As you wend your way through wine country this harvest season, a wonderful surprise awaits at the world renowned Chasse-Spleen estate and winery in Moulis-en-Médoc in the Bordeaux region. The estate has been owned by Céline Villars-Foubet and her husband Jean-Pierre Foubet since 2000 and the avid art collectors decided to set up a center for contemporary art right on the estate in 2017, open to the public. The idea being to share the enjoyment that art works provide just as if one were sharing a bottle of wine. Each year a temporary show is underway in the 18th century building adjoining the castle and this year it is a celebration of light.

Contemporary French artist Michel Verjux creates literally with light. Although he works in myriad mediums, here his works propagate and aim light into a specific space, here the Chasse-Spleen contemporary art center. They take on eye-catching contemporary shapes and form the backbone of the place, the visit and the meaning of the exhibition. The exhibition seemingly plays with the visitor, wending around bends and spaces within the exhibition space. The show is fittingly entitled The Advantage of Clarity. 

The show runs through October 1st but the permanent collection resides on the estate year round. You can even stay in the Contemporary Art Centre in one of three beautifully appointed guest rooms. The on-site wine bar, appropriately named Baravin offers up light lunches featuring locally sourced produce and dishes as well as the estate’s wonderful wines. Visits, tours and tastings can be booked by appointment from November through March, offering an original excursion into Bordeaux’s wine country. Special to The Gourmet Gazette. http://www.chasse-spleen.com/#!/