Arrondissement de Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Today we headed off to the Cahors wine district, but first a visit to the LeBoat rental place in Douelle. The River Lot would be a fantastic place to rent a boat. The river bends back on itself, over and over, covering little distance on the map but a great deal on the water. It goes through huge vineyards, by many medieval towns and there are many castles and chateaux to see on the cliffs and hillsides. The season here is pretty much over so most of the boats were at dock. Europeans coming to the Rideau to use LeBoat will say what a beautiful place they have come to, as well.
And then it was off to lunch and wineries. We have found it a little difficult locating places for lunch. Our best bet is to ask the GPS for suggestions, but sometimes places are closed or don't look so good. Today it found us a lovely spot with the 'assiette du jour', the only choice. Fortunately it was a great meal, and at a very good price, too. The GPS is invaluable for getting around but does seem to like back roads that are one lane wide and many turns. You could not retrace a route if you tried. You do get to go through the most lovely little villages built hundreds of years ago and Dave gets to practice his rally driving on the narrow, winding roads.
Oh yes, the wineries. The Lot River valley is full of wineries because of the gravelly soil and limestone rock close to the surface. They grow Malbec grapes almost exclusively, and the wine is generally reasonably priced. Our host at Domaine de Gavaudon gave us a map with suggested wineries on it. The first one we visited, he recommended because it is at a REAL chateau. It was a beautiful setting and we really liked the wine. The owner talked with us for a long time, and we took away 2 bottles. We visited only one more winery, because you just have to buy some when you are the only people there. Again the owner let us taste several wines and we bought 1 more. We think that we can do them justice over the next several nights, before we leave France.En savoir plus