FrenchDuck’s databank
Wine Festivals

The Spring Festival (Fete de Printemps) takes place in the medieval town of St Emilion (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), one of the best appellations for Bordeaux red wines. There is always a colourful parade with a band through the town, with plenty of opportunities to taste some of the wines at any of the wine shops scattered through the town.
For more info see www.frenchduck.com

In the east of France and to the east of Burgundy adjacent to Switzerland, the Ain is probably a little overlooked by most visitors.

With Bourg-en-Bresse as its principal town it is a region of gentle hills and river valleys - which is one of the hidden parts of France.

The departement includes Bugey and the wines of Bugey. These are VDQS wines (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) - a classification between full Appellation Controllee and VIns de Pays. As such there are restrictions on grape varieties used and planting and harvesting techniques - and the grapes must be grown in the designated region. White wines from Chardonnay, Roussette; Rosé wines from Gamay and Poulsard; Reds from Gamay, Pinot and Mondeuse; and sparkling wines from Chardonnay. Seldom seen in the UK.
For an opportunity to taste some of these wines there is an open tasting in Lyon from 25-26 January 2008 - click here for more details
For more on the wines of Bugey see www.vinsdubugey.net
One of the highlights of the year is the celebration of the famous yellow corn-fed chickens from Bourg-en-Bresse - the Glorieuses de Bresse held every December shortly before Christmas (for 2008 it runs from 16-21 December 2008 - in the form of a market and other festivities held in Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Pont de Vaux and Montrevel-en-Bresse - see www.glorieusesdebresse.com

More info - see the Ain Tourism Office

For an English run B&B in the region with a knowledgeable host and guide see B&B Burgundy

The wine fairs of the Vignerons Independents (independent winemakers) for the first half of 2008 include Paris (75 Paris, Ile de France), Porte de Champerret (on the northern Peripherique from 28-31 March 2008
For a small entry fee you get the chance to meet winemakers from all the wine regions of France, to taste some of their wines and buy at vineyard gate prices.
No co-operatives, negociants or multi-nationals

The Proclamation of the Harvest takes place in the medieval town of St Emilion (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), one of the best appellations for Bordeaux red wines. There is always a colourful parade with a band through the town, with plenty of opportunities to taste some of the wines at any of the wine shops scattered through the town.
For more info see www.frenchduck.com

The wine fairs of the Vignerons Independents (independent winemakers) for the first half of 2008 include Strasbourg (67 Bas Rhin,Alsace), Parc des Expositions Wacken from 15-18 February 2008.
For a small entry fee you get the chance to meet winemakers from all the wine regions of France, to taste some of their wines and buy at vineyard gate prices.
No co-operatives, negociants or multi-nationals

Eguisheim (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) celebrates its 48th Winegrowers’ festival in August 2008. Set in the heart of the Alsace vineyards you’ll find opend doots to local wine cellars, plenty of opportunities to taste (including some of the Grand Cru wines), folk dancing and music
For more info see www.ot-eguisheim.fr

As well as the Alsace Wine Route which extends throughout Alsace by road, there is also a signposted vineyard path (“Sentier viticole”) which will

“lead you to discover the wine and the vineyard of Eguisheim, in detail and in an unusual way. With the help of explanatory panels distributed along the route, you will get to know the 7 Alsatian types of vines. Some others panels present the work of wine growers. You will discover two great wines, Eichberg and Pfersigberg, with their relative geology and sun aspect of the vineyard. You will also enjoy the landscape, as the view of Eguisheim, Trois-Château, and vineyards.”

Eguisheim is also recognised as one of France’s Villes et Villages Fleuris offering a warm welcome and a wealth of blooms.

Eguisheim is one of the villages on the Route du Vin running from Thann to Marlenheim. This medieval town was built in concentric circles round its fortified castle, where the only Pope from Alsace, Leo IX, is said to have been born. It has a unique combination of civil and military architecture from the 15th Century. There is a pleasant signposted walk round the ramparts, actually following the old sentry path round the battlements. Everywhere are half-timbered houses, with balconies weighed down with the red geraniums which have become part of the heritage of Alsace !

The Alsace region has managed to preserve its ancestral traditions with its medieval castles rising up above the plain, a wealth of Renaissance and Neo-Classical architecture, varied gastronomy and original folklore. It also has some of the most famous vineyards in France, including its Wine Route. One option as a base for exploring this glorious region is the Résidence Le clos d’ Eguisheim, which is located on the “Alsace Wine Route” and is a complex inspired by local architecture comprising apartments and a heated indoor swimming pool

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),

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 annual Salon des Vignerons Independants (independent winemakers) takes place in Lille Grand Palais - hundreds of producers from all over France offer tastings and sales at vineyard gate prices - sample, chat and learn and buy - just in time to stock up for Christmas PLUS Lille is a lively city with great restaurants and shopping - and a Vauban citadel!
See more about Independent Winemaker Wine Fairs.
For places to stay in Lille see Le Jardin d’Alix and more info on Lille

London - Lille by Eurostar in 100 minutes

Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) is a big and vibrant northern French city which is well worth a visit – but it’s not somewhere I associate with peace and tranquility.

We go most years to the Independent Winemakers Fair held in the Lille Grand Palais every November (16–19 November in 2007) and stay in city centre hotels – all very convenient for the wine fair, shops, restaurants etc.

