Month: October 2010

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Burgundy: The Wine Country


Burgundian Vineyards

It’s no secret that I love wine.  I love everything about it – the aromas, the flavors, the adventure of learning about my palate and pairing food with wine… and I especially love visiting the great wine regions of the world.  There’s always something new to experience in the world of wine.  Hubby and I are turning into quite the wine tourists, with last year’s trip to California and this year’s travels in Provence and then Burgundy.


Messy and Hubs testing the merchandise outside Beaune, Burgundy

Burgundy is my favorite wine region in the world.  I’ve known this since I took Introduction to Wines at Cornell and every Burgundy wine was like a religious experience.  Most Burgundy wines are made with either Pinot Noir (red) or Chardonnay (white), although there is a tiny minority of both red and white wines made from other grapes.  Extra credit if you can name them…


Pinot Noir grapes on the vine

Burgundy is divided into several sub-regions, including Chablis (mmmmm!), the Cote de Nuits, the Cote de Beaune, and Macon.  Hubby and I stayed outside of Beaune and spent the bulk of our time in the nearby villages, tasting in Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet.  If you’re a winey, those names are probably familiar to you.  They were to me – and there was much squealing when we rolled into Pommard – but I learned something new about the wines of each village while I was tasting there.


Cave de Pommard – a tasting room we visited


Beautiful tasting space


Caveau de Puligny-Montrachet, a laid-back wine bar with a mischievous cat


Important note-taking going on here

The Burgundian villages and vineyards were gorgeous… and the best way to see them was by bike, of course!  We rented bikes in Beaune and cruised out for a half-day of sightseeing.  I was completely blown away by the incredibly picturesque little villages dotting the countryside.  We rolled by ancient churches and gorgeous castles and through acres of rolling vines.


Biking the Route de Grand Crus, Burgundy

This trip was a pilgrimmage of sorts for me.  I felt like I was at the heart of the wine world, in the place where the magic really happens.  And as much as I look forward to my wine club shipments from California, no wine will ever replace Burgundy for me.  Especially now that I’ve been there and seen the countryside with my own eyes.

I can’t wait to go back.  Until then… drink up!

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I Try Escargots!


Messy and Hubs in Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy.

Escargots… snails… they’re a Burgundian specialty.  So much that, in other parts of France, the menus don’t just say “Escargots,” they say “Escargots du Bourgogne.”  Escargots of Burgundy.  Obviously, we needed to try them.  In Burgundy, you can order Escargots at a restaurant, but you can also buy the shells and the snails in their garlic-herb butter to prepare yourself at home.  We didn’t think our hotel would be too enthusiastic about option 2, so we decided to order them in a restaurant.

Here goes…


They arrive steaming hot, with a frightening apparatus for picking them up by the shell and a tiny fork for fishing them out.


Steeling my nerves…


Don’t let the dramatic face fool you.  I actually liked them.

We discovered another way to eat Escargots – maybe even better – at Caves Madeleine, a tiny communal-table-restaurant-and-wine-shop in Beaune.  There the chef sent out a silky smooth cassoulet of Escargots, potatoes, and a heart-stopping amount of butter.  Not something I normally eat, but dang if it wasn’t satisfying in the moment, especially after a hard day of sightseeing in Burgundy (more on that later).  And after all, when in Burgundy, do what the Burgundians do… right?


Cassoulet d’Escargots

It was an adventure, certainly.  Escargots is one of those foods that, for many people, represents “food that only fancy people eat and I find a little weird.”  But how can you go wrong with garlic and butter?  C’est delicieux!

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The Cotes du Rhone Wine Road


View from the terrace of our B&B in Vaison-la-Romaine, Provence.

Provence has a few standout wine regions, including Chateaunneuf-du-Pape and the Cotes du Rhone.  During our stay in Provence, hubby and I knew we wanted to see the Cotes du Rhone and try some of the region’s wines.  We’re both fans of the reds, and I am a big proponent of rose wines (they’re misunderstood and they need a friend) – and the Rhone does roses particularly well.  As it happens, not only does the Cotes du Rhone produce magnificent wines (at a great value), but it’s also insanely charming.


Vineyards of the Cotes du Rhone.


Seguret.

We tasted some standout Rhone reds at Domaine de Mourchon, a winery that is blending the best new technology with the most delicious traditions.


Grapes ripening on a trellis at Domaine de Mourchon.


Hillside vineyards at Domaine de Mourchon.


A little tipsy from all that fruit of the vine…


More time-standing-still charm in Le Crestet.


Col de la Chaine, a scenic overlook with a view of the Dentelles.


Pristine, peaceful Suzette.


Relaxed Gigondas.

Traveling the Cotes du Rhone wine road was quite an experience!  I’ve always liked the Rhone wines – great drinking wines for a good value – but now that I’ve seen their home terroir, I think I’ll be seeking them out much more.

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Market Day in Provence


Sunny town square in Arles, Provence.

Provence has been on my list of “high priority destinations” for years.  It’s famous for many things – sunflowers and lavender, olive trees, Van Gogh, wines from the Cotes du Rhone and Chateaunneuf-du-Pape, the Avignon papacy… I could go on and on.  In just a few days in Provence, I fell completely in love with the entire region.  Hubby and I stayed in the charming medieval city of Vaison-la-Romaine, and if I ever deal with the hassle of putting my house on the market and moving, it will be to move there.  I loved Vaison-la-Romaine – and all of Provence – just that much.

One thing that Provence is particularly famous for is its market days.  Every Provencal city and town – from the tiniest backwater to Avignon itself – has a market day.  Sure, they’ve gotten a little bit touristy and some of the stalls are better than others, but there’s still no place like a Provencal market to showcase the best the region has to offer, from spices to dried lavender to fresh baskets of veggies and colorful linens.  Hubby and I knew we had to make it to one of the markets, and we heard the Arles market was one of the best.  So, fresh off the plane in Marseille, sleep-deprived to the point of being woozy, we drove straight to Arles for market day.  It was worth it.


First view upon entering the market lanes – charcuterie and crowds.


There were olives everywhere.  I believe this was when I started falling in love.


Fromage?  Oui, sil vous plait.


The market was heady with the fragrance of spices.


Ready for ratatouille!


The produce was some of the freshest and most colorful I’ve ever seen.


Lavender – the pride of Provence.

Visiting a Provencal market was a dream come true for this foodie and farmers market junkie.  And if the sights and aromas weren’t enough, hubby and I had our first bite of France in the Arles market – a sample of pistou (a Provencal tapenade) on fresh bread.  It tasted like briny sunshine… dare I say, like Provence.

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La Belle France

Well, the hubby and I are home from our fabulous trip to France and starting to settle back into our routine again.  We had an amazing time in Provence, Burgundy and Paris, and I have lots of fun posts planned about the food and wine of those regions.  In the meantime, here are a few favorite pictures from the trip:


View of the Dentelles, Provence.


Idyllic Burgundian vineyards.


Eiffel Tower glowing on our first night in the City of Light.

There’s plenty more to come, including a trip to a traditional Provencal market, and me trying Escargot!  Stay tuned!