FrenchDuck’s databank

Until 20 January 2008 there is a splendid exhibition of Marc Chagall’s ceramics at the art-deco gallery at La Piscine de Roubaix, the coverted 1930s municipal swimming pool at Roubaix near Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais).

The building itself is well worth a visit tastefull renovated retaining and enhancing the art deco features, whilst the original design of the swimming pools lends a real sense of spaciousness - don’t fall in to the water though!

Whilst there you could stay at the Jardin d’Alix B&B in nearby Tourcoing which is on the main tramway line into the centre of Lille.

For more info on the Musée de la Piscine de Roubaix see www.roubaix-lapiscine.com

Arthur Rackham’s in Guildford, Surrey have a regular BIG tasting and the next will be held on Saturday 27 October 2007 with the theme “wines and spirits of France.”

An impressive selection is offered for tasting including some Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy plus Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cahors, Alsace, Languedoc, Loire, Rhone and Armagnac:-

Lallier Brut Rose Premier Cru NV
Chateau La Rame Bordeaux Blanc 2006
Domaine du Bouchot Pouilly Fume 2005 (Loire)
Aegerter Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006 abd Beaune Premier Cru Les Reversees Blanc 2005
Domaine d. l. Presidente Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2006
Domaine Belles Pierres Clauzes de Jo Blanc 2005 (Languedoc)
Zusslin Riesling Clos du Liebenberg 2002 (Alsace)
Aegerter Bourgogne Rouge 2005 and Gevrey Chambertin 2005
Chateau La Rame, Bordeaux 2005
Chateau Bujan, Cote du Bourg 2005
Chateau Caroline, Moulis-en-Medoc 2000
Chateau Mongravey, Mongravey 2005 (Margaux)
Domaine Belles Pierre Clauzes de Jo Rouge 2005 (Languedoc)
Chateau Haute-Serres, Cahors 2003 (Southwest France)
Domaine de la Presidente Cairenne Cote du Rhone 2005

Chateau La Rame Traditionnel St-Croix-du-Mont 2004

Comte du Lauvia VSOP Armagnac

There is a charge of £5.00 but that seems well worthwhile for the opportunity to taste your way through some of these wines,
SeeArthur Rackham.

It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.

The latest we’ve come across is the Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon).

Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.

. You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.

The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)

This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!

North of Macon at Igé (71 Saone-et-Loire, Burgundy) you could indulge in a wine and gastronomic stay at this aptly named Chambre d’Hote (B&B) In addition to 5 very spacious comfortable bedrooms in this former winemaker’s house, they offer Table d’Hote suppers and tutored food and wine tastings and tours in the heart of Burgundy - with an impressive cellar and wine museum.
The area is high on the hills north of the Beaujolais region, close to Pouilly-Fuissé AC and is particularly good for its Chardonnay-based white wines. We used to import the white Macon-Berzé AC from Chateau de Berzé through our friends at Paul Beaudet - still available from Paul Beaudet in Pontanevaux in France.
Also in the vicinity is the Abbey of Cluny and a medieval town with many houses dating back to the 12th and 14th centuries. The magnificent landscapes of Solutré, Mont Saint Romain and the surrounding Charolais region are all within easy reach.

For more info see http://cote-vigne.suivezlagrappe.com

The third Thursday in November is the release date for the new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau, nowadays the first date on which it can be sold. In earlier years the wine was not allowed to leave the region before Wednesday midnight which is where the tradition of the Beaujolais Nouveau run was born. But back in the 70s and 80s this was a major wine event in the UK - but no more, as we have so much more choice, and Beaujolais Nouveau seldom represents great value for money - it is a bit of a novelty, and in good years it can be wonderful - really juicy jammy easy-drinking wines. However in not so good years it can be thin and acidic.

Nick Dobson knows the region and its wines well and always selects good Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau:-

2007 has again been a very mixed year climatically; a mild winter allowed very early flowering of the vines in mid May, and the hope and expectation of another hot year in the same style as 2003, with an August harvest. In the end however, the summer was cooler than expected, and the harvest took place just slightly ahead of normal in early September. Warm dry weather round the harvest was beneficial for grape maturity and fruit quality. The general consensus from growers I have spoken with is that this years’s Nouveaux wines will be extremely fruity in style; the verdict on the main crop of 2007 Cru Beaujolais wines will have to wait a while, but the vintage is generally thought as being of good or slightly above-average quality.

