Food is King..And Wine Too

I need to get caught up for sure... the days have been zooming by and Jamie and Audrey arrive tomorrow which means I am less likely to keep up the posts. And I want to talk some more about the food we have been enjoying as it is not all about the wine...well really it is but the food has been right up there.
After our tasting at the Aureto Winery we, like all Frenchmen, whipped through the countryside to find a restaurant for lunch. If you have never been to France please believe me when I say the speed driven just before noon is considerably higher than it is at say 10 AM... and even then some drivers are pretty speedy...compared to us anyway. Everything closes at noon or demi noon..1230 and the streets are practically deserted. Road workers leave their machines where they are and take off...construction workers take out their very large coolers and  find a place to sit and spread out their incredible lunches... and the tourist like us hightails it to the restaurant  to make sure they have a seat because the restaurant will close by 1:30 for the afternoon...this is not eating at all hours like it is in North America.
So we found a spot in Rousillon and although the weather was gorgeous we sat inside to be away from the smokers..Germans.. smoking is permitted on terraces and balconies so the non smokers  are condemned to the inside on lovely days. Lunch was simple and afterwards we strolled the town...lots of height to Rousillon.. another hilltop town so you are always climbing.
On the way down though we stopped to look in a dark  shop full of Provencal food products...we were the only customers and the owner was delightful. She proceded to give us an olive oil tasting and we were actually blown away by the products... and you have guessed it ..we are now the proud owners of severl kinds of olive oil... our favoite was  one from a place just south of here called Les Baux   AOC Vallee des Baux...we have been there on other trips and knew it to be full of olive trees. This is what they call fruit noir  as they pick the olives and then hold them for 2 days while they lose some of their water... and then they press...wow...it is so unique, fresh, delicate..in fact we had it last night on pasta with nothing but a very fresh parmesan cheese... and we have also been dipping bread in it...
The second one we bought has just a more greener taste..also from the Vallee des Baux but made the traditional way  ie pressed right away...it is stronger in taste and better for salads...this last one, produced by Denis Fage..won a gold medal recently... and is also an AOC product....by the way  AOC..operation controllee...a set of rules that must be followed in the way the product is produced... well AOC is now AOP... even for wines...it is an attempt to introduce EU terms for  individual country terms... so in the past in France wine and foods were  Apellation Origin Controllee AOC...but now it is called Protected...AOP...a controlled product garuanties that it is grown a certain way and made a certain way...you, the consumer, know what you are getting.. and usually a better product.
We are going to do a little blind tasting of the oils in a few days ourselves...just to see what we think because we also have an everyday olive oil from the grocery store to  add to the mix.
On Thursday we were hitting Menerbes..climbing to the top of the village chateau.. buying picnic items at the market and heading for an AIRE... the name they use for car stops with lovely views and picnic tables... and we were going to have a picnic....at all the markets they have these machines that roti the poulet... and Menerbes was no exception so we bought half a chicken..a baguette, some fruit and we were off... the chicken came with vegetables..zuchini, onions, peppers, and was delicious... this is my go to meal... we even had one today from  the Sorgue Sunday market...I thank Bruce for putting up with my chicken craze..
Menerbes by the way is the town Peter Mayle made famous.. in A Year in Provence... I reread it just before I came over... the people in the area were offended by the book and he eventually moved  about 15 km away to a town called Lourmarin...we found his first house and at the end I will show you a picture of it... but mostly I am sure that after he made his millions from the book he could afford something way better and Lourmarin is a pretty upscale place..at least it looked that way to us when we went the next day to their  very upscale market..
In the afternoon we had a huge hike...through cherry orchards..beautiful...but actually too hot...it was close to 28... and we were pretty drained when we got home. Not drianed enough though to stop at the Bonnieux cave Cooperative nd taste some Roses...
Friday it was off to Lourmarin for thier market which I must say was over the top...lots of food items but also lots of artisans with pottery, art work, jewellery and clothes... and jazz musicians.. and pasteries,it took us about two hours to walk through and see everything. Our favorite was an older gentlmen  selling ancienne grain breads... the line up was huge... they were long loaves about a foot..maybe more... with seeds and nuts and apricots and dates and olives... by the time we found him he was almost sold out so a picture was not  really possible... he weighs the bread  and you buy by the kilo...we bought a nut and seed bread.. about 4.5 Euros it cost... and is dark and dense and wonderful... tonight we said we will go back in a week and buy more but this time get the whole loaf and cut it and freeze it... should do us till we have to leave.
And finally today was the Sorgue market... not as crowded as last Sunday when the weather was so  beautiful...it has taken a cold turn and windy...but everybody  has moved their stalls... it is a game of musical chairs... and believe me when I say this market is huge... street after street.. so it is not easy to find your seller if you have some loyalty thing going here... and the strawberries...better than ours in NS  and that is saying somthing...but they are coming on now so they are selling bigger baskets full which is what we bought today... for 10 Euros...I would say about 3 quarts if not more... but they weigh them and sell by the kilo... we had them as dessert tonight.
 So the cheeses we are liking are of course the Epoisse from Burgundy...have always loved that cheese...and the Basque goats milk cheese ..from south west France...at the Spanish border.
Yogurt has given us a problem... there are so many kinds of things in that area in the store  Creme fraiche, fromage blanc,...we ended up with Activa which I would never buy at home( by Danone and now owned by the Chinese) but I am just not  reading the labels well enough...
And speaking of grocery stores..we have been watching what people are buying...Eggplant, Zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, fish, well actually sardines... not a processed anything... and these are 20 to 30 year olds... but man do they love the ice cream... our little town has about 3-4 ice cream parlours... I am sure it is  not the sweet stuff we get at home... so neat the way it is all laid out.. I will get a picture...I am sure it is like the Italian ice cream , Rob.
and even though it was cold today folks were sitting outside these shops eating these great looking sundaes... various configurations of  dishes and toppings... we go for a walk 6-7 before our dinner to see what everyone is doing... and that was what they were up to tonight.. ENOUGH.. I will tire you out... thanks for listening..reading... I am reading  Above All Things..by Tanis Rideout... about the George Mallory expedition up Everest... a Globe and Mail Best book... I am hooked... not on mountain climbing but the process for sure.

