The Road to Tavel

Tavel is a wine distric in Southern Rhone north and west of Avignon. It is well known for its rose wines..some say the best in France and the world. The wine is made from a combination of the many grape varieties grown here ..grenache, syrah, cinsault,mouverdre...and that is enough for you to get what I mean. The Nova Scotia Liquor Commission carries no Tavels and the LCBO in Ontario maybe about 6-9. Lucky Ontario.  The French here in Provence love their roses and we are starting to see why...they are remarkably inexpensive...10.50 euros a bottle was the most expensive we could find...and even in a restaurant they run about 18 euros a bottle ...but then wine in restaurants is a great price compared to Nova Scotia.
Roses come in a wide range of colours from pale pale pink to a hearty strawberry colour...they can be very aromatic which is what we like and have great fruit on the palate..strawberry..raspberry..some even with a little grapefruit. They are great as an apertif or with the whole meal...we have very much enjoyed drinking them here..mostly from the Luberon area.. so it was going to be an adventure to head to Tavel and see what we could find. We also hoped to get to Lirac..the adjacent community also known for its roses. The way we have been devouring time that seemed like a full day. We had made a reservation at the restaurant we wanted to eat at called La Physalis.. through a booking engine they were using called Fourchette which was very easy..we have found that you really do get better treatment if you reserve. The reservation was for 1 Pm which meant we had lots of times to take the backroads through the countryside..our preferred way of travelling. The route would take us through Chateauneuf de Pape, the beautiful, again. Last Thursdayb was a holiday here and we were taking a bit of a chance that the wineries would receive us but oh well you have to take some chances..haha!
I cannot say enough how beautiful it is to go through CN-de-P..and  I kept thinking what if this was my  "hood"  ..you know where you go to the store or pick the kids up from school and this was where you drove every day..over there Beaucastel or the Vieux Telegraph. Where everyday you got to see those rolling hills of vines and the change in the vines... even since we have been here  we can see big changes..lots of leaves and the flowers are taking shape..and looking like little bunches of grapes.
After C-de P...we hit another little town we like called Bedarrides where the Ouveze River parallels the main street. Most days when we have gone through and even stopped to walk the river, it has been very quiet with the usual sleeping dogs and old men sitting on the corner cafes.. but today we were  startled to have the  road leading in to the town lined with small horse carriers..hundreds of them. There was even a detour so we could not cross the bridge.In the distance we could see all the horses lined up on the main street and it looked like a big fair. We found a parking spot and decided to check it all out. And what fun!

There were so many horses and vendors selling saddles and other horse  equipment..horses were being groomed and judged.. there were ponies and small horses and mules.And country music with folks in country shirts and cowboy hats dancing...line dancing and square dancing..all things American western style. And then there was a parade which we just happened to be right in a great place to view.

They had folks dressed in togas on chariots representing the Roman use of  horses and horses that ploughed the fields... and kids on horseback... and on and on.

But now we were running late and we had better get going to make our lunch.

 

We were greeted  very well at the reataurant.. the owner..wife of the chef loved the name Wildsmith and explained how she thought  Bruce might be of Bruce Willis fame..disguising his name haha...we ordered a bottle of Tavel and were quickly told we had picked a supreb wine made just around the corner. And it was!!!

The wine was of the darker coloured roses and was aromatic and flavourful..strawberry..and was smooth as silk in your mouth.And how easy was that.. after a fantastic meal of fish and liver... I had the liver.. Bruce hates it and when I see it on a menu I go for it...not like pub liver and bacon.. we set off to find the winery and the vigneron and taste the wines and see if with linited French we could pursuade  the owners to sell us some.

Here is my liver and a shot of the rose in the glass.  You can see I hope how dark this rose is. Bruce is still talking about how this for him was an ah haa moment as far as roses are concerned

 

The winery was called Domaine Moulin la Viguerie...a viguerie was a justice in the days of the old Duc system in France and this winery had been in the hands of this family for many centuries...since the 16th century. The owner today is a young man by the name of Gael Petit...who was most gracious and spent several hours with us

out in his vineyard showing us his many plots... what a great afternoon we had and  serendipitously found a remarkable wine which will be at our home this summer... and here is the vigneron ...Gael Petit



 

