can be found, from more affordable to more expensive. Good deals can be found specially at lunch time, and for dinners you could eventually enjoy the restaurants at the wine hotels recommended in this small guide.