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Green and Blue, winners of Decanter’s Small Independent Wine Merchant of the Year Award 2008 stock two wines which are seldom seen in the UK - Entraygues et du Fel AC and Marcillac AC. These wines are really from deepest Southwest France coming from the upper Lot Valley and the Aveyron
 

2005 Laurent Mousset Entraygues et du Fel’  (£9.10) Like the wines of Marcillac, the dominant variety here is Fer Servadou although Laurent Mousset chooses to add some Cabernet Franc for a bit of added weight and texture.  It is a wine typical of the reds from the southwest corner which we love so dearly.  The red fruit is bright and zippy and although there is some rustic grip (these are not slick, glossy wines), they are essentially light and fairly soft.  These are wines to refresh body and soul and indeed, they used to be drunk instead of water (which sounds like a recipe for a far more entertaining day than those we spend sipping piously on Evian).   Although there is fabulous earth and stone flavours underlying the red cherry and raspberry fruit, this is not a wine to be studied with reverence, rather knocked back with gusto.

2006 Domaine du Cros Marcillac ‘Lo Sang del Pais’  (£8.75) Marcillac is rarely seen outside its own little part of SW France between Rodez and the beginnings of the Auvergne. It’s not because the wines can’t be good, but there’s just so little to go round – only eight independent winemakers exist and the number can’t expand because all the best sites (particularly the incredibly steep south-facing slopes with their dramatic terracotta coloured soil) are already taken.  It’s the combination of soil and the mansois grape that gives Marcillac it’s particular taste, a sort of wild, vibrant, leafy, raspberry and bramble fruit that’s fresh and moreish.

Philippe Teulier makes two styles of wine, his basic, traditional style (which this is) and a oaked version from older vines.  While we love both, the purity of the gamey fruit in this swung it for us on this occasion

South London’s Green & Blue won Independent Wine Merchant of the Year in the Under 12 staff category. The judges praised the tiny two-shop chain run by former Conran sommelier Kate Thal, for its attention to detail, noting the fact that ’staff will even print out a tasting note’ if the wine is for a gift!

Green & Blue Lordship Lane, 38 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich London SE22 8HJ T: 0208 693 9250 F: 0208 693 9260

Green & Blue Clapham, 20 - 26 Bedford Road, Clapham. London SW4 7HJ   T: 0207 498 9648 F: 0207 498 9649

 Website: http://www.greenandbluewines.com

If you are ever lucky enough to get to the Aveyron, we can recommend some excellent cottages to rent owned by a couple of Californians – see wwww.frenchduck.com

Now here’s an opportunity to spend several months in one of the most beautiful and unspoilt parts of France next summer - near Entraygues-sur-Truyère (12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees) in the upper Lot Valley. The American owners of Sweet French Cottages are looking for some help in setting up and running their gites in return for board and lodging.

Lance and Rain would like to “hire” some young and able individuals - or possibly a couple — to come and live for free in France (room and board including most meals) for 3 months during the spring/summer 2009 in exchange for working with us.

We’re looking for individuals or a couple that can help us get our properties ready for high season 2009. From maintenance such as painting, staining, planting, gardening to cutting/stacking firewood and moving rocks to helping with dinners for our cottage guests, laundry, cleaning, etc.

We’re asking for 6 hours per day of work, 5 days per week. Some knowledge of French would be great, but is not entirely necessary.

I could be tempted myself, but may not qualify as “young and able”. Seriously though, you could pay good money to spend time in such a place - almost a “retreat” from the hustle and bustle of the modern world and a long way from the nearest MacDonalds. Wonderful landscapes, river valleys and natural splendour but with easy access to a charming little town with all the important facilities such as shops, cafés, banks etc good food and very drinkable local wines - and the owners are really “cool” in the nicest possible way - and in no way “typical Americans”.

