I HAD wallowed in the blissful experience bestowed upon me by Bacchus, the full-bodied ruby tones dancing on my palate during my short stay in Bordeaux. The dry, suave and sophistication of the famed, grand Bordeaux wines nurtured across acres of well-bred terroir shaped up to offer me the finest oenological adventures in that historic city in the lap of the Garonne. But it was a newly kindled curiosity about the latest incarnation of wines and grapes that went beyond Reidel glasses and fine dining that found me driving southwestwards to the Graves Region. There, ensconced within the sprawling vineyards of Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte I discovered Caudalie the Vinotherapie Spa, the amazing mind-and-body rejuvenating destination that specialises in the organic program of anti-ageing and body toning therapy.

It is the world�s only, one-of-its-kind wine, grapes and vine extracts-based holistic health treatment program drawing direct scientific benefit from the discarded grape seed extracts after harvest. And the various packages they offer are bringing in the discerning health-conscious cognoscenti from around the world to this exotic location. Its origin is fascinating. Mathilde and Betrand Thomas a young couple (and the founders) happen to meet an eminent professor from the Faculty of Pharmaceutics at Bordeaux University on the Estate of Smith Haut-Lafitte way back in 1993. His astounding revelation to them was an eye-opener and a gateway to a revolutionary new concept in anti-ageing treatment. Grape seeds discarded at the end of each harvest were worth their weight in gold, containing grape polyphenols which on stabilising had priceless benefits for the skin with their incredible capacity to trap free radicals responsible for 80% of ageing in humans. Intensive research and several patents later, Caudalie was born, and its founders formulated a strict code of ethics to govern its functioning, as the only premier, world-class Vinotherapie Spa and beauty centre.

The layout and planning of Caudalie is pleasing and comforting. Their range of specialised treatments are targeted at the varying needs of guests visiting the Spa. Adjacent to splendid �Les Sources De Caudalie�, their luxury hotel and premium restaurants and some nerve-stilling environment amidst vineyards and a lake, the Vinotherapie centre draws from the therapeutic qualities of a naturally hot spring water source 540 metres below ground rich in minerals and trace elements with vine and grape extracts. In each of their treatments, the numerous products of Caudalie Laboratoires� range containing grape polyphenols, acclaimed by doctors and surgeons around the world, are used for their amazing anti-oxidant properties. �We have international celebrities and personalities coming over to Caudalie on our holistic extended programs,� smiled Delphine Dufours, the energetic director. �Guests love staying over at our adjoining four star deluxe villa hotel, wine and dine at our country restaurant, walk and cycle around the estates in the mornings and early evening and just relax and unwind at the Spa... it�s an altogether unique getaway package with a rejuvenation deal!� The various sections were full with guests in their various stages of treatment. Two leggy French models from Paris, a prime-time television star and a zesty Australian ad film honcho were immersed in the languorous hot pool in the courtyard.

Welcoming me to the facilities with a glass of hot, aromatic Caudalie herbal red vine tea, Fabienne the Vinotherapie program educator explained the various packages. The Top-to-Toe Special Vintage Package has body and facial treatment where you are plunged into a Wine Barrel Bath or red Vine Bath, pampered with a honey and wine wrap, a 4-hand exhilarating massage with grapeseed oil or a crushed Cabernet scrub, a Plantar Reflexology workout and a Sauvignon Massage Other packages like the Relaxation Package have experts planning all the above in addition to the Merlot Wrap, jet showers and underwater massages, Slimming and Fitness Package extending to 6 days on a full board basis, complete with Executive Chef Franc Salein�s slimming menus sans fat and sugar calibrated to 500 kcal.

For post-pregnancy ladies an individual program additionally combines cryotherapy, �Vrilles de Vigne� drainage and endermology. For a complete detox deal, living on nothing but grapes is offered during the harvest season! Comfortable wood and stone cabins with an accent on environment-friendly design overlooking the sprawling Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte vineyards make the experience relaxing and invigorating, as experts work on you to loosen and relax your nerves and muscles. Here at Caudalie, technology spearheads the terrestrial effort. The latest equipments combined with the use of organic essential oils, ultrafine Caudalie grapeseed oils and red vine extracts are the singularly exotic features of Caudalie�s program since 1999. All through the treatments, the decided benefits of Resveratrol, the vine�s natural defence and self-regenerator, has been vitally included to extract its naturally cells-restoring and anti-oxidant properties by stimulating cell multiplication. With such treatment the skin becomes firmer day after day, elasticity improves, and with it the radiance and tone of the skin, and wrinkles smoothen out and fade away.

