From decanter:

“For the first time in their history, Paris pawn shops have agreed to take bottles of wine in exchange for cash.

More than 350 bottles with a total value of €60,000 (£45,000) have been pawned – inlcuding a €5,000 Domaine de la Romanee Conti.

The initiative was launched by Crédit Municipal de Paris, the local authority pawnshop - which usually deals in family heirlooms and pieces of jewellery - last week.

The wine is to be stored in the 18th-century cellars under the Crédit Municipal building…”

Read the whole article

[via]

Since our friends from the U.S. were visiting, we thought it would be fun to meet in Provence and go wine tasting. Some of France’s finest wines come from Chateauneuf du pape and everyone was up for that, so off we (three Americans and one French guy) went.

We stumbled upon a wine cellar that produced award-winning wine and received an informative presentation from the vintner, who spoke fluent English. We tasted 4 wines, and thought about buying a few bottles. They were excellent wines. While discussing what we would get amongst ourselves, the vintner blurts out that he expected we buy CASES of wine. He said something like, “Hey, I’m not a reseller, you know; I’m the producer.”

Me: “So!??”

Ok, I didn’t say that but wanted to. Yes, he’s the producer but he’s still selling it.

This, of course, made no sense anyway since he knew very well that Americans cannot take much wine back to the U.S. And because our friends just brought carry-on luggage, they wouldn’t be able to take any bottles at all with them. He began to annoy me with his greed. Still, we decided to buy ONE case (6 bottles): all the wines we sampled, including a gold medal awarded wine from 1999.

Things were rolling along and we paid our 104 euros ($159) for the six bottles until the vintner began filling the box with our order. He made sure we saw what he put in the case, then says, “and lastly, here’s the 1998 bottle.”

My sweetie says LOUDLY, “we bought the 1999 bottle, you know, the one that costs 26 euros (about $40). Not 1998.”

The guy tried to rip us off!

Anyway, I found that to be so rude, greedy and annoying, but ultimately pathetic. I mean, I could be recommending his little “domaine” right now but instead I simply can not.

How many Americans did he trick?

That just isn’t right.

Maybe, just maybe once during your trips to France, you will venture out of “the comfort zone” of your little Paris. Yes! There’s a whole ‘nother world outside of Paris that might amaze you even more than looking at the teeny tiny, glass-enveloped, security guarded, popularity queen, The Mona Lisa, which could quite possibly be a replica (Ok, the latter is just my own conspiracy theory).

A little detour to Provence (south of France) will literally be a welcome breath of fresh air once you exit the cities. We’ve been in Provence, of course at our favorite Après La Sieste, the best place to stay in Provence, in our humble opinions. In addition to being the most beautiful and relaxing B&B ever, they have a heated salinated pool, (which is like being in a comfortable hotspring more so than like being in a chlorinated pond), and an in-house chef for a memorable gastronomic meal that goes perfectly with local wines from the famous Chateauneuf du pape.

After exploring the region’s lavender fields, the surrounding “most beautiful villages in France,” the seaside Camargue and Callanques, the wine cellars and vineyards for tasting award-winning wines and more, you may, after all the day’s activities, feel pretty beat albeit happy. Lucky you because if you stay with Jacques and Chloe at Apres la Sieste, you can get a heavenly massage, a perfect Provençale denouement.

Apres la Sieste’s newest addition is an in-house masseuse, who will erase your little aches and pains and simply make you feel wonderful. You might not ever want to leave.

Apres la Sieste opens officially for the season on March 21.

Après La Sieste
2 suites, 3 rooms; breakfast included
Contact: Jacques et Chloé (English and French spoken)
Email: info@apreslasieste.com
Website: Après La Sieste
(Visit their site for more room photos, massage and chef meals details and rates)
Telephone : +33 4 66 50 33 94
Mobile Phone: +33 6 61 84 58 40

and other wines. Global Warming is going to seriously crimp your wine life…well, and your life in general.

