Colline's Blanc is from 100% Clairette grapes grown in the clay-limestone soils of Saint Gervais in the Gard. Grapes are manually harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes post-fermentation, 24-hour settling and aging in stainless steel.

The Bibendum Blanc shows a different side of the spectrum of quality wines. Its’ soft, supple flavors are accentuated by texture, not a high degree of acidity. It is effortless to drink on its own, with delicious, juicy, elegant flavors white peach, Asian pear, lemon, and honeysuckle, and elegance of white flowers.

Indagare Travel Guide | Lyon

France’s ‘second city’–warms heart, soul and senses with Italian-tinged dolce vita stemming from its Renaissance roots. Indagare contributor Ceil Miller-Bouchet reports.Contact Indagare for assistance planning an escape to Lyon.

For now, Lyon remains somewhat of an untapped destination, but that will certainly change in July 2019 with the launch of the Cité de la Gastronomie: a vast experiential paean to French culinary arts and heritage that will draw international travelers to Lyon, just as the Cité du Vin (dedicated to wine) did to Bordeaux. Also, a five-star Intercontinental Hotel will open next to the Cité de la Gastronomie early next year, providing a much-needed addition to Lyon’s somewhat provincial hotel scene. Both newcomers will be located within the gorgeously restored and repurposed 17th-century Grand Hôtel-Dieu complex, which was one of Europe’s leading hospitals from its founding in the 12th century to its closing in 2010.

“Less complicated than Paris, more discreet than Bordeaux. It’s an easy life here in Lyon, and you can walk or bike everywhere.” The words of a Lyon-based interior decorator friend resonated as I came upon a solitary painter one morning, en route for a brioche praliné, one of the many unexpected treats I discovered recently in France’s second largest city, which also happens to be its culinary heartland. And, at present count, the city has accumulated a total of 25 Michelin stars; home to some recognizable names to the world such as Daniel Boulud and his mentor, the late Paul Bocuse.

A curious blend of Merlot and Dornfelder (sometimes even Spätburgunder!), intended to show incredible energy. In fact, Ohm is a measure of electrical resistance, and 0 Ohm, as this wine is aptly named, represents no resistance to this wild electricity.

It is a vibrant and fresh wine, perfect for those who want to enjoy a “summer red” with a bit more complexity. The fine-grained tannins and fresh acid beckon you for another sip. There are expansive flavors of black fruit, wild berries, clove, licorice, spice, slight gamy flavors, and sage. The wine has this freshness, an undercurrent I described as “spring water,” which enticed me.

Indagare Travel Guide | Munich & Aachen

Exploring Germany as a wine lover can be extremely rewarding, as for example, from the Rheinhessen you can bounce to Munich for a day trip or continue to follow the rollicking hills to different Weinguten throughout the region. Munich, home to a stunning array of architectural wonders of a multitude of eras, is a less-crowded yet fantastic city not so withdrawn from the country's famous wine regions.

Located in a futuristic-looking building, the BMW Museum showcases the manufacturing history of the German car brand. Car aficionados will love it here; the museum is one of the most-visited sights in Munich. Tours of the Munich plant (adjacent) can also be organized.

If you drive just 30 minutes south of Munich, the landscape quickly becomes rural. An hour further and you're in midst of the Bavarian Alps, whose piece-de-resistance, the Zugspitze, rises to a proud 9,718 feet in the Wetterstein mountain range. The towns that are located at its foot are some of southern Germany's quaintest

Home to Charlemagne’s Cathedral, the town of Aachen, Germany is approximately 20 miles east of Maastricht and makes for a nice day trip. The cathedral, with its octagonal chapel and treasury, is one of the oldest churches in the country—and it is both the first cathedral in northern Europe and Germany's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. For history buffs, it holds the relics of Charlemagne and William the Conqueror.

Within the Rheinhessen, you can take a break from the fantastic Rieslings to recoop with a bier at an FC Mainz match.

The vines for the Eolithe are planted at the end of the Plateau de Brossay, which is unique to Saumur in that it does not have limestone. The site is slightly convex with fresh and windy exposure. Fosse-Seche is covered in biodiversity, and no chemicals are used in the vineyard. The wine is hand-harvested and undergoes vitrification in egg-shaped concrete tanks. The Eolithe ages on lees for two years. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation occurs, depending on the year.

This wine displays a rich and complex savory character. While seeming insignificant, the 1% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend helps flesh out the texture on the palate. This Cabernet Franc perfectly balances the fresh fruity notes, savory red pepper, and herbal qualities. On the palate, the lovely complexity is accentuated by a round, textured body, and an extensive savory finish.

Indagare Travel Guide | Loire Valley

The country seat of French royalty since the 1500s, the Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that boasts Renaissance-era castles, rural villages, bicycle trails, forests and vineyards. Newly restored, crowd-free ‘secondary’ castles offer an intimate, well-curated view into France’s rural aristocratic traditions, such as gardening and hunting.

The Loire region is special obviously because of the chateaux everywhere, but also because of the laid-back elegance that you find here. There’s no rushing around like in Paris, here people take their cues from the lazy rivers that slowly flow across the region. It’s calm countryside mixed with beautiful chateaux and gardens.

Although local restaurants and bistros have yet to achieve their true potential, especially given the wealth of local bounty, the Loire Valley vineyards are some of France’s undiscovered gems. Especially around Chinon and Bourgueil, younger vintners can afford to produce and develop their vision of mostly organic wines.

Chinon, in addition to being a famous wine region (where the finicky cabernet franc red wine varietal reaches its truest expression) is also a lovely fortified burg that was a favorite royal seat for the Plantagenet family. Still, locals are more likely to tout the fact that Chinon is the home of France’s quintessential bon vivant, François Rabelais (1483-1553) of Gargantua and Pantagruel fame.