Vineyards

If you’ve ever considered being part of the French wine harvest then have a look at RTE’s video on Chateau Haut Garrigue in Saussignac west of  Bergerac – see www.rte.ie
Caroline & Sean Feely purchased the vineyard 4 years ago, and have developed a biodynamic, organic vineyard which is winning great acclaim from winelovers and professionals. Certainly we have enjoyed their wine (red, rosé and white Bergerac AC) and a visit to the Chateau last year.

They are huge enthusiasts and have developed the domain, opened a self-catering gite and enjoy sharing their passion for wine with visitors – including nature vineyard walks in and around the vineyard, wine tours to St Emilion and Medoc and classes including

a hands-on ‘Wine Workshop’ to learn about French wines and understand the complicated appellation system or a ‘Day Tour to St Emilion, Medoc or Bergerac’, a luxury 3-day ‘Vineyard Walking Tour’ or an ‘Exclusive Experience’ at our working organic vineyard and wine estate. Our goal is to exceed your expectations and give you relaxation, new knowledge and wonderful memories to take home. If you have more than a day why not create your own unique multi-day French wine tour using our suggested day tour options.

And it does not stop there – you can rent a row of vines and benefit from the fruits of the vintage; an online shop for buying their wines from UK, Ireland or France. It is well worth a visit!  If you are quick you can still order your wine for Christmas for UK delivery  (deadlne 16 November 2009) – see www.hautgarrigue.com/ukwine.html

Chateau Haut Garriguee24240 Saussignac France.

The Minervois region of the Languedoc holds a wide-ranging cultural festivel from 22 October to 4 November 2009 called Les Grands Chemins (the big tracks)

…the established showcase of the Minervois, is preparing its annual fortnight-long festival of the senses –
art, culture and fabulous food – all designed to introduce you to the delights of the region.
An astonishing range of activities, from the creative arts, food and wine tastings, evenings of music ranging from jazz to the classics, strolls through the vineyards, cinema , theatre paying tribute to PierrePaul Riquet with Guy Vassal’s play “The Madman of the Canal”, a cabaret evening dining to the poetry of Charles Trenet….You can choose to follow an exciting and varied programme of events; alternatively you are welcome to organise your own tour around the region where a profusion of historic sites, workshops and exhibitions await you.

The programme includes a wide range of open-days at winemakers throughout the region including Minervois AOC, St Jean-de-Minervois and Minervois-la-Lavinière which include some great Languedoc reds, whites and dessert wines.

Across France much of the landscape and many small villages have stirred into frenetic activity with the start of the annual grape harvest – some areas have been busy for weeks already, whilst others may not start until later in September or even later if they are very high or concentrating on late-harvest (vendanges tardives) or botrytised wines.

Over in Alsace, the Hugel family are producing a daily video diary of the 2009 harvest, so that you can see the process and get some insight into the 2009 vintage potential. Hugel is one of the top names in Alsace and produce some really excellent wines. So far everything is looking very promising with ideal conditions for autumn weather and the condition of the vines – see http://blog.hugel.com/en/harvest/

Some of Hugel’s range can be found in the UK at Adnams and other independent wine merchants.

Alsace on the eastern border with Germany is a surprising region – sheltered from oceanic influence by the Vosges mountains, the Alsace wine region enjoys some of the lowest rainfall in France (just 400-500mm or 16-20 inches per year) and is blessed with a semi-continental climate—sunny, warm and dry. The key varietals – Gewurztraminer and  Riesling produced here can be extraordinarily intense and elegant, and despite the Germanic shape of the bottle (and often the labels too) the wines are dry (unless they are late harvest versions) – for more info on Alsace wines see www.vinsalsace.com/

Our ocassional series of articles using local knowledge to help you get the best out of a visit to different parts of France.

