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The Scotsman (2 Jun 07) has an interesting article on the Alsatian Pinot Gris - clearly differentiating it from the often bland, but increasingly popular Pinot Grigio from northern Italy. In a way that sums up Alsace wines - distinctively different with their steely dry Rieslings and rich Pinot Gris. Alsace probably is the benchmark for the perfumed and exotic Gewurztraminer - and the region also produces Pinot Blanc (a tad unexciting) and dry Muscat wines. They are also proud of their late harvest “Vendanges Tardives” wines which can only made from the same 4 grape varieties authorised for AOC Grand Cru (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. The grapes are picked when over-ripe, often several weeks after the start of the harvest. A little red Pinot Noir is also produced (usually a little disappointing) and the sparkling Crémant d’Alsace can be excellent value.
The aromatic character of the grape is enhanced by concentration and the development of “noble rot” (Botrytis Cinerea).Uniquely in France, the wines are classified primarily by grape varietal rather then location - excepting for the “grand cru” and “lieu dit” (specific place) which can qualify the varietal name,
But back to Pinot Gris (or grey pinot)

The grape thrives in Alsace’s warm, dry microclimate, where long dry autumns provide the hang-time essential for building up flavours. Old vines, high-quality terroir and very low yields (below 40 hectolitres per hectare) are also essential for a decent result.

I can recommend the Alsace wines of Emile Boeckel in Mittelbergheim (67 Bas-Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine) but sadly cannot find a UK stockist these days.

In Alsace you can find really excellent co-operative wines, such as the Cave de Turckheim - the wonderfully named Blotto Wines in Somerset stock their Pinot Gris amongst other varietals.

To download a list of wine festivals in Alsace see www.frenchduck.co.uk

The cultural treasure chest that is France has a special open evening on Saturday 19 May 2007 - the “Nuit des Musées”. Throughout France a huge number of museums and galleries open until late evening. A random selection includes:-
- a pottery museum in Betschdorf, Alsace (67 Bas-Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine) (www.betschdorf.com);

- the Toulouse- Lautrec museum in Albi(81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) (www.musee-toulouse-lautrec.com);

- the Armagnac Museum in Condom (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) www.condom.org;

- the French Travelling Post Office museum (www.ambulants.fr in Toulouse ()21 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)

Particularly interesting is the Chateau de Versailles, (78 Yvelines, Ile de France) where there will be a music and light show against the spectacular backdrop of the marble courtyard of the Chateau - see www.chateauversailles.fr/

Moreover entrance appears to be free and many are putting on other diversions (e.g. music, dancing, a pocket torch tour). Full details can be found at www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr/

Public Holiday in Alsace (not the rest of France which only treats 25th as a holiday)
Deuxième jour de Noël (Alsace)

On 10 June 2007 French Railways opens the latest link in their high speed train network with the TGV Est Europeén which will link Paris with Reims, Strasbourg and points east - i.e. Germany (Munich) and Austria (Vienna) - all by high speed train.
Importantly it brings the travel time between Paris and Reims to just 45 minutes (previously 95 minutes) - so although an east-west route does not appear to be immediately useful for visitors from the UK, these timings make a day trip from Paris to Reims (for its Cathedral and the Champagne houses) more than possible.Or vice versa - a day’s excursion from Reims to Paris could enhance a long weekend in the capital of Champagne.
Similarly Strasbourg comes down from 4 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes from Paris, (and eventually to 1h 50m) providing faster access to the vineyards of Alsace.
Another example of an impressive approach to major infrastructure developments in France - made easier by the fact that France has so much more “elbow room” with twice the land area of the UK - and rather different planning laws.
LINKS:-
For more info see the LGV Est website with videos and information on the construction of the line
TGV Est website with information on train services, tickets, bookings, timetables

Recommended Reading:
Alsace Lorraine Champagne Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
World Encylopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine

The number of budget airline routes to France from the UK is continuing to grow, as is the number of French destinations - no longer restricted to the major cities. This really does open up some of the less well-known parts of France.
The list below shows the extent of the coverage - and this excludes flights to Paris which are available from most local airports. Some flights are seasonal, so please check with the airline for timetables and availability.

For such a long-established and very traditional and renowned wine producer, Hugel et Fils in Alsace have adopted modern technology with some va va voom! by offering online interactive maps of their famous vineyards around Riquewihr (68 Haut Rhin, Alsace).
There are a series of maps some of which can be overlaid, including aerial views, a geological map and the location of specific vines and “lieu dits”. Much of this can be zoomed in and out, and dragged in any direction. It gives a good sense of the extent of the vineyards and their impact on the landscape.

