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John & Carolyn Scallon offer comfortable Bed & Breakfast (Chambre d’Hote) accommodation in Burgundy either for stop-overs en route south or for short or longer stays. At Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Bourgogne).
This would be an opportunity to explore some of the lesser known parts of Burgundy with the additional bonus of experienced advice from your English hosts who can help you plan your itinerary to get the best from your day - and recommend vineyards and restaurants.
Just 90 minutes from Geneva or Lyon airports this area abounds with small villages, individual cuisine and lots and lots of really fine wines.
“We’re biased. We live in a small village in the extreme east of Burgundy, right on the border with the Jura Department and we love it here” say John & Carolyn Scallon at www.bandb-burgundy.com who offer excellent accommodation (4 individually decorated bedrooms with en-suite facilities) in the heart of south Burgundy at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) east of Chalon-sur-Saone (see map)
For more info and for suggestions on visiting the vineyards of Burgundy see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Having been in the wine trade, we still get our share of Christmas Greetings from France - often these are fairly formal affairs - often a glorified business card - although some are more personal and entertaining. One that stood out was from Hugel, one of the very best names in Alsace.
This led me to re-visit the website at (www.hugel.com) where there are some really good videos (in English too) available to view or download. You can learn all about Alsace and its wines (did you know that Alsace is the driest wine region in France!) and of course about Hugel’s wines.
Alsace is something of an enigma with numerous contradictions - it’s French/German history and culture; the dry aromatic French wines in Germanic bottles with Germanic typefaces; the preponderance (and high quality) of the co-operative cellars and the mosaic of different terroirs. Alone in France, Alsace wines are identified by grape variety - predominantly Riesling, Gewurztraminer but also Tokay Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Muscat (and a little Pinot Noir red), although increasingly the best wines are also identified by the addition of “lieu dit” - often specific vineyard plots which have been officially recognised as providing superior quality.
Alsace also produces a blend - Edelzwicker - which to my mind is best avoided - the blend disguises the varetal character which is Alsace’s strength.
Alsace would make a perfect accompaniment to Turkey or Goose - particularly a fine Riesling would offer a nice crisp edge against the richness of the food.
Unfortunately Alsace is not particularly cheap - but good wines do offer consistent value for money - the Wine Society has a good range.
We’ve plumped(!) for duck as our Christmas bird this year, so a hunt for appropriate recipes was called for. Problem is of course that ducks tend to be a tad smaller than Turkey or Goose, so depending on numbers you may need more than one bird.Waitrose offer a couple of promising recipes - and although “duck with orange” sounds a bit of a cliché this sounds good.Roast Duck with Thyme and orange-roasted pumpkin. Alternatively try Roast Duck with Elderberry Sauce Over at the Observer, Nigel Slater offers a simple Roast Duck and Pancetta and Potatoes
Courtesy of www.slashfood.com we found a pile of duck recipes from the SanFrancisco Chronicle including several for Slow Roasted Duck. On the BBC website there is a more British recipe for Gary Rhodes’ Roast duck with crispy duck hash and local beer gravy, spring greens and glazed carrots.
However for a more French version you could try “Caneton à la Bigarade” which is a variation on Duckling à l’Orange but using bitter oranges (bigarades) found in Elizabeth Luard’s delightful book Classic French Cooking: Recipes for Mastering the French Kitchen
With the foul winter weather of the last few days in the UK, it was a welcome breath of something warmer and sunnier that arrived in our mailbox today - details of the French House, a large 4-bedroom house on the banks of the River Yonne, within a few kilometres of Auxerre, Chablis, Irancy, St Bris-le-Vineux and Clamecy.
We’ve visited the area several times in recent years, and it has many attractions - not only the easy access to good vineyards. Nearby the Canal du Nivernais connects the Yonne to Nevers (58 Nievre, Bourgogne) through some wonderful unspoilt and tranquil countryside - and even if your not a boating enthusiast, the towpaths provide access to countryside which is often inaccessibe by road.
The French House is at Vincelottes (89 Yonne, Burgundy - see map) just 12 kilometres south of Auxerre. Away from the bustle (and facilities) of Auxerre, Vincelottes is truly rural, surrounded by farms, orchard and vineyards. Within 15 minutes are vineyards with everything from honest “Grand Ordinaire de Bourgogne” to the finest Premier Cru Chablis. Personally I find the reds in this northern part of Burgundy a bit thin, but the whites including Chardonnays from Chablis and Sauvignons from St Bris.can be magnifique! There are also numerous restaurants (this is Burgundy after all!) and evocative villages replete with history. And it is all within 4 hours of Calais.
Recommended vineyards include Jean-Marc Brocard at Chablis and Domaine Felix at St Bris-le-Vineux.
