This is my submission to the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge (#MWWC29). For more information about the challenge, scroll to the bottom. I don’t think there is enough honesty in wine. People don’t usually give their frank assessment and I like to…as much as possible. For example, I was tasting at a winery years ago and was asked how I liked… Read more »
October brought friends to Bordeaux, one of them an emeritus geology professor from San Francisco. We met Karen and Jay in Ashland, Oregon a few months before heading across the Atlantic. Wine and food, cycling and hiking, and most of all, they are two individuals who desire to explore the world, immersing themselves in all to be had including the… Read more »
As part of his masters degree program, Mark finished a four-month vineyard and winery internship (known as a stage here in France). He worked for Denis Dubourdieu Domaines, the umbrella of five chateaux owned by the family: Château Doisy Daene, Château Cantegril, Clos Floridene, Château Haura and Château Reynon. All are located in the southern area of Bordeaux: Barsac in… Read more »
Have you ever been asked to do something out of the blue your gut pulls you towards? Something that makes you turn inward and think? A “wow, OK, this is not what I had planned for” kind of deep thought? Adventure, wine, the unknown pass through your mind. Yet, you don’t pause; there is no doubt in your mind, you… Read more »
Our second day of wine exploration in Burgundy was in the southern part of the Côte d’Or, the Côte de Beaune. For anyone who didn’t read my last post, the Côte d’Or consists of two areas: the Côte de Nuits in the North and the Côte de Beaune in the South. It started with great coffee, more precisely, Café Noisette,… Read more »
Something new, something different, something about bubbles. A reoccurring theme in my life that started one stormy afternoon in the small town of Broomfield, halfway between Denver and Boulder. Outside playing with my brother, the afternoon progressed and as it often does in that area, clouds rolled in. Layers and layers of clouds like slowly pouring thick crème anglaise back… Read more »
Smack in the middle of Burgundy, or Bourgogne as they say in France, you’ll find a small town once occupied by monks. They were skilled winemakers and also established a type of land categorization according to the quality of wine made on the land; it’s still used today. What would those monks think if they knew Beaune is now (hundreds… Read more »
There are so many places to visit in France, especially when one is living here for a short period. An interest in wine narrows the choice but not by much. We chose to explore Burgundy next by way of Lyon. Why Lyon one might ask? Head south and you hit the Rhone, north and end up in Burgundy. Or explore… Read more »
EuroCup 2016 was in full swing when we made it to Asti. Italy played Spain that first night and while wandering the streets once occupied by the Romans, Goths, Lombards and more, frequent bursts of excitement were heard in cafés and bars. Then victory, a massive eruption onto the streets; Italy won this match! Asti is a name I’ll bet… Read more »
From the quaint and charming Camogli we moved to the incredible sunsets of Lerici. This was another example of just showing up, where someone else did hours of research to find that special place. Lerici is situated south of Camogli on the Ligurian coast. It doesn’t have a train station but it’s an easy one hour bus ride from La… Read more »