Saumur  (49 Maine et Loire, Pays de Loire)

Where to stay

Le Bellevue

Where to eat (recommended):

Le Bellevue (above) also offers Tables d’Hote (“host’s table, fixed price menu – booked in advance) – their “Découverte du Terroir’ is something you won’t find in a restaurant.  Carefully selected by Gérald the large plateau of local delicacies and handed down recipes from Grandma ensure a true French supper.  Accompanied by a complimentary bottle of AOC Saumur wine, dine leisurely in the peaceful grounds of ‘the Domaine.

Where to eat (gourmet):

l'helianthe

l’Hélianthe (The Helianthos) – for good food and a fabulous setting,  a  “restaurant troglodytique” (set in troglodyte caves).  Highly recommended.

Place Antoine Cristal, Turquant - about 10km south-east of Saumur along the river valley.
T: 02.41.51.22.28

La Licorne – a Michelin starred restaurant serving modern French cuisine  in the historical town of Fontrevraud l’Abbaye (abput 15km southeast of Saumur)

Restaurant la Licorne, Allée Sainet Catherine, Fontrevaud l’Abbaye
T:02.41.51.72.49

Where to eat (value for money):

For a picnic or snack between sight-seeing visits step into any boulangerie for a sandwich, quiche or slice of pizza followed by a mouth watering pastry.

Local food:

The specialty of the Saumur region are les Fouées, hollow unleavened breads filled with rillettes and confit de canard, served hot and accompanied by another specialty, large grilled mushrooms dripping with garlic & parsley butter – yummy !!

Local wine:

Saumur has its own appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC Saumur) and produces a wide variety of wines including sparkling, white, rosé and red.  For those interested in learning more about wine the Beaumonts (above)  offer private wine tours & wine tastings and vineyard visits.

Market:

Saumur hosts a fabulous Saturday morning market full of fresh produce, livestock! and stalls with plenty of goodies you’ll want to take home with you.

Must See:

chateau de saumur

Château de Saumur – dominates the town of Saumur at the edge of the Loire river
Cadre Noir at the National Equestrian School of the elite French Cavalry
Visit a Loire Valley vineyard
A Loire Valley wine tour & wine tasting

When to come :

Saumur’s Wine Festival “La Marché des Vins de Saumur” which takes place the first weekend in September (4-6 September 2009)

Getting around:

Why not try cycling – the well-established Loire à Velo scheme  which offers cycling along the gentle banks of the Loire  with well-signposted cycle paths and itineraries.

There are also plenty of well-marked footpaths in the area – along the river and away from it – see www.saumur-rando.com (in French)

Local Tourist Office -

and remember this section of the Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site – The Loire Valley is noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord.

Thanks to Sarah-Jane Beaumont at Le Bellevue for some of these recommendations

vinsobres logo

The town and wine appellation of Vinsobres (26 Drome, Rhône-Alpes) is the place to be on 28 August 2009, when they celebrate the “RALLYE DU GOUT” – an all-day celebration of their Côtes du Rhône wine and local provencal produce,

The rally (about 9 kilometres) in and around the village encompasses 8 wineries with opportunities to taste and enjoy local foods- olives, olive oil and herbes de provence, cheeses etc – before the evening (6pm) “Ban des Vendanges” – the ceremonial declaration of the start of the 2009 wine harvest. The day concludes with a village feast with music!

Vinsobres is an appellation in its own right (i.e. classified above Côtes du Rhône AC and Côtes du Rhône Villages AC) and produces only red wines from Grenache *at least 50% ), Syrah and/or Mourvedre and is one of the most northerly of the southern Rhône vineyards.

More info on Vinsobres

Part of our series highlighting destinations in France for a short- (or longer-) stay with recommendations on where to stay, eat, visit etc

Why Eastern Burgundy? An opportunity to get the best of both worlds – within easy distance of the classic treasures of Burgundy and the famous Burgundy vineyards whilst also exploring some of the lesser-known delights of the region which most visitors by-pass on the way south.
This is a wonderful area. Burgundy is rightly world famous for its wines and countryside but try the Jura. Most people have only heard of it through Jurassic era rocks & Jurassic Park films. John & Carolyn Scallan fell in love with it. Join them, you won’t regret it.