For more info on the French House see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Contact the owners, Jill Tounsend (jtounsend@aol.com)
The official tourism site for Paris and the Ile de France (www.pidf.com) is a useful site for visitors to the Paris region and has a spin-off site where amongst other things the French do not take themselves too seriously - unusual, I know, especially on a government-funded website.
Here at www.cestsoparis.com (it’s so Paris!) you will find invaluable guides to French and Parisian humour and an illustrated guide to the gallic shrug!. Apparently a survey showed that many visitors (especially from the UK) often misunderstood the non-verbal body language employed by the capital’s residents, reinforcing the idea that Parisians are rude - although in my experience no ruder than Londoners as a general rule.
Hence the BOF! which is perhaps the classic French shrug. It is used to “deny knowledge, agreement or responsibility“. With a visual guide and instructions you can add it to your own armour of communication skills whilst in France
- firstly stick out your lower lip, and then
- raise your eyebrows and shoulders sumultaneously! (not as easy as it sounds!)
There is also a competition to win a weekend in Paris - see www.cestsoparis.com
The Independent has a weekly series of 50 Best…. of anything ranging from toys, gadgets, hotels etc. On 16 December 2006 it was the time for their wine selection. I have never been quite sure how they arrive at the selection, but the lists usually show up something a little unexpected.
So it’s good to see some lesser known French wines on the list including:-
Saint Mont 2005 - from our favourite co-operative in Gascony - Plaimont’s wine is made from Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Aruffiac - “fine fresh,peachy fruit quality and classic southwestern bite and tang to the finish” - Marks & Spencer £5.79
Bandol AC Tempier Classique 2001 mainly made from the Mourvedre grape in Provence - “mingles flavours of blackberry and plum in a stylish, modern, seamlessly oaked style” - Stone Vine & Sun £16.95
Champagne Tarlant Brut Zero “a fine full-flavoured blend… excellent fruit quality crafted in super-elegant style”.- Marks & Spencer £25 - proprietor Benoit Tarlant also has an interesting video diary at http://champagne.typepad.com/podcast/
Alsace Riesling AC Trimbach Civee Frederic Emile 2001 “intensely aromatic dry white, whose lime-zesty fruitiness and typical Riesling “petrolly” notes are balanced by an underlying mineral streak” - Paragon Vintners, London £28.04
Costieres de Nimes AC Chateau Mourgues du Gres, Fleur d’Eglantine 2005 from the southern Rhone/Provence/Languedoc border - a rose from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan “blackcurrant and raspberry notes in a full-bodied style” Gauntleys of Nottingham £7.99
Canard-Duchene Charles VII Champagne a delicate deluxe cuvee .. praline, grilled nuts and honeycomb aromas…elegantly dry..deliciously refreshing tang….evolved toasty flavours.Majestic £19.99 o4 £13.99 if you buy 2 or more.
| February 24, 2007 | to | February 25, 2007 |
The winemakers of Anjou and Saumur offer to brighten up February with a weekend wine Festival on 24 and 25 February 2007 at Challonnes-sur-Loire (49 Maine-et-Loire, Val de Loire - see map). This is not be be confused with the Loire Valley Wine Fair in Angers at the end of January, which is a trade event. This Fete des Vins d’Anjou sounds much more fun with an opportunity to taste wines from the 29 appellations in Anjou/Saumur (no - I could not identify all of them) - and an exhibition on wine, Anjou wine tasting and a tour of the cellars, an exhibition of agricultural and wine-growing equipment, “a wine brotherhoods parade complete with enthronements” (i.e. mainly men dressing up in strange garb and indulging in some quasi-historical ceremonies) and a contest to find the “Best Anjou Tasters”.
The region does offer pretty much the whole gamut of red, white and rosé wines, dry, medium, dessert; still and sparkling - you might be surprised at the quality of some of the Cabernet Franc reds!
Not sure if our friends from Domaine Leduc-Frouin will be there - we used to stock their wines and miss the chance to taste them as regularly as we used to. But I hear recently that they had a good write up in the “Revue du Vin de France”, France’s most serious wine magazine - their red Anjou Rouge AV 2005 was rated at 17.5/20 and an impressive 19/20 for their stunning dessert Chenin - Coteaux du Layon AC Nectar 2002.
For more info on the domaine and their wines see www.leduc-frouin.com
For more info see www.fetedesvins-anjou.fr (site incomplete at time of writing).
In the very heart of France, Brive-la-Gaillarde (19 Correze, Limousin) the modest town of Brive does its bit to keep up with the bigger cities such as Paris and Nice. In the summer they set up “Brive Plage” an articifical inland beach, and at Christmas they convert one of the town’s squares into an ice rink (patinoire). in Place du Civoire, whilst the Christmas Market takes over the Place General de Gaulle (16 - 31 December 2006.
Named “la Gaillarde” or the “brave” it is the main town of the Correze departement, probably best known in the UK as a destination for French Motorail - I’ve always fancied the idea of loading the car on the train at Calais and waking up next morning in central or southern France avoiding the hassle of the long journey. It tends to be an expensive option, but if you save the cost of fuel, autoroute tolls and a night’s hotel then it does not look so bad.