 Violets for the table

Peter Mayle's first House near  Menerbes

Our favorite Boulangerie

                                                        Our favorite Charcuterie

Savoury clafoutis

Baskets of strwaberries

Catch -up.not Ketchup

Bonjour from Provence! Before I say anything about the trip let me tell you the French papers are full of the Boston Bombings and Bruce and I were undescribably sad to see the devastation and havoc caused by this horrendous deed....a weekly occurrence though for countires llike Iraq. Afghanistan and Pakistan. We have a special connection to Boston...both my parents were recipients of the Boston aid following the Haifax Explosion in 1917...and Bruce went to school in Boston and we lived there in 1977 and 1978 and I watched the marathon runners go down Mt Auburn Road in 1978...It was an unusually warm and early spring I remember..with so many runners it seemed to go on forever..more so now I am sure. I was glad to hear this morning that everything will continue next year.
Global media and social media is  an amzing thing and it feels that you are living it as it happens.WE like to tune in CBC in the evening and listen to the afternoon show with Stephanie Domet....and as were are listening an accident is happening on the 102...and the next thing a picture of the accident is on the Chronicle Herald website...Similarly, we saw the Royal bank fiasco develop and come to some conclusion last week. RBC is our bank and it was easy to send our bank manager a note to tell them to "buck up". and receive a reply with a video attachment from the CEO...and Jamie skypes us and we can see him having his dinner... and Audrey in Halifax can join in the conversation.It is just mind boggling ad we are probably only using 25% of what can be used.
But enough of the issues and more for those who have the leisure life ...the good life and nothing more to worry about then the hours of our favorite boulangerie Benjamin Delicieux.... he likes to close by 1 PM never to open again that day..then couple that with the days he is closed which we can never remember..we really have to be alert in the morning to get our croissants and croissant amandes...these latter have an almond paste and I probably say it as bad as I spell it.My next blog will be a food blog  but today I wanted to catch up with the last few days.
On a cultual side I know I had said how great it was in Vaison de Romain looking at all the Roman remains from  4 BC to  6 AC and the ampitheater which is used today still...not that I would be comfortable there... the stairs are very steep..no code back then..the seats are stone.. and NO railings what so ever to hold on to...but I am sure the acoustics are wonderful. It was amazing to see all the tools and bowls that had been found at the site and how closely they resmble the dishes made today in this part of France...the pottery ones...today they put more colour in them but these Roman guys especially those from the higher castes were not living the low life...they had glass goblets, spoons and knives.. in floor heating and these amazing latrines...granite seats with holes..the excrement was washed away with run off from the aquaducts...they had these telephone contraptions at the site for English speakers but one thing we have noticed is that no one seems to want to hire a professional translator..and everyone seems to have very poor trnslations from wineries to historic sites...
On Tuesday we went to a "borie village"...bories are these stone round huts that there seems to be very little information about except that they were likely used by shepherds out in the fields...not that the one we visited was in a field... and they could be from the 14th century up to the 19th century

