Life was surprisingly tough for those on the fringes of Bordeaux, even before the recent wildfires.
On the way to Ch Turcaud in the north of Bordeaux’s Entre-Deux-Mers district, we saw a cloud of grey smoke over the sea of vines on the horizon. This was Monday last week, 18 July, as 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) of forest were burning dangerously close to the vineyards of Sauternes 30 km (19 miles) away.
As we parked the car in one of the approved spaces, Stéphane Le May who runs Ch Turcaud came out of his air-conditioned office and urged us...