Brive is an ideal destination with easy access to the Dordogne, and not forgetting the gentle delights of the Corrèze itself - considered by many to be the most unspoilt region of France, relatively untouched by many of the worst excesses of modern France - and tourists.
To capture a flavour of the region read the novels of Claude Michelet - such as Firelight and Woodsmoke
For more on French Motorail see French Motorail
For more on Brive see www.brive-tourisme.com/
A recent invitation to taste a couple of vintage Armagnacs was something too good to miss, as I tend to prefer this brandy to the more widely available and commercial Cognac. One of the reasons is that most Armagnac is produced by small domaines rather than large multi-nationals, so you can establish more of a connection to place and people.
In this instance the people are an English couple, Nick and Karen Kitchener who took over the Domaine de Lauroux at Manciet (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees - (see map) in 2004, whose red, white and rosé Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne we have tasted before.
However, tasting Armagnacs (or Cognacs come to that) is not quite as easy as tasting wines (see www.frenchduck.co.uk) but we managed to rise to the challenge. We had 2 fine Armagnacs to taste - a vintage 1967 and a 15 year old - the first being Armagnac only from the 1967 harvest; the second a blend of Armagnacs which have been matured in oak for at least 15 years.
The Lauroux Armagnacs are based on wines made from 100% Ugni Blanc which are then distilled and aged in oak - initially new oak barrels to extract colour and tannin, and later in older barrels to allow for slow maturation. Once bottled Armagnacs do not develop further.
The colour of both Armagnacs was an attractice mahogany brown - the use of clear bottles helps here. What was noticeable with both bottles was that after the initial hit of the alcoholic spirit, they were both surprisingly delicate to the taste with discernible fruit characteristics.
The 15 year old came across a touch lighter and more floral but with nutty, almond tones - whereas the 1967 was noticeably richer with more depth of complex flavours - and almost a sweet edge (caramel) - and beautifully smooth in the mouth. I could happily drink both, although inevitably the older bottle had the edge. But compared to cheap brandies, these 2 bottles were akin to putting 2 classic vintage Champagnes against cheap fizz - it is quite a different level of exquisiteness!!
Nick and Karen are hoping to put their Armagnacs online soon, but in the meantime they can be found at Planet of the Grapes, Bentleys of Ludlow and at the Butchers Arms Pub/Restaurant in Priors Hardwick, Warwickshire.
For more info on the Armagnacs of Domaine de Lauroux - see http://frenchduck.co.uk
For more on Domaine de Lauroux wines see www.frenchduck.co.uk/lauroux.html
Domaine de Lauroux, Manciet, France
Chateau d’Aydie and the Laplace family are widely regarded as one of the foremost quality producers of Madiran. Frédéric Laplace was recognised as one of the pioneer winemakers - first to bottle Madiran wines and to sell them under his own name when the appellation was created in 1948 - when there was just 50 hectares of vineyard under production, compared to the 1650 hectares which now produce Madiran wines.
The whole venture is very much a family affair - the three grandsons and granddaughter of Frédéric run the estate between them - Francois in charge of the business side; Jean-Luc is in charge of wine-making; Bernard manages the vines; and Marie presides over the office, whilst their father Pierre is in semi-retirement but still very much involved.
In his new book “The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)
It is always a sure sign of excellent wines when the top restaurants in the region include them on the wine list.
Madiran has been in the headlines recently due to a new book by Richard Corder “The Wine Diet
We imported 2 superb Madirans from Chateau d’Aydie and a couple of excellent Vins de Pays. The key difference between the Madirans is the percentage of the Tannat grape used.
The top cuvée is the Chateau d’Aydie - made from 100% Tannat grapes - a “grand vin” - greater power and energy with considerable fruit character (blackberries and blackcurrants), with hints of mushroom and tobacco. Aged in new oak for 12 months. (The 2001 vintage was recommended in the Guide Hachette des Vins 2003. “..intense and complex nose…fruit, menthol and woodsmoke..well balanced flavours mingled with vanilla and toast.“)
The next cuvée is Madiran AC Odé d’Aydie where the proportion of the Tannat grape is 80%. The Odé d’Aydie is made from top quality vines and aged partly in new oak barrels and partly in large oak vats. This produces a “sweeter” and richer wine than more basic Madirans, with suggestions of plums and tobacco. (Recommended in the Guide Hachette des Vins 2002. “”elegant in its deep, bright blackness, the Odé d’Aydie leaves in its trail intensely smoky aromas, fragrances of vanilla and menthol, notes of balsam…full-bodied, velvety and structured.”)
The Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne carry the label “Aramis” indicative of their origin in 3 Musketeers country, and are excellent quality easy-drinking wines.
See map
