french wine a day

Provence vineyards tour example

Dear wine lovers,

Here is an example of a 5 days tour in the heart of Provence. If your are interested in organizing a vineyards tour, don't hesitate to email with dates, number of people and any important details.

Day 1 :
Meet at Avignon TGV train station in the afternoon to drive you to Château de Mazan, your residence for the week. Dinner at the hotel.

Château de Mazan, your hotel

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Day 2 :

Morning : Vineyard tours in Gigondas. Lunch in Vaison la Romaine.

Vines in Gigondas below Dentelles de Montmirail

Afternoon : Vineyard tours in Cairanne. Dinner at the hotel.

Vaison la Romaine village with its Roman ruins

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Day 3 :

Morning : Vineyard tours in Condrieu. Lunch in Ampuis (the Côtes Rotie kingdom) at Serine wine bar.

The famous Château d'Ampuis and Guigal wine

Afternoon : Vineyard tours in Tain l'Hermitage. Dinner at the hotel.

Vines in Tain l'Hermitage

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Day 4  :

Morning  : Vineyard tour in Château Pont Royal. Lunch in Aix-en-Provence.

Sainte Victoire Mountain near Aix-en-Provence

Afernoon : Visit of Château Ferry Lacombe or Golf in Aix-en-Provence. Dinner in Mondragon at la Beaugravière (the truffle kingdom).

Typical market in Aix en Provence

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Day 5 :

Morning : Vineyard tours in Monpellier area (Languedoc wines). Lunch in Nîmes.


The Roman "Arènes de Nîmes"

Afternoon : Visit of Château de la Tuilerie. Visit of Pont du Gard on the way back to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

The famous Pont du Gard

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Day 6 :

Morning : Vineyard tours in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Lunch in
Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the classic "bistrot" of Mère Germaine

Châteauneuf-du-pape village

Afternoon : Visit / shopping in Avignon. Drop off at train station.



Avignon, its bridge on the Rhône and old monuments

Châteauneuf-du-Pape red

The (almost) destroyed Castle, at the top of
Châteauneuf-du-Pape dome.

Dear wine lovers,

When all the natural elements come together, some areas seem to be blessed. This is the case for Châteauneuf-du-Pape*.

Imagine a dome planted with vines and you almost have Châteauneuf-du-Pape terroir. This area, once all covered by the Rhône River, is now mostly filled with the famous pebbles, and a very draining soil, mainly composed of sand.
And on the surface those pebbles** have other great properties : Their white color allows the sun's reflection on some leaves that don't normally get direct sun. The stones also absorb heat during the day-time hours in summer (don't touch them, you might get burned) and will rever it back to the vines during the night, allowing even more ripening. Finally, the famous mistral wind blowing at its maximum there desiccates the vines and prevents illnesses due to humidity.

Of course, the right grape id required in order to benefit from those characteristics. In fact, and, as in many other places, that is the grape that has slowly acclimated there. This is the case ever since the Popes spent their summer vacation in Avignon in the 14th Century. Thinking that this area was a good place for growing grape-vines, they developed the wine there. Besides all of them, one grape is the king here : Grenache and its 12 other "lieutenants" which are Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Roussanne, Counoise, Muscadin, Caccarese, Picpoul, Picardan will create "the 13 grapes symphony" and add complexity to the powerness the Chief.
This terroir with its clear identity has been one of the first to be recognized and the  Chateauneuf du Pape appellation was created in 1936.

Drinking a Châteauneuf-du-Pape is always a very special time for me. I remember my uncle Jean-Claude bringing the bottles for Christmas. He would open them to let them breathe during the afternoon and all of us, from kids to grandparents, could taste it. Somehow, you had to respect it just because you had been respected and allowed to share this nectar.

The most special tastings I have had included this Clos du Calvaire 1947, still young with leather notes, that we drank to celebrate my Aunt Marie-Françoise's 50th birthday, this amazing 1974 from Henri Bonneau that we had with my friend Chris and, of course, the family Domaine du Banneret 1990 that we poured for our guests at our wedding dinner : A great year not only because it was an outstanding vintage but also because that was the year I met my wife, Kristin.

Besides those special vineyards, the ones I like are Clos du Cailloux, Château la Nerthe, Domaine Berthet-Rayne and the majestic Château Rayas.

My favorite dish with Châteauneuf-du-Pape is very simple : Spaghetti Roquefort, and the secret is actually in the sauce :
Bring the sour cream to a boil and add the Roquefort and a large amount of black pepper until the Roquefort melts. Then pour the sauce over the pasta. You will see how the pepper and the powerfulness from the Grenache will match with the Roquefort sauce. Enjoy !

Cheers,

Jean-Marc Espinasse

Any comments, edits are very welcome at contact@french-wine-a-day.com

*Listen to "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" : 

**Pebbles = Galets

See Châteauneuf-du-Pape on a French wine map (use enlarge icon to see it better)

PS : Soeren, a retired Danish wine lover has made this very interesting website on Châteauneuf-du-Pape. If, like us, you are a passionate, you should go have a look.

Sauternes

It does not look good but it is actually excellent...

Dear wine lovers,

Located 25 miles south-east of Bordeaux is nestled one of its smallest appellations : Sauternes*.

This area, where the soil is composed of gravels and clayey-limestone, is special in the way that it fosters the development of noble rot** (Botrytis Cinerea) which doesn't affect the quality and permits the grape to over-ripen even when the grape looks in poor condition.
This phenomenon is due to the "terroir" where the Ciron River that flows from here to the Garonne, creates fog in autumn when this fungus finds the right conditions for its development.

The legend has it that vintners found out about "noble rot" after of one them spent his summer holidays away and fell in love, eventually returning home, a bit late, after the harvest season... He decided to harvest the over-ripe grapes which were rotten and created a wine that turned out to be very good and very feminine !
Sauternes is actually a lesson in patience. Not only do you need this fog to occur but you want to gather when the grapes are ready, which requires you to come back to the same parcels 3 or 4 times to pick the grapes that eventually will produce one glass per vine.

Mainly made from of Sauvignon with Sémillon and Muscadelle, Sauternes is a powerful and delicate sweet wine that develops pineapple, nut and honey flavors when it ages and turns into this beautiful gold color. Of course, you can serve it with “foie gras” but my preference is to pour it with cheese and dessert or with both, such as this pear / roquefort tart recipe :

Consistent in quality are Château de Fragues, Château Suduiraut and of course Château Rieussec of which I had the chance to sip a glass of 1989 last year. The king of all these Sauternes is Château d'Yquem.
Smaller and family-run vineyards which are worth a try are Château Monteils where Hervé is doing a great job and Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey.

Lastly, note that the good vintages have nothing to do with what the "wine wizards" try to impose on us in the Bordeaux area. The 2002 and 1997 (supposedly average in Bordeaux) are actually nice ones in Sauternes and the good thing is that they are not that reason. The best example is the 1967, a very poor one for regular wines, but the best of the century in Sauternes. By the way, I was born in 1967. So if you are ready to give me a Christmas present, I will bake the pear / roquefort tart and we can share !

Cheers,

Jean-Marc Espinasse

Any comments, edits are very welcome at contact@french-wine-a-day.com

* Listen to "Sauternes"

** Rot = Pourriture

See Sauternes area on a French wine map (use enlarge icon to see it better)

PS : A good Sauternes book :