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Le Grand Tasting in Paris

le duck — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:11:51 +0000

4-5 December 2009 in the heart of Paris offers an opportunity to taste and learn about wines from many well-known names and most wine regions of France.

Over the 2 days you can taste wines direct from the producer and attend numerous masterclasses to enhance your appreciaton of wine. Unusually there is also a selection of Italian wines available to try. Bordeaux Chateau such as Chateau Laroze (St Emilion) will be there as well as producers from Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Corsica, Loire and Rhône etc.

Carrousel du Louvre , 99 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris – see www.grandtasting.com

French Flavour in North Wales

le duck — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:59:16 +0000

French Food and Drink specialists will be at the Hawarden Estate Farm Shop’s Food Festival “Passion for Food and Drink”.

Passion for food and drink – February 14th 10am – 4pm

We’ll have a selection of our products on sale and will be offering samples of the Clos de la Fonatine Hugo Cider and for those of you will have forgotten about the romantic occasion, we will have some Rosé Champagne sale to save your bacon.
The Hawarden Estate Farm Shop is in Hawarden, North East Wales, not too far from Chester.

On their website they are also running a competition to win a French Flavour bag (see above) by answering a question based on an article about Champagne on their website.

For more info see www.frenchflavour.co.uk/

For more info on the Hawarden Estate Farm Shop see http://www.hawardenestate.co.uk/

Christmas Sparklers from Confit Direct

le duck — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:01:13 +0000

North Berwick-based French specialists Devigne Wines and Confit Direct have some interesting Christmas offers on Champagne and some lesser-known French Sparkling wines such as Cremants from Burgundy (Cremant de Bourgogne Chardonnay), Jura (Cremant de Jura Rosé made from the Poulsard grape), Gaillac in SW France (Mauzac and Len de l’El grapes), a Methode Traditionelle from the Cotes de Duras (unusual, in that it is a white wine made from two red grape varieties (Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and a low alcohol Petillant de Muscat from St Sardos in the Midi-Pyrenees.

So you could try something a little different for your festive fizz. 10% off a mixed case of sparkling wines,

The other half of the business specialises in gourmet foods from SW France and beyond, including duck and goose products such as confit, rillettes, patés, cassoulet and soups, jams, bottled fruit, tapenade and anchoiades and even snails!

Devigne Wines and Confit Direct

Michael & Patricia Robertson, PO Box 13748, North Berwick
EH39 9AA

Tel: 01620 890860 Fax: 05600 756287

Reims for Champagne and Christmas

le duck — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:10:26 +0000

Reims (Marne, Champagne) is famous for Champagne, its Cathedral and its Christmas market.

A weekend here between 21 Nov and 28 Dec 2008 will offer an opportunity to indulge in all three.

During the run-up to Christmas, Reims’ Christmas Village combines street entertainment, magicians, carol singers and market stalls selling Christmas gifts, decorations and food.

110 wooden huts form the Christmas Market inPlace d’Erlon and along the rue Condorcet and rue Théodore Dubois. There will be numerous events held each weekend including parades, as well as orchestra and brass band concerts. You can also listen to live jazz performed every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. There will be a special visit with St. Nicolas on the 6 December, but Father Christmas welcomes the children every day in his chalet. For more information, visit the Reims tourist office website at www.reims-tourisme.com.

France comes to London – French Wine Growers Fair

le duck — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:12:29 +0000

For the first time this November there will be a French Wine Growers Fair in London (21-23 November 2008 at the Barbican). The Salons des Vignerons Independents (Independent Winemakers Fairs) are well established in France and we usually try to get to one of the fairs in Lille, Strasbourg or Paris which take place each November/December. (for more info see www.frenchduck.com) – these tend to be huge events with up to 1000 winemakers attending and offering the public the opportunity to meet the people who make the wine, do some tastings and stock up for the winter.
London’s French Wine-Growers Fair attempts to replicate the format in London from 21-23 November 2008 – with 130 traditional wine makers showing their wines – more than 500 wines on taste – and the opportunity to buy at vineyard gate prices (although regrettably with UK excise duty and VAT payable).
One of the exhibitors is a favourite of mine – Domaine le Fort from the little-known appellation of Malepère AOC near Carcassonne in the Languedoc. This is a small but beautiful domaine which is centred around a building which looks as though it was a fort for the French Foreign Legion, where Stephanie and Marc Pagès make delightful wines such as the Tour du Fort, a blend of Merlot, Grenache and Cabernet Franc, aged in oak. Not otherwise available in the UK, this could be a rare opportunity to taste and buy wines which seldom get to our shores, often because the volume of production is insufficient for the supermarkets and other importers.