“Say Goodbye to French Wines. Wacky temperatures and rain cycles brought on by global warming are threatening something very important: Wine. Scientists believe global warming will “shift viticultural regions toward the poles, cooler coastal zones and higher elevations.” What that means in regular language: Get ready to say bye-bye to French Bordeaux and hello to British champagne. [LA Times]

Say Goodbye to Light and Dry Wines. Warmer temperatures mean grapes in California and France develop their sugars too quickly, well before their other flavors. As a result, growers are forced to either a) leave the grapes on the vines longer, which dramatically raises the alcoholic content of the fruit or b) pick the grapes too soon and make overly sweet wine that tastes like jam. [Washington Post]

Say Goodbye to Pinot Noir. The reason you adore pinot noir is that it comes from a notoriously temperamental thin-skinned grape that thrives in cool climates. Warmer temperatures are already damaging the pinots from Oregon, “baking away” the grape’s berry flavors…”

[From Top 100 Ways Global Warming Will Change Your Life]

“One in three bottles of appellation controlée wines produced in France is sub-standard, according to the French consumer watch-dog. A survey of wine professionals by the organisation, UFC-Que Choisir, concluded that the supposed local authenticity offered by the label “AOC” – appellation d’origine controlée – has become meaningless…” Read the complete article

Why not. Find romance in on a bottle of French wine. Soif de Coeur (A Thirst for Romance) offers wine with a possibility of finding your soulmate. Just buy a bottle of Soif de Coeur, gluggedy glug glug, peel off the bottle label and find a code and instructions on how to begin your soulmate search on their website. Just imagine, buy a 3 euro ($4) bottle of red, white or rosé wine, and who knows…maybe you’ll get a date!

I don’t think you necessarily need to buy any wine to participate in their online dating service, but I’m not sure. Maybe you do and the $4 you spend on a bottle is actually the dating service fee. Bargain! I really want to make fun of this; it’s so asking for it, but I’m trying to reduce the amount of invective I produce, so let’s just hope this is a good thing.

Soif de Coeur

The longer I live in France, the more I realize that all Pains aux raisins are NOT created equal here. Take for example, the Pains aux raisins in Burgundy. Oftentimes in France, you’ll come across many examples where a French region has adulterated changed a staple food of France, even naming it something different to suit its own tastes (and specialities) and to fight for their own regional culinary culture. And yes, btw, the Pain aux raisins IS a staple food of France. At least chez nous.

Burgundy is known for a few things: its wine, its food, usually consisting of lots of wine: Coq au vin, which is chicken in wine, Boeuf Bourgignon, which is beef cooked in wine, Pochouse, a dish with 4 kinds of fish cooked in wine, Andouillette au chablis, which are sausages cooked in wine, Oeufs en meurettes, an interesting spin on eggs that are poached in wine, Les Tripes au Rosé de Marsannay, which is tripe cooked in wine. Are we seeing a pattern here? I think I now know why the people here are so friendly and happy.

Anyway - probably most famous of all foods from Burgundy is Escargots, the little rubbery, slimey critters, or as I liked to call them: snails. Escargot is world renowned and world consumed (usually not cooked in wine but eaten with a garlic butter parsley sauce) and you will find them all over Burgundy. (Nevermind that most of the Burgundy snails are actually from Poland, Romania and Russia. You’ll see “transformé en France” when they don’t want to say where they came from originally, and want to make you believe they are the real Burgundian deal, slime notwithstanding.)

I know. I digress. Sorry.

So. Given all of that food trivia à la Bourgogne, the Burgundy Pains aux raisins, became Escargot aux raisins. And, much like the region’s signature culinary dishes, the Escargots aux raisins are heavy. In fact, much heavier than the light, airy, flakey on the top, soft and custardy in the middle Parisian Pain aux raisins. The Bourgogne version with its different and cutely appropriate moniker seems to have way more raisins, and is bigger, thicker and breadier, thus softer and having no crisp to it at all. Not knocking it because it is pure yum especially dunked in a bowl of steamy hot coffee for breakfast.

Continuation of Part 1 and Part 2

7. Cook Meat Thoroughly - There were constant reminders in the U.S. about the dangers of eating meat that isn’t cooked very much. If you’ve been to France or if you live in France, you know that that is the exact opposite rule in the land of steak tartare. In fact, when I order meat in restaurants in France, and ask for it bien cuit (well done) they roll zee eyes at me. And even then, it’s not well done but that is how I like it. The French are notorious for liking their meat bloody, dripping rare. Lastly, some restaurants in the U.S. don’t even ask you anymore, how you’d like your steak or burger cooked. Should we wonder about the differences in meat quality?

