It’s our third year at the wine fair at Chateau de Villesavin run by the local Kiwanis Club. With about 30 wine growers from throughout France there is a good selection and when you’ve finished one of these happy Kiwanis takes his trolley around the room to pick up your purchases (we had 8 x …
Category Archives: Wine and grapes
The Wine Sign – L'enseigne du vigneron
If I was a winegrower, I’d like to have a sign like this too! Si j’étais vigneronne, j’aimerais avoir une enseigne comme celle-ci !
New wine from the co-op – Bernache de Mont-Près-Chambord
Last year we had bernache for the first time. It’s basically grape juice at the beginning of its fermentation. It’s popular in Touraine and particularly in Anjou (also in Alsace where it’s called vin nouveau). It’s usually available from October to about mid-November but this year it was a bit earlier and we found it at …
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Chenin blanc
Chenin blanc is the main grape used in the Loire Valley to make white wine, from dry to sweet. The main grape used for Touraine-Mesland, it is often combined with white chardonnay and sauvignon, it’s one of our favourites. Cépage principal du l’AOP Touraine-Mesland le chenin blanc est souvent associé avec le chardonnay blanc et parfois …
La Caburoche
This little tiled house brightens up the otherwise very dull town of Château Renault. I just looked up the word “caburoche” in the dictionary and discovered it is a hut in the Loire vineyards to store tools, which is exactly what I posted two days ago! Cette petite maison carrelée met de la lumière dans …
The Vine Wreath – Vigne en couronne
We stopped at our favourite post mill in Bléré yesterday (see below) and I saw this little winegrower’s hut opposite that I had never noticed. I love the wine trained in the shape of a wreath – not to mention the wind vane! Nous nous sommes arrêtés hier à notre moulin cavier préféré à Bléré …
Welcoming Cyclists – Bienvenue aux cyclists
We’ve had a very busy weekend cycling. This photo was taken between Amboise and Montlouis. A local wine grower keeps a shady table stocked wtih water for passing cyclists. What a great idea! Nous avons été très occupés ce weekend à faire du vélo. Cette photo est prise entre Amboise et Montlouis. Un vigneron local accueille …
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Postcard #6 – Valley of the Beautiful Women – La Vallée des Dames
We have quite accidentally found ourselves in the Valley of the Beautiful Women just outside the town of Eger in Hungary. The two dozen or so cellars carved into rock have made it a popular wine-tasting area and attracted over two hundred wine-sellers. The most well-known wine and the ruby-red Bull’s Blood or a number of rather sour whites: leányka, …
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Postcard #3 – Maribor, Slovenia
This Žametovka” or “Modra Kavčina” vine is is said to be the oldest vine in the world, planted 400 years ago just before the Ottoman invasion. It has survived war and fire and bombing by the Allied forced in World War II. With a yearly harvest of 35 to 55 kg of grapes, it fills about …
City Daily Photo Theme Day – Wet
Wet in more ways than one. Since I prefer a blue sky and bright sun any day in preference to rain, I didn’t have a lot of choice for this month’s City Daily Photo theme day “Wet” although I did post a photo of a rainy market day earlier in the month. This is the local wine …