ST-ÉMILION, 35km east of, and a short trip by train from, Bordeaux, is well worth a visit. The old grey houses of this fortified medieval town straggle down the south-hanging slope of a low hill, with the green froth of the summer's vines crawling over its walls. Many of the growers still keep up the old tradition of planting roses at the ends of the rows, which in pre-pesticide days served as an early-warning system against infection, the idea being that the commonest bug, oidium, went for the roses first, giving three days' notice of its intentions. Pages in section ‘St-Émilion’: The Town, Practicalities.
Alternate spellings:: France, St-Émilion, St-Émilion, St-Emilion
|