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Anthony Peregrine in the Times (27 July 2008) embarks on a cheesey tour of France and this would be a great way to have a themed trip - maybe getting you into corners of France which might otherwise be missed. Furthermore there is increasing pressure both from EU bureaucrats, big commercial dairies and undiscerning consumers, which threatens the future of traditional artisan cheese-making.

….It’s good to visit them, too, to get to grips with the subject properly. They need all the allies they can get in the battle against industrial dairy plastic. They’re also to be found in some of the remotest, greenest and loveliest bits of France. Here are five of our favourites. All have an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée), which, as with wine, means that the item has to come from where it has always come from and be made as it has always been made. All will be glad to see you (and your money). Naturally, they might still drive you crackers with purple prose. You’ll just have to live with that. We’re travelling north to south.

So his tour encompasses Camembert (61 Orne, Normandy), Munster (68 Haut Rhin, Alsace), Epoisses (21 Cote d’Or, Burgundy), Comté (39 Jura, Franche-Comté) and the Auvergne which includes Saint Nectaire (63 Puy de Dome, Auvergne) - all of which are in beautiful parts of France and well worth a visit.

In the Auvergne there is a signposted Cheese route (Route des Fromages) - you can download a map and details at www.fromages-aoc-auvergne.com

In the Jura there is a Cheese Trail - details of creameries and farms open to visitors can be seen at www.lesroutesducomte.com

If you cannot get out to the farm, then these are French Cheese shops we can recommend:-

Fromagerie Marie-Anne Cantin, 12 rue du Champ de Mars PARIS - just off rue Cler in the 7th arrondisement - an overwhelming selection of delicious cheeses - very professional but also very helpful - also run tasting sessions.

To guide you in this wide field of cheese gastronomy Marie Anne Cantin and her husband Antoine Dias offer you tasting sessions.
According to the seasons , they will have you discover the different families of cheeses, their history, their making process , their character and particular flavour. You will learn how to choose your cheeses, eat, present and keep them.

Cremerie Marty Patrick, 160 rue Nationale CAHORS (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) - excellent choice, also includes butter, cream and fresh pasta (see video)

Some of the Loire Valley’s most famous wines are likely to be in short supply and at increased prices in the next 12 months or so, following bad weather which is just one of the perils which winemakers face.

In the Spring the western end of the Loire, where it meets the Atlantic and home to Muscadet, was hit by severe frosts which hit just as the fragile buds were breaking - such that there will be little if any crop or wine from many estates. The vine can tolerate moderate frosts when it is dormant in the winter , but once the buds begin to break it can be very vulnerable. The Daily Telegraph (25 July 2008) reported that:

“Growers said yesterday that up to 70% of the Melon de Bourgogne grapes used to make Muscadet were killed by frost in April. A second bloom - which normally gives the vines a chance to recuperate - was also ravaged by cold and wet weather atthe start of the summer”

Then towards the end of June a severe hailstorm hit the vineyards of the Centre region, particularly around Poully-Fumé and to a lesser extent Sancerre. This is classic Loire Sauvignon Blanc territory.

It seems particulary rough on Muscadet, which has in recent years overcome its old reputation for producing cheap, thin, acidic wines - recent years have seen the appellation transformed with many more excellent whites from the region becoming available - still retaining their very dry and acidic character but with much more depth of flavour and fruit content.

For more info on Muscadet see www.muscadet.fr 

As the 2008 Tour de France comes to its climax on the Champs-Elysees in Paris after another exciting (Mark Cavendish (UK) won 4 stages) and controversial 3 weeks, eyes turn to future years. Although the detailed route will not be published until November, we do know that:

The 2009 Tour de France cycle race will start in Monaco with a time trial on Saturday 4 July 2009 followed by the first stage proper on Sunday 5th July 2009 when the tour enters into France.

There are rumours that Edinburgh has made a serious bid to host the start of the 2010 Tour de France, and also that London is keen to repeat the success of the 2007 London start in 2012 to coincide with the Olympics!

