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P&V have some special offers on their self-catering apartments in various parts of France - but these are limited time offers:-
Book 2 nights and get 2 free or book 1 week and get another whole week free! - offer closes 17th May. Available on 8 Pierre & Vacances residences - CLICk FOR DETAILS
25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
20% off luxury Adagio Tour Eiffel Aparthotel in Paris - available before 19th May. Includes this bank holiday weekend! 25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
15% off 4 night breaks at the Latitudes Beach Hotel in stylish Trouville (14 Calvados, Normandie)- available until 13th May - CLICk FOR DETAILS
The wines of the Jura are seldom seen and little known in the UK. These wines can be quite distinctive and in addition to familiar grape varietals such as Chardonnay they also use local grapes such as Savignin ( a cousin of Alsace Gewurztraminer), and Poulsard, a distant relative of Pinot Noir.
Jura Wine is a specialist independent wine merchant in Birmingham who specialises in the wines of the Jura - and specifically the wines of Domaine Tissot.
Jurawine collects the wines in person from our supplier, Domaine Tissot and arranges courier delivery to you throughout the UK.
Jura is part of the region known as Franche Comte and lies in eastern central France between Burgundy & Switzerland. This beautiful area has fine gastronomic traditions, including unusual wine festivals
Specialities of the region include “Vin de Paille” (straw wine), where the grapes are laid out on straw mats to shrivel and concentrate the juices producing delicious, long-lasting sweet wines; and Vin Jaune (yellow wine) which is made from Savignin grapes in a manner similar to Sherry!
Jura Wine - , 1 Augusta Rd, Acocks Green, BIRMINGHAM, B27 6LA
E-Mail: jurae@jurawine.com Tel: 0121 243 4042 Mbl: 07850 845518 Fax: 07092 888372
Another merchant who specialises in Jura & neighbouring Arbois wines (and others including Gaillac and Languedoc) is Devigne Wines (and Confit Direct) in Edinburgh (Tel: 0131 664 9058
Fax: 05600 756287, info@devignewines.co.uk)
A good starting point for getting to know the region and its wines could be John & Carolyn Scallan at their B&B at Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone et Loire, Bourgogne)
See our customised, searchable map of the region
For more info on the wines of the Jura see the official Wines of the Jura site
The Observer (27 April 08) features a visit to Chateau Lagrezette in Cahors (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees), owned and restored by Alain Dominique Perrin, a controversial figure in the Cahors wine community, who was the key figure in Cartier’ luxury goods empire.
His vigorous approach to marketing and the production of high value wines has not always been popular with traditionalists in the area, who fear that whilst he may be promoting the name of Cahors, his wines tend to be too commercial and distant from the traditional character of the appellation. Certainly other winemakers are making extraordinarily good top quality wines, whilst still retaining distinctive Cahors character.There is also the inevitable local suspicion about a wealthy incomer in what has been one of the poorest départements in France.
Lunch in the farmhouse kitchen is nowhere near as terrifyingly chic as I’d feared. Instead, his son Clement, a 27-year-old musician, and his winery manager, Jean Courtois, sit with him at a long wooden table in front of an open fire and eat ratatouille made with vegetables from the kitchen garden, herbed chicken with braised endive, goats’ cheese from Rocamadour and an amazing tarte tatin, all prepared by housekeeper Nadia, while Perrin explains how he restored his vineyards.
Lagrézette’s vineyards are some of the oldest in France and there are references to them from the 1500s. But they were decimated in the last century by the vine disease phylloxera and then by flooding in the 1950s. At the request of the locals, who had seen and approved of Perrin’s work on the château, he set about bringing them back, ripping out the unimpressive hybrids that had replaced the original diseased Malbec plants, replacing them with new Malbecs on three-quarters of the estate and Merlot and Tannat grapes everywhere else. He brought in renowned wine expert Michel Rolland to help in 1989, but remained closely involved himself.
‘Monsieur Perrin,’ says Courtois, ‘is above all interested in… quality. Quality is the most important thing to him in all things.’
The château’s winery was built from scratch, although it incorporates some original pieces, like the enormous wooden door, which dates from before the French Revolution, and a large stone fountain picked up in Toulouse. Having decided it should be built underground, Perrin had the hillside dug out, built the cellars and the workrooms, and then replaced the soil on top, no small feat considering the winery is 55m long and 19m deep. Now all that is visible from outside is the winery’s beautiful fascia. The final touch was a 150m tunnel connecting the winery with the château.
At the end of the tunnel you find yourself in a tasting room, formerly one of the château’s cells. ‘This is where Monsieur Rolland comes to blind-taste each vintage,’ explains Courtois. ‘It is also haunted, like most of the castle.’ In the course of the restoration, Perrin made a macabre discovery: the ruins of an oubliette, a dungeon that opened only from the top, into which people were thrown, literally to be forgotten. It contained human and animal bones that Perrin had analysed. ‘The theory is that it was probably closed up in the 18th century, and erased from the records because it was a source of such shame.’ Perrin claims that the circular bedroom at the top of the south tower, where his friends Tina Turner, Elton John, Richard Gere, Cindy Crawford and Tony Blair stay when they drop in for a weekend, is also subject to visitations from former inhabitants.