For more info contact rain.heron@orange.fr

For more about these Sweet French Cottages see www.frenchduck.com

Despite already having a well-developed high speed train (TGV) network, the French have plans to double the length of the special TGV lines by 2020 from the current 1750km. Trains a Grand Vitesse (TGVs) do run on on many major routes, but not all the line is a dedicated TGV track which permits speeds of up to 320km/hr  (200mph) - e.g. the TGV Atlantique to Bordeaux is only high speed track as far as Tours.

Several major extensions of the network include:-

Tours to Bordeaux via Poitiers and Angouleme, bringing Bordeaux within 2 hours of Paris. Utlimately the high speed line will extend south to Bayonne and into Spain!

Le Mans to Rennes in Brittany - bringing Brest within 3 hours of Paris!

Bordeaux to Toulouse in South West France, reducing the travel time to 1 hour!

Marseille to Nice will complete the line to Provence and the Côte d’Azur

Montpellier to Perpignan and on to Barcelona in Spain!

It’s a great example of why domestic air travel in France becomes less and less viable with city centre to city centre times such as these in the offing - speedy and green!
You can book any train journey to and within France including Eurostar, TGV and local lines through RailEurope

I am a great fan of the Lot département (46 Midi-Pyrenees), initially from wine-hunting around the town of Cahors, and more recently further upstream on the Rivers Lot and Célé, where the landscapes get even more enticing. A recent trip was greatly enhanced by having Helen Martin’s book Lot: Travels Through a Limestone Landscape in SouthWest France, which tells the story of the landscape and people of this region of South West France.
It was her recommendation which led us to the stunning view at Reilhaguet (46 Lot) (see above) which she accurately describes as “the view to end all views, a roof of the world view, a heart-stopping, aching, yearning view” (about 25km north of Cahors just east of the N20).
But one of the undoubted joys of the region has to be its gastronomy and the richness of its markets, and with Helen’s permission we can share an extract from her chapter on “Food and Drink in the Lot”

Eating and drinking in the Lot is not so much gastronomy, it is more a way of life. Simple pleasures like early-morning mushrooming results in gastronomic treats at meal times.
The food used to revolve around the polyculture practised by the small propriétaires, less so today. But fruits are still bottled, geese are still stuffed, pigs are fattened, påtés are tinned, ducks are turned into hunks of confit, and yellow chickens, dotted with oil and butter and legs akimbo, are forced into ovens to emerge an hour or so later, tasting simply sensational. It is a day-in, day-out, year-long occupation. Tout es bou per sa sason ‘To everything there is a season’ takes on new meaning. ©Helen Martin

Helen Martin writes more about the Lot in her blog at http://lotbook.blogspot.com/

To read more about Food and Wine in the Lot see……… Read more on this…

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 tending the vines and making the wine rather than just imbibing it) the intriguing question is why Malbec - a grape variety which needs a lot of sun for ripening and which can produce quite big, tannic wines and is mainly grown 400 miles further south in the Cahors AOC. I had expected something more like a Pinot Noir or Gamay which tolerate cooler climes and which are the predominant grapes at Clos Montmartre,

The selection of Malbec is down to Fabrice Durou, the winemaker from Chateau de Gaudou in Cahors, a well-respected domaine at Vire-sur-Lot. So here is a man who knows his grapes and has made a “micro-cuvee. It all shows a rather different approach to the marketing gimmick which Australian producer McGuigan put on in London recently when they created a temporary vineyard in the heart of the City of London - a fun idea, admittedly, but ephemeral! (see www.ukwinesonline.co.uk)

For more about the Cahors wines of Chateau de Gaudou see www.chateaudegaudou.com

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 oaked dessert Saussignac which is stunning) So I was keen to taste the latest addition to the range - a pure, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, which has all the hallmarks of a Grinou wine - intense fruit character, crisp and clean but with surprising depth of flavour.

A visit to Chateau Grinou (Monestier, 24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) south west of Bergerac, always takes longer than planned, and I always learn more than I expect.