For more info see www.letour.fr 

The Montmartre vineyard in the heart of Paris is well-known, but the BK Wine Blog reports that a new vineyard has been established in the grounds of the Brettoneau Hospital in Paris’ 18th arrondisement (also within Montmarte on the north side of the city - see map). Designed in part as therapy for patients (in tending the vines and making the wine rather than just imbibing it) the intriguing question is why Malbec - a grape variety which needs a lot of sun for ripening and which can produce quite big, tannic wines and is mainly grown 400 miles further south in the Cahors AOC. I had expected something more like a Pinot Noir or Gamay which tolerate cooler climes and which are the predominant grapes at Clos Montmartre,

The selection of Malbec is down to Fabrice Durou, the winemaker from Chateau de Gaudou in Cahors, a well-respected domaine at Vire-sur-Lot. So here is a man who knows his grapes and has made a “micro-cuvee. It all shows a rather different approach to the marketing gimmick which Australian producer McGuigan put on in London recently when they created a temporary vineyard in the heart of the City of London - a fun idea, admittedly, but ephemeral! (see www.ukwinesonline.co.uk)

For more about the Cahors wines of Chateau de Gaudou see www.chateaudegaudou.com

Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac is an extraordinary winemaker - for years his wines took pride of place on the Allez Vins! wine list both with his “Tradition” wines for superb everyday drinking and his “Reserve” wines, oaked red and white wines of a premium quality but keenly priced (not to mention his oaked dessert Saussignac which is stunning) So I was keen to taste the latest addition to the range - a pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, which has all the hallmarks of a Grinou wine - intense fruit character, crisp and clean but with surprising depth of flavour.

A visit to Chateau Grinou (Monestier, 24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) south west of Bergerac, always takes longer than planned, and I always learn more than I expect.

On this ocassion it was to discover that Chateau Grinou is going organic! Now, whilst Guy Cuisset has a genuine concern for the well-being of the local environment and takes seriously his responsibilities as the current steward of the land and the flora and fauna of the domaine, he is no “tree-hugger”. His primary passion is to produce excellent wines. He does not compromise that objective, especially as there are so many other obstacles (weather, pest, disease) and constraints (bureaucratic, legal, financial) in the way. He is convinced that this approach, whilst being a good investment in the future health and viability of the vineyard, will produce better wines - wines which are more intense and show more of the real fruit character of the grape. The wines will evolve over the next few years as new techniques and fewer artificial interventions make subtle changes to the resulting wines.

The latest visit also included a walk through the vines, which demonstrate the complexity of the challenge. Every year is different, and every one of the 365 days of the year will be distinctively different from this year to last or next. This Spring was seriously wet with heavy downpours and sodden soil. This was followed by some very hot dry weather which dried the topsoil to an almost impenetrable concrete layer - making life very difficult when trying to get rid of the weeds between the vines - esepcially now that he can no longer apply selective weedkillers to deal with the problem.

Further on, he shows me his latest innovation - an organic water treatment plant - which collects all the waste water from the winery and treats it organically and aerobically before letting it flow into the local water course. It’s impressive with its bubbling air pumping through the water and the reed bed to filter the run-off. It may be a requirement of the EU, but few other vineyards are following his example.

It is easy to forget amongst all the hype, marketing and packaging that wine is an agricultural product, and that the winemaker is a farmer with his roots in the soil and environment of his domaine - he can see the benefits to local wildlife (some welcome, others not so), and recognises that his future and that of future generations is intimately invested in the “terroir” which makes his wines what they are.

Unfortunately the new Sauvingon Blanc (Bergerac Sec AC) is not yet available in the UK, so all the more reason to pay a visit to the domaine. English is spoken, but do not expect a fancy tasting room with award certificates, old barrels or ancient vineyard equipment - a plastic table in the middle of the stainless steel cuves is all you’ll get - plus a chance to taste some excellent wines and a small slice of Guy’s enthusiasm to take away!

For more info on Chateau Grinou and UK stockists - see www.frenchduck.co.uk/grinou.html

Until Tuesday 26th August 2008, First class fares on French trains will be reduced, with prices starting from as little as £12 one way.To take advantage of these reduced fares, you must book before Tuesday 19th August 2008.

