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| The bell tower of L'église Monolithe is the highest point in Saint-Émilion. |
This post originally appeared on the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz.
Saint-Émilion is one of the most popular wine destinations in France. Located about a hour east of Bordeaux, the region boasts some of this country's most prestigious wineries and most delicious wine. I recently took my second trip to Saint-Émilion to meet some friends from Madrid for lunch. I was able to wander a bit and become reacquainted with this town of 1,875.
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| Les grandes murailles in Saint-Émilion is the remnant of a 12th-century Dominican Monastery. |
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| The shop at Des Cordeliers in Saint-Émilion offers a colorful selection of products. |
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| Lest we forget, Saint-Émilion is all about le vin. |
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| The cloister of the Cordeliers contains remarkable ruins. |
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| A bright shop window in Saint-Émilion catches my eye. |
If you're a wine lover and want to spend the day trekking the hilly cobblestone streets of a pretty French village, then this is the place for you. Aside from the wine, Saint-Émilion offers a little taste of patrimoine, with L'église Monolithe as its main attraction.
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| La Tour du Roy in Saint-Émilion is the only surviving Romanesque-style keep in the Gironde. |
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| Flowers border Saint-Émilion's limestone buildings and walls. |
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| La Maison du Vin in Saint-Émilion does a brisk business. Wine-tasting classes are also offered here. |
Since I am no wine expert and since Saint-Émilion is such a popular and often-written-about destination, I have changed things up for this blog post and am challenging readers to a quiz.
1. What is the former name of the city of Saint-Émilion?
2. The history of Saint-Émilion encompasses how many centuries?
4. The monolithic church in Saint-Émilion is one of the city's major sites. Its bell tower is 68 meters high, and its underground religions building is 38 meters long and 12 meters high. What does monolithic mean?
5. In the early 1990s, the Monolithic Church was closed for 15 months so the underground columns could be reinforced. What was discovered during these repairs?
6. Those who climb to the top of the of the bell tower of the Monolithic Church are rewarded with beautiful views of Saint-Émilion and its Jurisdiction. How many steps are there in the bell tower?
7. How many acres of vineyards are there in the Saint-Émilion AOC?
8. What mineral in the soil gives Saint-Émilion its distinct wines?
9. The Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion was listed as World Heritage World in 1999, the title of "Cultural Landscape". This was the first vineyard classified in the world.How many of the eight towns that comprise the Jurisdiction of Saint Émilion can you name?
10. Saint-Émilion is one of the two most famous appellations in Bordeaux's Right Bank. What is the other?
11. What two grapes will you typically find in Saint-Émilion wine?
12. The sweet food specialty of Saint-Émilion is a soft cookie with an almond taste. What are they called?
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| In addition to wine tasting, Saint-Émilion visitors also can indulge in some gallery hopping. |
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| This giraffe stands in a Saint-Émilion garden. |
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| A walk up Saint-Émilion's steep streets rewards visitors with a good view. |
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| Saint-Émilion's lavoirs, or wash houses, were built in the 19th century. |
ANSWERS
1. Ascumbas2. More than 13 centuries
3. All of the above
4. The word comes from the Greek "mono" meaning single and "lithos" meaning stone. Its name refers to a building dug into the limestone plateau and and formed from a single block of stone.
5. A network of drains built in the 12th century whose purpose was to evacuate water from the church. This discovery was extraordinary because it showed that the quarrymen of that century were aware of the underground springs and rivers that flowed beneath the church and thus built these drains.
6. 196
7. 13,000 acres
8. Limestone
9. Saint-Laurent des Combes, Saint-Christophe des Bardes, Saint Pey D'Armens, Saint-Etienne de Lisse, Saint-Sulpice de Faleyrens, Saint Hippolyte, Vignonet, and Saint-Émilion
10. Pomerol
11. Merlot and Cabernet Franc
12. Macarons, which are different than the famous pastel-colored cookies that are stuffed, although visitors can find both kinds of macarons in Saint-Émilion.
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| Here's one kind of macaron; Saint-Émilion is famous for another. |
Primary sources for this blog post are the the Saint-Émilion Office de Tourisme and The Wine Cellar Insider website.