Half-Price tickets (£10 reduced from £20) available from www.frenchwinegrowersfair.com – Domaine le Fort is on stand 22
For more info on Domaine le Fort see www.domainelefort.com

Waitrose 2008 French Wine Showcase

le duck — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:53:46 +0000

Waitrose (online and in its stores) launches its French Wine Showcase on 26 March 08 – running through to 27 April 2008 this will feature a total of 48 wines.

As well as our usual French favourites, the showcase will also see the launch of four new wines to the range, including the delightful Taittinger Rose NV and the excellent value Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge.

Unusually for a major supermarket (and greatly to be welcomed) Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations such as:

Quincy (crisp Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire), Provence and Lirac (Southern Rhone) and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol (rich Mourvedre red from east of Marseille).

Waitrose Wine Direct

Yapp’s Wine Sale

John — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:39:20 +0000

A highlight of the wine year has to be Yapp’s pre-Christmas sale which runs on 23 and 24 November 2007 (9am-5pm) at their delightful premises in Mere, Wiltshire. The setting is the Old Brewery and the range of wines on their list is an impressive choice of some of the best and most interesting growers in the Loire and Rhone, Provence, Alsace, Champagne, the Savoie, Roussillon, the Midi and Corsica.
To add to the offerings there is also an exhibition of contemporary still life paintings running from 9th-29th November 2007.
Amongst my selections from their list (not necessarily in the sale) I would highlight:-
- the Pic St Loup wines of Mas Bruguière (Languedoc)“.. rich, compelling wines with vivid garrigue fruit aromas, an earthy palate and good firm tannins.”;
- Menetou-Salon AC Domaine Jean Teiller (Loire) – “An atypically fruity wine with a scent of newly mown grass. The ripe, juicy palate yields a fresh, dry finish.”;
- the biodynamic Savennieres AC Coulée de Serrant (Loire) ;
- the red, white and rosé Lirac ACs from la Fermade (Rhone) “Sweet black cherry, touch of roasted sage, good brisk tannins – this is a Rhône red of finesse “;
- Bunan’s intense Bandol AC Mas de la Rouvière (Provence)“A deep ruby colour with intense aromas of truffles and peppers. The palate displays liquorice and tobacco with plenty of firm tannins.”
And let us not ignore some of the lesser-known offerings of Jasnières AC and Thouarsais (Loire); and the selection of wines from Savoie and Corsica.

Yapp Brothers Ltd, The Old Brewery, Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6DY

Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC in Top Ten Sweet wines

John — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:35:32 +0000

Jonathan Ray in The Telegraph selects his top 10 sweet wines, which includes the little-known and hard-to-pronounce appellation of Pacherenc du Vic Bilh from South West France. Reserved solely for white wines, it is the white sister to the red Madiran AC, covering virtually the same area in deepest Gascony.
It is most often seen as a late harvest dessert wine, but you can also find dry versions. Permitted grapes include Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Arrufiac and Petit Courbu grapes, similar to nearby Jurancon AC, but tending to have a touch more mineral edge.

2005 Rive Haute Reserve Pacherenc 13.5%vol, France (£8.99 per 50cl; Playford Ros 01845 526777, Coe Vintners 020 8551 4966, Wheeler Cellars 01206 713560).Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl is the white wine AOC from Madiran in south-west France. Made from Gros and Petit Manseng, Petit Courbu and Arrufiac picked between St Martin’s Day (Nov 4) and St Albert’s Day (Nov 15), this has hints of lemon and apricot. Great with fruit tart.

This comes from the Plaimont Co-operative, who also produce another superb Pacherenc – Cuvée St Albert.- for more see www.plaimont.com
Other French wines on the list included a Jurancon from the Southwest, a Barsac from Bordeaux and a demi-sec Champagne from Pol Roger!

Johnathan Ray makes the point that we too often pigeonhole such wines as “dessert” or “pudding” wines, when there are ocassions when they can be a perfect compliment to other foods.

“Pan-fried foie gras, simple pâté de foie or even smoked fish at the start of a meal can work beautifully with a sticky. I once enjoyed a fine German Beerenauslese with a main course of roast wild boar.”

Margaret Loxton’s images of France

John — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:36:56 +0000

The artist Margaret Loxton is very English, and very Yorkshire – as is her style, but she has neverthess produced some very atmospheric images of France, and particularly French rural life. With her buxom men and women it may be a style you love or hate, but these pictures are so French they could not be anywhere else.

She has a whole series of scenes, including wine-related ones such as the Pavement Café in Riquewihr (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) shown above, but also Nuits St Georges (Burgundy) and the Luberon (Provence).