On this ocassion it was to discover that Chateau Grinou is going organic! Now, whilst Guy Cuisset has a genuine concern for the well-being of the local environment and takes seriously his responsibilities as the current steward of the land and the flora and fauna of the domaine, he is no “tree-hugger”. His primary passion is to produce excellent wines. He does not compromise that objective, especially as there are so many other obstacles (weather, pest, disease) and constraints (bureaucratic, legal, financial) in the way. He is convinced that this approach, whilst being a good investment in the future health and viability of the vineyard, will produce better wines - wines which are more intense and show more of the real fruit character of the grape. The wines will evolve over the next few years as new techniques and fewer artificial interventions make subtle changes to the resulting wines.

The latest visit also included a walk through the vines, which demonstrate the complexity of the challenge. Every year is different, and every one of the 365 days of the year will be distinctively different from this year to last or next. This Spring was seriously wet with heavy downpours and sodden soil. This was followed by some very hot dry weather which dried the topsoil to an almost impenetrable concrete layer - making life very difficult when trying to get rid of the weeds between the vines - esepcially now that he can no longer apply selective weedkillers to deal with the problem.

Further on, he shows me his latest innovation - an organic water treatment plant - which collects all the waste water from the winery and treats it organically and aerobically before letting it flow into the local water course. It’s impressive with its bubbling air pumping through the water and the reed bed to filter the run-off. It may be a requirement of the EU, but few other vineyards are following his example.

It is easy to forget amongst all the hype, marketing and packaging that wine is an agricultural product, and that the winemaker is a farmer with his roots in the soil and environment of his domaine - he can see the benefits to local wildlife (some welcome, others not so), and recognises that his future and that of future generations is intimately invested in the “terroir” which makes his wines what they are.

Unfortunately the new Sauvingon Blanc (Bergerac Sec AC) is not yet available in the UK, so all the more reason to pay a visit to the domaine. English is spoken, but do not expect a fancy tasting room with award certificates, old barrels or ancient vineyard equipment - a plastic table in the middle of the stainless steel cuves is all you’ll get - plus a chance to taste some excellent wines and a small slice of Guy’s enthusiasm to take away!

For more info on Chateau Grinou and UK stockists - see www.frenchduck.co.uk/grinou.html

The trouble with writing about “hidden” corners of France, is that you run the danger of sharing the secret with too many others. Places which I felt were “real France”, quiet, peaceful and unspoilt, have often changed in the last 20 years, becoming commercialised, crowded and bland. But, somehow the location and geography of the upper Lot Valley probably make this less likely.

Although I have made many visits to the lower Lot, especially around the town of Cahors and the Cahors AC vineyards, I had only ventured up-river once - and that was to the picturesque village of St Cirq-la-Popie - perched high on the limestone crags overlooking the valley about 20 miles distant. The valley even here is quite different to the lower Lot where the river, although still pleasingly curvaceous, tends to be wider.

Few vineyards are to be found upriver from Cahors, but the countryside of the Upper Lot and Célé valleys is spectacular - and quieter. The limestone crags and cliffs dominate the landscape offer breathtaking views - and although the roads are often narrow and distinctly bendy, this tends to have the effect of entering a land where time runs more slowly, where nature makes itself felt - and that is miles away from the tourist centres of the Dordogne. And the journey keeps unfolding as you head on up the valley - another 90 miles in our case.

Our objective was to get to meet with Americans Lance and Rain who have 3 cottages to rent near Entraygues-sur-Truyere ( 12 Aveyron, Midi-Pyrenees). Although we had been in contact by email, I was intrigued to discover how and why 2 Californians had settled in one of the lesser-known parts of France.

The journey up the valley provided at least part of the answer - this is a truly beautiful part of France - the valley becomes narrower, but still offers delightful villages, stunning views and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the river - whether just sitting on the bank in the shade or being more energetic with canoes or kayaks. Entraygues-sur-Truyere, which translates as “between the waters” - i.e. the river Lot and its tributary the Truyere - is everything you expect of a small rural French market town - with its bridges over the river and narrow streets - and the essentials - a bank, boulangerie, hotel, bar etc - and the quiet air of a place at peace with itself - especially on a hot summer afternoon.

