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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 Although the detailed route will not be published until November, we do know that: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 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

The Bristol Wine and Food Fair (11-13 July 2008) seems to have been a great success - lots of interest and many interesting exhibitors, including the English-owned vineyard at Domaine Chater in the Côtes de Duras AC (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine):-

Domaine Chater is a small vineyard that nestles in the rolling hills around the historic town of Duras in South-West France. We are passionate about making great wines and no compromises are made in the vineyard or the winery. Our white wines are refreshing and full of fruit while our reds are complex with layers of fruit and spice. Our range of wines has already won a huge amount of international recognition.

Although they only began producing wine in 2004, they have enjoyed significant success in gaining recognition for the quality of their wines. The Cotes de Duras is particularly renown for its Sauvignon Blancs, which they do indeed produce good Sauvignon, but unusually for the region their Cabernet and Merlot reds have drawn most praise:-

….two styles of red wines are produced at Domaine Chater; traditional (a majority of the wine aged in our stainless steel tanks) and oak aged (made from old vines and aged in 100% French Oak). Our traditional wines have the emphasis upon rich fruit flavours with subtle tannins and are great with red meat dishes. Chater oak aged wines are made with 40-year old vines and barrel-aged for 12 months in French oak barrels with one-third of the barrels being renewed every year - producing complex wines with layers of fruit, liquorice and spice. Great with red meat and rich sauces.

Importantly their wines are consistently rated by the Guide Hachette des Vins de France - what many consider to be the French wine bible, as entries are secured by blind tastings rather than paid adverts.

You can order online direct from France as they have a UK warehouse - and you can visit the domaine in St Sernin-de-Duras - just give them a call beforehand to ensure someone is around.

Domaine Chater
Vignoble de la Lègue, 47120 St Sernin de Duras, France (see map)
T:0033 553 64 67 14
Email: info@domainechater.com

For more info on the Côtes de Duras wine region see www.cotesdeduras.com

For the diary; Domaine Chater will be at the Duras Wine Festival on 10 August 2008 - see www.paysdeduras.com

Depending on your point of view, Paris is not at its best in July, and especially August. Parisiens exit the city in their millions, especially on the first weekends of July and August - heading for their “vacances”, often in other parts of France. Hence many things in the city are closed, and the proportion of tourists to locals can be overwhelming. It still seems strange to a Brit that the holiday “season” seems to stop abruptly at the end of August - timetables change, campsites close, attractions move into a “off-season” mode.

However, there are good things happening in Paris in mid-summer, as the website www.ete.paris.fr shows. There are the inevitable celebrations for the French National Day (Bastille Day) on 14 July - fireworks at the Trocadero and the Champ de Mars (by the Eiffel Tower).

Then there is the annual Paris Plages (beaches on the River Seine) voie Georges-Pompidou in the 4th arondissement, at the Bassin de la Villette near Stalingrad in the 19th et quai de la Gare, near the Bibliotheque Nationale in the 13th. Open from 21 July to 21 August they aim to create a seaside atmosphere with real sand and fun in the heart of the city.

There is also BMX racing and plenty of activities around the Canal d’Ourcq with boat rides along the canal for just €1 per person; pedalos, canoes, kayaks. Guided tours are also available following the route of the Canal which winds its way through the Paris suburbs, offering a different view of the city.

Free concerts in the Parisien parks, an ephemeral garden in the front of the Hotel de Ville, cinema, literature…….. not forgetting the final stage of the Tour de France finishing on the Champs Elysees on Sunday 27 July 2008

For more info see www.ete.paris.fr

Against the setting of the Riviera and the Mediterranean, Cannes (06 Alpes-Maritimes, Provence) holds a series of spectacular pyrotechnic extravaganzas (Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique) in July and August 2008 with teams from around the world presenting their latest creations with accompanying soundtracks around the themes of legends, a live concert, Rhapsody in Rainbow, Lightning Dance and Franco-Russian history amongst others. Starting at 10pm these promise to be a real feast for the eyes.

From the Esterel mountains to the Pointe Croisette, the bay of Cannes forms a jewel case for great events. Cannes wanted to organize for its citizens, as well as for tourists, an international valued event in the very heart of the summer season, where it could take advantage of both : its magnificent natural scenery and its prestige.

These shows, given from a 300 meters seafront, in the splendid bay of Cannes, gave a surprising dimension to it. The reflection of the fireworks on the water and the acoustic relief, transported the public into a fairy tale world of successive frames.

For more info see www.festival-pyrotechnique-cannes.com

Brittany always seems a bit different to the rest of France, with its strong links to Celtic Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland - something to do with being on the fringes of a bigger land mass with a strong maritime tradition may have something to do with it.

Your knowledge of French pronunciation will be of little use in trying to articulate some of the place names (e.g. LE RELECQ-KERHUON on this year’s Tour de France route from Brest) - its can be indecipherable as Welsh appears to non-Welsh speakers.

