FrenchDuck UK - Latest

The town of Laon (02 Aisne, Picardie) is always an impressive sight, situated on the rocky promontory overlooking the plains of Picardy and Champagne, with the 12th Century Cathedral of Notre Dame as its focal point - a landmark on the otherwise rather uninspiring autoroute A26 from Calais to Reims.

View of Laon in Picardie

The town holds its Christmas Market (Marché de Noel) in the streets around the medieval Cathedral on 6, 7 and 10 Decembre 2008.

St Quentin (02 Aisne, Picardie) further north up the A26 autoroute holds its Christmas Market rather later - from 22 December 2008 to 4 January 2009 around the rather flamboyant gothic Hotel de Ville - and in addition offers a skating rink and a nordic skiing course with real snow!!

For more info on Laon see Office de Tourisme du Pays de Laon

For more info on St Quentin see Office de Tourisme de St Quentin

The Vignerons Independents, the body representing independent winemakers, holds a number of wine fairs (Salons) in Spring and Autumn each year, which are open to the public and give you the opportunity to taste from a wide selection of vineyards from every region of France, meet the winemakers and purchase wines at cellar door prices.

For autumn 2008 the dates are as follows:-

30 Oct - 3 Nov 2008 - Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) - Hall Tony Garnier

7 - 10 Nov 08 - Reims ( 51 Marne, Champagne) - Parc des Expositions

14-17 Nov 08 - Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) - Grand Palais

27 Nov - 1 Dec 08- Paris (75 Paris, Ile de France) - Porte de Versailles

For more info see www.vigneron-independant.com (in French)

If you are visiting Lille, there is a good B&B on the tram route to the city centre - see Alix’s Garden

Most French autoroutes between major towns and cities are toll motorways, which whilst often offering fast and uncrowded dual-carriageways, can nevertheless add significantly to the cost of a trip through France - e.g over €90 (over £60) on a one-way trip from Calais to Nice (1226km of motorway driving about 760 miles).

However there are significant sections of autoroute which are toll free - most often these are around major towns and Cities (Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon etc).

In the North, the A16 is toll-free from Boulogne (J29) to the Belgian border (J36) via Calais and Dunkerque. The A25 from Dunkerque (J20) to Lille is free, so you can reach Lille from the main Channel ports without paying a toll!. Also all routes from Lille to the Belgian border.
The following autoroutes are toll free (as at September 2007)
A16 (part of the Autoroute des Estuaires (estuaries)) from Boulogne-sur-Mer (J29) to the Belgian border(J36)
A20 (L’Occitane) from Vierzon (J6 junction with A71) to Brive-la-Gaillarde (J53) via Chateauroux, Argenton and Limoges
A25 from Dunkerque (J20 with A16) to Lille
A28 from Abbeville (J1) to Rouen (J14)
A30/A31 (Autoroute de la Vallée de la Fensch) from Thionville (J1) to Toul (J12) via Metz and Nancy
A38 from Dijon (J33) to Pouilly-sur-Auxois (J24 and the junction with the A6)
A63 (Autoroute de la Cote Basque) from Bordeaux to Bellin-Bellet (J20)
A64 (la Pyreneenne) from St Martory (J20) to Muret (J25)
A68 (la Tarnaise) from Monastruc (J3 NE of Toulouse) to Albi (J11) via Gaillac
A75 (la Meridienne) from Clermont-Ferrand (J15) to Pezenas (J59) (except for the Millau Bridge) via Issoire
A77 (Autoroute de l’Arbre (trees)) from Pouilly (J26) to Nevers (J37)
A84 from Caen (J46) to Rennes (J25) via Avranches

Salons des Vins (Wine Fairs) - Vignerons Independants (Independent Wine Makers) 2007.
Open to the public, a small charge gives you access to hundreds of wines and winemakers from all over France. Here you can taste and buy wines, often at cellar door prices - as long as you can carry them. Meet the winemaker, discover new wines - enjoy!

Rennes (35 Ile-et-Villaine, Bretagne) 13-15 April 2007
Lyon (69 Rhône, Rhône-Alpes) 25-29 October 2007
Reims (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardenne) 9-12 November 2007
Lille (59 Nord, Nord Pas-de- Calais)16-19 November 2007
Paris (Porte de Versailles) 22-26 November 2007

Jon Catt is an Englishman living in the Champagne region who offers guided tours in the region - and he offers some tips to get the best out of your wine tour of the region.

“In the big houses if you take the basic tour you get the basic tasting. It’s what one of my clients described as wedding champagne.

Mercier. Take the train and learn nothing! In Mercier once you’re in the cellars you see nothing. The guide’s commentary is never complete because the train is too fast. The tasting room is an equivalent of an airport lounge and a mortuary.

Castellane. They just want to get you through and out. The tasting is in what looks like a large dance hall. There’s little help with the details of the different champagnes.

Moet et Chandon - the best big house visit in Epernay. If you take the basic tour the tasting is in an underground room that’s as damp and warm as a changing room after a football match. Pay a bit more and it’s class.

