The Vignobles & Signatures group of French wine producers are united by a common point: a wine history going back several generations, a tradition conveyed by the family business, and solidarity between all.

Each month a group of French wine lovers- the #Winophiles- gather to explore French wines through the country’s regions, foods, and cultural traditions. This month we bring you a French-style season together with the Vignobles & Signatures group of wineries and their partner Vinconnexion.

The fabulous thing about Vignobles & Signatures is they are leaders in, and represent most wine regions in France. Red, white, champagne, spirits, and other types of wine, everyone can find something they like. And each winery has their own type of French-style when it comes to wine and food. We are grateful for their generous sponsorship this month! To read more about our French-style season or learn how you can join check out the invitation post.

A Season of Traditions

There are many traditions around the holiday and winter season in France and depending on the region and the person asked they may differ. One thing for certain? December holidays are about family, friends, and enduring meal celebrations. Per Mark and my experience here in Bordeaux, they start early and last long into the night providing lots of opportunity to enjoy food and wine!

The Christmas meal (traditionally celebrated in the home with family and served after midnight) is called the réveillon referring to staying awake into the wee hours of the night. New Year’s Eve is when you congregate with friends. With both, the food and wine flow.

Pssst! I’m privy to what each of the #Winophiles is doing and here’s a tip- the food and wine pairings and discussions from our group are flowing!

Join Us On Twitter

We hope you’ll join– 8am PT, 11 am ET, and 5pm in France— and chat with us. It’s easy to participate: just log in to Twitter at the times mentioned and follow #Winophiles. Feel free to chime in, making sure to append #Winophiles to your tweets so we can welcome you.

Here’s a preview of what each writer will contribute to the discussion – all articles will be live on Friday or Saturday, December 14 or 15th:

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla whips up “A French #Winophiles Fête: Foie Gras, Pain d’Épices & Champagne Drappier”
• Jill shares from L’OCCASION shares “How To Bring French Holiday Traditions Home”
• Gwen at WinePredator has “Season’s Greetings French-Style”
• Wendy at A Day In The Life On The Farm gives us “A Holiday Gathering with French Foods and Wines”
• Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog  shares “A Taste of French Inspired Holiday Food and Wine”
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen tells writes about “Ants Climb a Tree with French Wine”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish tells us about “Parisian Holiday: A Few of My Favorite Things”
• Michelle of Rockin Red Blog writes about “A French-Inspired Holiday Alsatian Style”
• Kat from Bacchus Travel and Tours writes about “Noel en Provence“
• Jeff from foodwineclick discusses “What is French-Style Season?”
• Payal writes at Keep The Peas shares “Bonnes Fêtes à la #winophiles”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles entices us with “Un repas de Noël pour les fêtes de fin d’année (A Christmas Dinner for the end of the year celebrations)…with wine #Winophiles”
• David Crowley from CookingChat shares “Festive Pairings for Pouilly-Fumé and Other Special French Wine #winophiles“
• Lyn writes at L.M. Archer  tells us about “The Hedonistic Taster: French-Style Season Edition”
• Jane cooks things up at Always Ravenous shares “A French Inspired Winter Dinner”
• Nicole from Somms Table shares “Crocus l’Atelier Malbec de Cahors with Château Mercuès Saffron Chicken Soup“
• Liz from What’s In That Bottle tells us how to “Frenchify Your Festivities with Fun Wines“
• Rupal from Journeys of a Syrah Queen shares “French Inspired Holiday Wines”

And here on Savor the Harvest we share how to “Give a Little Touche Française to Your Holiday #Winophiles“.

~~~ Joyueses Fêtes! / Happy Holidays ~~~

What a beautiful tree I spotted in Strasbourg recently. I like this French-style season tree that I learned is lit up all winter.