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A new airline AIR TURQUOISE will start new routes from London to Reims (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardennes) and from Reims to Toulouse (31 Haut-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) from March at very attractive prices. Slowly some cheap internal flights within France are becoming available, which opens up the possibility of a multi-centre trip to France without the car.
Whilst a good dollop of turquoise colour on the website may be bearable, I do hope they don’t overly extend the corporate colour scheme into the cabin or uniforms!!

Reims is of course the capital of Champagne country and is fine for a weekend away. However, it is worth hiring a car and getting out into the vineyards and exploring the “Montagne de Reims” - not exactly a mountain but an impressive outcrop across which many of the finest Champagne vineyards are to be found. You will be amazed by how many Champagne growers there are - many offering better priced wines than the major “marques” which have their cellars in fine chateau in Reims.
However, do be wary of some Champagne vineyards policy of charging for tastings - usually refunded from any purchase made. Whilst I understand the need to discourage the freeloaders, I personally object to the practice - and feel that they should discriminate between the coachload of tourists and the potential serious customer - buying a case of Champagne is always serious in my book! The other option is to get an introduction from a UK (or French) merchant, or contact the vineyard in advance to establish your “credentials”.

If you are flying to Reims you will of course be a somewhat limited in your wine purchases - why not take a WINE BOTTLE BAG which will safely carry 9-bottles onto the plane - CLICK HERE for details

Gauloise cigarettes, the Morris columns and now the iconic French (well, mainly Parisian) urinal is under threat. There is apparently only one of the original Vespassienne edifices left - designed by no less than Eiffel (of Tower fame) and that is in poor condition (near the Sante prison).

Named after the Roman Emperor Vespasian, whose footnote in history is that he was the first to introduce a tax on toilets, this has always been a spectacularly French and male edifice. Usually smelly in the extreme, these urinals (pissoirs) offered a minimum of discretion to both users and passers-by. By comparison the Victorians provided Britain with a pretty good system of public conveniences which is seldom matched “sur le continent”, and which probably spoils the visitor to French shores. Even where they are provided in France they are often a rude shock to the uninitiated - I’ll say no more on that subject!

In Paris and other big cities they have been largely replaced by the “Sanisette” - the tardis-like self-cleaning booths which even adorn British streets. I’ve always been terrified that either the cleaning cycle would start too soon, or that I’d get locked in - I would probably prefer a Vespassienne!

BUT the good news is that in Paris the Sanisettes are to be free of charge from now on, instead of charging €0.40 (about 25p) a pee.I have some worries about the reasons for the change of policy - is it for health reasons to encourage the Parisians to go more often? Or is it because the charges discouraged too many people and they have been finding other less environmentally friendly ways of meeting their needs!?

Cafe and bar owners may not be so happy - I know many visitors stop for a coffee/beer etc just in order to use their “facilities”.

Another of those little things which reminds you that France really is a foreign country! - Remember “CLOCHEMERLE”, a fictional story based on a maverick mayor in small Beaujolais town who decides that the erection of a magnificent municipal urinal in the town square is a perfect symbol to celebrate the virtues of the Republic - civic mayhem ensues. Although the screenplay was by Brits the original story was by a Frenchman!!

The original basis for “Clochemerle” was the village of Vaux-en-Beaujolais (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) in the western part of the Beaujolais vineyard. The village trades outrageously on the fame of the novel written by Gabriel Chevalier in 1934.

Vin Jaune (yellow wine) is a speciality of the Jura (eastern France between Burgundy and Switzerland) which is made exclusively from the Savignin grape - late harvested and then pressed and subjected to a slow fermentation followed by a slow ageing process in small 228litre casks. The process yields a thin layer of yeast on the surface of the wine. The wine is then matured without any racking, filtering or other human intervention.As it evaporates naturally the nature and colour of the wine changes - over 6 years or more - producing a deep yellow dry wine with distinctive and complex aromas of nuts and spices with a long long finish in the mouth. It is bottled in special 62cl “clavelin” bottles.

