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Until 9th December 2007 Threshers are again offering a stonking 40% off their still wine, sparkling wine and champagne. Valid in most Threshers, Bottoms Up, Wine Rack, Haddows and Victoria Wine stores.
They have a decent selection of French wines including Pic St Loup AC from the Languedoc, Louis Jadot wines from Burgundy, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais and a good selection of Champagnes - and with that sort of discount the prices have to be pretty unbeatable.
All you have to do is to click on the voucher image above and print off your copy today! Then present it at any participating Thresher Group store between 29th November and 9th December 2007 to receive your 40% discount!.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, the city of Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) is making a serious claim as a tourist desitnation. I must admit most of my visits have been fleeting - on the way to the airport or to the vineyards beyond the city centre. The Times (26 Nov 07) provides a new look at the city:
The region is one of the most vaunted wine producers in France but until recently many of visitors gave the city itself a pass. Prostitutes and shady characters strolled its rundown waterfront, black grime obscured the architecture.
But a recent regeneration project, backed by mayor (and former French Prime Minister) Alain Juppe, has scoured buildings, turned the area by the Garonne River to a sweeping promenade with a shallow pool reflecting the Place de la Bourse and resurrected its graceful beauty.
MultimediaA new whisper-quiet tram, free from overhead lines in the central city, whisks visitors and locals around its 35kms tracks (expanding to 45kms).
For more info see Times Online
Bordeaux Tourist Office
It is inevitable that Northern France is redolent with memories of the two World Wars - but visiting memorials, graveyards and battle sites is not to everyone’s taste. For those who are interested then visits to memorials such as Thiepval, Beaumont Hamel and the Menin Gate in Ypres (just over the border in Belgium) are sobering and thought-provoking ocassions.
However, even if you are not interested, I would recommend a visit to the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge (62 Pas-de-Calais) - yes it is the site of another battle, but the Canadians have erected a stone memorial which is a thing of rare beauty. On a superb site on the ridge overlooking the rather industrial landscape of Lens and the Douai plain, the memorial is a stunning representation of hope and peace. Although designed in the 1920s to commemorate the 11,000 or so Canadians whose bodies were never recovered and the 50,000 others who died in the First World War it was finished in 1936, ironically just 3 years prior to another bout of bloody carnage,
The monument was refurbished in recent years and only re-opened in April 2007 and is well worth a visit. Several hundred metres away there is a visitor centre, trenches and tunnels to visit if you so wish, and the whole site is staffed by young Canadian student wardens who will answer any questions you may have.
Unfortunately the towns of Vimy and Lens are not particularly exciting for the visitor - but Arras offers an impressive Grand Place (Square) and is a lively place to stay.
You may just have missed the annual Lille Wine Fair (16-19 November 2007) but Lille’s colourful Christmas Market starts on 21 November and runs through until 24 December. This vibrant northern city also features an excellent selection of modetn and stylish shops (Galeries Layfayette, Fnac, plenty of fashion) and the heart of the old town (Vieux Lille) has innumerable interesting shops and boutiques - including food, antiques, gift shops.
There is no shortage of places to eat e.g the extravagant ll’Huitriere for superb but extyravagant fish and seafood. Local resident Alexandra Hudson at le Jardin d’Alix recommends the rue de la Monnaie, the oldest street in Lille for finding somewhere to eat - including l’Assiette du Marché (the market plate) which is housed in the old mint (* gourmet food, and a good deal at 16€ (starters and a main course, or the main course+dessert), but also more refined dishes“).
Nearby is the “la Pâte brisée“ very cheap, which specializes in different hot and cold, sweet and salty tarts and pies. Both places are jammed with Lille people, because the price value is so good.
The chocolate expert is also on rue de la Monnaie near the musem l’Hospice Comtesse - his name is Benoit, and he is listed in all the gourmet guides..
A personal favourite is another fish restaurant, somewhat cheaper than l’Huitriere, but excellent food and service - l’Ecume des Mers, near the Grand Place - or if you are a fan of mussels and want something more bistro style - try Aux Moules in the rue de Bethune.
There is no shortage of places to stay in Lille to suit all pockets, but for a real sense of the place you could try the Jardin d’Alix, a B&B in the suburbs but on the tramway straight into the city centre.