Where to stay: Le Bourg B&B in Sens-sur-Seille (71 Saone-et-Loire) is is run by John & Carolyn Scallan who are English but happy to live in France, – a good job as they’ve been here for 6 years now.
4 bedrooms, all en-suite, and each with their own individual design welcome you. Two doubles, one twin and a family room for up to four. Evening meals can be arranged using as much as possible from theirur own garden.! Breakfasts with home made jams and PROPER marmalade, served on the terrace when fine.

Nearest Town: Chalons-sur-Saone (40km); Arlay (16km), Louhans (18km)

Where to eat? If not at the B&B, then the Hotel St Germain in nearby St.Germain du Bois (6 kms). Good French restaurant, very popular with the locals and ex-pat Swiss who always know good value when it is around. Salads and good main courses. The 24 Euro menu is always great. It MAY JUST be possible  to give you a lift and pick you up later to help you “enjoy” the meal.

Where to eat (gourmet):
Les Trois Colombes just 300 metres from us. Run by two Swiss ladies this is a real treat. High quality food in calm and beautiful surrondings. The menu featuring “les trois filets” is superb.

Where to eat (value for money):
La Siesta Pizzeria in Bletterans (10 kms) Good value, great atmosphere and an all round enjoyable time. Proper size chips as well, not the thin “allumettes”. The Chicken Liver salad as a starter sets the tone. They do takeaways as well and, the height of nouvelle technologie they’ve got a “Pizzamatic”! A genuine Hole in the wall Pizza machine! Credit card in, choose your pizza (or two etc) and wait. Three minutes later the first will arrive and so on piping hot and in it’s own box – the wonders of technology!

Local food:
This region of France is called the Bresse and is famed for it’s poultry. Poulet de Bresse in Vin Jaune with Morilles is the region’s signature dish. Featuring the chicken (specially reared, free range chickens) and a sauce made of local mushrooms and the stunning powerhouse wine of nearby (4 kms) Jura.

Local wine:
Obviously Burgundy. Beaune is 40 kms away and could lead you into serious trouble with your bank manager but it would be worth it. For a more affordable Burgundy try the Hautes Cotes du Nuits and Hautes Cotes du Beaune or the Cote Chalonnaise. The owners have contacts in all. For something different; head eastwards into the Jura and try their wines. The Vin Jaune (see above) is one of a range of amazing and highly individual wines from this smallest of wine regions. The owners of the B&B have contacts with several winemakers and can easily arrange tastings. The local Cremant (champagne but not allowed to call it that) from friends the Chevassus is stunning. Try it.

Local markets:
St Germain du Bois (6 kms) on Saturday Morning (0900 – 1200) is a traditional morning market. Fruit & veg stalls, clothes, cheese (the B&B gets its cheese from here) butchery etc etc. The rotisserie chicken lady does a mean chicken with onions, tomatoes & gravy and a loaf of bread from either of the bakeries in the town with perhaps something naughty for pudd………..
Chalon sur Saone on Sunday morning. Mainly food market in the St. Vincent square. The cathedral dominates the sqaure and the market bustles along throughout the morning. Take a stroll through the old town, have a drink and watch the world go by.
On Monday morning, Louhans has the largest market in the area, taking up the whole of the town centre, with food, clothing and household goods and livestock too.

Must see:
The Hotel Dieu in Beaune is spectacular, open all year from 9am to 6pm (closes for lunch only in mid-winter).
The Chateau d’Arlay is open during June to September for visitors or all year long for it’s wine.
The Burgundy winerouteTouristique des Grands Crus) is like driving through all the most famous names on a wine list!
(Route The Jura countryside whose stunning scenery, including lakes, rivers, waterfalls, caves, vineyards, abbeys and castles.