 This is me, obviously, standing in front of one to give you a sense of the size..and if you look closely I have on my Blue jays cap..saw they lost last night.

This wall is actually an apiary.. those  square indentations are filled with straw and then somehow the bees build nests there and leave the honey...knowing nothing of bees I have to take this information to be true...

And now since I added pictures I have no idea how to get back to just writing and getting this blog into the old format...help me someone.

 

The best part of that day was being high in the Luberon Mountain range and looking across the plain of Bonneiux and seeing snow covered Mount Ventoux and her lesser ranges as well as looking far to the west at the end of the valley and seeing the snow covered Alps.. then of couse all the farming and vineyards and olive trees below in the valley. The apple trees are at their peak and  it was to say the least AWESOME..

 

 

Yesterday Tuesday we went to a winery not far from here caled Aureto...wines which won many awards..if you believe all that....But it must be good as they have a woman winemaker..we did a tasting and then walked the vineyard.. the trail needs a bit more work...the dining room was closed as major renovations are going on as the whole place has recently been purchased by a Swiss... millionaire I would say... as the reconstruction going on was huge....we bought 4 wines... we both loved the roses and given this week of hot weather  the drink of choice... I have been very disappointed with the Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier. cepages and I was so looking forward to them...Ann Miller, sommelier, had once poured me one from her cellar but from Australia ..Chateau Talbec I believe....the memory of it brings tears to my eyes... but I have just not found what I am taasting here to benearly as enjoyable as that memory... too  much perfume on the nose and not enough acid on the palate...whereas the roses are refreshing and do have some acid  The roses are made from Grenache,or Syrah....they do go down very easily though so one must be careful... they also run 13.5% alcohol...

Aureto means " gentle breeze" and they have a website    www.aureto.fr    we took no pictures yesterday but instead hiked arouind two hilltop towns .. Goult...very beautiful and quiet and Rousillon..more touristy because of their red clay cliffs.We have been eating lunch and dinner on our small patio and I am feeling like Jane Goodall watching  a pair of pigeons bring the 2013 brood in to this world.  But now I am going to visit some antique shops and promenade with the rest of the town..it is that time....Enjoy the beautiful day in Canada...

A New Week

Well, the sounds coming from the street were very different this morning...no children's voices on their way to school so right away we suspected a holiday and went to the internet to see if we had missed something...but no..April 15th, today, is not a French holiday so back to the drawing board as to where the children were. While we were scouting out the pool for  Jamie and Audrey's visit I spoke to a lovely woman with children and found out that  everyone is on their Spring break... for two weeks...another clue should have been when Bruce arrived at our favorite boulangierie it was closed for a week  and .not just a day...so they must be going away somewhere.The special places like monuments and chateaus will be busier for the next two weeks for sure.
So here are the hat photos  ta da!!!

 

 

 

We are "rambling" as the English would say today or "randonnee" as the French call it in the Forest of Cedars near Menerbes... by the way the chicken was wonderful last evening for dinner...I can hardly wait for next Sunday to have another...  a bientot                                                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Ramblings From France