Limited edition prints are available online from La Provence Collections (along with a host of other gift items and fabrics on a Provencal theme) – thet also have a shop on the Square at Stow-in-the-Wold, near Cheltenham, Glos.

If you don’t want a print, you can see some of pictures in her book

Travels Through Burgundy

Champagne diet!?

John — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:20:50 +0000

It appears that Champagne is being “reinvented” by the marketing people as offering a way to lose weight – by choosing the sugar-free version of the famous fizz!

Although it has been around for many years, health fanatics only now seem to have discovered the “Brut Zero” or “Brut Nature” or “Non-Dosé” versions of Champagne, as opposed to the more familar Brut or Demi-Sec.

Technically “Brut” in French means raw or crude, but in Champagne terms it is taken to refer to Champagnes with only a little added sugar. In its natural state Champagne is a dry acidic wine which can mask an otherwise highish level of residual sweetness – as much as 3 teaspoons of added sugar making a glass of Champagne come in at up to 89 calories per glass. Part of the process after fermentation both to top up the bottle and to determine the final level of sweetness is the addition of a sweet syrup (the “dosage” or “Liqueur d’expedition”) which can transform the wine into something more medium or sweet.

The terms can be a little confusing, as in ascending order of sweetness the classification is as follows: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry,Sec, Demi-Sec, Rich or Doux. Non-Dosé hence refers to a wine where no sugar is added.

Apparently demand for this “diet champagne” is booming

- as if any one needs an excuse to drink Champagne!

Champagne Tarlant produces a “Zéro” made from the 3 classic Champagne grapes of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, but with part of the blend being fermented in new oak to add richness and harmony.

Wine Fairs 2007

John — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:02:17 +0000

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

New High Speed Train Paris-Reims-Strasbourg

John — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:28:42 +0000

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

Tips for visiting Champagne

John — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:05:46 +0000

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

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

Champagne region

John — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:40:16 +0000

Champagne region – Reims, Epernay and Bar-sur-Aube
see map

Independent’s 50 Best Wines

John — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 08:32:52 +0000

The Independent has a weekly series of 50 Best…. of anything ranging from toys, gadgets, hotels etc. On 16 December 2006 it was the time for their wine selection. I have never been quite sure how they arrive at the selection, but the lists usually show up something a little unexpected.
So it’s good to see some lesser known French wines on the list including:-
Saint Mont 2005 – from our favourite co-operative in Gascony – Plaimont’s wine is made from Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Aruffiac – “fine fresh,peachy fruit quality and classic southwestern bite and tang to the finish” – Marks & Spencer £5.79
Bandol AC Tempier Classique 2001 mainly made from the Mourvedre grape in Provence - “mingles flavours of blackberry and plum in a stylish, modern, seamlessly oaked style” – Stone Vine & Sun £16.95
Champagne Tarlant Brut Zero “a fine full-flavoured blend… excellent fruit quality crafted in super-elegant style”.- Marks & Spencer £25 – proprietor Benoit Tarlant also has an interesting video diary at http://champagne.typepad.com/podcast/
Alsace Riesling AC Trimbach Civee Frederic Emile 2001 “intensely aromatic dry white, whose lime-zesty fruitiness and typical Riesling “petrolly” notes are balanced by an underlying mineral streak” – Paragon Vintners, London £28.04
Costieres de Nimes AC Chateau Mourgues du Gres, Fleur d’Eglantine 2005 from the southern Rhone/Provence/Languedoc border – a rose from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan “blackcurrant and raspberry notes in a full-bodied style” Gauntleys of Nottingham £7.99
Canard-Duchene Charles VII Champagne a delicate deluxe cuvee .. praline, grilled nuts and honeycomb aromas…elegantly dry..deliciously refreshing tang….evolved toasty flavours.Majestic £19.99 o4 £13.99 if you buy 2 or more.

BBC2 wine tour of France

John — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 07:28:58 +0000

Can you teach one of the lads to appreciate wine? Well, the enthusiasm of Oz Clarke must stand a chance you would think – he is knowledgeable, articulate and distinctly non-snobby about wine; but when the “lad” is James May from BBC2’s Top Gear, then the prospects diminish.
BBC2 starts a 5-week series “Big Wine Adventure” on Wednesday 22 November 2006 (8pm on Wednesdays until 20 December) and attempts to introduce James to the joys of Bordeaux, Languedoc, Provence, Rhone, Alsace, Burgundy and Champagne during a month’s tour of France. As with much TV these days, I cynically expect that James will play to the camera and seek to maintain a laddish disdain for the finer points – and the interplay between the two characters and some stunning scenery will dominate.Will he or anyone else learn much? I doubt it!
However, despite my Bah! Humbug! response, it should make entertaining TV and I welcome more exposure for France and French wines – and yes I will watch it!
For more info see www.bbc.co.uk
Majestic Wine Warehouses and Majestic Online
have a good selection of French wines if you want to follow the journey!