8. Warning Labels on Wine - When packing for our trip to the U.S., I’d completely forgotten the Burgundy wine I was going to give my sister-in-law. So, I bought some French wine in California for her. Hee. It had a big label on the bottle warning of the health risks of drinking wine. Just like with cigarettes. I think there are some wines in France that have a itty bitty warning, but most don’t have anything at all.

9. Ultra-pasteurized milk advertised as good for you - Ultra-pasteurized milk doesn’t need to be refrigerated because it’s been heated to a higher temperature higher than normal pasteurization (280°F vs. 145°F). That’s why it has such a long shelf-life - but many Europeans believe that ultra-pasteurized milk not only has no nutritional value, but also may be harder to digest because of changes in the protein structures of the milk itself. That isn’t to say ultra-pasteurized milk isn’t present in France - It is, but it’s not advertised as being good for you. [an interesting related article on raw milk: The Udder Truth]

10. Wash your hands! - Signs reminding employees and the general public to wash their hands after using the toilet were everywhere. Yes, I want people to wash their hands after they do their thing, but I guess so many people don’t, they have to put signs all over the place. Well, in France, I don’t think many people wash their hands (I’m not sure about actual statistics but whenever I’ve been in a public restroom in France, I always notice people leaving without washing their hands. I notice less of this in the U.S.) I’m very OC about it so it grosses me out. My other half thinks people in France have a better tolerance to germs and illnesses and can withstand a lot of bacteria without getting sick because of non-hygienic ways…

11. Vegetables - In the U.S. my sweetie kept saying he was just buying something that resembled a vegetable, but it didn’t taste anything like that vegetable. Carrots, for example, looked like carrots, felt like carrots but didn’t taste like carrots at all. “We are paying for the shapes of vegetables!!” he’d say. What were we eating then?

Our friends, Chloe and Jacques are having a weekday special until the end of June at their fabulous bed and breakfast, Après La Sieste. If you stay 3 nights at Après La Sieste during the week from now until June 30, you can get the fourth night for free. The fourth night must also be during the week.

We love staying at Après La Sieste; it is one of our favorite places to stay in Provence, and this special is an excellent savings and great opportunity. We might have to squeeze in a trip there into our hectic schedule if possible. It’s a great base to explore many places in Provence, and it’s very near Avignon. Lastly, for those wine enthusiasts out there, it is a hop, skip and a jump from the famous, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Read my previous posts about Après La Sieste:

A Great Place to Stay in Provence: Après La Sieste

Our Favorite Place to Stay in Provence Has a Chef

Visit their website for more information and to contact them. They speak both English and French.

Après La Sieste
2 suites, 3 rooms; breakfast included
Contact: Jacques et Chloé (English and French spoken)
*Please ask when the chef will be preparing dinner
Email: info@apreslasieste.com
Website: Après La Sieste
(Visit their site for more room photos, details and rates)
Telephone : 04 66 50 33 94
Mobile Phone: 06 61 84 58 40

Note: Air France is having reduced airfares from the U.S. to France during Spring, so check it out here: Spring Specials from the US to Europe on Air France

Tags: france, provence, Chateauneuf-du-pape, Après+La+Sieste, french, france+holidays, france+vacations

Drink Wine and Live Happily

This photo deserved a post even though it’s a short one. I like how it looks like someone felt this message was so important they framed a brown paper bag with printed letters. Appropriately blurry, I thought.

Tags: france, wine, messages, drink+wine, live+happy

It’s that time of year again! I wrote about Beaujolais Nouveau last year but I’ve decided to repost just in case you didn’t catch it:

Wine fanatics everywhere are probably already filled with Beaujolais Nouveau right now as I write this post! today is the official release of the Beaujolais region’s (Lyon to the south of Burgundy) special wine (vin de primeur) made from Gamay grapes and released the third Thursday of November every year.How is it different than other wines? the process: Beaujolais Nouveau is produced by carbonic maceration followed by pasteurization (bypassing the malolactic fermentation process in other wines) and therefore takes a mere six weeks to produce after harvest. It is a type of wine that does not last and is best consumed within a few weeks. it is, in other words, INFERIOR WINE made from some of the worst vineyards and crop yields of the year.

Half of the Beaujolais Nouveau is exported. In 2004 Japan was the top importer of Beaujolais Nouveau over the U.S. (about 1 million cases - that’s roughly 50% of the Beaujolais exported from France!) and that nearly killed them in airfreight costs alone.