Travel from Paris to

• Rouen from £12
• Reims from £20.50
• Champagne Ardenne from £20.50
• Dijon from £25.50
• Tours from £20.50
• Avignon from £34
• Nice from £44 (overnight)

You can travel on high speed TGV trains which run at speeds of up to 186 mph across France, including the new Christian Lacroix trains running East of Paris.

Alternatively take a trip on comfortable, well-equipped regional trains, which will take you into the heart of your destination.

Or to wake up in your destination by taking an overnight Corail Lunéa train. Enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep in a flat bed and take advantage of having the whole day ahead of you.

Book train tickets within France with Rail Europe

The port cities of Bordeaux and Bristol both played a distinguished role in the history of the wine trade, such that even in the 13th century more than 85 per cent of all imported wine came from South West France and as much as 3,000 tons (750,000 gallons) was being landed in Bristol.
The trade with Bordeaux fluctuated, dependent on our relationship with France (war, peace, occupation) but key names in the UK wine trade were established in Bristol, such as Harveys and Averys. Both Bristol and Bordeaux have the advantaghe that navigable rivers reach right into the heart of the city. In Bordeaux the “Quai des Chartrons” on the Garonne river front. In 2007 the cities of Bristol and Bordeaux celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their twinning.

Sadly little there remains little of that trade physically - no cargo ships leave the Chartrons quayside, and in Bristol only Averys of the long-established merchants remains in the city centre.
However, all that could change with a shipping company (CTMV - Compagnie de Transport Maritime a Voile) starting to use sailing ships to transport wine from Bordeaux, initially to Ireland, but later to Bristol. Initial consignments are of Languedoc wines, which are initially transported by barge on the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux and then loaded onto the sailing ship Belem for the 4-5 day crossing to Ireland. This trip with a load of 60,000 bottles will save over 18,000 lbs of carbon emissions - so a veritable eco-friendly wine.

UPDATE

The Telegraph (25 July 2008) has a report on the same company bringing a “Green Energy” wine to Ireland:-

The first commercial cargo of wine shipped from France by sail since the late 1800s arrived in Ireland on Friday aboard a British schooner, with almost zero petrol costs and carbon emissions.
Some 30,000 bottles of “green energy” wine, arrived in Dublin aboard the 108-year old Kathleen and May - the last wooden hull three-masted topsail schooner in existence - after leaving Brest a week ago with a stop at Penzance.

Each bottle carried has saved 4.9 oz of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a regular shipment. The wines come with the label: “Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet.”

Furthermore the return trip is planned to be with an equivalent cargo of crushed glass for re-making into wine bottles back in France - sounds clever to me!

At last some sense has arrived in the classification of Bordeaux wines/ Whilst at one exalted level there are the fine wines of the classic appellations of Margaux, St Emilion, Pomerol, Pauillac, St Estephe, Graves etc but a visit to the region will reveal the sheer extent of the Bordeaux vineyards - a total of 57 appellations!! And I challenge most amateurs to be able to differentiate between these localised appellations.

So it is good news that a few of the “lesser” appellations, which nevertheless produce some excellent wines, have come together to make life a little simpler and their wines more identifiable:-

The National Institute of Appellations of Origin (INAO) has accepted the decision to launch a new appellation “Côtes de Bordeaux”. This will gather under a “common umbrella” four appellations. Côtes de Bordeaux is a union of four appellations - the Premières Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Côtes de Castillon and Côtes de Francs (formerly Côtes de Bourg) – which represents around 16 % of the total Bordeaux production with a surface of 32,000 acres and a volume of 700,000 hl. The appellation will come into effect from the 2008 vintage.

For more information see the website

The beautiful lake of Annecy (74 Haute-Savoie, Rhone-Alpes) in the heart of alpine Savoy, is well worth a visit at any time. The town of Annecy has all the attractions of a modern city, but also has its medieval centre, and being lakeside it offers great views over this most picturesque of lakes - and you can take a boat trip or hire a self-drive boat to explore the lake. For the adventurous it makes an ideal stop on the route over the Alps to northern Italy - but is also on the TGV fast train network. A circuit of the lake by road is about 20+ miles, but is well worth it to see the lake in its various aspects - although there are plenty of places to stop off and just relax with the tranquil view.
On 2 August 2008 the Fete du Lac d’Annecy (Festival of the Lake) takes place which includes music, theatre and a market with the highlight being a spectacular firework display over the lake in the evening on the theme of “around the world in 80 minutes”!