The market this morning was huge...likely because the weather was so glorious..at least 22 degrees by 1000...and the lighting amazing! Bruce and I went over about 1130....to find the roti poulet....normale not fermier....fermier is about double the price so I am assuming that it is free range!
On the way back Bruce realized his little barbershop he has been keeping his eye on for a haircut was open and so we went back so he could get a haircut!
What a spot..most days the seats are all taken as folks wait in line for a haircut...today just a young father and son...and the father was very particular and both were getting this cut we have seen quite a lot over here... Totally shaved up the back with a little round thatch on the top that is spiked with gel....both father and son... The back is shaved with a cream and straight razor and the top done with scissors and gel...quite the process...not Bruce though..he was pretty straight forward...anyway when the Father was done he jumped up and went to a nearby sink and washed his hair. And dried it with a towel... Close by there was a large mirror with a shelf with gels... He then fixed his hair as he wanted it.. Put on his baseball cap backwards... The thatch was protected and off he and his son went..oh yes he did pay.
The two young fellows in the shop about 30 years of age were friendly  the one working on Bruce's cut was trying hard to understand all Bruce's hand motions..a scissor cut..shaped around the ears.. And no thatch.... They then asked where we were from...Canada brought a light to their eyes and as most people say they said. It is very beautiful there... They then told us they were from Morocco...interesting..not France...anyway 10 euros later we left  happy as Bruce's hair looked great... We call these experiences "accueil".  I hope the IPad does not change that on me...in other words. Pleasant..with friendliness..Bon vivant... Some people and places have it while others could not care less about us or tourists or maybe life in general. But these lovely young men in the Phareon barbershop had it!
We are sticking close to "home" today...Bruce is making a lamb daube for tomorrow...we have the chicken for tonight...we are reading and will enjoy dinner on the  little patio off the third landing... I am watching how many tourists take pictures of the water wheel outside our door...certainly lots..
 Did buy a new sun hat and Bruce said it would look good on the north end of Anna Maria..quite fancy.. I have not forgot about the picture of Bruce in his new hat so maybe we will do them both.. And call it the hat blog..Au Revoir!!

Beautiful Fontaine de Vaucluse

On Wednesday we started to  visit some of the beautiful towns around L'Isle and the first was Fontaine de Vaucluse... the headwater for the Sorgue River. It starts out as the most quiet looking little spring/lake but it is reported to spew out the most water of any spring in all of Europe. The guide books tell you how much a year/day/ week/ minute but I cannot keep that info in my head. But what I can say is that it is absolutely beautiful! Well hey here is a picture.                                                              

Note the beautiful green/ turquoise colour. I wish I could show you the mountains surrounding this spring but my photo guy did not take those panoramic scenes...guess I will have to get more envolved in the shoot. Lots of folks like Jacques Cousteau have done dives down to try to determine the depth and the number of underground streams feeding the spring but have only managed to get to about 308 meters... but did note lots of streams. As the  water flows down toward the Village it picks up steam and hey it actually made steam and ran water wheels  used for making paper... and cloth.. and all sorts of things ..but alas that kind of power is obsolete...go figure and now it is just a beautiful place to visit with lots of tour buses all trying to turn the small round about in the  the center ville... wow that is fun to watch.. the germans seem to be the best at manipulating through small spaces.           

And s

o it goes down to the village .

And eventually arrives in our Village! We spent all afternoon in Vaucluse roaming the streets and pe0ple watching and of course going  up the hillside to the Fountaine.There were a number of fishers on the banks further down and we watched them and talked to camper folks in  a small  camping spot for these great camper vans that are so popular over here. The couple we spoke to was from England and they spend six months in France camping all over... the weather is so much better than back home they said..we can relate to that... as you can see it was a glorious day..leaves are coming on and lots of bushes etc in bloom.. forsythia out..violets..tulips.. and folks are starting to put out their balcony plants..we actually have herbs growing on our balcony here.  I wish I was better with this blogging...you can see that  I am now having touble with the font and as well I cannot seem to get back to the beginning of the line once I install a picture...plus this Acer is so small I am having problems seeing what I write...but I need to use it as the Ipad will not allow me to download pictures..oh dear a first world problem. The market on Thursday here in L.Isle was great and  Bruce bought himself a new hat...felt and black and Jim Ferguson would be proud! A step up from a cowboy hat.  I will get a picture in here soon. We got all our vegetables at the market and olives...oh my...so many to choose from.. Nyons is what I am buying... both green and black..sometimes with garlic and others with peppers and tomato.The strawberries are all out and we are having those every morning but you have to eat them up fast as they  turn very quickly. But people walk along the street eating them.. the gal in the gas booth the other day when we filled up was munching on  a box. We now have a favorite charcuterie and went there after the market to buy veal... I never buy veal at home.. it is so rare...these were veal cutlets and we had them last evening with onions and mushrooms...and new string beans..In the afternoon after the market and lunch we drove to our next village ...Vaison la Romaine to see the ancient Roman ruins... the largest collection in France...it was so amazing that we could not get all of it done in the PM and so went back again today Friday... here is a sample...in pictures.. i am stopping now as i must get ready for bed.. tomorrow for the wine lovers we are going to another Fetes up in Cairanne one of the Cote de Rhone Villages where lots of villages are supposed to be dislaying and having their wine to taste  Siguret, Roaix, Gigondas,Vacqueres.. I must learn them all....this time we are better prepared and have some producers we want to try..IF they are there but here are some pictures of the Roman ruins the amphi theater was amazing..I seem to be using that term alot ..4 BC to 6AD