The Jura Wine Route (route des vins de Jura) – “stretching over the 80 kilometres of sunny slopes called “the Revermont”, you will find an area rich in character that will reveal to you all it’s treasures. Exceptional wines, beautiful countryside, enchanting villages, gastronomy of the highest order and many other activities which promise all manner of good things.”

The hilltop village of Chateau Chalon.

For something very different, how about lunch, a bit of culture, shopping and something for the kids all in one place? Sounds good? It’s at the local motorway service station!! No kidding! Just ask for details!

A bit of culture?
Chateau de Pierre de Bresse has a local museum and lots to do for a morning or afternoon.
The photography museum in Chalon sur Saone is worth seeing for some of it’s temporary exhibitions.
The Hospice de Beaune (see above) is really well worth visiting
La Maison de la Haute Seille is a new museum of the region aound Chateau Chalon with lots to do (open Sat & Sun from 9 to 12 and 2 to 6) . They are slowly getting the English translation sorted out for all of the panels and, hopefully, the audio side of things.
The abbey at Baume Les Messieurs….. we could go on and on!

Somewhere for a walk?
Loads of quiet roads, paths, and marked routes. There are details of some in the Jura and a lot of local maps at the B&B

Something for the kids?
Lac Chalain about 30 kms. Beaches, entertainment and the like.
The Aurochs farm (www.ferme-auroch.com) ,(auroch= an ancient breed of cattle) near the Cascades des Herisson about 40 kms. Rare breed cattle, bison, Aurochs and, somewhat bizzarely, Dalmations.
Visit a snail farm. Bet you didn’t expect that! July & Aug are best for this, it can be arranged by the B&B
Or how about a river cruise on the Saone, with commentary by the English speaking captain and co-owner

Getting there?
Car is best. (more room to take the wine home.) The B&B is about 410 miles south of the Channel ports. From Calais etc, head for Reims, then Troyes, Dijon. Take A36 to the A39 and come off at junction 8. Remember a map or the GPS co-ordinates above. Otherwise, Sens-sur-Seille is between an hour and a half and two hours from both Lyon and Geneva airports, with low-cost flights from all over the UK

Getting around:
A car, frankly, is essential here. There are bikes available for hire so that the fitter amongst you can get a healthy buzz. If you let the B&B know the day before they can arrange a picnic lunch and recommend routes which are quiet and relatively flat to amble along. Should you be of a more Tour de France disposition there are longer routes of over 100 kms as well!

When to come?:
June through to September is best with the Montgolfiades Hot air Balloon festival in early June
Chalon dans la Rue festival of street theatre in July
Jazz festivals; Water festivals and a whole range of other festivals taking place over the summer months.
Late september is usually harvest time and the vineyards are alive with people picking grapes.
October things start to quieten down a bit. In November there is the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau in Beaujeu (about 75 mins away). Great fun and the wines is usually very good. The weekend after that is the Beaune wine festival where the great and the good get together to sort out the price of this years vintage Burgundies. The first weekend in February is the big wine festival in the Jura where about 80 winemakers gather together and celebrate the new vintage Vin Jaune (it’s had 6 years maturing in its barrels and is adjudged ready). Lots of other smaller festivals dotted around the year

For a longer stay?:
Louhans (about 10 miles away) has a market on Mondays all through the year. In summer it totally dominates the town. All the usual items plus hardware, fashion and livestock. Get there fairly early to get a good parking spot!
Go wine-tasting at a local producer (or two). John & Carolyn have lots of contacts in the business and can set these up and sometimes accompany you. Visit the Jura wines website www.laroutedesvinsdujura.com for information on lots of small events in the region.
There’s a tasting evening every Tuesday in season in nearby Lavigny that’s great fun but best if your French is fairly reasonable.

For more info on Le Bourg B&B see  Le Bourg B&B or use the enquiry form below.

For more info on the local area see the local tourist office websites at Tourisme Jura or Tourisme Saone-et-Loire

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Map showing the location of Sens-sur-Seille