Waking up, the baker arrives at 8am with fresh baguettes. Given that we are in the heart of the Savigny de Beaume Appelation and the area is renowned for its wine making, it would be wrong not to try and get into some “caves” (cellars) and see what was going on. We headed past the very eccentric Chateau de Savigny, (with gardens full of fighter jets amongst the neatly clipped hedges and flower beds) and up towards the illustrious Henri de Villamont vineyard. The place is deserted, so I enter to find a nice lady who is prepared to open up for us. We were in for a treat. First they showed us the fields of vines, laden with grapes due to be harvested next month, with the area where there is a particularly good terroir for their best Cru’s. Then we went inside to see the massive vats where they ferment the grapes for one month before they are put in barrels. Then we went down the winding little staircase into the historic cellars, where the casks are laid out, some cellars for white wines, some for red. She opens up the casks and we can hear the wine fizzing as it ferments in the oak barrel. (only French oak apparently) So after a tour we get to sample the wines and finally cannot resist buying some fantastic grand cru’s that were grown just next to our campsite for us to savour during the rest of our journey.
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