Alsace is quite a complicated region, and the terroir associated with some really quite small plots can make a significant difference to the character and quality of the wine.“This interactive map enables you to locate our estates in Alsace, to understand the geological complexity of the terroirs of Riquewihr, to visualise individual vineyards and grape varieties, and to measure the interface between vines and soils : Riesling in the Schoenenbourg, Gewurztraminer in the Sporen, finally Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir in the Pflostig.”

Oddbins stocks Hugel’s Riesling “Dry and crisp with underlying lime and kerosene fruit and mineral hints. Medium-bodied with a very long clean finish.”

For more info see http://blog.hugel.com/

Verdun (55 Meuse, Alsace-Lorraine - See map) is one of those place names which cannot escape their rather grim history - much like the Somme, or Ypres in Belgium. Furthermore it is not generally en route to the more popular southern French destinations.
So it was good to see an useful article in the Telegraph which provides some good advice on driving south to the Alps. Rightly the article suggests that the ski resorts do not offer the best experience of the real France, so you need a decent overnight stop en route - une étape gastronomique!
One recommended stop-over is Verdun and the Hotel Coq Hardi, which I stayed at many years ago towards the end of an otherwise disastrous holiday, when we returned home early after a futile search for decent camping weather further south.
My memories of the hotel are very favourable - our meal and stay there was the highlight of the holiday - the hotel was comfortable in a rather traditional way - memories of floral wallpaper on the ceiling - and the restaurant was somewhat formal. However the abiding memory, other than the best ever Crepes Suzette, was the way in which even a quite posh restaurant was very welcoming to children - so unlike many UK restaurants at the time (and probably even today).
The hotel’s website suggests it has become rather funkier - see www.coq-hardi.com.

Le Coq Hardi (or the bold rooster) is a common feature in France - most commonly seen onthe French National Rugby and Football Team shirts - it is also the symbol for Wallonia - the French speaking part of Belgium.

Verdun was a major battle in the First World War - and became synomymous with huge losses from a war of attrition - and of particular resonance to the French as they took the brunt of the carnage. Its occupies a strategic position on the banks of the RIver Meuse and was where Marechal Petain earned his reputation, Despite the overlay of the battle and its consequences, it is a pleasant town and is well-positioned just about 250 miles from Calais.

Our mini-series on visiting French vineyards (French Vineyard Visits and Visiting French WIneries) looked at the “etiquette” of visits and explored the range of different types of facilities on offer.
There is however another option - which is to visit one of the many local co-operative wineries. The advantage is that they are staffed throughout the day, usually have a lot of good value wines on offer and you can usually get wine “on draught”. If you buy a plastic 5 litre “cubitainer” you can get it filled up with wine for a ridiculously low price - or sometimes be able to purchase wine boxes of the local wine.
A broad generalisation would be that co-operative wines are less “exciting” than many of those made by small independent winemakers. However, whilst this may apply to many, especially in the south of France, others do produce high quality wines.

In Alsace, for example, many of the best wines are produced by co-ops such as Turckheim and will offer an excellent tasting and range of wines.

In the Loire Valley, the Cave des Producteurs de Vouvray has a wide range of wine styles on offer and an interesting visit through the underground cellars.

In the Southwest, the co-op at Buzet (les Vignerons de Buzet) led the re-creation of the vineyard and established the appellation’s reputation for good quality wines. The visit to the winery also includes a demonstration of cooperage (barrel-making).
Another example of how good a co-op can be is at Plaimont in Gascony, deep in the heart of Armagnac country. A wide range of great quality wines from simple Vins de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne through to rich Madiran reds.

At Marmande the visit will be more basic, but the Cotes du Marmandais wines are fine and good value for money,
In the Languedoc one of my favourite Co-operative cellars is in the small village of Embres-et-Castelmaure in the Corbieres - some truly excellent wines in a delightfful if rustic surroundings.
Finally in the Southern Rhone valley I’d recommend the Cave de Beaumes-de-Venise for their well-known dessert Muscat wine, but also some very good red Cotes du Rhone.