The other reason for Lance and Rain choosing this spot also became clear when we found the “Sweet French Cottages” up a narrow track above the river a few kilometres out of town. We discovered a haven of tranquility - with delightful hosts and some wonderful holiday cottages - well, appointed, cleverly and carefully restored - but above all secluded and deep in the countryside - yet just a few miles from all the conveniences of the town - and in an area rich with local artisans producing wine, cheese, wine. pottery…… The local wines, Vins d’Entraygues et du Fel VDQS, had to be tasted of course (along with some wonderful goats cheese made by one of the neighbours)! The vineyards are often terraced high on the sides of the valley, and production is small - mostly drunk locally. The white we tasted from Domaine de Mejanassere was a blend of Chenin Blanc and Mauzac grapes - a light, refreshing dry wine with a pleasing floral nose and exotic fruit finish; the red (Gamay, Fer Servadou, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Savignon), whilst being a tad “rustic” was perfect with some local saucisson. Somehow these uncomplicated straightforward wines were a great match for the time and place!

Whilst many might aspire to the Californian lifestyle, these Californians have clearly found their home in the depths of France, and whilst they remain ambitious, they are relaxed and welcoming - a long way from the stereotypical loud American we’ve all met. Indeed, there is something about the place that seems to instill some sense of peace and contentment - the world of autoroutes, big business and conflict seems, and is, a long way away - whilst nature imposes its own sense of order to things - whether it be the landscape, the river or the weather.

It is certainly an area I intend to return to - there is so much to explore, especially guided by two people who know the area well, and are keen to share it with others. Their ambitions include developing artists retreats (with a studio planned) and themed stays based on the local food etc.

For more about Lance and Rain’s SWEET FRENCH COTTAGES - see www.frenchduck.com/latest OR to enquire about availability and rates etc, complete the form below:-

cforms contact form by delicious:days

The small appellation of Saint Sardos, (82 Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) some 50km west of Toulouse and south of Montauban is unique in having a blend of Syrah and Tannat as the principal grapes supplemented by Cabernet and Merlot. As such it reflects its geography between the Languedoc (where Syrah is important) and Madiran (where Tannat is king) with a dash of classic Bordeaux varietals. The result is a fruity, spicy red or rose wine, which for the best cuvees needs a couple of years to mature.

The wine fair takes place in the town of Saint-Sardos (82 Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) on Sunday 3 August 2008.

For more info see www.cave-saint-sardos.com (in French)

In the UK some of the wines of Saint Sardos are available from Devigne Wines in Edinburgh

The departement of Gers (32 Midi-Pyrenees) in the heart of Gascony has built a reputation for creating its musical summer festivals – principally the internationally renowned Jazz in Marciac (1–17 August 2008) and Tempo Latino (24–27 July 2008) in Vic Fezensac.

These otherwise quiet small towns vibrate with music, and the streets are filled with people – and the events are also sponsored by the Cotes de St Mont VDQS wine co-operative (Plaimont) just to ensure that the atmosphere is convivial.

AMongst tge artists appearing at Marciac are Diana Krall and Herbie Hancock, whilst Tempo Latino has a latin jazz theme.

The Gaillac AOC appellation celebrates the local wines over 3 days (8–10 August 2008) in the town of Gaillac (81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) Famous for its wines made from local grape varieties such as Mauzac and L’En de l’El, a wide range of wines styles is produced from dry to sweet, white, rose, red, still. sparkling and perlé, which is a local lightly sparkling wine with some natural bubbles.