However, you do need to pre-order (by 28 October) if you are interested - see Nick Dobson Fine Wines

Recommended reading: I’ll Drink to That: Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine

One of the most popular wine guides in France is the Grand Guide des Vins de France Bettane & Desseauve, which is launched with an impressive tasting held in the Carousel du Louvre in Central Paris.The list of attending chateaux and producers is impressive and includes Alsace, over 50 top Bordeaux chateaux (e.g. Chateau Laroze St Emilion Grand Cru), more than 20 from Burgundy e,g, Jean-Marc Brocard from Chablis, 18 Champagne houses such as Tattinger and Jean Moutardier, Jura, Languedoc (e.g.Chateau de Lastours); Provence including Gavoty. Minuty)’ Roussillon (including Mas Amiel’s Maury AC); Loire (Chateau de Tracy);Rhone includes Domaine Maby’s Tavel and Chapoutier.
For more info see www.grandtasting.com
Entry costs €12 for one day. or €15 for both days - great value for the opportunity to taste the wines of any of the 120 domaines attending. In addition there are additional masterclasses (at additional cost),

This year sees the 147th Auction of the wine of the Hospices de Beaune - which, whilst it may look like an opportunity for a host of fat cats and celebrities to indulge in lots of great Burgundy and sumptuous food, does serve a more serious purpose. Firstly, it is a charity event, raising money for good causes, for the local charity hospital and often for childrens charities - and in 2006 they raised over €200,000!
Secondly, it serves as a guide to Burgundy prices for the year, not in absolute terms but more as an inidcator of prices rising or falling.

The 2007 auction will take place at 2.30 pm, on Sunday 18th November, in Beaune’s covered market, as is traditional. The directors of the Hospices de Beaune have asked Christie’s to organise the next four sales, up until 2010. Christie’s will continue its pursuit of the goals set with the Hospices, to renew and expand the international renown of the wine auction, attracting members of the public, and professionals of the wine trade, to bid from around the world. The 2007 auction will also benefit from the new, on-line auction service, CHRISTIE’S LIVE™

The Auction is the centre piece of a three day celebration of Burgundy wines, otherwise known as “Les Trois Glorieuses” (the Three Glories) which starts on Saturday with a serious banquet at Clos Du Vougeot hosted by Les Chevaliers du Tastevin (brotherhood of the tasting bowl) and culminates Monday lunchtime with the “Paulée de Meursault” a combined lunch and tasting to celebrate the end of the harvest in this famous appellation which produces the best white Burgundy.

more info on Hospices de Beaune
more info on Clos du Vougeot
more info on Meursault

The Chateau of Saint Jean-de-Beauregard (92 Hauts de Seine, Ile de France - see map), about 20 miles southwest of Paris, hosts an annual Fete des Plantes, Fruits et Légumes d’hier et d’aujourd’hui - plants, fruits and vegetables of yesterday and today - this year it is 9-11 November 2007.
Held inn the grounds of the chateau there is an all year programme of interesting gardening topics, but this sounds the most interesting!
This event highlights the conservation of France’s national plant heritage with the aim of bringing back long-forgotten cultivars of fruit and vegetables. The vegetable garden section of the Societé Nationale d’Horticulture de France( the French equivalent of the Royal Horticultural Society) will present a collection of vegetables especially recommended for their health benefits.

For more info see www.domsaintjeanbeauregard.com

The Art of French Vegetable Gardening

Pommé is a by-product of the cider-making process, and is a paste of apple purée with added caramel and prune flavourings, which is made in a traditional copper Pommé kettle (la pelle) over a period 24 hours, during which the mix has to be stirred continuously. The resulting paste is ideal for tarts and pastries or can be eaten by itself.
The festival at Bazouges-la-Perouse (35 Ile-et-Villaine, Brittany) includes tastings of gastronomic dishes with a market, singing, dancing and a banquet. - see map
For more info see www.bazouges.com