Les Printemps du Chateauneuf du Pape

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The Entrance to the tasting and inside the Salon des Vins

Today is sunny and bright as the next two weeks are predicted to be... and why it is nice to be away from Nova Scotia this time of year...Bruce is out walking and I am in organization mode so doing a wash and just getting some of these bits and pieces finished.I am using the Acer as I wanted to download some pictures so bear with me as this machine often has a mind of its own!
 We have often been to Chateauneuf du Pape...where the vineyards creep right up to the backyards of the town and the beautiful chateaus and castles actually ring the backside. It is a wealthy area and the ruins of the old pope's summer palace dominate the horizon.When the popes used Avignon as their base, sometime in the 1300's, they came to Chateauneuf du Pape in the summer...  the palace was destroyed in the second world war except for an outer shell.
So this affair was an opportunity for producers to present their new wines and have the public also taste some older wines...but mostly it was the 2011 vintage which had actually only been in the bottle a  few weeks.
Try to imagine the excitement of walking into a room for the price of 7 euros which includes a tasting glass and being presented with 85 producers...exciting it was!....and not so crowded that you could not collect about each small cubicle and  receive your pour.That surprised me as I was thinking it might be an extremely popular event...but guess what?.. there is another one this coming weekend in Cairanne and guess who will be there?
Our wine bar guy Madian had told us about the Domaine de Marcoux the day before and that we should try their wine... two women --- sisters...one looks after the vineyard and the other the winemaking.Although they say the wine is made in the vineyard I had the distinct  feeling that  the winemaker was the star of this event... and their wines were amazing...big , bold , fruity, spicy, meaty ...with such a full mouth long finish...we bought a bottle to try at home in the quiet and then if we still like it will go back to the winery to send some home..Given the reports in the paper yesterday these guys may be out of business by 2050.
 And there were three winemakers from Paso Robles also tasting  this particular wine and complimenting the winemaker profusely. What surprised me is how much I liked the reds... even with ABV's of 15.5%...I found the whites too perfumy and floral... almost sickening...and besides I had to keep washing my glass out from the reds so it was easier to  to stick with them.
The big guys were not at this event... no Beaucastel and no Vieux Telegraphe... but there was Chateau Mont-Redon and le Vieux Donjon....we bought some of these and also some older vintages they had for consumption here... we do need to watch this buying thing as that is why we have a cellar in Beaune... anyway Jamie is coming and he will help us out I am sure.
We should have done more research re CNP wines but hey we did not know this was going on and had a day to get ready....we will be better for this coming weekend where there will be some CNP but also  wines from the area around Cairanne...Rasteau, Gigondas, Lirac, Tavel and more.
But before I move on let me tell you about the lunch served that day...as only the French can do....what fun! There were oysters ..6 for 5 Euros...then there was a Slow Food section which had booths of olives  oh so many kinds and tapenades and roasted tomatoes and peppers, then a bread booth, then a charcuterie section with all the pork procciuto-like products and fois gros every which way... and all the various strawberries which are coming on strong now... so what you could do was make a picnic of all or some of these products  and that was what people were doing..and bringing up bottles of wine form the Salon... and a fellow was going around opening up the bottles...we will know better for the next les Printemps...but then there was a hot section with a great set up of a fellow making  "frites" and another fellow doing veal...for 10 E.... and oh yes did I mention a cheese booth and a chocolatier for dessert.... what fun to watch everyone dig in to the food and laugh and drink and have a great time... and children everywhere...the NSLC would have been going crazy because people were actually allowed to buy the wine from the producers in the salon and bring it outside to these beautiful tents and windbreaks. and so went  the day at Chateauneuf du Pape.
And quickly on Monday we walked all day in Bonniex and Menerbes and Lacoste  beautiful hillside towns very close to each other in the Luberon...Peter Mayle country.... and Tuesday we went to Avignon to return the car and get another one... it was cheaper to have a whole new contract then extend the one we had... but we decided we really did need a car here...to get everywhere we wanted to go....when we wanted to go... Avignon for us was a bust though... 200,000 people..too big  plus everywhere I had planned to visit was closed...so after a wonderful little lunch we came home to L'Isle and vowed to leave Avignon for our departure day and that would be it. Today after lunch we are off to Fontaine de Vaucluse..where their is the largest spring in Europe...how far does that extend? and the source of the Sorgue River which makes up the canals around and through L"isle...we are working on trying all the boulangeries  in the town and determining which one we like the best.LG  and XX