By far the most popular producer of Beaujolais Nouveau is Georges Duboeuf, the king of Beaujolais, made the king by his own pimped PR machine and the well-known flowery bottle labels. though, there are better Beaujolais to be had.

Mike Steinberger from Slate magazine says it best with some wise advice if you’re looking for a good Beaujolais:

“Should you find yourself succumbing to the hype over the next few days, here’s a suggestion: Skip the Nouveau, bypass the Duboeuf (the king does not need your money), and instead look for a Cru Beaujolais. They generally run between $10 and $20, and the best are brought in by the following importers: Louis/Dressner, Alain Junguenet, and Kermit Lynch. Some wines to look for: Chateau Thivin (from the Côte de Brouilly appellation), Jacky Janodet (Moulin-à-Vent, the most esteemed appellation in Beaujolais), Marcel Lapierre (Morgon), Domaine Diochon (Moulin-à-Vent), Jean-Paul Thevenet(Morgon), and Michel Tete (Juliénas).

Not every good Beaujolais is necessarily a fancy growth, however. A personal favorite is Dupeuble, a wine of low pedigree that is made by a conscientious producer whose ambition is not to suck every bit of life out of his vineyard but to fashion a quality quaffer. That he does: The wine, which retails for around $10, is everything good Beaujolais should be—fruity, sprightly, utterly charming. If I owned a house and had a house wine, Dupeuble would be it.”

[via slate, tizwine, the japan times, wikipedia]

Tags: france, french, Beaujolais+Nouveau, wine

You can’t get much more postcard perfect with the Mediterranean bijou harbor village of Cassis, which is only about 10 miles southeast of Marseille.

It’s hard to believe that Cassis was at one time an old fishing town, only seen by the rugged fisherman and modest locals. It was an inevitable progression, though, that it would go from basic, to artsy to chic. Now, artists can’t afford to live here.

Cassis even has its own AOC status (granted in 1936) for its very dry wine that has a bouquet of rosemary and heather. The white wine, made from Bourboulenc, Clairette, Marsanne and Ugni Blanc grapes, actually has a very pale green tint to it. They say in Cassis that this wine received a divine quality when God descended from the heavens and shed a tear on a grape vine and voila, divine AOC wine from Cassis was born. Anyway, the Marseillais say that this is the only drink worthy of washing down bouillabaisse.

I believe the chateau perched above the port is privately owned and is a gite or a hotel. If you’ve stayed there, can you post a comment or email me about it? Thanks.

Cassis a good place to relax, have a provencal meal, people watch and take in the amazing scenery, or do something more seaworthy and take sailing lessons, go windsurfing or catch a ferry to the nearby famous Calanques (which I’ll write about after I sift through my million photos.)

There’s a pretty but teeny tiny sandy beach with a stunning backdrop of cliffs, but if you try to go here during the summer, you’ll be lucky if you find a spot bigger than a stamp.

This isn’t what it sounds like. I mean, yes there is wine here, and wine tasting and drinking, and in fact this “un-conference” takes place at a winery in Burgundy - but it really isn’t about wine. Though. If you do like wine, you might want to come to this event. Ok, yes it IS about wine but the main purpose of WineCamp is a bit more geeky. Geeky in a cool save the world passionate tech drinking wine kind of way.

From last May’s Wine Camp in Calaveras County, California, this time it moves across the water to beautiful Burgundy France. Here’s how the WineCamp people describe what it is:

What is WineCamp?

WineCamp is an ad-hoc un-conference, set in wine country. It is born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. Its goal is to bring together the innovators of the tech worlds with the innovators of the npo world to discuss solutions that help build community, motivate members, and ease collaboration based on existing, easily-accessible and open-source tools. There are no ‘attendees’ at WineCamp, only participants. Everyone at WineCamp sets the agenda, presents, leads or gets involved in discussions and creates together.

WineCamp France
Where: Chambolle-Musigny, Bourgogne (Burgundy), France
When: September 22 — 24, 2006

More Information and Contacts
Site: Wine Camp France
Wiki: WineCamp France Wiki (English)
Wiki: Wine Camp France Wiki (French)

Organizer: Gregoire Japiot, greg@winecampfrance.com
Dijon, Burgundy, FRANCE - Tel: +33 (0)6 62 80 11 28

Note: WineCamp will be in English and French with translators.