My Love-Hate Relationship With France

So Monday we were off to Frontaine de Vaucluse...again...but this time not to see the incredible water source that feeds the Sorgue River but to spend some time at the Musee d'Histoire which is dedicated to the Resistance fighters during the second World War and depicts life in France under the Nazi occupation.I have read a lot about this horrible period of history ever since the owners of my apartment in Beaune back in 2007 took me on a hike back into the countryside to the site of a cave where 19 Resistance fighters lived and were shot by the Nazis! Someone had "ratted" on them. It was an incredibly moving spot and I was overcome with emotion especially reading their ages...18,19 22, years of age...so visiting this museum had been on my list.The first day we went it was closed...it was a Thursday...now why close a museum on Thursday?? So here we were going back again..Monday!It was open and we were there for 10 AM as they unlocked the doors...us and all the boisterous high school students...two hours in to the incredible displays we were asked to leave ..they close for lunch...and they had already let us stay 20 minutes longer than  permissable.Come back at 2PM.
So I love the long lunches and the race to the nearest restaurant of choice but I hate the interruption it gave to my learning and besides our plan had been to go home when we were finished..maybe another hour and enjoy lunch there.As it was, the town was soo packed we feared giving up our parking space and going home and then coming back....and there was more to see..so we stayed in the town for lunch which was pleasant as the day was beautiful...but it reminded me of the way restaurants organize their days off  as well as museums closures... you have to check everything.Restaurants can be closed Tuesday and Wednesday evenings..and lunch on Thursday.. thank heaveen we know the days of the week in French..but May to July the days can be totally different. At historic sites you have to read the hours carefully... not all of them close for lunch and the day of closure can be whatever. Tomorrow we are headed to Tavel and Lirac wine regions which make rose wines...the day is planned around the opening of the restaurant ..one picked by monsieur  Michelin...hopefully it will be sunny..but hey the restaurant will be open..oops I should not speak too soon..it is a holiday here...lots of May holidays.. two this week...May 1st last week....it could be closed...fingers crossed.

But the folks at theMuseum were very helpful...here is a picture of three beautiful huskies they looked after inside the front vestibule while the owners toured the museum.The Rhone River was very important to the Nazis and the area we are in here in Provence..the Vaucluse was a hotbed for Resistance fighters. Monday night I could hear the boots of the  Germans echoing on the streets while I slept...the displays were that real to me.

After Fontaine we roamed the small town of  Saumane with a chateau built by the Sade family...they seemd to have castles all over the place..well fortifications really... I loved this door.  The village is built right in to the rock and  has been there since the early 1400's.We left our car at the foot of the switch back road leading up and walked to the town...the French drivers just barrel down these very narrow roads like they dare you to hit them.. I know Bruce white knuclkles the steering wheel alot.

I love the gates and special things like this ancient kettle someone has set out by their gate. To me it said welcome..come in for tea... but the gates keep the French fortified inside...you never see their living space except if you walk by some day and the gates are open...we have only seen a few open and caught a glimpse of life... you can imagine though... the round bistro table and chairs...everyone has several at least... the pots of plants..cats sprawling in the sun..urns with trees..clothes drying on a clothes rack. There is a whole life behind those gates and big wooden doors that is hid from view.I guess it is somewhat like us having a back yard with the cedar fence.

I have often thought I would like to have a big gate  at home but then I think how welcomng is that...?I also love the shutters..especially the ones painted in the Iris blues... the iris" are all out now by the way...the apple blossoms and cherry blossoms all gone..in fact we stopped and looked at an olive tree yesterday and there are actual olives on them.

Is this place not beautiful?...but you are looking at the backside..which faces the river..we are across the river.. the Sorgue...so you are not seeing any gates..its flank is exposed, so to speak....it is on a walk we often take after dinner.. a quiet spot full of ducks right now with babies...

Anyway we are off to Gordes this afternoon and the Abbaye de Senanque...enjoy the pictures...!