Finding wines such as Cotes Roannaises AC (Upper Loire), Collioure AC (Roussillon), Madirans from Chateau de Viella, Jurancons from Domaine Cauhapé and Pic St Loup from Chateau de Lastours was a pleasant surprise in the midst of the very English Cotswold village of Chipping Campden (Glos) at Bennetts Fine Wines.
Côtes Roannaises wines come from the area around Roanne (42 Loire, Rhône-Alpes) and are based on the Gamay grape - but with rather more intensity than found in Beaujolais.
Collioure AC is a small appellation almost on the Spanish border and takes its name from the pretty little port of Collioure (66 Pyrenees-Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon). Predominantly red and rosé wines, these are made from grapes picked at the beginning of the harvest - the latter pickings being used to make the fortified Banyuls wines. Nearby the wines of Maury are based on the Grenache grape are also fortified dessert wines, some of which are matured in sealed glass “bonbons” (large demijohns) which are left out in the sun to mature - such as those at Mas Amiel (see photo above).
The shop also has (more predictably) an impressive array of top quality (and top price) Claret, Burgundy, Champagne and Port for its well-heeled locals and a good selection of New World wines.
The old-style shop is complemented by an excellent website (see www.bennettsfinewines.com), mail order service, nationwide delivery, bottles open for tasting in the shop every Saturday and a series of wine tasting events held throughout the winter.

Bennetts Fine Wines
High, Street, Chipping Campden, Glos GL55 6AG
T: 01386 840392 F:01386 840974

The annual France Show takes place 18-20 January 2008 at London’s Olympia.

The France Show 2008 will be the UK’s largest celebration of French property, culture, food and travel. With five main themed areas, the show at Olympia in London (previously Vive la France) will give you the chance to explore your passions, hobbies or interests in this wonderful country.

For more info see www.thefranceshow.com

The area around Carpentras (84 Vaucluse, Provence) is famous for its truffles (known as the “Black Diamond” or Diamant Noire) and November sees the first of the weekly Truffle markets (Marché aux Truffes) in the Place Aristide Briand. In true French style there is ceremony and celebration for the first market of the season, with the initiation of new members of the Truffle Brotherhood and a tasting of Omelette aux Truffes.
But beyond the ceremony, the image is one of huddled groups of (mainly) men, jealously guarding their prized truffles and haggling hard in muffled voices and surreptitious gestures to get a good (and high) price before they reluctantly part with their mysterious but pungent treasyre.
The market runs every Friday until mid-March.

For more info see www.carpentras-ventoux.com
Other Truffle markets are held in Uzès (30 Gard, Languedoc) and Richerenches (84 Vaucluse, Provence). There is also an online Truffle market in the Dordogne - see http://www.frenchduck.com/2006/11/online_truffle_market.html

See more on French Food on www.frenchduck.co.uk and on www.frenchduck.com

Suddenly with the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping, the thought of a Soup Festival sounds really enticing.
At Vaison-la-Romaine (84 Vaucluse, Provence) there is a three-week festival of soups with over 200 different types to sample. In true French style there is an august body of citizens and craftsmen dedicated to defending the tradtion of soup making - la vénérable confrérie
des louchiers voconces de l’académie des soupes - the venerable brotherhood of soup ladlers of the Vaucluse Academy of Soups!! (seriously!)
The festival moves around the local villages on different days (including some of the best Côtes du Rhône Villages such as Rasteau, Cairanne, Sablet, Seguret, and includes a Soup Bicycle ride!!
In previous years winning soups have included a traditional Velouté of carrots, a Tomato and Basil soup and several based on courgettes. In 2006 the winner was “Soupe Grand-Mère” (grandmothers soup) which was made from chicken stock, bacon, leeks, goats cheese and potatoes - cooked very slowly. It sounds like fun for an autumn day.

For more info see http://soupes84.free.fr/ (in French) - the site also includes recipes for the winning soups.
The local wine co-operative, Cave la Romaine is in the town, where you can taste the wines of the Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Ventoux
Vaison-la-Romaine has some impressive roman remains (hence its name) including a distinctive roman bridge across the Ouvezes river and is close to the Côtes du Rhone Vineyards and Mont Ventoux - see www.vaison-la-romaine.com

The winemakers of Madiran open their doors to all (portes ouvertes) to show off their wines (Madiran AC big hearty reds based on the Tannat grape, and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC whites) for the weekend. Everyone welcome - some cellars will have music and other diversions available to foster a welcoming atmosphere.
For more info contact the Maison des Vins de Madiran 65700 Madiran Tel : 05 62 31 90 67.
Key recommendations would be Domaine Berthoumieu at Viella, Chateau d’Aydie at Aydie.

