FrenchDuck’s databank

Unless you are lucky enough to live within an hour or so of the English Channel ports, the annual trip to and from France can be a bit of an ordeal. Dover crossings may be short, but tend to leave you with longer to drive on both sides of the Channel. The western Channel crossings are longer, but can be expensive, especially if you reserve a cabin for an overnight crossing.
And, whilst parts of northern France don’t always tempt you to pause, the routes through Brittany and Normandy offer a host of places which would be worth a linger!
Michael has recommended what looks to be an ideal stop-over to break the journey - just 90 minutes or so (135km) south of the Caen ferry terminal) at Ouistreham.
Le Basse Cour is run by Phil and Jude Graham at Ancinnes (72 Sarthe, Pays de Loire) near Alencon (61 Orne, Normandie), just 10 minutes from the new A28 autoroute, and right on the border between Normandy and the Loire Valley (Sarthe).
“Choose from three comfortable en-suite guest rooms with a three star Gites de France rating. The house is in a peaceful, quiet setting surrounded by wooded and planted gardens on the fringes of the magnificent Forest of Perseigne. You’re welcome to make yourself at home on the terrace with a glass of wine (or try the local Normandy cider) or enjoy a game of boules on the lawn.”
As Michael said ” it was so good that we stopped over for two more days on the way back to the port at Caen. Genial hosts, wonderful setting, super rooms.”
For more details see www.normandie-chambres.co.uk/
For map see Read more on this + more info + photos/maps …….

That’s DÉGUSTING! - Venturing into French vineyards

One of the joys of touring France is the opportunity to try wines at the vineyard. In every wine region you’ll pass roadside signs to “degustation”(tasting) and “caveau”(cellar), but it can be a daunting prospect if you are not a confident wine bluffer or fluent in francais.. Yet often such visits can be memorable, informative and great value for money.

The key thing to remember is that most vignerons are delighted to welcome visitors – especially if you are genuinely interested. You do not need to be particularly knowledgeable. Remember that in France wine is an everyday commodity for most people, and only in the rarified atmosphere of the top flight Bordeaux and Burgundy cellars is it treated with the hushed reverence exhibited in an old-fashioned London wine merchant’s emporium.

Certainly the wine will be good value – you may well be able to get a local wine cheaper in the supermarché, but that will be a mass-produced product, usually from a cooperative. At the vineyard you’ll almost always get better quality – and you’ll get a memorable experience of people, place, smells and taste which you can recall when you open a bottle on a bleak winter day back home. Wine is, after all, more than just alcoholic grape juice – the wines I remember are recalled as much by the occasion and the company or food as by the actual taste of the wine.

So, how to go about it? There are some rules that apply to any wine tasting – i.e. avoid cigarettes, heavy perfume or sweets – they will obscure the taste and smell of the wine. Your taste buds are brightest in the morning – especially if you’ve only had a light breakfast rather than the full fry-up – although avoid tasting on an empty stomach. Try wines in a sensible sequence – whites before rosés and reds; younger wines before older wines; and sweet wines last of all. One of the joys of wine tasting is the opportunity to compare different wines at the same time.

