It was in the hot days of late June that we had the chance to call in on Caroline and Sean Feely at Chateau Haut Garrigue in Bergerac (24, Dordogne, Aquitaine), a warm and welcome memory on cold miserable winter days. An unlikely combination of Ireland, South Africa and rural France has created an organic
………Continue reading Wild and Organic in Bergerac
There’s a new free map and guide available from InterLoire (the official wine body for the region) to the vineyards of the Loire Valley available to download and in English:-
The light glistening on the river and its tributaries is a wonderful sight. The cellars carved into white limestone, magical châteaux, magnificent gardens, hillsides covered in
………Continue reading Loire Valley Wine route – free map and guide
Biodynamic wine comes to the fore (or Four!) in September with a new series on making wine biodynamically in southern France.
A biodynamic wine is essentially an organic wine, avoiding pesticides and fertilisers in the vineyard and (as far as possible) any artifical chemicals in the winemaking process. But there is also an added “cosmic” dimension
………Continue reading Chateau Monty – English, Biodynamic, Roussillon and Channel 4
The Montmartre vineyard in the heart of Paris is well-known, but the BK Wine Blog reports that a new vineyard has been established in the grounds of the Brettoneau Hospital in Paris’ 18th arrondisement (also within Montmarte on the north side of the city – see map). Designed in part as therapy for patients (in
………Continue reading Making Malbec wine in Paris!
Guy Cuisset at Chateau Grinou in Bergerac is an extraordinary winemaker – for years his wines took pride of place on the Allez Vins! wine list both with his “Tradition” wines for superb everyday drinking and his “Reserve” wines, oaked red and white wines of a premium quality but keenly priced (not to mention his
………Continue reading Chateau Grinou goes organic!
[ August 10, 2008; ]
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
………Continue reading Domaine Chater and the wines of the Côtes de Duras