Tags: travel, france, french, wine, bourgogne, burgundy, winecamp, Chambolle-Musigny, unconference

Here’s an interesting photo essay about the making of French champagne:

Click on the photo to access the slideshow at BusinessWeek.

[related: Radioactive French Champagne?]

Tags: france, travel, champagne, drinks, making+champagne, Chandon, process, Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, Pernod, Ricard, Clicquot, LVMH, Moët, Hennessy, Louis, Vuitton, Dom+Perignon

What I’m about to say may sound outrageous to some of you: France is not just about Paris. Yeah, yeah, save your gasps for the theater. Paris is all good, but there is no reason to keep you there during your whole trip. Maybe you can start in the City of Light, then move on to explore farther south; France is an amazing and beautiful country and is worth a look around, and that’s around France, not just around the Louvre and Eiffel Tower.

That said, Provence, which is in the southern region of France loosely located north and west of the French Riviera, is no stranger to travelers. For centuries, Provence has attracted millions of people including famous artists, writers, photographers and artisans from all over the world because it is considered a French muse of sorts. From the fierce Mediterranean light, the fragrant countryside with lavender fields, and the vibrant colors, to the esprit provençal, cuisine and lifestyle of Provence, visiting this area will change you and inspire you forever; It will nourish and refresh your soul. It will leave you wanting to come back for more just as soon as you’re able. That is exactly what happened to us.

First Things First: Après La Sieste

We stayed at an extraordinary place called, Apres La Sieste in Saint Laurent des Arbres, which is a small village situated just 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Avignon. It is also conveniently close (15 kilometers or 9 miles) to the famous, Chateauneuf-du-pape where some of France’s most prized wines are produced.

Built from the ground up and embracing an eco-friendly perspective, the thick stone walls and beautiful woodwork (doors, supporting vaults and beams, shudders and floors) of this mas are made from recuperated, natural raw materials, all from the surrounding area. Pigments for the wall paints come from the nearby village of Rousillon. Also used is a geothermal heating/cooling system, which takes advantage of the earth’s ability to store large amounts of heat/cold and moves it throughout the buildings. This is an effective and sustainable option that does not use any harmful emissions emitting fuels (gas, oil, propane).

Everything has been thoughtfully and meticulously renovated and restored, and the entire place was completed with an impressive amount of grace and style. The remarkable part of Apres La Sieste is that all of the work was done by the owners, Jacques and Chloé, who both decided to leave the crazy lifestyles of their stressful, intense jobs in communications and advertising. They both decided to decompress by taking a trip to Burma for a few months. During this reflection time, the decision was made to quit their jobs to pursue a different path in life and start a family. Apres La Sieste took two years to complete, and has been in operation for just one year now. Noa, their daughter, was born last year.

The room interiors at Apres La Sieste are in the style of what I would call “worldly provençale de luxe,” taking aesthetics from different sources and converging them toward a perfect balance of relaxation, beauty and well-being. Look carefully and you’ll see decorative sculptures from Burma blended seamlessly with the French provençale decor.

This is a perfect place to use as a base while exploring the surrounding area. From Saint Laurent des Arbres, you have easy access to so many of the nearby cities like Avignon, Arles, and Uzès and you’re also not far from the most beautiful medieval hilltop villages in France: Gordes and Rousillon. Additionally, in close proximity to Apres La Sieste are vineyards of Provence for excellent wine tasting and you are also quite close to The Calanques, The Camargues and the Gorges of Ardeche. By the way, Jacques is a true connoisseur and expert in fine wines. You can confidently rely on his recommendations.

After days of wandering, shopping, and general exploring of Provence and the surrounding areas, there’s nothing more rejuvenating than coming back to the relaxing, private comfort of Apres La Sieste. Sip on a refreshing glass of your favorite wine, grab a good book and hang out poolside. Later, take a leisurely swim in the clear, clean salt water swimming pool.

Each morning, wake up to luscious cups of French coffee, fruit juices, yogurts and fresh breads. Their delectable jams and coconut pancakes made in-house are perfect for a morning repast in Provence. I particularly loved their cinnamon green tomato jam.

If you forgo the surrounding attractions and would rather do absolutely nothing because you’re simply looking for some good chill time in Provence, you can’t beat this place either.