I braced up for my own special rendezvous with the vine. I plunged into the Wine Barrel Bath in the swimming suit I carried on instructions from the Caudalie Spa. The red vine extracts-enriched water hydro massage was invigorating, while the Wine Barrel Bath had bubbling water with finely crushed grape extracts from seeds, stalks, skin and pulp, delivering a mildly exfoliating effect. I instantly relaxed and loosened up my urban muscles. Other treatments followed with a Honey and Wine Wrap of wine yeast, Gironde honey and organic essential oils for that moisturising feel and boosting immune defences. The unique Merlot Wrap fascinated me, a hot application of bentonite clay and oils helped texturise the skin marvellously. Other treatments include an Exhilarating Massage, Jet Shower, Hammam (Turkish) bath, a Crushed Cabernet Scrub (to rid dead cells) Sauvignon massage, Californian Grape Massage, Pulp Friction Massage, Vrilles de Vigne Drainage (to produce an anti-cellulite and slimming effect), Bordeaux Stone Treatment (hot stones massage to relieve stress and fatigue).

What is amazing is the open-mindedness of the promoters of Caudalie in the employment of Ayurvedic therapy, Reiki, Shiatsu, Endermology Cellu M6 (kneading/rolling technique to help reduce the ugly cellulite look), and highly recommended features like the Imperial Treatment (anti-ageing, anti-wrinkle therapy), Microdermabrasion Radiance Treatment (micro-crystals sprayed on the dermis to fade pigmentation marks), Premier Grand Cru Treatment (delivered by a doctor and a beautician) and lots more. Caudalie is a much sought after leisure and relaxation address the year round, their superb boutique Hotel De Charme with 49 luxury rooms, suites, swimming pool, 3-hole golf course, two distinct restaurants, La Grand Vigne, overlooking a small lake at the foot of a charming vine covered slope, and La Table du Lavoir, a delightful country inn where grape pickers came to wash their laundry in the 19th century.

Executive Chef Franck Salein in dazzling white bicycled up the vineyard rows to the gravelled pathway entrance of the country inn restaurant, his face a radiantly smiling pink. Taking us around the sprawling settings, he elaborated, �My aim is to highlight fine fresh local produce and to offer healthy and delicious cuisine in tune with the seasons here.� He does live up to it with enormous elan. The lunch was excellent, his Pumpkin Cappuccino with Cardamom Soup was exemplary, like I�ve never relished before. I urged him for this recipe which I could easily share with my Indian friends back home. With a proud cellar of 15,000 of the choicest wines, both outlets are a favoured escape for both local and business visitors and international guests looking for that exquisite contentment.

The afternoon air was bracingly skittish as I walked down the flower bed-lined path leading to the imposing, ivy-covered Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte. Lusciously deep navy-indigo bunches of grapes hung from the rows, as flocks of birds dived majestically over the green snapping beaks and echoing shrill retorts. At the tower entrance of the winery estate I pulled on the ropes of a huge brass bell that rang out the call. Moments later a beaming Mon. Daniel Cathiard and Mme. Florence Cathiard, the owners emerged from the arched gates, welcoming me on my conducted tour of the Grand Cru Cellars.

Its a pristine ecologically preserved setting instilling that essential tranquil mood blending with the classico-medieval architecture within the Grand Cru vineyards producing the fine dry red and delightful white wines that Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte is renowned for. Sipping a classic vintage red from their 1998 edition, the full-bodied aromas and stalky palate rang a note of thrill in me. The magic of the vine permeated within as a musical ode to the greatness of one of the oldest natural health giving plants known to man.

Getting to Caudalie
Located just thirty minutes off the A62 Highway southwest of Bordeaux, in the Graves wine producing region in France, Caudalie (Spa De Vinotherapie, Chemin De Smith Haut-Lafitte, Martillac) is also a mere 45 minutes from Bordeaux-Merignac International Airport. Air France non-stop daily from Bombay to Paris, has excellent day-round multi-connections on the domestic sector. Prior arrangements/reservations at Caudalie need to be made for boarding and lodging in view of the constant demand.

PUMPKIN CAPPUCCINO WITH CARDAMOM (85 calories)
Ingredients:
500 gm pumpkin
100 gm onions
1 garlic clove
300 cl chicken stock
2 tbsps powdered skim milk
A few cardamom seeds,
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves.

Procedure:
Peel and chop the onions and pumpkin. Saute the onions in the olive oil, add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, cardamom and pumpkin. Add the chicken stock and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the garlic and place the vegetables in a blender, then strain to obtain a veloute(velvety smooth softness).
Place a small amount of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the powdered skim milk and blend with a mixer until foamy.

Presentation:
Place the veloute in a coffee cup. Delicately add the foamy milk just before serving.