Bordeaux

This Month in Bordeaux:

Shopping: Hit the Tourist Office Boutique for a reminder of your stay. Best-selling gifts include wine-bottle shaped umbrellas, arty postcards of the city's landmarks and wine-label place mats (12 Cours du XXX Juillet, tel: 05 5600 6600).

Key areas: Go to the Week-end des Grands Crus (12-13 May) for the opportunity to taste the acclaimed 2009 vintage of over 100 Bordeaux châteaux, presented by the winemakers. There is also the possibility to attend châteaux dinners and vineyard tours (ugcb.net).

Bordeaux News & Gossip

Jemima French

Jemima French is one half of FrostFrench (www.frostfrench.com), the hip label she set up with best friend, actress Sadie Frost, in 1999. Busy juggling the demands of her career with bringing up four children, Londonbased Jemima regularly swaps her hectic urban life for a remote Dordogne farmhouse bought by her parents in 1973.

WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU'RE HERE?

Our house is in a corner of the Périgord to the north of the Dronne and close to the market town of Ribérac (90 minutes from Bordeaux). It's quite an arty, sophisticated part of the Dordogne attracting a number of international artists and musicians. They, like us, often gather at the café in Lusignac. This little gem of a village has a dozen or so picturesque houses, a small Romanesque church and a medieval château. The café does good coffee and offers 360° views over stunning countryside from its terraces.

WHAT DO YOU DO IF IT'S RAINING?

I like to spend a few hours wandering around the independent shops in the medieval towns of Périgueux and Brantôme, or nosing around junk shops and antique markets, such as Huw's Brocante in Verteillac. I'm always on the lookout for vintage pieces and fashion photography books.

HOW DO YOU RELAX?

I love to read, listen to music and cook huge family meals using the fresh local produce I fi nd at gastro heaven Ribérac market, held on Friday mornings. Local cheeses, the squidgiest Agen prunes, fresh fruits, duck confi t and the famous Périgord walnuts are just a few of the fantastic products you'll fi nd at the biggest market in the region.

WHAT MAKES THIS PART OF FRANCE SPECIAL FOR YOU?

I can go barefoot everywhere and spend more time with the kids. And you can walk for miles across open fi elds of sunfl owers and lavender without seeing another soul.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT?

Christmas here is particularly special. We always go to Périgueux's amazing Christmas market - Le Bouchon Nöel (12-31 December). Stalls heave with a huge variety of traditional French goodies, including marron glâcés, truffl es, suckling pig and foie gras; there's an ice rink and Chinese lanterns hanging everywhere. I always enjoy dragging our new Christmas tree through the snow on my old sledge.

WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO MEET FRIENDS?

I love the little café in the village square of La Couture. It's very dated, but does a great set lunch for €15. I used to hang out here as a teenager, drinking pastis, smoking Gitanes and fl irting with boys. I felt like an extra in an old French fi lm.

AND FOR CULTURE?

I head to the live music venue, Le Gauot, in Ribérac, and drop by gallery openings to meet friends and support the art scene.

Bordeaux Trivia

• May: With over 60,000 students, the Bordeaux campus is the largest in France.

• April: On the first Sunday of each month, the Bordeaux city authorities ban cars from the centre, allowing cyclists, roller-bladers and pedestrians to roam free.

• March: A local proverb says that for Bordeaux wine to be good, vines must be able to see the masts of the boats, but not be so close that their feet get wet.

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