France

But France’s cultural diversity is just as important as that of the country’s geography, with its cities offering a little bit of everything, from the cosmopolitan chic of Paris, and the rugged grandiosity of Marseille, to the antique charm of Avignon. Dig deeper and you’ll find a golden-hued Bordeaux hugging a river of sparkling blue, while Strasbourg’s cobbles and canals frame half-timbered houses and stunning Art Nouveau mansions. But Paris, the city of light, shimmers with that singular sort of style that can only be cultivated over multiple centuries, a playground of history of fashion, art, and romance. 

Many of the world’s best restaurants are in France: molecular cuisine is posed like art on a plate in Paris, the creations of the Mères Lyonnaises are homely and moreish in Lyon’s sublime Bouchons, and the vineyards of Bordeaux, Loire Valley, and Champagne pair world-class wines with countryside views and plates full of fresh produce. France’s museums are at the vanguard of the world: the Louvre with the Mona Lisa, the Musée d’Orsay and Monet’s Poppy Fields, and Bordeaux’s beautiful modern Museum of Wine. And France’s varied sights: Notre Dame, Versailles, Mont-Saint-Michel, the lavender fields of Provence, and the magical salt flats of Camargue are some of Europe’s if not the world’s most fascinating attractions.

The traditional Bordeaux grape varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Sémillon, and Carménère from Medoc where it’s almost extinct (though where the grape has faltered in France, it excels and is now common in Chile’s warmer climate). 

Bordeaux blends are created with a variety of combinations adding unique characteristics to a bottle with some grapes used in only the smallest amounts. Peppery Carménère is one such grape, along with Petit Verdot, which is added to a red blend to enhance its color and intensity, but you’ll rarely find it bottled alone.

 To mitigate the effects of climate change and vine diseases, Bordeaux’s Council of Wine (CIVB) allows several extra wine grapes into Bordeaux blends, a striking change that rarely happens.

Red wines may now contain up to 10% Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and Touriga Nacional (of Portugal Port fame). White wines may now contain up to 10% Alvarinhho and Liliorila — one of the earliest cocktail grapes, a cross between Baroque & Chardonnay

In the mid-19th century, a new railway from Paris opened up the beaches of Normandy, allowing smart-heeled Parisians and artists to travel effortlessly from the French capital to the coast, taking with them dreamy glimpses of Trouville and Honfleur as oils on canvas, appealing impressions of color and light, painted en plein air, depicting ordinary scenes like that of Monet’s The Beach at Trouville: a sunny beach with faces softened by the shadows of brightly colored parasols. But the Impressionist movement found its name in Le Havre with Monet’s Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise), a pastel-colored painting of Le Havre’s harbor at sunrise, with deep oranges reflected on the water’s surface, along with the shadows of fishing boats engulfed by a blueish smoke and fog. Critic M. Louis Leroy described the painting derogatorily as “Impressionist” based on its title, leading painters such as Renoir and Degas to claim it as their own, thus giving birth to impressionism.

Visit during the Impressionist festival in 2024, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Impressionism over 5 months through various exhibitions and events, and tour the sights along the coast, standing where Monet stood, looking at unchanged panoramas from atop clifftops, along ornate promenades alongside exquisite grand hotels, and those very same beaches that Parisiennes flocked to. End in Giverny, where Monet spent his later years in a sublime residence, the highlight of which is the water garden, a riot of colors and blooms, its waters animated by water lilies and decorated by an iconic Japanese bridge: inspiration for Monet’s The Japanese Footbridge.