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The Vineyards of Chateauneuf de Pape..no green yet but the sprouts are present and once it starts it comes on very quickly!

The Rhone River

After leaving Burgundy we again took the A series highway south toward Lyon with the intention of getting off before Lyon and trying out some less busy back roads... We were headed to a town in the Northern Rhone wine area called Tournon.Somehow between Monsieur Michelin and Sally our GPS...we ended back on the main road and went right through Lyon...wow..tunnels and all and the Rhone flowed sometimes on our left and other times on our right. What a huge city Lyon is..thank heavens this was about 3PM... And not a big traffic hour.We emerged out the other side safely and continued on a slower D road south.The vines quickly came into sight..clinging to terraces on the side of very very steep hills...lots of rock.. And rock walls holding little ledges of soil in place. No tractors like the Star War contraptions you see in Burgundy on these hills...cultivation and picking must all be done by hand.I think what I noticed the most was the lack of beauty compared say to Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux.The towns were between the river and the steep hillside.. Actually quite a narrow space.The vineyards looked spectacular but there were no vistas like in the other wine areas or those rolling hills that gave a bowl shape to the vineyards. For lunch we had had a Demi bottle of a 2009 Jaboulet from St Joseph...I really enjoyed this red...it had a great nose and certainly one could smell and taste the meatiness which you are supposed to get in Northern Rhone wines...plus the peppery finish.Lots of black fruit. Our little hotel in Tournon was clean but small... And given that the town was quite bleak we stayed in and read..and with dinner had a very nice Demi bottle of 2010 Crozes Hermitage"Les Jalets" by Jaboulet again...this is a well respected producer of Northern Rhones and even in our little hotel he was proudly displayed. Considering how much I like white wine..crisps with little oak I am surprised at how much I am enjoying these Northern Rhone reds...the Syrah grape seems to be crisper? More acidic then in warmer climates like the US and Australia...maybe even further south in the Southern Rhone.Maybe also since they do not add Grenache they seem more acidic..less"bon bon" as they say here. Anyway Friday Morning we were headed to our New home for the next many weeks and were keen to get there as I spoke in the earlier blog. The house is really great! Spacious, well equipped and just a block or two from the main Place in L'Isle Sur La Sorgue...it is on many levels...the stairs are those circular type and somewhat narrow...the main floor is a sitting area and a bedroom... Then up the stairs half a turn to a bathroom.. Up a larger turn and you are at the kitchen and living room... Big window off the living room looks out on to the narrow street and one of the many canals that criss cross the town... To join up with the main Sorgue River which almost rings the town. Right in front of our house is a huge paddle wheel...always moving.. There are about 12 of them in all.. Continuing up the stairs you come to our bedroom and bath...but there is a few more stairs and voila a roof top patio...still a little chilly for that yet! So Saturday AM we were surprised to look out and see the street filled with fishermen..looking like they walked out of an Orvis catalogue...the French really do like to wear the "gear"...some were fishing flies but most were fishing minnows... But they were everywhere...fishing the little canals...which are very clean looking and also the bigger river around the town... But we never saw anyone with a fish...! We explored the town more on Saturday morning getting our bread and checking out the little charcuteries and epicieries...when lo and behold we came across a small wine bar Le 17 Place aux Vins and decided to .check out the Cave and before we knew it we were tasting wines and enjoying the repartee..if that is the word of the owner..young fellow named Madian.. We will go back there....and I will tell you more about this great little spot.. But this is enough...the next blog will be about a wine Fetes in Chateauneuf du Pape we went to today...yikes an abundance of riches!

