Celebrating the Wine Tradition in Bordeaux

Bordeaux, a region in France that's become synonymous with red wine, is ready to welcome 700,000 visitors this June at its biennial Bordeaux Wine Festival. To mark the event's 10-year anniversary, oodles of activities will keep wine lovers exquisitely entertained.

A two-kilometer "wine trail" along the Garonne River waterfront is the heart of the festival. The basic Tasting Pass consists of a wine glass and 14 tickets exchangeable for pours of one's choice. A Vineyard Pass will get you whisked off on a tour of Bordeaux's wine-producing chateaus, while the 1855 Passport gains connoisseurs entry into prestigious tastings at the Palais de la Bourse. There are also down-to-earth tasting workshops courtesy of the Bordeaux Wine School, art exhibits, music concerts, barrel-rolling competitions and even tours of a tall ship. As evening falls, a nightly sound-and-light show will be followed by fireworks.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman soldiers brought wine grapes to Bordeaux, where the plants thrived in the region's favorable soil and climate. Bordeaux's annual output is roughly 800 million wine bottles, and it is described as "the largest quality wine district in the world." It's a well-deserved reputation built over centuries by dedicated winemakers.

波爾多紅酒節：歡慶葡萄酒文化

已是葡萄酒同義詞的波爾多，為法國的一個地區，它準備好在六月──兩年一度的波爾多紅酒節──迎接七十萬名訪客。為慶祝這個盛事的第十周年，將有許多活動精心款待葡萄酒的愛好者們。
沿著加隆河岸一條兩公里長的「葡萄酒徑」是慶典的核心。基本的試酒證包含一個葡萄酒杯和十四張可依喜好任選的葡萄酒兌換券。葡萄酒莊通行證能帶你快速遊覽波爾多的產酒古堡，而 1855 年護照則讓行家能到證券交易所大廈參加極負盛名的品酒會。還有波爾多葡萄酒學院提供的實務品酒工作坊，以及藝術展覽、音樂會、滾酒桶競賽，甚至是傳統高桅帆船遊覽。夜幕低垂時，晚間聲光秀會和煙火秀相繼上演。
近兩千年前，羅馬士兵把製酒的葡萄帶到波爾多，這些植物因此區適宜的土壤和氣候而茁壯生長。波爾多每年產出約八億瓶酒，被譽為「世界最大的優質葡萄酒產區」。這樣的美譽是辛勤的製酒工人花了好幾世紀建立起來的，當然實至名歸。