During my short stay in Saint-Emilion last summer, I had in mind to buy some wines for my cellar in California. Saint-Emilion is a tricky village to visit when you are looking for some wines to bring back home. It is quite full of tourists during the summer season and I was under the impression that I won't be able to find any good deals. The best experience I had was with a wine shop called "Vignobles & Chateaux". Before thinking about buying any wines, one of the wine specialists, Patrick, advised me to take their 90 minutes wine course (29 Euros with 3 great wines poured during the course and a booklet to study back home) to get an overview of the Bordeaux region. My teacher, Jean-Louis, was very knowledgeable and a real showman (definitely a great show to learn new things about Bordeaux wines). Once my course finished (they gave me a nice certificate to keep as a souvenir), I had a nice lunch at a small bistro in front of the wine shop to relax after this very entertaining wine school of Saint-Emilion.
The next day, I went back to the store and I talked to another gentleman, Nicolas. He explained to me very nicely that the store was doing a lot of shipping in North America (75% of their business is with international clients) and the fact that I won't be paying any VAT (European taxes) on my wines. He also took the time to show me the wines (mostly single vineyards from Saint-Emilion/Pomerol) that I will never find in the US. I ended up buying a mix cases to try their service. The wines arrived 3 weeks later directly at home (with a mail company called Chronopost - French version of FedEx). No need to say that I am glad now to have a direct relationship with a wine merchant in Saint-Emilion. I can't wait to buy some 2009 futures from Nicolas at Vignobles & Chateaux. Every 2-3 months, I received an e-mail newsletter from my new friends in Saint-Emilion. I still compare their prices with my local wine shops but if you really like Bordeaux wines, I would say treat yourself with style with Vignobles & Chateaux's unique wine selection in Saint-Emilion.
Sophie - Belgium expatriate in California (La Jolla 92037) read more