Fete des Crus 2013..or the Beaujolais Wine Fete

Our  house guests have gone...so sad to see them leave for many reasons. They add youthfulness to our life...it was them who went to the karaoke night at the Black Sheep across the way and we got to live it vicariously.And they brought the game Skipbo which we played and laughed over ! And their going home means we only have a bit of time left ourselves but it also makes us home sick too.. nothing like home. We have been hearing about all the good weather in Nova Scotia..plus I am anxious to hear the "peepers"  and see my grand dogs...Rufus, Sam and my wonderful Senta. As well , with all the warm weather I am sure the grass is growing and needs to be cut and then there is getting my garden in!!Plus this is pretty much a life of leisure...the good fairy arrives tomorrow to do all the cleaning and change the beds and vacuum...stuff I have forgotten how to do and which will be front and centre in  the not too distant future. And really, after this much time I have worn everything I brought in my suitcase and I would love some of the clothes I left behind..But somehow we will forge through the next week or so and try to make the best of all the cheeses there are left to try and wines and beautiful views and hilltop towns and a new fete we heard about today.Oh my another fete?
 Well what about Baujolais you ask...the fete of all fetes....?
Let me start  with a little wine lesson. We were not going to Beaujolais to taste what the world thinks about when they hear that name Beaujolais...   their Nouveau which comes out the third Thursday in November and is that easy drinkable fruity wine that tastes like those banana marshmallow candies we had as kids. No, we went to drink their Beaujolais  wines from their ten Crus villages..same grape..Gamay... but made like wine is made everywhere else in France...fermentation, aged in oak, bottled and rested and then sold. In contrast, Nouveau grapes are  put into large containers with CO2 and thus starts a process called carbonic maceration. When it starts to ferment they like to stop it so their is a little spritz left in the wine..it is bottled and sent off to us...the Nouveau process takes a few months depending on when the grapes are picked while the Crus village process  is about 18 months or more.
I keep using that term crus villages...and there are ten of them, and the appellation control system in France allows the wine of those villages from the vineyards associated with those villages to be considered a better product ...which it is..better than say plain old Beaujolais . But thta's enough of that wine lesson..for now anyway.
 Let me start by saying  I have been to most of the wine areas in France..Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Provence...but Beaujolais is the MOST BEAUTIFUL... di you hear my shouting?The hills fold down and you feel like you are standing in a bowl of vineyards and you look up and you wonder how  they are going to get the tractor up there to work the soil and oick the grapes. Well they don't. that is part of the issue in Beaujolais... caring for the vineyards is so intense and manual labour and the wines do not demand the same high prices as other places these little wineries are struggling to make ends meet.No big chateaux here...but certainly some lovely homes and the people are all so happy and welcoming especially at heir fete... and another thing..most of the operations are team efforts..husband and wife... and both names are on the bottle.
Now I am afarid that I have no pictures of the countyside ..beaujolais to show you...the weather was cold and rainy most of the weekend...and Jamie our son brought his super- d- duper camera and we let him take most of the pictures ...but he will send us some when we are home and I will post some so you can see but more than that I would urge you to go and se for yourself.. and don't get swayed to go just to Burgundy..but take the extra time to go to Beaujolais..itnis well worth it...rent a house there.. they love their horses and there are lots of riding trails and rings... and they love their TENNIS..yes  and they have indoor and outdoor courts..big indoor courts that could hardly survive in Halifax but are thriving in Beaujolais.
So given the weather this fete could have been a disaster but these guys are really good at organizing these two days and  just because the numbers were way down and it was freezing there was lots of wine to try and the music was playing and the spirit was festive... and the food... ever gone to an outdoor event where in this huge gorgeous tent they serve a 4 course meal...a terrine starter with salad, beef bourgogne.. and a strawbeery dessert with a baguette and wine is brought around on a push trolley..always the wine... and espresso at the end.
each year a different village..of the ten...hosts it...and picks a theme... this year it was visitas.. which they have in Beaujolais for sure....This year Brouilly was the host ... and so they had a large booth front and centre. Oh yes, to be more specific...for the two days they actually shut the ton down... no cars...you park outdise ina  field or wherever..a designated spot and you are driven to the town.... such a great idea as you can walk up and down the streets visiting the various booths wine related but also food related and lots of artisanal booths. street bads are roaming up and down and it is just such a happy time.
Each Crus village has a designated courtyard and their  wines are all set up and you go in and taste as many as you want ... all you need is a strategy to figure out what to ask for. And they give you a book with all the producers listed and places to write notes..and a map.
It was 6 euros to get in... and that included a Lehmann tasting glass..wow.. these glasses are great and are reccommended by Gerard Basset the worlds greatest sommelier in 2010.. we have 4 to bring home..one from each day.