Final Note: We were fortunate to be able to visit Provence right before the summer crowds arrived. It was nice and warm and there was ample breathing space. I imagine it’s also excellent after summer and even in the Fall if you want to bypass the summer vacationers.

Après La Sieste
2 suites, 3 rooms; breakfast included
Contact: Jacques et Chloé (English and French spoken)
Email: info@apreslasieste.com
Website: Après La Sieste
(Visit their site for more room photos, details and rates)
Telephone : 04 66 50 33 94
Mobile Phone: 06 61 84 58 40

UPDATE: Après La Sieste now has an in-house chef!

Fun and Related Recommended Reading: Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence and this week’s Carnival of the Green at The Ester Republic

Do you remember when you were a kid (or maybe you still do this or maybe you ARE a kid) telling ghost stories in the dark with a flashlight under your chin facing up to create a scary look? This photo has that same effect with the sun coming down and from behind Lulu. Anyway.

Beaune, 150 miles southeast of Paris, is the wine capital of Burgundy and if you are an oenophile (aka wine lover) you will be smack right in the middle of your element and may never want to leave. Ever! Take a wine tasting tour or create your own tour (you can’t miss the wine caves or the wine bars; they’re everywhere) or take classes at the wine school. Some of the most active days in Beaune, particularly at this Hotel-Dieu, an intact medieval hospital for the poor turned museum, take place on and after the third Sunday in November. The event is the world-renowned “Les Trois Glorieuse” where, over three days, the city auctions off the wine yielded from 53 hectares of vineyards owned by local hospitals around Beaune. 53 hectares is approximately the same size as 75 football fields. When in this area, you’ll notice that every square inch of land is covered in vineyards if there’s not a building or street already there; it’s remarkable.

More recently in the news, Beaune, which usually hosts a film festival every year, has cancelled it! It is quite sad, indeed. Apparently, Alain Suguenot, the mayor of Beaune (and a deputy in the National Assembly) supports legislation where a global license would be in effect that legalized downloading of media for an annual fee. But the big media companies (media conglomerates Time Warner and Vivendi) lobbied heavily against it and this amendment was “lobbied” to death, literally. Still, because of the mayor’s stance, big film distributors threatened to withdraw their film directors from participating in the film festival. So before they could do that Suguenot cancelled the event. Do I hear high school politics, anyone? [read the article]
=======
*Lulu Lundi features an adorable Boston Terrier named Lulu, somewhere in France every Monday.

Tags: travel, france, beaune, dogs, boston+terriers, tours, wine, lulu+lundi, ipod+law, burgundy

When wine is made, after its fermentation it goes through another process called, “fining” during which time new ingredients are added to drag down silt and other debris to the bottom of the barrel; this step separates the wine from the solids. It is done in order for the wine to be as clear (versus cloudy) as possible. Some ingredients used to fine wine are the following: 1. egg whites; 2. cow blood; 3. gelatin made from animal bones; 4. isinglass (from fish bladders usually from sturgeons); 5. casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins); 6. Bentonite (clay) 7. polymers (which is vegan but not organic) All the of the above are obviously icky and non-vegan, except for the clay and polymers. Luckily, sometime in the 90s Europe banned the use of cow’s blood as a wine clarifier (done to reduce the spread and transmission of Mad Cow Disease) That said, there are probably older vintage French wines out there that were cleared with cow blood and made before that law was passed. Sorry for being the devil’s advocate, but at least you know the wines made after the 90s didn’t use cow blood (weren’t supposed to, anyway). Some good news: the most common fining ingredients in France are the egg whites and the natural clay. Also, a few French vintners do not even practice the fining process at all, so there are some wines out there that are naturally vegan, though you may find some of them to be cloudier than others. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the equivalent of Thunderbird, America’s favorite wino wine. How does one know if a French wine is vegan or not? Wine producers are not required to list ingredients that were used in the fining process on their labels. Another problems is that some organic wines might be organic but that doesn’t mean they’re vegan. And some vegan wines are not organic. I’d think that someone who goes as far as practicing veganism, would definitely prefer organic, but people have different reasons for being a vegan. The only thing to do to be sure a French wine is vegan is to directly contact the wine producer and ask them yourself. Or, if you buy wines from a trusted wine merchant, they can find out for you; they can conveniently let you know not only which wines are vegan, but which vegan wines are the best.