Every year there is a festival to celebrate and taste the “Vin Jaune” and this year it is to be held in the town of Lons-le-Saunier (01 Ain, Rhone-Alpes) on 4th and 5th February 2006. La Percee du Vin Jaune is a “moveable feast” that changes from one wine village to another each year and celebrates the breaching of the barrels of the Vin Jaune, 6 years and 3 months after being made. It’s a big festival and usually attracts around 30,000 visitors plus over the two days.
For more info see http://www.jura-vins.com/actualites-vins-jura.htm

Nearby (15km) is a good English run B&B in the village of Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) -see their website at www.bandb-burgundy.com

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Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) is the place to be 29 June - 02 July 2006 when a 4 day wine festival is held in the Place des Quinconces - celebrating the 80-odd appellations in the Aquitaine region - taste, discover, learn and enjoy.
“The Bordeaux Wine Festival will cover an area of more than 29 acres. On this single and unique site, visitors will be able to sample the very best vintages from Bordeaux and the region. Visitors will also be able to wander through one of France’s most beautiful 18th century city, discover the old Town markets, admire the architecture of the Grand Theatre, amble through the antique district, and marvel at the many grand buildings and monuments. During the daytime, numerous
excursions will be possible, using the Discovery Pass, to visit the scenic sites, the vineyard chateaux and other gems of the Gironde region.”

For more see http://www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com/
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Keywords: France,Wine,Bordeaux,Aquitaine

The EU comes in for a lot of criticism when it over-regulates aspects of daily life across the continent, but in terms of consumer protection it does well. For all that the Budget airlines have opened up affordable air travel across Europe, there have been some horror stories resulting from delayed or cancelled flights. Friends of ours got stranded in Nimes last year when their flight was cancelled, and arriving at the airport at 9.00pm for their flight were essentially given their money back and told to make their own way back to the UK. Not only were all other flights full for several days, but they also missed their onward connection to Canada. In the end they ended up paying full fare on the TGV/Eurostar back to London, plus a night in a hotel in Nimes, none of which they had budgetted for.
Hence a recent ruling from the EU imposes obligations on the airlines to mitigate the problems caused by delayed or cancelled flights - e.g a refund and a flight home for any delay in excess of 5 hours and £170 compensation plus flight home where a flight is cancelled or overbooked.
The budget airlines will doubtless cry “foul!” and claim that prices will have to rise dramatically to cover this eventuality - but at the moment there is little incentive for the airlines to avoid overbooking or cancellations on the basis of “what can you expect if you only pay £25 for a flight?”
Personally I’d be prepared to pay a little more on the ticket price for that sort of underpinning - rather than be marooned in some remote airport in the middle of the night! And please let ticket prices be presented as fully inclusive - not £1.99 plus £24,00 taxes and charges, some of which are mysteriously labelled as “administrative” or “booking” charges, 2 return flights can easily end up with an extra £100 in such “taxes and charges”.

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Keywords: France,Wine,Beef,Aquitaine,Gironde,Landes,Bazas

Andrew at www.spittoon.biz has a tasting note on a wine from Pic St Loup in the Languedoc. This is another of those sub-appellations of the Coteaux du Languedoc (St Christol, la Clape,Picpoul de Pinet are others) - another example of confusing French wine classifications. Predominantly based around the concept of “terroir” -i.e specific local factors in climate, soil, aspect etc, these sub-appellations continuously strive to become appellations in their own right - a process often dominated by politics rather than vinous distinctiveness or quality.
However, in the Pic St Loup there are some more stringent requirements compared to the wider Coteaux de Languedoc appellation - at least 90% of the blend must be from Syrah, Grenache and/or Mourvedre, and the vines must be at least 5 years old, and the yield is restricted to 50hl/ha - all of which are good precursors to quality wine, and will give the wine more distinctiveness than many wines produced in the area.
The Pic St Loup is a rugged and distinctive outcrop in the hills to the north of Montpellier (34 Herault, Languedoc)

There is a good website about the wines of Pic St Loup at www.pic-saint-loup.com and on 10 June 2006 there is an open day when you can taste the wines of the appellation and do some food matching too - see http://www.pic-saint-loup.com/rendez_vous.asp

Andrew Chapman at Surf4Wine stocks a number of good wines from the Pic St Loup.