Christmas Markets in France (marché de noel) provide a good excuse for a quick winter weekend away - great atmosphere and good shopping opporunities with a gallic twist -plus stocking up on wine for the Christmas Season. The following is not an exhaustive list, as most towns and cities will be holding some kind of Christmas fair at some point between late November and the end of December. These are some of the best - others will be posted on our Web Calendar

Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) 3-5 Nov 2006 (yes - November!) - see www.ot-agen.org/fr

Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) 24 Nov - 26 Dec 2006 - see www.aixenprovencetourism.com

Amiens (80 Somme, Picardie) 25 Nov - 31 Dec 2006 - see www.amiens.fr

Boulogne-sur-Mer (62 Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) 9-10 Dec 2006 - see www.tourisme-boulognesurmer.com

Chartres (28 Eure et Loir, Centre) 2-24 Dec 06 - see www.chartres-tourisme.com/
Place des Epars, boulevard Chasles.

Colmar (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine) 25 Nov-31 Dec 2006 - see www.ot-colmar.fr/

Dijon (21 Cote d’Or, Burgundy) 1-23 Dec 2006 - see www.dijon-tourism.com

Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) 22 Nov - 27 Dec 2006 - see www.lilletourisme.com/

Marciac (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) - 17 Dec 2006 - see www.marciactourisme.com

Montbeliard (25 Doubs, Franche-Comte) 25 Nov - 24 Dec 2006 - Christmas Markets and Lights - see http://lumieresdenoel.fr

Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine) 22 Nov - 30 Dec 2006 - Place de la Réunion, Square Steinbach - see www.ot.ville-mulhouse.fr/evt/marchenoel.php

Nancy (54 Meurthe-et-Moselle, Alsace-Lorraine) 24 Nov - 24 Dec 2006 Place Maginot - Rue Notre Dame - Passage Saint Thiébaut - see www.ot-nancy.fr

Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Pays de Loire) - 24 Nov - 24 Dec 06 - see www.nantes-tourisme.com

Niort (79 Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes) 2-24 Dec 2006 - see www.niortourisme.com/

Noisy-le-Grand (93 Seine St Denis, Ile de France) 6-10 December 2006 - Place Galliéni - see http://english.pidf.com/

Reims (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardennes) 24 Nov - 24 Dec 2006 - see www.reims-tourisme.com/

Strasbourg (67 Bas-Rhin, Alsace-Lorraine) 25 Nov - 31 Dec 2006 - see www.noel-strasbourg.com/pages_prov/GB.html The original “Christkindelsmärik” dates back to 1570.

With autumn fast approaching we console ourselves by looking ahead to our main holiday in France in 2007. Yes, its the Rugby World Cup (in September) but we prefer peaceful rural France, probably in the SouthWest, Midi-Pyrenees - great landscapes, pretty villages, small markets, interesting wine and superb food.
But looking at how to get there is complicated, trying to calculate exchange rates, motorway tolls, the price of fuel, cross-channel ferry crossing and the route across France - and that assumes we dismiss the other options of budget flights (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/flights.html), car hire or great train services.
Dover still dominates as a port of departure - with recently improved routes to Boulogne and Dunkerque but the cessation of the Hoverspeed services - and the western Channel has seen a loss of P&Os services to Le Havre and Cherbourg. There are other options including Dieppe and Le Havre (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/ferry.html)
However even having got across the Channel the autoroute system in France continues to improve with fast new routes available which help you to avoid Paris and some of the other traditional pinch points on your journey south (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/autoroutes.htm)
Whilst things can change over the next 8 months or so, a little research offers the following snapshot of some of the options.
Based on typical hypermarket fuel prices as at 1 October 2006 and a tourist exchange rate of £1=€1.405:-

Unleaded Petrol (sans plomb 95) is €1.17/litre (83p)
Unleaded Petrol (sans plomb 98) is €1.20/litre (85p)
Diesel (Gazole) is €0.999 (71p)

Autoroute options
Dunkerque - Paris toll (péage):£11.17; 293km(183miles) journey time 03h00
Boulogne-Paris via A16 and Amiens toll: £12.03; 254km (159m) time 02h37
Calais - Paris via A26/A1 toll:£13.17; 289km (180m), time 02h50
St Malo - Bordeaux tolls:£17.30; 539km (337m); time 05h12
Paris - Toulouse via A20 tolls: £20.78 678km (424m); time 06h20
St Malo - Toulouse - tolls £28.26; 772km (483m); time 07h21
Calais - Strasbourg - tolls £29.04; 622km (389m); time 05h28
Paris - Bordeaux tolls £33.74; 590km (369m); time 05h31
Calais - Avignon via Reims tolls £36.80; 988km (618m);time 08h49
Calais-Nice via Reims tolls £62.70; 1238k, (774m);time 11h02

For more on travelling in and to France CLICK HERE