Getting wise about wine

After class on Wednesday, our program went on an excursion. Our first stop was at a vineyard called Chateau Raymond-Ferot. The owner of the winery actually has dual citizenship in France and the United States because he used to work in wine commerce in San Francisco. We walked through the vineyard and he explained in French how they grow their grapes. I didn’t understand much but I did understand that sauvignon blanc is made from grapes that are really small and in compact bunches and the Sauternes are made from bigger grapes that are spaced further apart. Also, there was something about the ground being mostly sand because it used to be the bottom of the Gironde river... that might have been important to the type of wine. There was something about mushrooms too because he said champignon a lot.  At one point he picked some of the dried up grapes off the vine that were still had a little juice to them. He gave them to a few people and they said it tasted like candy. I was so jealous that I didn't get to try one! 

We took a tour of his garden full of exotic plants and birds including a black swan and a peacock. Finally, we entered the chateau. Inside we were able to taste the sauterne wine, and oh my it was amazing. It was like candy... even better. It was dessert by itself. I really don’t know anything about wine except that the older the wine, the better. Even without any knowledge on wine it would be obvious that this 2002 white wine was a good one. We also visited the cellar and saw all the barrels sitting there fermenting. There was some more  explaining in French, but I didnt understand at all and that worries me. 

Next we went to the home-turned-museum of the author François Mauriac. It was cute and had great views but, once again, I really didn't understand the guide. It takes so much brain power to translate that I end up getting exhausted and no longer want to hear anything in any language.

After the long bus ride back to school, Jill and I made our first commute to our new home! Even though it takes about 40 minutes it wasn't bad at all because its partially by tram, partially by foot, and there is a lot to see on the way.

Dinner ended up being hilarious. First of all, Jill and I learned that the words for "hockey",  "hiccup", and "okay" all sound exactly alike. So, when trying to say "I play hockey," one could hear "I play hiccup". Or, when hearing "I have the hiccups," one could hear "I have the hockey". It was funny at the time. When trying to explain the intensity of waterpolo to my host family I tried to say "they wear two bathing suits (maillot de bain)" but I accidentally said  "they wear two bathrooms (salle de bain)"! They're too similar, it was bound to happen! Don't even ask me how many times I've said crotte instead of grotte!