But there is another option, which offers a bit of respite from the buzz of the city centre, but without losing ease of access.

The Jardin d’Alix (Alix’s garden) Chambres d’Hote (B&B) is in Tourcoing, part of the greater Lille conurbation, North East of Lille city centre. The stylish accommodation is set “amid a large garden with mature trees and rose bushes – a little piece of countryside close to the city.” The other bonus is that the property lies within 20 minutes reach of Lille’s historic centre, thanks to the tramway which leaves from just outside!

An added bonus means that you will also be near to the quite stunning Roubaix Piscine – the Museum of Art and Industry (Musée d’Art et d’Industrie de Roubaix) housed in an Art Deco swimming pool – a conversion undertaken by the same architect who transformed an old railway station into the fabulous Musée d’Orsay in Paris. It is worth visiting for the building itself, but the museum exhibits and paintings are seriously good – see http://www.roubaix-lapiscine.com

For more on the B&B see http://www.lejardindalix.com

The Third edition of Le Marché des Vins de Saumur (49 Maine-et-Loire) on the Loire.
More than 6,000 visitors are expected. Tastings, auctions and a tour of the town will be the highlights of this weekend. Traditionally famous for sparkling white wines made from the Chenin Blanc grape, in recent years the red Cabernet Franc of Saumur-Champigny AC have become very fashionable.

How this wine market operates is simple and fun: on the way in, you buy a wine glass for 3€, and you can then taste all the wines and meet the producers of the different appellations: White and Red Saumur, Saumur Champigny, Cabernet de Saumur, Coteaux de Saumur, Crémant de Loire and Saumur Brut.

For more info see www.marchedesvinsdesaumur.com

Vinsobres is one of the named Côtes du Rhône Villages – entitled to include the name of the village on the label – indicating a generally higher quality from vines grown on the hillsides on the edge of the southern Rhône Valley. This festival and ceremony marks the official start of grape picking (vendanges) and includes a tasting of the best vintages from Vinsobres wines.
For more info see http://www.vinsobres.fr/

Fougerolles (70 Saone, Rhone-Alpes) on the edge of the Vosges mountains southwest of Alsace holds its annual Foire aux Beignets de Cerises and Kirsch (Cherry eau-de-vie) tastings.
For more info see www.frenchduck.com

Between Montauban and Toulouse and Toulouse (82 Tarn et Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) the town of Fronton celebrates a weekend of scents and flavours including the local wines from Fronton AC (previously known as the Côtes du Frontonnais). A feast for the senses (lots of colour, lots of music and lots of food and wine to delight the palate).

The wines of Fronton are distinctive in their use of the Negrette grape, which can produce good red and excellent rosé wines, such as those from Chateau Bellevue la Foret and Chateau Bouissel – well worth a little detour off the A20 or A62 autoroutes

Dijon (21 Cote d’Or, Bourgogne) has its Vine Festival at the end of August, which is not just about wine.
The medieval city combines a wine festival as the wine harvst approaches with an annual celebration of world folklore. 2007 see the 59th festival which will include performances throughout the city by folk musicians from around the world. A craft fair and a grand public tasting of the local Burgundy wines should make Dijon an exciting place to be for the week.
For more info see www.fetesdelavigne.fr

In the sleepy backwaters of the Hautes Pyrenees département the village and Appellation of Madiran (65 Hautes Pyrenees, Midi-Pyrenees) holds its annual wine festival organised by the impressively titled Syndicat de défense des vins du Madiran. These are robust red wines made predominantly from the Tannat grape.
The festival is held at 4 rue de l’Eglise, 65700 MADIRAN
tel : 05 62 31 90 67
fax : 05 62 31 90 79
This year may be busier than previously, due to the popularity of Dr Roger Corder’s book The Wine Diet which identified the wines of the South West (and Madiran in particular) as especially healthy due to the high concentration of polyphenols. Decanter magazine considered this book as “Quite possibly the most useful wine book published this year“. (A new version is to be published in September 2007 The Red Wine Diet

Vinsobres, Cotes du Rhone-Villages AC is one of the crus of the southern Rhone, and celebrates the beginning of the Harvest (Ban des Vendanges du Cru)

For more info see http://www.vinsobres.fr

St Peray (07 Ardeche, Rhone-Alpes) holds its annual Fête des vins et du jumelage (Festival of Wine and Twinning (with towns in Germany and Italy) - which includes a Rhone wines market (Marché aux vins des côtes-du-Rhône) - see www.st-peray.com.

Saint-Péray is in the northern Rhône wine region just west of Valence.
The Rhône is predominantly associated with spicy red wines, but Saint-Péray is unusual in producing sparkling white wines - although a little still dry white is also made.

Langon (33 Gironde, Aquitaine) midway between Bordeaux and Saint Emilion holds a well-balanced festival of wine,cheese and bread (La foire aux vins, fromages et pains) on the first weekend of September. Given the proximity of some of the finest vineyards in the world - Graves, Sauternes, Pomerol, Saint Emilion - the wine element alone should be pretty good!
See www.langon33.fr

Gailac (81 Tarn, Midi-Pyrenees) holds its annual 2–day wine fair every August. Red,white and rose wines from lesser known grape varieties such as Mauzac and l’En d’El. 4–5 Aug 07

Recommended vineyard:Domaine de Labarthe