Also until 20th January 2008 there is an exhibition of Chagall’s ceramics at the Roubaix Swimming Pool!
If you missed the Lille wine fair, Paris is the venue for the Independent Wine Makers’ WIne Fair - 22nd -26th November 2007.
According to the Independent the Beaujolais region is effectively enjoying a climate equivalent to that 100 kilometres further south compared to 20 years ago. This also means that grape harvest is starting earlier, and hence the wines are no longer quite so “nouveau” when bottled, which should allow for a touch more maturity and finesse in the wines.
On the eve of the launch of Beaujolais Nouveau 2007, there is some thoughtful analysis of the issues facing the winemakers of Beaujolais:-
Beaujolais, however, is starting to fight back. For the first time this year a substantial amount of a Beaujolais Nouveau rosé will be sold. There is also a significant drive to improve quality.
“We were carried away with the euphoria,” said Dominique Piron, a wine producer and trader at Morgon, in the northern part of the beautiful Beaujolais hills, just north west of Lyons. “The more mass-produced forms of Beaujolais Nouveau were sometimes, frankly, bad and damaged the image not only of Nouveau but of all types of Beaujolais.
“Worse than that, the fad for Nouveau meant that even the better forms of Beaujolais, the ten ‘crus’ such as Morgon, Fleurie, Chiroubles, were made in the light, ‘nouveau’ style, without the richness and subtlety that good Beaujolais should always have.
Beaujolais Nouveau rosé is not something I have tried, but given the rise in popularity and availability of rosé wines on the shelves then a rosé may be a more attractive option - I shall obviously have to experiment!
Nick Dobson Wines still has some traditional Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau available if you are quick - plus he has written about his trip to the region last week - see www.nickdobsonwines.co.uk
If you are planning to visit France in the next week or so, be prepared for some disruption, especially if using public transport and visiting Paris. As reported in the Independent (12 Nov 2007):-
France faces eight days of social convulsion starting tomorrow with strikes by railway and Metro workers, students, teachers, power workers, civil servants, opera and theatre staff and even magistrates. The protests - especially an indefinite strike by railway workers from tomorrow night - will provide the greatest test so far of the reforming nerve and zeal of President Nicolas Sarkozy.
This is the showdown between the new President and the trade unions which has been inevitable, and which may prove crucial for determining how strike-prone the country may be this winter.
This all seeems rather perverse in the week that the new St Pancras Eurostar connection opens with faster journey times to Lille, Paris and Brussels.
Vicki Archer’s “My French Life” is just the thing to brighten up cold, dark winter days with evocative images of life in France (mainly Provence and Paris).
In 1999 Vicki Archer, with her husband and three children, made a lifelong dream a reality (don’t we all have this dream?) when she bought a seventeenth-century property in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. She spent three years lovingly restoring the farmhouse, bringing back to life the abandoned apple and pear orchards and planting an olive grove of more than 2000 trees. In MY FRENCH LIFE, Vicki shares an insider’s view of life in France, telling her personal tale of taking risks, facing challenges and falling in love with all things French.
With gorgeous 4-color photography by Carla Coulson, it is the perfect holiday gift for armchair travelers and Francophiles alike.
For details and to enter the prize draw (closing date 14 December 2007) go to www.frenchduck.co.uk
Buy your own copy from Amazon.co.uk
| November 24, 2007 | to | December 31, 2007 |
Being on the border with Germany, Strasbourg (67 Bas-Rhin, Alsace) has a long tradition of Christmas markets running from 1570.
The atmosphere which reigns in Strasbourg is unique. It is especially in the late afternoon, just as night is falling, that the magic sets in, as if the city, suddenly conscious of scene. There are also many treats to feast ourselves on : sweets, mulled wine, doughnuts…
For good measure, a giant Christmas tree is planted in Place Kleber, there are concerts, giving you a chance to appreciate the beauty of the cathedral and the city’s churches, and a whole host of activities allowing you to discover the rich Alsatian traditions. As for the children, they will love the delightful boat ride through the city.
This year it runs from 24 November to 31 December 2007,
For more info see www.ot-strasbourg.com