I have a simple rule of 5 “S”s for successful tasting:-
See – hold the glass up against a white or light surface - look for brightness, clarity. The more purple a red, the younger it will tend to be.
Sniff – your nose is your best asset! – fill the glass no more than half-full- swirl the glass carefully without spilling - a quick, deep sniff will quickly tell you if the wine has any faults – and will reveal nuances of flavour which your tastebuds often just confirm
Slurp – take a small mouthful and slosh it around the mouth – this will expose all parts of your tongue to the wine – different parts of the tongue detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness etc. Do not feel complelled to down the whole sample in one go – no-one will be offended if you leave some wine in the glass – and you can always come back again to contrast and compare.
(Swallow) - if you must, but only after your mouth and tongue has had the chance to savour the wine fully – and don’t swallow if you have more than a few wines to taste – it will cloud your tastebuds – and your brain. Better to…….
Spit – this can be optional. Although it may seem undignified, it is perfectly acceptable and eminently sensible if you are halfway serious about tasting wines. However there are some precautions you need to take. Spitting is more of a skill than you might think, as I know from bitter and messy experience. So, beforehand make sure that you are wearing something that you can afford to get splashed – avoid white shirts and posh frocks! Secondly, before sipping the wine do make sure you know where you are going to aim for with your spitting – asking with a mouthful of wine can be difficult. Often there will be a spittoon or a sink – otherwise use a gully or step outside and treat the weeds. Another precaution is to try to ensure that no one is likely to make you laugh – this can be disastrous – ending in an unseemly splutter over you, the floor and anyone within range – and the total loss of any composure or dignity! If in doubt, avoid eye contact!! The key is to project the wine away from yourself without drenching others. Purse your lips, draw in your cheeks and expel the wine in a jet of liquid in the desired direction. Experiment with some water for safety – then the dreaded dribble will not result in an expensive laundry bill. Effective spitting will impress everyone and improve your ability to appreciate a range of wines.
So – draw some conclusions from the experience – did you like it? Was it better/drier/fruitier/more complex than others you’ve tasted. Did it remind you of blackcurrants or rhubarb? Use trigger words that mean something to you – anything that helps you to identify the styles of wine which you like. Making some short notes will always impress and could prove useful to you when later trying to recall which wine was which.

Even if your French is no good – simple gestures for tasting (déguster), spitting (cracher), and great! (bon!, formidable!) are not difficult to improvise. Slightly more complicated may be finding out the vintage (millésime) or grape varieties (cépages).
And finally, you don’t have to buy – although buying the odd bottle is courteous, especially if you have been well-entertained – and not expensive compared to UK prices and with a generous exchange rate. If you buy 6 or more you will often get a discount too!.
Above all – enjoy!

Champagne region - Reims, Epernay and Bar-sur-Aube
see map Read more on this + more info + photos/maps …….

Public Holiday in France - New Year’s Day - Jour de l’an

Other French public holidays in 2008:-
Monday 24 March 2008 - Easter Monday - Lundi de Pâques
Thursday 1 May 2008`- Labour Day - Fête du Travail - and Ascension Day - Ascension catholique
Thursday 8 May 2008 - Victory Day (WWII) - Fête de la Victoire 1945
Monday 14 July 2008 - Bastile Day - Fête nationale
Friday 15 August 2008 - Assumption - Assomption
Saturday 1 November 2008 - All Saints’ Day - Toussaint
Tuesday 11 November 2008 - Remembrance Day - Armisice 1918
Thursday 25 December 2008 - Christmas Day - Noel
Friday 26 December 2008 -Christmas - Deuxième jour de Noël (Alsace only)

We met with Madame Leduc early in our wine travels - and more by happenchance than design. Having been thoroughly disgruntled by a Loire negociant who was only interested in selling cheap sweet rose to the English, we found we had time on our hands and an almost forgotten introduction to this vineyard from a French-Canadian mutual acquaintance.

A warm welcome and good interesting wines greeted us, and we have been fans ever since. Nowadays Madame Leduc’s son and daughter (Antoine and Nathalie) have come back home to help Chantal run the vineyard, which has a very good local reputation - Antoine in the vines and cellar, Nathalie in the business and marketing side. With Madame Leduc’s extensive knowledge of her vines, Antoine’s passion and Nathalie’s organisational skills the domaine goes from strength to strength.

South of the Angers and the Loire river, near Martigne-Briand in the heart of the Anjou and Coteaux du Layon appellations, the domaine is situated at Sousigné. The domaine produces Anjou red, Anjou-Villages red, Anjou Blanc Sec (dry white), a Chardonnay, Cabernet d’Anjou, Rosé d’Anjou, Rosé de Loire, Coteaux du Layon (dessert wine) and sparking Saumur.

Visitors are always welcome - but do phone ahead in case they are busy in the cellar or vines.

“La Seigneurie” was the property of the Marquis de Becquedelivière until 1933 when the Leduc-Frouin family, who had cultivated it since 1873, became the owners. The vineyard has been using “natural” techniques for over 4 years now with a regime known as “Terra Vitis” - a charter for production which respects both the soil and the vine.
The domaine is run by Madame Leduc, her son, Antoine and his sister Nathalie - in the village of Sousigné to the east of Martigné-Briand and south of Angers.

