The “Sud-Ouest” of France frequently presents us with surprises. We had no idea it’s a major area for truffles, that zen master Thich Nhat Hanh built his Plum Village there, or that the Dordogne Valley contained prehistoric cave paintings and medieval everything. Our rental even had a herd of alpacas. Exploring the wine region of Cahors with friends was the… Read more »
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 »
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 »
Here in Bordeaux, harvest is in full swing, as are plums. We started with a variety of Italian Prune plum. The oh so petit and feminine Mirabelle were a treat. Then came the Yellow Gage, followed by a plum that resembles the Santa Rosa Plum. The Japanese or Red Plum was more familiar, as were the Greengage, and now finally… 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 »
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 »
Scenario: Trip planned, then just days before we learned of an excellent opportunity causing us to completely change things up. That’s how we landed in Verona, land of Romeo, Juliet, and wine. Purpose: Mark attended the Tenth International Symposium on Grapevine Physiology and Biotechnology. Location: Verona is an easy 1.5 hour train ride from Milan and 1 hour from Venice…. Read more »
When I ask people what they pair with port, the first response is usually chocolate. Deep, dark, silky and smooth, it’s wonderful with many port wines. But people not fond of chocolate want something different. A few years ago, I set out to find an offering when chocolate gets thrown out. What I found will be nice to enjoy on… Read more »