During the second week in September a group of Hilton Tastemakers from throughout the EMEA region joined together on a Taste of Hilton trip to France to visit the brand home of aperitif, Lillet.
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Following a very successful summer campaign throughout EMEA, Lillet hosted a trip to Podensac, close to Bordeaux to showcase the region and terroir of Bordeaux alongside an authentic experience of the culture there.
Taste of Hilton @ Lillet
11 September 2023
Taste of Hilton @ Lillet
Lillet on the "Bassin"
The Bay of Arcachon is a very popular seaside resort with a very unique identity. It has a chic yet relaxed atmosphere with a very authentic style.
This style is part of Lillet’s spirit, since it's roots are in the Bay of Arcachon, which plays a very special role for the aperitif. The Lillet brothers have designed an aperitif to highlight the regional expertise of Bordeaux. The people of Bordeaux quickly took a liking to it and brought it to the Bassin which contributed to the national development of aperitifs.
Today, the Basin remains an exceptional place where Lillet is still honoured and where vacationers from all over France and abroad discover or rediscover this emblematic aperitif of the region.
The Arcachon Basin
During the Belle Epoque, the Arcachon Basin became a seaside resort popular with rich families from Bordeaux who built sumptuous villas that rivalled in originality. The style is eclectic, but recognizable by the steep roofs supported by mantling, with convoluted balcony decorations, coloured stained glass windows, belvederes, galleries or verandas.
In addition to its architectural style, the Bassin has the particularity of being an emblematic place for the culture of oysters.
The Oysters
From the Antiquity until the 50's, oysters were exploited on the Atlantic coast only as a wild resource which were "picked" with the dredge.
In the 17th and 18th century, the oysters gained success, at the king's court and then with the bourgeoisie. Its profitable trade led to the depletion of the natural deposits. And it is from the 50's that the oyster harvest was almost abandoned for the setting up of oyster beds. The oysters are then said to be of breeding and half-breeding.
The development of oyster farming also marks the rise of wood exploitation with a strong demand in materials to answer the need for the construction of huts, the marking of the parks, barges and ... pinasses.
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