Médoc in winter - nothing going on?

Time and again we hear of holidaymakers who - have come to know the Medoc, unlike us - only in the high season: here in winter, so it is said, nothing much happens, so how you can make this your main place to live?

Well, you can! Bordeaux is of course only an hour and a half away from north Medoc. But as a UNESCO world cultural heritage class city, it has many tourist attractions; you can stroll around the old city and anyone who absolutely wants to see opera performances is very well catered for here; (we have for example recently enjoyed a fantastic performance of Philippe Rameau Dardanus in Bordeaux).

But there are numerous activities and other attractions in rural Medoc in winter, which are not necessarily available in bustling urban regions. For example, we attended two events on the same day in January, that could hardly have been more different and which were yet both of significance in their own way, one a sporting event, the other artistic and creative: in the morning the national motorcycle TT race at the Gurp organised by the Esteys Club Moto Club in Grayan, and in the afternoon a concert put on by the Association Musique au Coeur du Médoc (classic , jazz, créations) in the Château Branaire-Ducru in Saint-Julien-de-Beychevelle.

Between September and May, so many high-level events take place that you can visit, or in which you can participate that it is impossible to be bored in the Médoc. The Club Médoc Culturel organizes several interesting exhibitions, and the cinemas in Soulac, Lesparre, le Pian and Pauillac also put on the latest films (though not or very seldom in VO format unfortunately) and - last but not least - you can always participate in that favourite pastime of the French, the LOTO. Winter is also the time for Christmas markets and meeting friends over a glass or two at the numerous New Year Voeux des Maires as well as of all the local Associations.

Living in this peaceful countryside (if a storm doesn’t suddenly sweep across the peninsula!) in a natural environment which can provide impressive experiences in winter - for example the presentations of the ZONES HUMIDES organised by the Association of Ecoacteurs en Médoc - you can experience the exceptional synthesis of culture and nature in the Médoc.

2018 Christian Büttner / Elke Schwichtenberg (Saint-Vivien), translation: Christopher Murray