The Blaye Area
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This is true wine country and a paradise for wine lovers, whether you favour the world-famous Grand Cru vintages of the Bordeaux area or are happy to “rough it” with the equally fine (and considerably cheaper) Côte de Blaye and Côte de Bourg appellations. The Pugnac Co-op (a 5-minutes drive away) offers a huge range of local wines marketed centrally for the growers who do not sell via supermarkets and the like. This means that excellent wines can be had for very reasonable prices, especially if you buy them by the case and lay them down for a couple of years.
For history buffs, there are many interesting destinations, such as the site of a Gallo-Roman villa at Plassac, the Fort Paté, the Castle of the Rudel, and a Museum of Art and History of the area.
In mid-July a prestigious international show jumping competition takes place inside the gigantic dry moat which surrounds the Citadel and, in addition to the usual bi-weekly street markets, the area hosts a number of annual events, from wine tasting to theatre, a book fair and even the Blaye Marathon. |