Golf > Articles > Vintage Golf

France is, without doubt, the best place on earth to drink wine. Some may disagree, but the enjoyment of a wine depends as much on the location, the food, the company and the ambience as what is actually in the bottle.

Spain and Italy are also among Europe's main producers, though don't discount Portugal — and not just for port. A wine tour through Europe is a most pleasing experience, accompanied by good food, but if you're going to drink and eat so well you'll certainly need some exercise — and what better than a few rounds of golf. The problem is, where do you start?

Well, ideally with an apéritif - and what better than a glass of champagne?

Champagne, the area east of Paris around Reims, has been producing wine since medieval times. In the earliest days it was produced by the monks for use at Mass but between 898 and 1825 the Kings of France were crowned at Reims and the local wine was used in the celebrations. Until the end of the 17th century the wines were crisp, dry, and certainly not bubbly. Only after then, following a lucky discovery by one monk, Dom Pérignon, did the wine producers allow the fermentation process to take place in the bottle, thus preserving that famous sparkle.

Take time to visit a couple of champagne houses for an interesting overview of how the wine is made and to experience a tasting, something definitely not to be missed. The top champagne houses are all pretty close — Krug, Bollinger, Lafitte, Lanson, Moet & Chandon, Charles Heidsieck, Mumm, Tattinger, Perrier — but there are also dozens of lesser-known houses, all with glorious chateaux, that will welcome you through their doors.

Whilst the wine is exceptional the golf is a bit ordinaire. Val Secret, a challenging hilly course for the low handicapper with hanging lies and plenty of water hazards, Forêt d'Orient — a forest course as its name suggests — and La Cordeliere at Troyes are the best in the region.

The Loire Valley produces some of the best whites, with Saumur arguably the best, a glorious bouquet and again one of those wines you need to taste locally. Last year I enjoyed a wonderful bottle that was deep yellow in colour and had an amazing pineapple taste — beautiful with a lunch of moules frites as we sat on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking the wide river in Angers, the ancient yellow ochre buildings across the river glowing in the afternoon sunshine.

The Loire Valley is, of course, the place to go to see châteaux, hundreds of them. For a complete list check out the many websites but I must mention Blois, Chinon, Loches, Saumur and Amboise.

Golf here is good too with Ardree near Tours, a rolling parkland course with a 16th century château, Château de Cheverny in rich woodland, Les Aisses with its three nines and the incomparable Les Bordes, built by the late Baron Bic (of ballpoint pen fame): out on the coast towards the estuary of the Loire, La Bretesche, running through the grounds of yet another impressive castle.

Bordeaux, of course, is the daddy of them all, producing wines that are extra special, the reds deep in colour, rich in flavour, with a good bouquet and excellent after-taste, the whites full-bodied, exciting and memorable. Choosing one is difficult but the best are probably from the Médoc. Names like Pauillac, St-Julien and St-Estephe are mouth-wateringly good: to the east of the city you find the famed St-Émilion and Pomerol; to the south the whites of Graves, Entre-Deux-Mers and Sauternes.

The golf courses are among the best in France too. Golf du Médoc on the outskirts of the city has two 18-hole courses, the Châteaux and the Vignes, running through extensive stands of pine trees. Each hole on the Châteaux course is named after a regional château and it is possible to taste the wine from that château in the clubhouse after your round — I don't recommend it before! Pessac, Bordelaise and Bordeaux Lac are all impressive and welcoming, whilst Château Margaux a brand new course, opened earlier this year, sits on the river Gironde. This really is a stunning course, flat, easy to walk but challenging.

A little further down into Aquitaine are some magnificent courses. Seignosse is my favourite in the world, with greens that resemble those at Augusta — you putt east to go west, that sort of thing — Olazabal practises on these greens before The Masters — and nearby Les Moliets, Hossegor and, around Biarritz, Le Phare, Arcangues, Chiberta, Makila and the oldest course in Europe (outside the UK), Pau. Biarritz is a wonderful place to stay.

Across the border into Spain after an easy drive along the north coast, Santander, Bilbao with its famous Guggenheim Museum, and the glorious seaside setting of Gijon, are all worth experiencing, as are the courses, including Real Club de Golf de Castiello, near Gijon. Set in the hills above the city and surrounded by farmland and tiny villages this is a classic course, tight, tough yet so tranquil. The morning I played the mist was still rising from the valley below — apart from a few goats with bells round their necks, the busy twittering of hundreds of birds and the occasional toll of a church bell echoing across the hillsides, it was perfectly quiet. I almost felt like tip-toeing around.

