Originally, we were going to combine the wine tasting in Saint-Emilion with the following information about the town itself. However, it just seemed like too much information for one article. So this article is a bit short but there is lots of food p*rn because we had three wonderful meals in town.
The Town of Saint-Emilion
On our first day of wine tasting on the right bank, we focused on Saint-Emilion, so seeing the town made sense. The only problem was that I barely left enough time between wine-tasting appointments for lunch in town and no time to visit the UNESCO World Heritage town. Therefore, we decided to make a special trip back over the river to Saint-Emilion for what turned out to be a third lunch and to check out the town.
A Little History
The Romans planted the original grapes in this area in the 2nd century AD. In the 8th century, Benedictine Monks arrived and revived the wine-growing region. The town of Saint-Emilion winds its way up a hill, which is always good for protection. Still, the town suffered extensive damage during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453). The main point of interest is the Saint-Emilion Monolithic Church, which is the largest monolithic church in Europe. It was built in the early 12th century and is partly subterranean. Today, you can see the ruins of the church and some other buildings from the same era.
Saint-Emilion has lots of history. Because the 16th century was peaceful, the people here could focus on developing agriculture and viticulture techniques. The 19th century was prosperous for Saint-Emilion. The wines from this region started capturing the attention of connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike. The growing demand fueled the local economy, revitalizing the vineyards and the town’s architecture and civic life. Today’s many châteaux owe their creation to this era.
Visiting the Town
On our first visit to Saint-Emilion, we entered the town from a parking area outside of the Brunet Gate. The view through the vineyards into the valley from here was spectacular. The town has preserved buildings and roads that are closed to all but residents. From anywhere in town you can see the church and another landmark, the King’s Tower.
When we returned to continue our investigation of the town, we visited the Cloister of Les Cordeliers, a former monastery. After that, we decided to check out the King’s Tower. You can’t go in it but there are beautiful views from that side of town. Finally, we wandered over to the famous monolithic church carved from a single piece of rock. Unfortunately, the monolithic church wasn’t open when we got there. So, we just wandered around soaking up the ancient buildings and streets.
What We Ate
Our original plan was to eat at Les Cordeliers but when we got there it didn’t look too interesting, so we kept walking. However, there were two interesting restaurants across from each other on the same street. One (Cosy Tourny) was fully booked for lunch and the other Le Table 38 had availability. After some research, we decided to book lunch at Cosy Tourny across the street for the second day we went wine tasting in the area. We returned a third day to extensively explore the town. At Le Table 38, Mike had a salad and the daily special, a pork dish, and I had glazed short rib.
The meal at Cosy Tourny was really excellent. Mike started with pumpkin soup and then had the scallops whereas I had a risotto with meat. We finished with a deconstructed mandarin orange tart, so good.
For our third visit to Saint-Emilion, we had lunch at Chai Pascal, also in the old town. Mike started with the squid with peppers and chorizo. Then we both had the fish of the day and we finished with a dessert they called “le citron”.
Overall, we felt the food and history made for a wonderful day trip during our stay in Bordeaux.
What would you do on your visit to Saint-Emilion?
