Tour de France

[wtbell]

The Tour de France begins this weekend and one of the things that I've looked for on the Internet but have not found is a guide to the wines one might encounter during the various stages.

While I could not possible race with Lance Armstrong and others, I might be able to drink what they may be served at the end of a given stage.

Has anyone come across information on the wines grown along the way of the various stages of this race?

[Boris_A]

Today is "Prologue" (6 km time trial) in Liège, Belgium, so we are rather in for a beer. Afterwards, the Tour stays in the northwestern part of France, so there are still no regional wine bottles to uncork.

You'll have to wait until mid-week when the Tour crosses the valley of the Loire. But what a range of different, great wines and a spectrum to choose from you will find there.

Next weekend, the stages reach the Normandie and the Bretagne, therefore this will be rather a weekend for cidre than wine.

Edited July 3, 2004 by Boris_A (log)

[Brad Ballinger]

I know that one of the arrival towns (and site of a rest day) is Nimes. So certainly a Costieres de Nimes wine is in order when the TDF arrives there.

[Boris_A]

The most promising "AOC wine" stages of Le Tour 2004:

9/7, stage 6, Bonnevals - Angers; Loire Valley AOCs, notably Savennières, Coulée de Serrant, Roche aux Moines, Quarts de Chaume, Coteaux de Layon, Anjou.

15/7, stage 11, Saint-Flour - Figeac; Cahors AOC.

16/7, stage 12, Castelsarrasin - La Mongie (the first ascension arrival); Côtes de Gascogne AOC

18/7, stage 14, Carcassonne - Nîmes; Languedoc AOCs, notably Minervois, St.-Chinian, Coteaux du Languedoc, Costières de Nîmes as mentioned by Brad

20/7, stage 15, Valréas - Villard-de-Lans; Southern Rhône AOCs, notably Côtes du Rhône (and -Villages), Côtes du Tricastin, Clairette de Die

21/1, stage 16, Bourg d' Oisans-L'Alpe d'Huez (time trial); Savoie AOC

24/7, stage 19, Besançon - Besançon (decisive time trial); Jura AOCs. A "Jura Vin Jaune" could be the obviuos choice here.

25/7, stage 20, Montereau - Paris (Champs-Elysées); Le Tour scratches the Champagne AOC. It's the final stage, so if your favourite is riding in yelllow today, it's not unapporpriate to uncork a bottle of Champaign. If the winner sets the record of a sixth win, maybe even something like a Grandes Années

Edited July 6, 2004 by Boris_A (log)

[Marco_Polo]

The most promising "AOC wine" stages of Le Tour 2004:

Exellent precís, Boris! I'm glad others are looking forward to the TdF as much as I am. And wine drinking is very much a part of the experience: I get together with my cycling chums most evenings (but not until the second week when the phony war is over) to watch the highlights (definitely Ligget not Duffield) over a bottle of wine or two or three. I will definitely bear your suggestions in mind as it will add that certain je ne sais quoi.

MP