The domaine is quite a beauty-spot with remains of numerous troglodyte dwellings dug out of the sedimentary rock.The 32 hectare vineyard itself is situated on a gently-rising slope facing south. For reds the Cabernet Franc and Grolleau grapes are grown, whilst for the whites it is predominantly Chenin Blanc with a small amount of Chardonnay.
All harvesting is undertaken by hand (about 30 people are required) enabling careful selection and cutting of the bunches.

For the white wines a delicate pressing is undertaken as soon as the grapes arrive in the cellar. The temperature during fermentation is kept between 15o and 20o. Rosé wines are obtained by a brief maceration of the skins for between 24 and 36 hours. For red wines the bunches are de-stemmed followed by maceration for a period of 10-15 days. The juice is pumped over daily to ensure that the maximum extract.

Anjou AC Rouge Domaine Leduc-Frouin
extraordinarliy fresh and fruity - tons of raspberry juiciness make this a delightful red and great example of a different style of Cabernet Franc than the 1998 vintage which we also listed. Significantly, this wine is made under the names of Antione & Nathalie Leduc - the younger generation - although the nature of the vintage is probably more significant, as Nathalie and Antoine have been actively involved in the domaine for many years.

Anjou-Villages AC Rouge Domaine Leduc-Frouin
This is an excellent example of Cabernet Franc - the red grape of the Loire. With some bottle age and older vines,the ripe raspberry fruitiness is blending wonderfully with the tannins to produce a seriously good wine with great depth and complexity - great with roast lamb!
“A light spicy aroma leads to a palate of blackcurrant fruits and ripe tannins”
Only Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are used - Cabernet Franc for elegance and smoothness, Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested from vines on stony hot soils, is responsible for the wines’ structure and tannins.
It is clear from its garnet red and intense colour that this is a fine wine of rich complexity, Its distinctive nose - the Cabernet Franc providing notes of violet, iris, strawberry and raspberry, combines with the Cabernet Sauvignon from which it takes its powerful aromas of blackcurrants and dewberries. The wine-making process and its maturing for at least 12 months in oak, result in a wine with smooth tannins, rich in substance and enabling it to age up to 15 years.

Cabernet d’Anjou AC Domaine Leduc-Frouin
A rich, sweeter rosé with delicate acidity and buckets of summerfruit flavours (Loire). This is not one of those indifferent Loire rosés we used to find in the supermarket - this has tons of character and a multiplicity of flavours AND, although sweetish, it is not a cloying sugary sweetness - more the natural sweetness of summer fruits. Don’t disregard it as a “wine for granny” (although Grannies will enjoy it I’m sure) - try it with spicy, exotic foods such as Thai or Chinese dishes where the flavours will both enhance and contrast with the wine.
UK Wines Online says “A blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate during 2003 has brought plenty of colour to this rosé; even with just 2 days maceration (colour extraction). Sweeter grapes too has boosted this wine, which, as Antoine Leduc stated is “fruity, sweet and fresh”. Quite light in body and very drinkable. While medium in style the touch of tannin on the finish gives the wine more substance than many a cheaper alternative.”

Domaine Leduc-Frouin, Sousigne, 48540 Martigne-Briand (see map)
T:+33 241.59.42.83
F:+33 241.59.47.90
E: info@leduc-frouin.com

For more info see www.leduc-frouin.com

Beware that much of France can seem surprisingly closed (especially banks) on and around Public Holidays - especially when they are close to a weekend - traffic will be worse, autoroute tolls may be higher….

Monday 1 Jan 2007 = New Years Day
Sunday 8 and Monday 9 April 2007 = Easter
Tuesday 1 May 2007 = Fete du Travail (Labour day)
Tuesday 8 May 2007 = Fete de la Victoire 1945 (Victory Day)
Thursday 17 May 2007 = Fete de l’Ascension (Ascension Day)
Monday 28 May 2007 = Pentecote (Whitsun)
Saturday 14 July 2007 = Fete Nationale (Bastille Day) - expect much to close on the Friday
Wednesday 15 August 2007 = Fete de l’Assomption (Assumption)
Thursday 1 November 2007 = Toussaint (All Saints Day)
Saturday 11 November 2007 = Jour de l’Armistice (Armistice Day) - expect much to close on the Friday
Tuesday 25 December 2007 = Noel (Christmas Day) NB only Alsace-Lorraine tends to take 26 December as a public holiday as well.