Christmas Wine Sale at Yapp Brothers

John — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 06:44:22 +0000

Yapp Brothers‘ Christmas Sale takes place at their premises in Mere, Wiltshire on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th November 2006.
Now this is how an independent wine merchant should be – with a raft of interesting and some lesser-known wines from hidden corners of France!
The former dentist’s main specialisation is in the Loire and Rhône (North and South), but also includes good selections from Languedoc, South West, Savoie etc. So on his list you will discover excellent Bandol (mourvedre-dominated red from Provence) Lirac from the superb Domaine Maby in the southern Rhône, superb Jurancon Sec from Domaine Bellegarde; Collioure from Roussillon; Thouarsais and Saint Pourcain from the Loire – I could go on and on!
Their Christmas Offers list is available now.

For more info see www.yapp.co.uk

Wine Harvest time in Vacqueyras, Gascony & Champagne

John — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 07:45:24 +0000

News from the southern Rhône that the harvest for Vacqueyras and Gigondas in the southern Rhône as Domaine la Fourmone/l’Oustau Fauquet has finished – and some evoative images to record this year’s “vendange”. It is fun to be in the wine regions at harvest time – usually quiet rural landscapes are transformed with men, women and tractors working feverishly in the vines, and less visibly in the cellars. There is a continuous sound of tractors, both harvesting the grapes (if not done manually) and transporting the grapes to the cellar or co-operative for crushing and vinification. Many vineyards still pick manually (such as Domaine la Fourmone), but where the terrain allows machine harvesting is often chosen – finding cheap skilled labour has become more difficult, and the real benefit of manual harvesting comes from selective picking. So, if you pickers are not well-trained and knowledgable, then machine harvesting may be as effective and more reliable.
For smaller domaines it is often a family or even village event, with everyone takng part – and although it is definitely hard work everyone finds it very sociable, especially when the vigneron supplies a healthy lunch with enough wine to persuade people to return to the picking in the afternoon without falling over!
Meanwhile down in the Southwest the Kitcheners at Domaine de Lauroux have found the time to provide almost daily updates on the progress of their harvest which provides fascinating reading – see the Vineyard Diary at Domaine de Lauroux
A different angle on the experience of the vendange comes from Benoit Tarlant’s video diary at Champagne Tarlant – although it is in French you nevertheless get a real feel for the work involved this time of year.

Domaine de Lauroux wines available in the UK from Planet of the Grapes

Carnival of France, Travel and Francophiles #12

John — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 06:22:06 +0000

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.

Winemaker Blogs

John — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 12:58:25 +0000

Some wineries in France are now offering some great on-line content which really strengthens the link between the consumer and producer. It has always been my contention that a wine has that bit “extra” if you know where it has come from, perhaps visited the vineyard and shaken the grubby hand of the working winemaker. The best wine memories have this sort of added value because I can make a connection with time, place, people, food etc, and for me the best wine I have tasted was not the best technically, but the most memorable because of when, where and with whom I drank it.
So, these websites can give you more of an insight into the winemaker, sometimes warts and all – and this makes the whole thing more approachable and personal – something you cannot really do with the big brands.
The latest one I came across (courtesy of www.spittoon.biz) is a Champagne house – Champagne Tarlant at Oeuilly near Epernay (51 Marne, Champagne-Ardennes) – the Champagne Tarlant website is in English, but the more interesting Champagne Tarlant Blog is regrettably only in French. However, it also includes short video clips – for example a view inside a stainless steel cuve whilst the wine is being run off with a commentary. This promises to build into a fascinating and really informative insight into wine-making in Champagne delivered by people who lack some of the pomposity often associated with Champagne producers. Recommended viewing!

Another site worth visiting is that of Domaine de Lauroux at Manciet (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) – although no fancy video there is a great Vineyard Diary written by the Kitchener family who moved out to Armagnac country to run a vineyard producing Cotes de Gascogne wine, Floc de Gascogne and Armagnac.This is a fascinating series of snapshots of life in the vineyard, well written and informative.

A visit to Jean-Marc Brocard’s Chablis website is very rewarding – one of the best designs I’ve seen – very informative (and seductive!) plus there is a full 16-minute video “Four Seasons in Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard” which despite being a bit “arty” is most enjoyable to watch.

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