The Chateau has a nicely designed and informative website and blog - see www.chateau-lagrezette.tm.fr
Whilst the wines of Lagrezette are undoubtedly of high quality, personally I would prefer the wines of Chateau du Cedre or Chateau Eugenie.
Chateau Lagrezette Cahors AC is available from www.bertrandandnicholaswines.co.uk amongst others.
The village of Lautrec (81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) is proud of its local pink garlic (l’ail rose) and celebrates this every year in August with a Festival, market, competitions and music.
According to Chocolate & Zucchini. one of the best food websites:-
Apart from its undeniable attractiveness, l’Ail Rose de Lautrec is also distinguished for its aromatic and subtle taste, sweeter and milder than its white cousin. It also keeps for much longer, six months to a year. It can be used anywhere you would normally use garlic — raw or cooked, sliced, chopped, crushed or unpeeled (”en chemise”, which means “shirt on”) — but also in a variety of recipes created especially for it : a pink garlic soup, a walnut and pink garlic tart, a lime and garlic sorbet, and even a pink garlic chocolate cake!
For more on Lautrec’s Pink Garlic and the Festival see www.ailrosedelautrec.com
Lautrec also holds an annual Bread and Windmills Festival (Fete des Pains et Saveurs) 15 August 2008, celebrating the making of bread from milling the wheat in a traditional windmill through to the finished product!
| August 1, 2008 | ||
| August 15, 2008 |
The village of Lautrec (81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) is proud of its local pink garlic (l’ail rose) and celebrates this every year in August with a Festival, market, competitions and music.
According to Chocolate & Zucchini. one of the best food websites:-
Apart from its undeniable attractiveness, l’Ail Rose de Lautrec is also distinguished for its aromatic and subtle taste, sweeter and milder than its white cousin. It also keeps for much longer, six months to a year. It can be used anywhere you would normally use garlic — raw or cooked, sliced, chopped, crushed or unpeeled (”en chemise”, which means “shirt on”) — but also in a variety of recipes created especially for it : a pink garlic soup, a walnut and pink garlic tart, a lime and garlic sorbet, and even a pink garlic chocolate cake!
For more on Lautrec’s Pink Garlic and the Festival see www.ailrosedelautrec.com
Lautrec also holds an annual Bread and Windmills Festival (Fete des Pains et Saveurs) 15 August 2008, celebrating the making of bread from milling the wheat in a traditional windmill through to the finished product!
Bayeux (14 Calvados, Normandie) is famous for its norman tapestry - and more recently its proximity to the Normandy landing beaches of 1944.
The tapestry (or more an embroidery) is now housed in a museum (Musée de Guillaume le Conquerant) in the Medieval heart of the town and is open daily throughout the year. The tapestry is now recognised as a UNESCO “Memory of the World” and is 70 metres long, made in the 11th century. It celebrates the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
“Legendary animals, ships, Vikings, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, another pretender to the throne of England.”
For more about the Tapestry see www.tapisserie-bayeux.fr
There are a number of events which make it even more worthwhile to visit during 2008:-
Every year Bayeux holds a D-Day Festival, appropriately from 5-7 June 2008 - on the night of the 5/6 June there is a celebration of the arrival of the invasion with music and fireworks at nearby Longues-sur-Mer, whilst on 7th June there is a whole series of parades of military and other vehicles from the time, plus a picnic in the park with music to celebrate the fact that Bayeux was the first French city to be liberated!
Then in July Bayeux hosts its impressive Medieval Festival with lots of colourful activities with knights and damsels in medieval costume, a medieval market, street performers, music, dancing concerts, and parades (5-6 July 2008).
In November the place celebrates the Festival “Le Gout du Large” - a festival to celebrate scallops (Coquilles St Jacques) together with the Festival de Chants de Marins d’Europe - or the European Singing Sailors Festival at nearby Port-en-Bessin! 8-9 November 2008 - so if singing and shellfish are your thing, this will be the place to be!
Bayeux (14 Calvados, Normandie) is famous for its norman tapestry - and more recently its proximity to the Normandy landing beaches of 1944.
The tapestry (or more an embroidery) is now housed in a museum (Musée de Guillaume le Conquerant) in the Medieval heart of the town and is open daily throughout the year. The tapestry is now recognised as a UNESCO “Memory of the World” and is 70 metres long, made in the 11th century. It celebrates the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
“Legendary animals, ships, Vikings, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, another pretender to the throne of England.”