The coastline quickly gives way, across the Picos de Europa, snow-capped for most of the year, to the region of Rioja, home of Spain's best wines. The best place to stay is the historic village of Santa Domingo de la Calzada, on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

Two paradors set in old palaces are the perfect base for a few nights. Apart from visits to several wine bodegas, including those of master wine maker David Moreno, there are dozens of little villages to explore in this truly stunning part of Spain, thankfully untouched by mass tourism.

Although there are only two courses they are of very high quality. La Grajera is in a national park near the town of Logroño, Very hilly, wide with wonderful greens this is a course you cannot fail to enjoy. I played it with a priest from Peru, a man with an uncanny eye for the line of a putt — divine assistance, perhaps. Closer to Santa Domingo is the Cirueña golf course, again a hilly layout that will test your physical and mental resources. And after the golf, well, a good meal of cordero assado (roast lamb, cooked in olive oil, garlic and with onions, rosemary and oregano) with a good bottle of Rioja. Beat that!

Heading further west is the Portuguese border and the first major city, Oporto. Here they make port, but also another wonderful light wine. There was a time when no dinner party was complete without a bottle of Portuguese Mateus Rosé but that wine in its distinctive bottle has been replaced by the more unusual Vinho Verde, (literally, green wine) a young, light and refreshing wine which is found nowhere else in the world. It goes well with fish and shellfish and is perfect on a hot day, having a slightly sparkling and tangy taste. It's also lower in alcohol content than most other wines, though don't drink too much !

The region of Minho is the wine producing area. The grape vines climb trellises on the hilly terrain near fields scattered with traditional espigueiros (grain stores). Start on the coast in Caminha and Vila Nova de Cerveira. On the banks of the River Minho, you’ll find the pretty town of Valença. Further north, the towns of Monção and Melgaço are the main producers of one of the most famous types of Vinho Verde, Alvarinho. Not far away is the Peneda-Gerês Park, with mountain villages full of history, like Castro Laboreiro and Soajo.

Arcos de Valdevez, Ponte da Barca and Ponte de Lima owe their names to the rivers that make them attractive and cool, like Viana do Castelo, at the mouth of the River Lima. Visit Barcelos, on the River Cávado, and Braga, with its traditional regional heritage and take a trip to the ancient town of Guimarães, a World Heritage site, before seeing the sights at Amarante, another historic riverside town. Many of the famous estates are as renowned for their architecture as for the quality of their wines.

Port, that glorious fortified wine that is so necessary to finish a meal, was first produced in the 17th century when, faced with a shortage of wine from France (which was at war with England) the English wine merchants happened upon the wines made in the Douro Valley, inland from Oporto, pretty ordinary reds that were fortified by adding a couple of buckets of brandy. Quality improved and port as we now know it had come of age. The port lodges in Gaia are amongst the best and a cruise along the river Douro is an afternoon well spent. On the Minho coast is Estela GC, a course that has hosted several European Tour events and is rated in Portugal's top ten. Ponte de Lima, a mountain course that has the country's longest hole (622 metres — albeit downhill), also with wonderful views across sweeping cornfields and lazy vineyards. Along the main highway towards the Spanish border Montebelo is a major test as is another mountainous course, that at Amarante, a course that starts rather uninterestingly but gets better as it goes on.

Finally, after spending some time in Oporto it must be almost obligatory to play the second oldest course in mainland Europe, Oporto GC. Dating back to 1890 it is a traditional links course and although not long it will present you with a very stern test, especially with the wind blowing in off the Atlantic.

Italian wine is very popular yet most of it is used in the country rather than exported. Tuscany (chianti) and Brescia are perhaps the best regions for wine. Franciacorta is the leading producer of wines in this region with a wonderful range of sparkling whites and a couple of reds full of berry tastes, including the Curtefranca Rosso 2003.

I enjoyed a most wonderful tour of the vineyard, estate and private apartments of the matriarch of the family, Signora Bonomi, a feisty, upright and very elegant Italian lady whose years were probably in excess of the biblical stipulation though you would never have known.

Brescia itself is a glorious city that will make you feel like you have stepped back in time. Huge churches, tiny flower-bedecked alleyways and interesting little boutiques, plus excellent restaurants. But not too far along the main highway you'll come to Lake Garda and this is the place to stay. Along the shoreline are dozens of small hotels, particularly in Salo, right on the shore of Italy's largest lake. Garda Golf, on a hillside high above the lake is magnificent. A traditional members' club with all the comforts you'd expect from the Italians, this is a good course with interesting holes.

Right in the vineyards at Franciacorta is a course that is very strange — the opening hole is quite off-putting but it does get better and will give you the opportunity to hit a pretty decent score. Arzaga golf has two courses, one by Nicklaus, one by Palmer. If that's not enough to entice you there they have a wonderful restaurant for lunch and a swimming pool but I don't think it's a good idea to play both courses (and have lunch!) in the same day.

Articles

• More from Peter D Smith
• More on the same theme