The french are finally opening up their wine region to tourists. Anthony Peregrine suggests some of the best routes for discerning visitors. Until recently, French wine producers didn't bust a gut welcoming the general public.They didn't need to. French wine was so self-evidently the best that they believed the public was jolly lucky to be allowed within sniffing distance... Bordeaux: Bordeaux 's great trick has been to convince the world that all its wine is fabulous when, in fact, less than five per cent falls into the first class, Grand Cru, category. Much of the rest is pretty ordinary. No matter. There are still enough chateaux to keep us visiting for a couple of decades. However, the region's most innovative visit is offered by Chateau Branda at Cadillac en Fronsadais. The restored 14 th-century stronghold boasts a splendid medieval garden sprinkled with contemporary art (sounds awful, but it isn't) and an entertainingly modern wine museum (tel: 0557 94 0937)
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