For more info see www.annecy.fr

It sometimes seems that the French will use any excuse to hold a festival - and why not? Often it celebrates some local traditions or local speciality products, and the French can be very proud (often rightly so) of their produce, history and heritage.
Hence the village of Trie-sur-Baise (65 Hautes-Pyrenees, Midi-Pyrenees) celebrates the Pig (Fete du Cochon - la Pourcailhade) on 10 August 2008. The celebrations include piglet racing, a competition to make the longest boudin (sausage) and bizarrely a competition for the best imitator of a pig squealing! As one of the most important pig producing areas in France, there will also be plenty of pork and charcuterie to sample and buy with music and dancing into the night.
For more info see www.pourcailhade.com

The town of Grasse (06 Alpes-Maritimes, Provence) is famous for being the heart of the Provencal perfumery industry with evocative names such as Fragonard to entice you. Set up in the hills back from the Mediterranean coast, Grasse celebrates its 3-day Fete du Jasmin from 1-3 August 2008. The festival marks the beginning of the Jasmine harvest and features fireworks, dancing and a Jasmine parade.

Most visitors to Provence head for the spectacular Mediterranean coast and stylish seaside resorts, but you are missing much of the best of Provence if you don’t venture inland, where the scenery is stunning - and you can get great views of the sea.

The Côte d’Azur, the French Riviera: its sun, its beaches… and especially its backcountry, a true haven of well-being, brimming with authentic flavours and fragrances!!! Rising from the hills above the Mediterranean is the city of Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, surrounded by the charming Provencal landscape and villages of the Pays de Grasse, the regional name for this breathtaking and tranquil countryside. Together, they form the French Rivera’s most beautiful balcony.

For more info see www.ville-grasse.fr/jasminade

There is such a wealth of fairs (foires) and festivals (fetes) across France on wildly different themes (but often involving food or wine or both) that you could probably visit a different one every day of the year.

In the medieval heart of old Tours (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre) there is a celebration of local basic and garlic (Foire à l’Ail et du Basilic) on 26 July 2008.

This colourful fair cum market has its roots in the Middle Ages when Tours was a major commercial centre, and now offers an excuse to decorate the streets of Vieux Tours with over 150 producers and exhibitors offering fresh basic and pungent garlic and in many different gastronomic creations, including the traditional Andouillettes Grillées au Vouvray - grilled chitterling sausages in sweet Vouvray wine - a local speciality!

Even if you cannot make that date, Tours is famous for its markets with a traditional style market every day somewhere in the city. I stumbled across the Flower Market (Marché aux Fleurs) running along the middle of Boulevard Béranger one Saturday morning which was so bright. colourful and fragrant that the memory lingers - also on Wednesday mornings.

Then on the first Friday of each month there is a Food market (Marché Gourmand) in the Place de la Resistance.

For more info see www.ligeris.com

Sigoules (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) (see map) south of Bergerac celebrates local wine production on the weekend of 19/20 July 2008 with its Foire aux Vins with all the usual activities including ceremonies, a church mass, banquets, folk music and dancing, concerts - and opportunities to taste the wine and food of the local area which includes the wines of Bergerac AC and the Cotes de Duras AC.

It promises to be fun - plus there are plenty of good winemakers in the area.

For more info see www.pays-de-bergerac.com 

The village of Espelette (64 Pyrenees-Atlantiques, Aquitaine) in the Basque country of Southwest France devotes a weekend to celebrate the chilli pepper - Fete du Piment on 25/26 October 2008.

The Peppers of Espelette are recognised with Appellation Controllee status. Needing a lot of sun and heat to ripen, the peppers are traditionally woven into garlands and hund from the roofs of houses throughout the town to dry. So, the town is decorated with garlands of bright red peppers, and there are stands offering a whole range of gastronomic delights based on the fiery pepper - plus music, feasting etc - all with a Basque accent.!

For more info see www.pimentdespelette.com