Tags: france, french, vegan, wines, vin, végétalien

France continues to suffer from the wine lake effect, the overproduction and underperforming wines just sitting around unsold. Wineries are definitely suffering and many famous wineries have been sold and others are for sale. Aside from giving it away (400,000 bottles of free wine were given out at tollbooths along the highway.) and converting it to ethanol to be used as car fuel (*gasp!*), I found another use for it right in a shop’s window display in Beaune (Burgundy).

It looks like the Chateau Belair in St. Emilion, wine country near Bordeaux, has put their extra wine to good use by infusing salt with it. I wanted to buy it but the shop was closed and I completely forgot to go back. I’ve tended to think that all the millions of “flavors” of salt (pink salt, smoked salt, GRAY salt, French sea salt) were more about marketing than about actual flavors with a different taste. I mean, c’mon, is “French Sea Salt” better than just regular sea salt? (the price of $15 more than the regular version makes you believe yes!) The only flavored salts that I’ve seen that purport to taste differently than regular sea salt I’d think would be a flavor distinctive enough to penetrate the flavor of salt (particularly when it’s cooked) like saffron, truffle or wine. Though, I really don’t know for sure. I haven’t tried all of those different salts so if you have please let us know if there is, in fact, a real difference between, for example, gray sea salt and fleur de sel, etc. (note to readers: fleur de sel is harvested differently; fleur de sel is obtained by hand harvesting the young crystals that form on the surface of salt evaporation ponds and it has a higher mineral content than table salts.) I prefer to use regular sea salt over table salt only because it seems to get integrated into food a lot quicker. I’ve always wondered about all those salts, though. I’ve heard they have salt flavored with wood. Please, if you know about this, feel free to email me or comment here. I’d really be interested to know. Coming back to the subject of this post, I wonder why Chateau Belair decided to call this salt, “Fleur de Pinot” leading you to believe the salt was infused with Pinot. A quick looksee to the Chateau Belair website revealed that their vines are 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet. No Pinot! Besides, the best Pinot Noir wines comes from Burgundy. Ah! That’s why they decided to call this salt Fleur de Pinot? (selling it in Burgundy) People should not lie like that. CORRECTION: According to a commenter below, the salt is indeed infused with Pinot Noir, as Chateau Belair actually does produce Pinot Noir per the request of the distributor (of the salt). I suppose they make Pinot Noir only for them (perhaps others) but not the general public as they do not advertise Pinot Noir at all at least on their site. Interesting. And! Apparently, this salt creation has been around for generations (started by “M. Delbeck’s great great something grandmother”) and is not due to the wine lake! Thanks for the correction.

Tags: france, burgundy, french, wine, salt, fleur+de+sel, fleur+de+pinot, bourgogne

From Treehugger:

French Rabbit has taken the drink container to a new level with their innovative wine packaging. Instead of using the traditional glass bottles, they’ve developed their own version of a drink box to sell their wine in, and the results are pretty interesting. The box weighs just about four percent of an ordinary glass wine bottle, meaning it would take 25 trucks filled with bottles to equal one truck filled with empty Rabbits. The package itself is made from polyethelene, aluminum foil and paperboard, so it’s 100% recyclable, and its collapsible, which reduces waste volume by about 90 percent. The twist-on cap makes using cork a thing of the past. While it may seem strange to drink wine from what amounts to an oversized juice box, reviews have been positive; Mark over at 3rBlogging recently had some and gave it a rave review. The wine comes from the Boisset Winery in France, where the grapes are grown using “sustainable farming,” and is available in Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Pinor Noir.

French Rabbit

are you thinking the same thing i am? (aside from thinking how rude i’ve become for writing a title like that) the “pisse-dru” label was likely created by people that unarguably heavily “tested” the product, but more so, clearly takes the prize for the most blundering marketing idea for this beaujolais wine. before i go further, “pisse-dru” means “piss a lot.” you know, just like beaucoup. don’t some americans say “buckets”? (that would work here.) the label un-whimsically features three extremely unattractive troll-like pot bellied plastered winos staggering about in unabashed bumbling-stumbling fashion. (one of them is even lifting his leg, as if….nevermind) yes, the prize goes to pisse-dru until i come across a ratty tat touille (the non-vegetarian version made with rats) or a caca dru cassoulet or even a fatty liver made by overfeeding and ramming food down a goose’s neck. oh wait a minute…