Situated in the north of the Tarn departement, the Gaillac Appellation area covers 2.500 hectares spread over 73 communes, for an AOC production of over 165.000 hectolitres.
Today, the appellation gathers around one hundred independent producers and 3 cooperative cellars.
The 3 different terroirs and the age of the vineyard enable Gaillac to offer numerous traditional grape varieties. The diversity of the Gaillac vineyard means that it can produce a great variety of elaborate wines, a wide range of dry, sweet and “perlé” white wines, red and rose wines as well as sparkling wines.

Our recommended producer in the region is Domaine de Labarthe, where the Albert family make consistently good wines which retain traditional character - try their Cuvée Guillaume (oaked red) and their dessert white “Grains d’Or” (golden grapes).

For more info on the wines of Gaillac see www.vins-gaillac.com

The winemakers of the Coteaux du Quercy VDQS celebrate their annual wine fair at Montprezat-du-Quercy (82 Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) on 8 August 2008.

Located between Montauban and Cahors (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees), these red and rose wines are unusually (for the south of France) based on Cabernet Franc (40–60% of the blend) with Malbec, Tannat, and Gamay being the other allowed varieties.

The name “Quercy” comes from the latin “quercus” for oak – and was the name given to a large area of South West France until the current departement system was introduced in 1790. The Coteaux du Quercy area was known as “Bas Quercy” and is dominated by the high “Causses” or moorland which still has a lot of “scrub oaks”.

Cahors with its Malbec (or Cot or Auxerrois) based wines remains one of my personal favourites – and these wines seem to improve year on year. This may be due to competition from South America, especially Argentina, where more overtly fruity and accessible Malbec wines are produced. However for me they lack the depth and intensity which good Cahors can offer. It’s also worth remembering that much of the Cahors vineyard is effectively less than 50 years old – the whole area was devastated by severe frost in 1956 which killed off most of the vines. Much changes in a vineyard in 50 years – vines mature, techniques improve, the best locations are revealed – and as exports increase winemakes have an incentive to strive to produce ever better wines.

You can try for yourself at the Fete du Vin de Cahors (Cahors Wine Festival) to be held at Puy l’Eveque (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) on 9 August 2008 – about 20 miles west of Cahors town on the river Lot. This opens in the Salle des Fetes at 5pm (i.e. after the worst of the heat of the day) and offers visitors the chance to taste the wines of local independent winemakers, but a few bottles (or more) all accompanied by music and a banquet!

The Vignerons Independants (independent wine makers) of the Vins de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne hold their annual wine festival in the town of Eauze (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) on 26 July 2008. More than 50 winemakers will be offering tastings. The Cotes de Gascogne is best known for making light fruity whites wines (90% of the production), typically from Colombard or Ugni Blanc grapes, but there are also some good Sauvignon Blancs and Gros Manseng.

However, many winemakers will also produce Armagnac and Floc de Gascogne which are also based on Colombard and Ugni Blanc grapes. Floc de Gascogne is a blend of unfermented grape juice and Armagnac which served chilled is a refreshing aperitif, available in white and rose styles.

The elegant city of Montauban gets its streets filled with Jazz for its 5 week long Fesitval de Jazz from 3 July to 9 August 2008 – and there will be other attractions such as the opportunity to taste the wines of the Cotes de Brulhois AC which come from just south of Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine) and are red wines based on Tannat, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet and Fer Servadou grapes – a potentially rustic blend which can produce some seriously good reds.

Running almost concurrently you can indulge in a feast of summer music with the Cahors (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) Blues Festival running from 15–19 July 2008. Amongst the attractions is Rolling Stone Bill Wyman (well musically perhaps)and a free “cocktail” jazz session. Be advised that the term “Blues” here encompasses jazz, rock, gospel and swing – so there should be something for every taste!

Meanwhile just 40 or so miles to the north, still in the Lot departement, but actually on the Dordogne river, the Souillac Jazz Festival runs 14–20 July 2008 – both with some events held in the surrounding villages.

For more info see www.cahorsbluesfestival.com or www.souillacenjazz.net or www.tourisme-gramat.com

Tags: music