Although we have been in France since Tuesday, we finally arrived at our vacation home in L'Isle Sur La Sorgue today.... three days on the road... not hard driving but eating restaurant meals and suitcase living was enough to remind me of why we like to rent a place and stay for weeks at a time.
Weather has been excellent...and has steadily warmed up from Paris to Provence...Paris was 0 when we landed... and Provence today was 16...every day has been sunny although we noticed a lot of smog in Champagne and Burgundy which disappeared when we  entered Provence territory..must be those Mistral winds.

So what have we been up to? We stopped in Champagne` at a shop in Hauteviller to buy some bubbly from a young fellow Mathieu Valarde whom we met a number of years ago and  who has a store called Au 36....He represents lots of the young producers in the area and sells to the public at the same price you would pay at the vineyard....saves you all te driving to each place.Plus when you taste the Champagne it is easy for me to say I do not like it to Mathieu whereas tasting with the winemaker it would be more difficult to say "not that one"
We have bought  Champagne now from Mathieu for three years and he knows our tastes... I love the blanc de blancs...that is Champagne made solely from the chardonnay grape. It is the acid that I love...must be from drinking all that Nova Scotia wine!
Anyway, we had a lovely afternnoon with Mathieu tasting Champagne and hearing about his new baby. Some producers we bought were....Palmer,Chiquet, Agrapar, Jacquesson, plus some wines from a group of young Champagne makers who have formed La Club....they like the way each other makes their product and therefore you are invited in to the Club....wines will be shipped home to NS and maybe will be there for the summer.
At the end of the tasting we were exhausted..having been up all night on the plane and after checking in to our very nice B&B we went insearch of dinner...we had forgotten though that good restaurants do not open until at least 7 and it was only 6 so we ended up in a not so great Brassiere and had apoor meal...home to bed we went and slpet like logs. The rule of thumb is not to go to bed when you arrive in Europe but try to get onto the time of that country as quickly as possible.
Wdnesday we headed for Burgundy via the Autoroute..now I have never been a fan of the a series highways in France but my old age must be mellowing me as it was actuallya breeze. I like how the trucks stay in the inside lane and only travel 90 km/hour. They will move in to the middle lane if they are passing a slower truck but only then.The outside lane... the third lane is for the fast guys..yikes.. the speed linit is 130km/hour but i am sure some are going faster than that!!The driver must always move in to the right hand lane if not passing...yo cannot hog the middle lane...all the movement actually keeps you alert!
In beaune we were looking for some  special candle holders called Rats de Cave and visiting some old haunts and a special restaurant called Le Ciboulette...we had a superb lunch here and a special bottle of St Aubin pinot 2009 from Domaine Roux Pere et Fils...
One of our missions in Burgundy was to visit St Aubin and taste some wines at their Cave.. sort of like a coopertive selling house for a number of winemakers. I had had wines from the winemaker Hubert Lamey and was ken to bring some home. St Aubin is a lesser known appelation and so better priced than thos in the Cote D'Or....but still great tasting. Lamy is well known for his chardonnays..my favorite. We tasted a number of his wines and settled on his plain Burgogne.
While there we tasted a number of other wines an and we  found this great pinot from Pernand-Vergelesses  and the Domaine P.Dubreuil-Fontaine Pere et Fils 2009 Premiere Cru... with a stiker that said it had won an award as the best wine by a female winemaker amongst the Burgundy female Winemakers group..yippee... you know how much I love to support female winemakers.
I am going to stop now... I have reread this and notied a number of spelling errors but I am using my small Acer compter and it is not allowing me to go back easily and correct them.. so please bear with me...it was also difficult getting on to the google site... all in French..funny how it knows where I am.
So many things to talk about... like how none of this travel ina foreign country scares me at all... even when we have no clue what people are saying to us...and we are in a line up getting off the freeway and have npo ticket...now how did we get on and not pick up a ticket... and then the machine will not take our money..eros.. and the voicebox..no one in the booth..is yelling at us...piece of cake... anyway a story for another day   i am off to my book.. The End of Your life Book Club....XX All