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Keywords: France,Wine,Languedoc,Herault,Montpellier,Pic,Loup,St Loup

The city of Toulouse (31 Haut-Garonne,Midi-Pyrenees) has embarked on an ambitious programme to turn itself into a City of Light. Famous for the exceptional beauty of its red orange light during the day, the capital of Midi-Pyrenees is said to be even prettier when night closes in. Being finely chiselled with a wealth of details, the night-time urban landscape of Toulouse does have something special. A specialist lighting-designer has been developing the plan for 2 years now and as a result numerous city locations are now illuminated - including the Médiathèque José Cabanis; Saint-Sernin Basilica; Musée Saint-Raymond; the banks of the Garonne, the Abbatoirs Modern & Contemporary Art Centre, la Halle aux Grains, la place du Capitole, la place Saint-Georges.

For more on French Wine, Food & Travel see www.frenchduck.co.uk

Keywords: France,Toulouse,Garonne,Midi-Pyrenees

Bazas (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) celebrates the local tradtion of fatted oxen (Fete des Boeufs Gras). Originating from 1283 under the reign of the English Edward I, when the locals were required to provide the Archbishop of Bazas with a splendid beast, this festival celebrates the local tradition of rearing the special breed of oxen in this small but important town on the northern edge of the Landes forest, just south of the Garonne River. This year it takes place on 23 February 2006.
As such it is a bit of a beauty contest, where the best animals are judged, in the midst of a parade, bands playing and inevitably a good bit of beef and local wine being consumed (the nearest being Cotes du Marmandais). Nowadays the judging is on the basis of the quality of the meat, but in earllier times the beef were fattened as much for the tallow for candles as for meat!! Inevitably in France there is a revered brotherhood for the Bazas beef - la Confrérie Bazadaise du Boeuf where men dress up in silly costumes and perform some obscure rituals - but it all goes to make for enertainment and to celebrate the region’s produce. For more info see www.ville-bazas.fr

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Keywords: France,Wine,Beef,Aquitaine,Gironde,Landes,Bazas

A report in the Independent casts doubt on the value of using anything other than “plonk” for your next wine and cheese party - “Now, it seems, the organisers of cheese and wine parties were right all along to choose plonk rather than premier crus to go with their fromage.”
The scientific(?) research found that virtually all cheeses masked the flavour of the wine, so pairing with classy claret or burgundy could be a waste of time.
In general I must admit to prefering the matching of cheese and port at the end of a meal, where the richness and sweetness of the wine works well against the cheese. However, I do suspect that careful selection of both the cheese and the wine can produce a good match which enhances the enjoyment of both. Clearly strong flavours need to be matched e.g. the Baque Ossau Fermier with a Madiran from South West France - otherwise one would overpower the other. As a general rule the wine and cheese from the same region often go well together - although this is probably more tradition than science.

French Cheese DK Eyewitness Guide
The Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guide to French Cheese could prove very useful in this respect - a real encyclopedia of French Fromage with details of how and where they are made, what they are like, and what to eat and drink with them - and all illustrated in their usual clear style.

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Keywords: France,Wine,Cheese,Book

On Channel 5 TV on Monday 23 January 2006 at 8.00pm a new series of “Megastructures” begins, featuring one of the most impressive things we saw in 2005 - Millau Bridge (Viaduc de Millau).
“Imagine building a series of Eiffel towers, then slinging a four-lane highway between them, all the way across one of the deepest valleys in France. This is the Millau Viaduct - the tallest bridge in the world. Besides being almost a third taller than any other bridge on the planet, this incredible engineering marvel is a viaduct - a bridge spanning across an entire valley - that stretches from plateau to plateau in a long gracious curve”. at Millau (12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees).

Now part of the A75 autoroute from Clermont-Ferrand (63 Puy-de-Dome, Auvergne) to Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc)

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Channe