Event Previews & Reviews from Bordeaux

With spring in the air and the warm sun hitting our faces we look forward to the events of April in and around the Bordeaux region.

It's time to sit back, relax and enjoy some live music and entertainment.

Le Tour de France 2016 kicked off last Saturday with stage one and the 'Grand Depart' being hosted by the stunning island community of Le Mont Saint Michel.

After four exciting days of racing in the Alps, Chris Froome emerged victorious in Paris for the third win of his career. Equalling the records of Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond who all have three Tour wins under their belts, and becoming Britain's first three-time winner.

July brings with it all sorts of sporting events. This year we have the EURO 2016 hosted in France at the start of the month, the annual tennis tournamant at Wimbledon and Formula 1 action at Silverstone, Budapest and Hockenheim.

As you can imagine, many of the main events that happen in the Bordeaux and Gironde region are wine related. From the planting and tending of vines to the harvest of grapes and celebrating the newest vintages.

First launched in 1984 by the French Ministry of Culture, the third Sunday in September is the designated day for historical monuments, museums and even private areas across the country to open their doors and allow the public access to places they would not normally be able to experience.

As with most months in summer, June is a month full to the brim with wine and song.

With music and traditional wine festivals, September is a great time to visit Bordeaux.

So far we've seen not only some fantastic racing, stunning scenery and nail-biting sprints from the 2016 Tour de France, but we've witnessed several unusual crashes, the yellow jersey literally running up Mont Ventoux and more than one incident of an over-enthusiastic fan causing disruption.

Stage 17 of the Tour de France 2016 took the riders from Bern, the capital of Switzerland, to Finaut-Emosson on the Swiss-French border, just around the corner from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

As 15,000 people cycled the penultimate stage of the Tour de France 2016, from Megeve to Morzine in the Etape du Tour on Sunday, the drama of the actual race was unfolding in the Pyrenees.

July has wonderful markets and a good smattering of classical music events.