August 5, 2000 A Recent trip to southwest France and northwest (Basque) Spain By: Scott Chase My wife and I recently traveled to the Basque area of Spain and France and the Bergerac area of southwest France and we wanted to report on some wine and food attractions of those destinations. Bergerac lies along the Dordogne River directly east of Bordeaux and the Basque region is on either side of the Pyrenees (which is the border between France and Spain) and faces the Atlantic Coast. The French part of the Basque area is directly south of Bordeaux and both Bergerac and the French Basque area have their own wine appellations. Wine from both regions hold their own against less than grand cru wines from the Bordeaux area. For example, we tasted a 1997 Fongrenier-Stuart from the Razac-Saussignac district in Bergerac, which for the price (it’s available at Pogo’s locally for $10) easily beats many Bordeaux, in terms of structure and flavor. (A side note about this wine is that the Stuart of the label is a retired Dallasite who lives 6 months per year in Razac-Saussignac). However, our favorites were the 1998 Montravel white Bergerac and the locally produced roses.  As for the Basque area, its appellation is Irouleguy and the producer Illaria has a wonderful dry rose. That producer is not available in Dallas, but Irouleguy roses have been available in Dallas. Two other wines stood out in our travels: Ch. Monbazillac dessert wine from Bergerac and Floc d’Gascogne, a sherry-type aperitif from the Armagnac region which is between Bergerac and Irouleguy. Fil de l’eau in Port St. Foy For meals in the Bergerac area, there is a fine riverside restaurant named au Fil de l’eau in Port St. Foy. The patio overlooks the bridge over the Dordogne and the cathedral of St. Foy and the view reminded me of the River Café in Brooklyn for its ambiance. The restaurant has typical French bistro food, with several fixed price options, and an extensive, reasonably priced wine list.  Ch. Monbazillac Market Day in Eymet A casual place in Eymet (a fortified town just south of Bergerac with a wonderful market day on Thursdays), Les Arcades des Italianes, is also worth a visit. Eymet is within a short drive from many of the vineyards and tasting rooms, including Ch. Monbazillac, of the Bergerac area. It is also within easy driving distance of Domme which is the location of Hotel l’Esplanade which combines a Michelin 1 star menu with breathtaking views of the Dordogne. Hotel Grand Barrail Easily the finest meal that we had was in St. Emilion at the dining room of the Hotel Grand Barrail. The chef there is a James Beard Foundation chef and the meal that we had was innovative and tasty. The wine list was heavy on St. Emilions, but well-priced. Central Hotel in St. Jean Pied de Port For a meal in the Basque area, we recommend the dining room of the Central Hotel in St. Jean Pied de Port. This picturesque, small town is a market town and the dining room of the hotel overlooks a pleasant stream that runs through the center of town. Akelarre In the Spanish Basque area, we had a wonderful meal at Akelarre, which is a Michelin 2-star restaurant in San Sebastian. The restaurant has a wraparound view of the Atlantic Coast and the food, while featuring seafood, also has regional Basque meat specialties that are complemented by the extensive Spanish wine list. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.