Fortunately Lorient (56 Morbihan, Brittany) is easier to say, and will be the venue for the 2008 Interceltic Fesitval (Festival Interceltique) which runs from 1-10 August 2008.

This year Wales in the “guest of honour” and music and musicians from the Principality will feature throughout the event.

There will be a wealth of folk and traditional music and dancing from across the Celtic world, including the Chieftains, However, do not assume that this is all about folk music - there is rock, bagpipes, Welsh Male Voice Choirs, theatrical presentations (including one about the history of the Canal from Nantes to Brest) masterclasses - all promising to offer entertainment to suit most tastes.

For more info see www.festival-interceltique.com

Lorient is a significant port in southern Brittany with plenty of decent beaches in the area - see www.lorient-tourisme.com ( (A word of warning - the site offers an English language version but this is generated through Google’s translation tool - which often results in some rather strange phrases - so treat it with caution!)

Bayonne (64 Pyrenees Atlantiques, Aquitaine) in the heart of France’s Basque country and especially famous for its Bayonne Ham, celebrates its annual festival from 30 July to 03 August 2008.

Bayonne is ablaze in red & white with everyone dressed in the traditional white shirts and trousers and red neckerchiefs and sashes. The festival opens on the Wednesday night at 10p.m. in the town Hall square. The mythical King Leon of Bayonne appears on the balcony and celebrates his return by throwing the symbolic keys of the town to the crowd. Music, shouts and colours invade the town centre. Les Fêtes de Bayonne is the most important moment of the year for the inhabitants…no one would miss it !!! If you come to the Festival, you’ll enjoy the incredible atmosphere and enthusiasm, running of the young bulls, bullfights, bandas (music bands) in the streets …

Created in 1932, the frequentation to the festival is rising every year with people coming from all over France and beyond.

On the last night, people gather once again in front of the town hall to sing the farewell hymn “Pobre de mi”, which also closes the Pamplona San Fermin Festival.

For more info on Bayonne see www.bayonne-tourisme.com

Brest (29 Finistere), Brittany’s major city and port hosts its International Maritime Festival from 11-17 July 2008.

With 25 nations represented, some 2000 mainly traditional boats, 15,000 sailors the event promises much over the 7 days - moored boats, parades of boats, racing, music and dance plus the launch of a newly-restored cutter ship.

Once again, Brest will be bringing together boats and crews from around the world and attracting all the fans. Nowhere else can you find such a variety of sailing boats, such a large number of small and large craft.

The crews that have been invited are the major contributors to the event, all true volunteers, who come along to enjoy meeting each other and sharing their great experience of the sea and the festival. The visitors are completely right. They like to find out about the sea, they love these magnificent or charming boats, which are so very different from those you see in today’s marinas, and in Brest, they can see them under sail moving around the harbour. They can find in Brest the authentic atmosphere of a real living port, as well as the emotion of a rare occasion. They can really feel like they are at the heart of maritime history…

For more info see www.brest2008.fr

The small appellation of Saint Sardos, (82 Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) some 50km west of Toulouse and south of Montauban is unique in having a blend of Syrah and Tannat as the principal grapes supplemented by Cabernet and Merlot. As such it reflects its geography between the Languedoc (where Syrah is important) and Madiran (where Tannat is king) with a dash of classic Bordeaux varietals. The result is a fruity, spicy red or rose wine, which for the best cuvees needs a couple of years to mature.

The wine fair takes place in the town of Saint-Sardos (82 Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) on Sunday 3 August 2008.

For more info see www.cave-saint-sardos.com (in French)

In the UK some of the wines of Saint Sardos are available from Devigne Wines in Edinburgh

The two appellations of Madiran AC (red) and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC (white) were created in 1948, and will be celebrating n July and August 2008.
These 2 appellations are typical of the South West of France - producing distinctively different styles of wine from lesser-known grape varieties - predominantly Tannat for the Madiran, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng for the usually sweet Pacherenc-du-Vic Bilh. These are not necessaily “fashionable” wines but they are interesting, characterful, honest wines, which are no longer just rustic curiousities. Modern wine-making techniques enable skilled winemakers to produce more approachable wines whilst retaining the essential character which distinguishes them from the mainstream.
Didier Barre produces wonderfully rich and smooth Madiran at Domaine Berthoumieu - his sweet Pacherenc is a delicious, complex perfumed dessert wine. Another top producer is the Laplace family at Chateau d’Aydie.
The excellent co-operative Producteurs Plaimont produces good examples of the regions wines.
In August the Fete des Vins de Madiran takes place on the weekend of 14 and 15 August 2008 in the village of Madiran (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees).
From 4-14 July there are a series of events to celebrate, including daily “introduction to wine tasting” sessions at the Maison des Vins in Madiran, guided walks amongst the vineyards, music and barbecues - see www.civso.com (in French).