For more about the Tapestry see www.tapisserie-bayeux.fr
There are a number of events which make it even more worthwhile to visit during 2008:-
Every year Bayeux holds a D-Day Festival, appropriately from 5-7 June 2008 - on the night of the 5/6 June there is a celebration of the arrival of the invasion with music and fireworks at nearby Longues-sur-Mer, whilst on 7th June there is a whole series of parades of military and other vehicles from the time, plus a picnic in the park with music to celebrate the fact that Bayeux was the first French city to be liberated!
Then in July Bayeux hosts its impressive Medieval Festival with lots of colourful activities with knights and damsels in medieval costume, a medieval market, street performers, music, dancing concerts, and parades (5-6 July 2008).
In November the place celebrates the Festival “Le Gout du Large” - a festival to celebrate scallops (Coquilles St Jacques) together with the Festival de Chants de Marins d’Europe - or the European Singing Sailors Festival at nearby Port-en-Bessin! 8-9 November 2008 - so if singing and shellfish are your thing, this will be the place to be!
| June 5, 2008 | to | June 7, 2008 |
| July 5, 2008 | to | July 6, 2008 |
| November 8, 2008 | to | November 9, 2008 |
Bayeux (14 Calvados, Normandie) is famous for its norman tapestry - and more recently its proximity to the Normandy landing beaches of 1944.
The tapestry (or more an embroidery) is now housed in a museum (Musée de Guillaume le Conquerant) in the Medieval heart of the town and is open daily throughout the year. The tapestry is now recognised as a UNESCO “Memory of the World” and is 70 metres long, made in the 11th century. It celebrates the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
“Legendary animals, ships, Vikings, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, another pretender to the throne of England.”
For more about the Tapestry see www.tapisserie-bayeux.fr
There are a number of events which make it even more worthwhile to visit during 2008:-
Every year Bayeux holds a D-Day Festival, appropriately from 5-7 June 2008 - on the night of the 5/6 June there is a celebration of the arrival of the invasion with music and fireworks at nearby Longues-sur-Mer, whilst on 7th June there is a whole series of parades of military and other vehicles from the time, plus a picnic in the park with music to celebrate the fact that Bayeux was the first French city to be liberated!
Then in July Bayeux hosts its impressive Medieval Festival with lots of colourful activities with knights and damsels in medieval costume, a medieval market, street performers, music, dancing concerts, and parades (5-6 July 2008).
In November the place celebrates the Festival “Le Gout du Large” - a festival to celebrate scallops (Coquilles St Jacques) together with the Festival de Chants de Marins d’Europe - or the European Singing Sailors Festival at nearby Port-en-Bessin! 8-9 November 2008 - so if singing and shellfish are your thing, this will be the place to be!
Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) is another of the growing number of city bike hire schemes which have blossomed throughout France - and which potentially offer a different way of visiting many of France’s cities. It has also given employment to those creative people who dream up catchy logos and names for such schemes!
It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.
Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.
You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.
The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)
Velomagg in Montpellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)
This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!
Inevitably there are some urban myths developing - such as the fact that there are always plenty of bikes at the bottom of the Butte de Montmartre, but none at the top - for obvious reasons. And you can get caught out in busy locations if you cannot find an empty slot in which to return your bike!
Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) is another of those underrated French towns usually passed by on the autoroute - this time the A9 from the Rhone Valley down to the Spanish border. My principal memory is of horrendous traffic through the outskirts when trying to reach Pezenas and Chateau Belles Eaux at Caux many years ago - it all seemed a bit scruffy. But Ryanair now flies from Bristol so it could become a weekend break destination and it is close to lots of wonderful vineyards and landscape, Probably overlooked by its more glamorous neighbour to the north - Montpellier, Beziers seems more real.
Things like traffic should improve markedly from Autumn 2008 when the A75 from Clermont-Ferrand and Millau is completed with the stretch from Pezenas to join the A9 just east of Beziers. Anthony Peregrine in the Times writes of his visit:-
Up on its hill, the centre looks masterful - the gothic cathedral, especially, would be whipping the vast surrounding wine lands back into line, given half a chance. But chance hasn’t always been on Béziers’s side. It first made big news in 1209, when papal crusaders showed up and slaughtered the population as heretics.
Subsequently, the town has grown fatter and thinner with the ups and more recent downs of the cheap-wine trade. It has played rugby, held bullfights and generally been effervescent in the Latin manner. Then it has gone back to work. Or the bar. Or welfare. So, off the lovely esplanade and main squares, many old streets have a lived-in look - lived in not by Parisian gallery-owners, but by people who are meant to live there, the ones doing washing, pushing pushchairs and hanging around clapped-out cars, wondering how the hell to get the doors back on.
It makes for engrossing wandering, once you’ve had your fill of gothic. And we’ll come back to it at the end of our drive - which you could also join, with minimal adjustments, from Montpellier.
See our map of the area
Beziers Official Tourist Office
Stay on a vineyard at Les Montels at Raujan.