Self-Catering Cottages and Bed & Breakfast Accommodation in a listed 17th Century domaine in Gascony - 35 acres, lakes, pool and Spa
Ideal location for visiting Madiran, Jurancon, Côtes de St Mont, Côtes de Gascogne, Armagnac, Floc de Gascogne vineyards.
Situated just 10 minutes drive south of Auch (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees - see map), Peyloubère is classified as a ‘Monument Historique’ by virtue of the fact that it was the home of the Italian painter, Mario Cavaglieri for over forty years. Legacies of his ownership are the frescoed ceilings in many of the rooms of the Manoir, the graceful Italian garden and the relaxed, bohemian atmosphere of the Domaine.
T: 00 33 562 05 74 97
F: 00 33 562 05 75 39
E:Martin@Peyloubere.com
Address: Domaine de Peyloubère, 32550, Pavie, Le Gers.
Website: www.peyloubere.com

Michel and Jocelyne Gendrier at Domaine des Huards are great enthusiasts for these wines - elegant and richly flavoured. Their reputation has spread beyond the local region to Paris - and every weekend you’ll find Parisiens at the domaine, having travelled down the autoroute just to stock up on these wines.
You can be assured of a warm welcome at the domaine (see map). The Gendrier family have owned the domaine since 1846. In 1950 4 hectares of vines were cutlivated, mostly of the the white Romorantin grape. Today the domaine covers 32 hectares and produces 170,000 bottles of wine annually. The soil is predominantly clay and chalk with some areas more sandy.
The Gendriers show a constant concern for the environment, avoiding the use of synthetic products for treating the vines and banning weedkillers and chemical fertilisers. In many ways this is a return to the way it was done 50 years ago, working the soil to conserve the natural potential of the different soils and microbiological diversity of the vineyard.
Michel et Jocelyne Gendrier at Domaine des Huards
41700 Cour-Cheverny (see map)
T:00 33 254 79 97 90
F: 00 33 25479 26 82
E: infos@gendrier.com www.gendrier.com/

Cheverny Blanc AC Domaine des Huards 2001
A delightful and successful blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay - great grassy crispness from the Sauvignon augmented by the rich smoothness of the Chardonnay. Made from 20+ year old vines combining gooseberry, elderflower, grassy Sauvignon fruit with lime blossom floral tones. Ripe fruit with fresh acidity.
2** stars in the Guide Hachette des Vins de France 2007
Reviewed in ANDYS SCRIBBLINGS: “A superbly interesting aroma - very floral with a gravel path edge. These aromas are duplicated on the medium-bodied palate. The Chardonnay component supplies a peachy quality with the cool climate origins revealing themselves in the high/crisp acidity. Scribblings Rating - 88/100″

Cour Cheverny AC Cuvée Francois I Domaine des Huards 2001
Old Vine Romorantin. Unique in France this appellation uses only the ROMORANTIN Grape. This cuvée is produced from vines aged over 50 years old - the earliest planted in 1922! Hence the yields are low and this lends enhanced concentration to the wine. It has a pure and very fresh refined bouquet. Big in the mouth, with tones of lime, butter and fresh walnuts! It is long lasting in the mouth On harvesting one-third of the wine is left in contact with the skins for 15 hours to extract tannin and minerals. After fermentation the wine is left on some of the lees for 5 months and bottled without filtration.”exotic with spice, apricot, ginger, lychee and grapefruit zest. Tangy and long in the mouth with a creamy texture amd a spicy,floral, biscuity finish.”
Recommended in the Guide Hachette des Vins de France 2007.
Reviewed in ANDYS SCRIBBLINGS: “A good lightly brushed golden hue with a really interesting aroma. The palate is quite taught and minerally - austere almost, but there is a nice weight and some lemony-stony fruited flavours. The old vines used here have certainly played their part in imparting complexity and quality. Good Length too. Scribblings Rating - 88/100 ”