Pommery. The tour of the former quarries is very impressive. If you take the basic tour you do the tasting in the large impersonal welcome area. I once had champagne there that was like a drink you find after a party.

Ruinart. You have to book but it’s worth it and the champagne is always very good.

Small growers. First get the guides from the different tourist offices. There’s always one in English. They’ll tell you if the owner speaks English. There’s always a family welcome. You’ll often be guided in the tasting by the person who made the champagne. Find one you like and you’ll want to come back. When you visit a small grower you’ll often see English clients who come regularly to fill the boot of their car. Small growers are the proof that the best champagne is not the most expensive.

Try for example Leclerc Briant in Epernay or Roger Brun in Ay.

Don’t forget the Aube (the most southerly Champagne producing see map region - often overlooked). This department has some of the top small grower champagnes”
See more about Jon Catt’s Champagne Tours

Recommended Reading
Alsace Lorraine Champagne Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine

Key Links:-
Official Champagne wines website
Aube en Champagne website

FrenchDuck’s turn to do the Blog Carnival of France a round-up of latest postings on and about France this week, which I hope will help you to find some gems amongst the blogs and web offerings “a la francaise”.

Being marooned in the English Midlands for most of the summer, I look forward to my regular “fix” of France, and one of the best is Julian Merrow Smith’s Postcard from Provence - every day a new picture, usually a landscape or a still life capturing the essence of rural Provence.
A little less consistent, but always interesting is the French section of TrekEarth where some excellent photos from all corners of France can be found.
My background is in French wine, so I am always seeking interesting wine sites, and the most enjoyable and innovative I have come across is the video blog of the amiable Benoit Tarlant at Champagne Tarlant. Using podcast and video he provides a fascinating insight into the process of making Champagne (all in French though) - and certainly demolishes the rather pompous image of many Champagne makers.
For something in English, the Kitcheners at Domaine de Lauroux keep a vineyard diary as they develop a vineyard in deepest Gascony - most recently collaborating with an Australian wine maker.
WIth many Brits soon to depart for French destinations This French Life has some useful tips for driving in France, taking account of the tougher approach of the gendarmerie in recent years, whilst those already living in (or planning to live in) the Languedoc can find everything they need to know at Creme-de-Languedoc where you can also find out about local events such as the Montpellier Dance Festival which is currently running.
For travel to and within France, I do find the ViaMichelin website really useful, as it calculates your route, notes any problems you will find en-route with road works etc on the day chosen - and even provides details of the locations of speed cameras!!
Whilst we go Wimbledon crazy in the UK, the French go Tour de France crazy for the first 3 weeks of July, and for a non-French slant on the race plus all the latest updates on the teams, politics, drug scandals etc see the TDFBlog. On France for Visitors Kelby Carr has lots of info on the tour - and you can vote for the 2006 Tour city you would most want to visit from the choice of Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux. Carcassonne. Beziers or Pau - I voted for Carcassonne which is simply unique and spectacular - is in the warm south, has wines (Minervois, Corbieres, Limoux, Cotes de Malepere, history (lots of Cathar links locally), the Canal du Midi and is quintessentially French!

I recently had ocassion to provide an updated translation of a French wine website, but the vigneronne and I both agreed that her English and my French were about the same level of amateur competence. Hence, I was dellighted to come across French-Word-a-Day which is much better than it sounds, as it is essentially a French cafe blog (with some good authentic photos of French life) and some gentle help with French vocabulary and verbs - written in a lively style by Arizonan Kristin Espinasse - entertaining and instructive. Hence, I now discover (rather disappointingly) that the “boudoir” is better translated as a “pouting” or “sulking” room than some exotic female lair!

This is part of the Blog Carnival of France.

A new airline AIR TURQUOISE will start new routes from London to Reims (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardennes) and from Reims to Toulouse (31 Haut-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) from March at very attractive prices. Slowly some cheap internal flights within France are becoming available, which opens up the possibility of a multi-centre trip to France without the car.
Whilst a good dollop of turquoise colour on the website may be bearable, I do hope they don’t overly extend the corporate colour scheme into the cabin or uniforms!!

Reims is of course the capital of Champagne country and is fine for a weekend away. However, it is worth hiring a car and getting out into the vineyards and exploring the “Montagne de Reims” - not exactly a mountain but an impressive outcrop across which many of the finest Champagne vineyards are to be found. You will be amazed by how many Champagne growers there are - many offering better priced wines than the major “marques” which have their cellars in fine chateau in Reims.
However, do be wary of some Champagne vineyards policy of charging for tastings - usually refunded from any purchase made. Whilst I understand the need to discourage the freeloaders, I personally object to the practice - and feel that they should discriminate between the coachload of tourists and the potential serious customer - buying a case of Champagne is always serious in my book! The other option is to get an introduction from a UK (or French) merchant, or contact the vineyard in advance to establish your “credentials”.

If you are flying to Reims you will of course be a somewhat limited in your wine purchases - why not take a WINE BOTTLE BAG which will safely carry 9-bottles onto the plane - CLICK HERE for details