Madiran wines have become better known recently through the work of Professor Roger Corder’s Book The Wine Diet which identified red wines from SW France, and Madiran in particuar. as having high amounts of polyphenols which are good for your heart.
Prof Corder has just published an updated version called The Red Wine Diet: “Drink wine every day and live a long and healthy life”

The winemakers of Madiran open their doors to all (portes ouvertes) to show off their wines (Madiran AC big hearty reds based on the Tannat grape, and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC whites) for the weekend. Everyone welcome - some cellars will have music and other diversions available to foster a welcoming atmosphere.
For more info contact the Maison des Vins de Madiran 65700 Madiran Tel : 05 62 31 90 67.
Key recommendations would be Domaine Berthoumieu at Viella, Chateau d’Aydie at Aydie.

Madiran wines have become better known recently through the work of Professor Roger Corder’s Book The Wine Diet which identified red wines from SW France, and Madiran in particuar. as having high amounts of polyphenols which are good for your heart.
Prof Corder has just published an updated version called The Red Wine Diet: “Drink wine every day and live a long and healthy life”

The limits of Cathar country in the Languedoc are ill-defined, but stretch south and east from Carcassonne (11 Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon) to include the impressive hilltop fortress such as Peyrepeteuse, Puilaurens and the ancient towns of Rennes-la-Chateau and Montsegur. The history has become somewhat muddied and over-hyped by recent best-seller books, but behind the commercialism there are wonderful sights to see and places to visit, regardless of how tentative their connection with the Cathar heresy.
The best way to explore the region is with the help of someone who lives there and knows it well - and you will need more than a few days to do it justice. Hence Sophie Duncan’s website at www.languedoc-france.info is an essential start point. Jam packed with tons of really useful information and advice, she also has a range of accommodation in the region to offer - from attractive gites, tempting B&Bs (Chambres d’Hote) and an impressive Penthouse in the heart of Carcassonne.
On the info side there is plenty on what to see and do from visitng some of Vauban’s fortifications, golf, nudist beaches, winter sports (including sledge dogs!) local food, history, nature reserves and wildlife. Not too much detail on wines (e.g. Corbieres, Fitou, Limoux) but that does at least leave something for FrenchDuck!!

For more info see www.languedoc-france.info

A recent discovery is the evocatively named Cathar Wines, which is a small independent specialist wine merchant focussing on the wines of the Languedoc and Roussillon. Not sure if there is a strict definition of “Cathar country” but generally it seems to be taken as the area south and east of Carcassonne, largely in the Aude département. Cathar Wines scope extends somewhat further - south and east to the Cotes du Roussillon (reds) and east and north to an organic Picpoul de Pinet (dry whites) - plus a number of Vins de Pays including more organics.
Having someone based in the area bodes well for discovering interesting wines from small domaines.

For more info see www.catharwines.com

For an information packed site about the region (including some interesting properties to rent) - see www.languedoc-france.info

Boulogne-sur-Mer (62 Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) celebrates Christmas well with a particular focus on Christmas foods.
On Saturday 1 December 2007 the St Niicholas parade through the town announces the arrival of the Christmas culminating with a firework display down at the port.
The following weekend (Sat 8th and Sun 9th December) the Christmas Market is held in the Old Town. The Old Town is well-worth visiting and is quite a surprise after the rather soulless modern town (well, 50s/60s) - and seeing as Boulogne’s weekly market is one of the better ones, then at Christmas it should be great. Music and fireworks complete the festive atmosphere.

Boulogne-sur-Mer (62 Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) celebrates Christmas well with a particular focus on Christmas foods.
On Saturday 1 December 2007 the St Niicholas parade through the town announces the arrival of the Christmas culminating with a firework display down at the port.
The following weekend (Sat 8th and Sun 9th December) the Christmas Market is held in the Old Town. The Old Town is well-worth visiting and is quite a surprise after the rather soulless modern town (well, 50s/60s) - and seeing as Boulogne’s weekly market is one of the better ones, then at Christmas it should be great. Music and fireworks complete the festive atmosphere.

Although not actually on a vineyard, the Hotel Restaurant Le Vinois at Caillac (46 Lot) to the west of Cahors at Caillac (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) offers stylish accommodation surrounded by vines.
The Restaurant offers contemporary decor and cuisine and you can also have a half-day cookery course and tasting with the Head Chef.
Hotel Restaurant Le Vinois
Le Bourg - 46140 CAILLAC
Tel : 05 65 30 53 60 - Fax : 05 65 21 67 27
www.levinois.com