So if the few hints I left yesterday weren’t enough for you to figure out, here it is. Yes, Kasia and I will be traveling to France this summer. Obviously we are very excited to visit a country that evokes such strong images of wine, food, culture and romance. After spending a few days in Paris, we will be heading out to the French countryside and two famous regions that you may already be familiar with.
The first is Provence, known for its rolling hills, beautiful estates and endless fields of lavender. It is also known for its hearty food and use of fragrant herbs in many of it’s regional dishes.
What it is lesser known for is its wine. Although not a wine powerhouse like Bordeaux or the Rhone Valley, Provence is most associated with delicious rosés. They are said to make a nice counterpoint to the sharper flavours of garlic, herbs and peppers that are prevalent in the local cuisine.
Along with good dry rosés, Provence is starting to also produce increasingly notable reds. I am hoping that in our time there we will be able to discover some of these, as well as some great local cheeses and other delicacies.
Moving north from Provence (on the high speed train, of course), we will be heading to one of the most historic and very often overlooked regions of France.
Burgundy is a area most have heard about, but few could point out on a map. Located in the north-east, this area was once the home of number of Dukes. They are, of course, long gone, but some of their castles and estates remain. The province’s capital, Dijon, still retains a good portion of its medieval town wall.
Besides great mustard, the local dishes of Burgundy include coq a vin and boeuf bourguignon; both of which are made with local red wine. The beef is provided by Charolais cattle (see picture) which are the local breed. Another resident is the humble vineyard snail, which is used to make their famous escargot.
And what about the wine? Well, in Burgundy it is easy to know what varietals you are enjoying, as almost all reds are made from Pinot Noir, with the whites being Chardonnay. But just because the vines are all the same doesn’t mean that the end products will be. With some of the best wine-growing terroir in all of France, Burgundy can produce some truly amazing wines. I cannot wait to try as many of them as I can find/afford.
As mentioned yesterday, this trip is part of the reason I started this blog. I wanted to allow a decent lead-up to this major journey and do my best to bring all who care to read it along with us as we venture into the heart of France. I think the results are going to be great, and I will do my best to bring those moments to you here.
From reading a few of your posts, France looks to be the perfect place to experience the real flavour of wine. Probably nowhere does enjoying a good wine feel more natural than in this country.
The simple pleasure of drinking wine accompanied with various cheeses, fresh baked bread, a good company is an unusually satisfying experience that you can do for hours every night in France without getting bored of it. The french are so good at getting all these things right, and the rustic buildings / atmosphere makes it easy to enjoy the experience to the full.
You should really enjoy Burgundy (Bourgogne on the map ;-D) If you can, I would recommend just stopping into any vineyard (off, say, the N74); you might find a friendly french grower that will let you sample their wines (some have taste testing luncheons). If they’re an AOC certified vineyard (which Burgundy has the most) they’ll probably explain how a man comes by on his bicycle, unannounced, to rigorously assess their wine, and as a result, sets the price they can sell it for to the public. Amazing, eh?
We stopped into a place like that in 2009, and got a bottle from Domaine Robert Gibourg, where they had managed, after many decades of trying, to get ahold of a field they called ‘la bidaude’, which is a field adjacent to another field that produces wine for hundreds of euros per bottle. We bought a 2003 red from the la bidaude to bring home, which was amazing. They hoped over time that the field would gain a similar status to their others, although it looks like that hasn’t happened as yet (you can get 2005 vintage for about 25 euros online). Anyway, that’s just a sampler of what burgundy has to offer.
Paris is truly romantic, and is so in a way that is difficult to describe. The architecture of place is so absorbing, there’s a continuity and beauty to it that permeates the city, even the layout of the streets contribute to this. The metro is excellent for getting around the place, especially as you’re there a short while. You’ll find it difficult to leave. As you probably will find the country as well 🙂
Thanks for the comments and insights Marc. It sounds like you had an opportunity to do a lot of the things in France that we are looking forward to trying. As for the vineyard tip, we will have to check it out, that wine sounds like a great bargain.
Living landscape that wispers it’s history to you as you wander through it’s beauty and later we can sip it’s essence along with dinner.What a joy!