where was i? ah, the wine label. did you notice that it is YELLOW? yellow, like…nevermind. i don’t claim to be a marketing expert but i can only imagine father of advertising, david ogilvy turning over in his grave about this product campaign gone insane. the whole concept of the label seems soooo wrong. or is it just me? i can’t seem to get past the eye-catching, bright red letters that spell out the word PISS, can you? and by the looks of things with the shelves being completely stocked, not many, or hopefully no one fell victim to this stuff, which will most likely rot your gut to a point of no return, let alone make you pee a river seine. i wonder; does customer loyalty come into play here? (i’m envisioning all the towns’ winos cutting in line at the cashier) all i know is, it would have to be some wickedly amazing wine to bypass that uninspiring label. of course, you’d have to buy it initially but how would you get past that pee pee yellow? another question: do french people even notice the label? and if so, do they care? WWSGD? hmmmm. come to think of it, maybe this beaujolais for fat urinating alcoholics sells because, as marketing guru, seth godin says, “all marketers are liars” perhaps french consumers know this and enjoy their yellow label wine anyway. so let’s hope it is the case of marketing-itus and the french advertising executives of pisse-dru were indeed lying.

wine fanatics everywhere are probably already filled with beaujolais nouveau right now as i write this post! today is the official release of the beaujolais region’s (lyon to the south of burgundy) special wine (vin de primeur) made from gamay grapes and released the third thursday of november every year.

how is it different than other wines? the process: beaujolais nouveau is produced by carbonic maceration followed by pasteurization (bypassing the malolactic fermentation process in other wines) and therefore takes a mere six weeks to produce after harvest. it is a type of wine that does not last and is best consumed within a few weeks. it is, in other words, INFERIOR WINE made from some of the worst vineyards and crop yields of the year.

half of the beaujolais nouveau is exported. last year (2004) japan was the top importer of beaujolais nouveau over the u.s. (about 1 million cases - that’s roughly 50% of the beaujolais exported from france!) and that nearly killed them in airfreight costs alone.

by far the most popular producer of beaujolais nouveau is georges duboeuf, the king of beaujolais, made the king by his own pimped PR machine and the well-known flowery bottle labels. though, there are better beaujolais to be had.

mike steinberger from slate magazine says it best with some wise advice if you’re looking for a good beaujolais:

“Should you find yourself succumbing to the hype over the next few days, here’s a suggestion: Skip the Nouveau, bypass the Duboeuf (the king does not need your money), and instead look for a Cru Beaujolais. They generally run between $10 and $20, and the best are brought in by the following importers: Louis/Dressner, Alain Junguenet, and Kermit Lynch. Some wines to look for: Chateau Thivin (from the Côte de Brouilly appellation), Jacky Janodet (Moulin-à-Vent, the most esteemed appellation in Beaujolais), Marcel Lapierre (Morgon), Domaine Diochon (Moulin-à-Vent), Jean-Paul Thevenet(Morgon), and Michel Tete (Juliénas).

Not every good Beaujolais is necessarily a fancy growth, however. A personal favorite is Dupeuble, a wine of low pedigree that is made by a conscientious producer whose ambition is not to suck every bit of life out of his vineyard but to fashion a quality quaffer. That he does: The wine, which retails for around $10, is everything good Beaujolais should be—fruity, sprightly, utterly charming. If I owned a house and had a house wine, Dupeuble would be it.”

[via slate, tizwine, the japan times, wikipedia]

tags: beaujolais france wine deboeuf aoc

the subject of wine has been all over the news lately, and i’m beginning to wonder if this is really a crisis. yes, there is a “wine lake” surplus in france and yes, the u.s. just agreed to change their labeling of wines to offer a more fair marketing campaign which will attempt to help boost sales of french wines.

the other day on the news, there was a story about the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée), which is the entity that gives a “seal of approval” for quality wine. apparently, the AOC asked the wine makers/farmers to produce LESS wine. the farmers didn’t like the request, and in return, decided to vandalize the AOC office. i kid you not, though, all traces of this event have disappeared and after an extensive search, nothing has come up. this came as no surprise to anyone in france, i’m sure, as french farmers are notorious for that kind of stuff - it can even get much, much, MUCH worse.

an overproduction of wine will only drive prices of wine down, which will hurt the wine producer in the end (so to speak) in terms of profit. but i’m wondering if farmers receive subsidies from the french government based on their production whether it sells or