This is the booth for the village of Chiroubles and a handsmoe Frenchman Audrey and I picked up..

So Many Wine Fetes

If you have forgotten your high school French a fete  is a celebration, a festival and let me tell you Spring in France is full of fetes..wine fetes....and one reason we wanted to come to Provence at this time of year.
So far we have enjoyed three wine celebrations...the first in Chateuaneuf -du-Pape which I have already blogged about. The next weekend was a fete in Cairanne one of the northern Rhone villages in the Southern Rhone( do you get that) and last weekend we attended for the whole weekend the Fetes des Crus in Beaujolais which was by far the most elaborate and well organized.
But first to Cairanne one of the village appelations for Southern Rhone wines where the fetes was held....but lots of other villages were represented...Siguret,Sablet, Vacqueyras, and Gigondas. I would say there were about 65 producers in all with each showing about 3-4 of their wines. Most producers it seems have plots in all of these village appelations. Chateau de Beaucastel was represented at this fetes which was quite amazing given that the winery is in Chateauneuf du Pape and makes one of the finest wines of that region. But, you see, it also makes wines from these village appelations and so I am guessing now likes to spread its classiness around...and attend some of these lesser fetes...it was NOT at the C-du-Pape fetes. We did ask why and they said that they had not attended for a number of years...maybe too they end up giving away too much high-end wine as I am sure there would be a beeline for their booth...just like we did in Cairanne... I mean these bottles are going for over 100$...
..it was here at Cairanne that we made the arrangements to visit the winery for a tour and tasting which we did April 30th.
So 5 euros to get in which buys the tasting glass and two large rooms full of producers...lots of wine to taste..so you really do need to develop a strategy.On this day Bruce and I decided to taste all the Gigondas first...just because it is reported to be a superior village for its wines and at least we would be fresh for the better wines....our palates that is as this is an all day affair. booths close over lunch and there are food stalls outside with all the usual «french foods ..cheese,meats, bread, olives,omlettes. At this fete..no oysters like C-du-Pape though...but you have to remember these guys are not hauling in 30- 40 and upwards Euros a bottle for their wine....more like 10 Euros if they are lucky.
So here is some info for the non wine folks... Southern Rhone wines  are blended wines made from a variety of grapes...Grenache. Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and every vigneron has their blend and what percentage of what grape they like to include. We came to the conclusion that day that we liked blends that leaned toward the higher amounts of Grenache. being at a fete with so many wines to try it is much easier to narrow down your likes and dislikes.
We loved the ``country` feel to this fete....most of the people behind the tables were the people who had worked the fields and made the wine.. the folks we like to meet.. and man were the wines good!
But we were narrowing down our favorites as these were the wines we were interested in bringing home. After lunch we revisited our final choices and decided that our favorite were two wines from the Domaine la Roubine...roubine means trench....the owner was Eric Ughetto and he was the real deal winemaker along with his wife Sophie....we asked if we could visit his cave the next week and we bought several of his wines to bring back to our rental to drink in a more quiet atmosphere just to make sure we liked the wine as much there as at the fetes. We bought a Gigondas and a Vacqueryras.
So let me tell you about Eric as he was humble and shy with a sense of humour...his hands were stained and rough as he does just about everything with regards to the wine production ..and Sophie too.Some wine writer-buyer once said he never bought wine from a winemaker whose hands weren`t stained.
Eric had been a fireman in Paris and Sophie was a woodcarver but when the vineyards in Gigondas needed to be worked he came home to take over the business. He is organic and he ferments in large concrete tanks...not much oak...his label trademark is a dragon fly.
We know so much about him because we did go to his cave which is right beside the Hotel Dieu in the village of Gigondas...an absolutely beautiful spot... and he is really quite close to the Place there...
He wants us to spread the word in Canada about his wines... and maybe someday soon he and his buddy Alain will come to fish... Alain is another story but he joined us in the cave where we had a final tasting before we bought and had a whale of a time.So before I sign off this blog here is a picture of Sophie and Eric and hopefully by summer we will nbe drinking his wine in Nova Scotia!

Eric and Sophie Ughetto from Domaine la Roubine.They make Vacqueryas,Gigondas,Sablet and Siguret and they call themselves ``payson vigneron``...a winemaker who is respectful of his soil.