I wrote the book before I’d been there, which may seem a backwards way to craft a novel. But by the time the book had been outlined, characters created, fictional wines made this place had begun to feel like home. My novel isn’t about this place exactly, but it is about the feeling of this…
Tag: French wine
Find Your New House Wine: French Wine, Priced Right
Before our tastes tended toward the eclectic, my husband and I employed a house wine. A very affordable bottle, a Southern Rhône blend, that we relied upon for nearly any occasion. When recent guests (my cousin and lifelong friend and her husband) came to visit, they asked for recommendations. I shared that lately I’d been…
Affordable French Wine
Affordable is an arbitrary term. We all have our personal price preferences for wine we purchase to drink at home or at a restaurant. For most of us, triple- or quadruple-digit pricetags are out of reach for everyday drinking. Let’s say that around $20 (~€17, ~£15 at the moment) is affordable. Sure, you’ve seen the…
Périgord Wines: Bergerac and Duras
It was the roses – and the view – that made us pull the car over. Though everyone wanted to make good time, we were compelled to stop, even as other cars whizzed past while we weaseled into a spot across the street from the local cave. Cameras are made with the panorama setting for…
Thomas Jefferson in Burgundy
There is a phrase in the French language – déformation professionnnelle – which describes one’s tendency to perceive every situation through the biased eyes of one’s profession. But consider the constant shape-shifting of reality for a man with armloads of professions: inventor, farmer, author, diplomat, ambassador, drafter, architect, teacher, United States President, archaeologist and onward. Jefferson, Wine Lover Thomas…
Provence in the City: Simply Provence Wines
Last month I attended Provence in the City, hosted by Vins de Provence. Over 25 winemakers met with wine industry and media folks at the Public Hotel’s historic Pump Room in Chicago. It was a gorgeous spring-like day in typically chilly-in-February Chicago. The afternoon’s wine was offered alongside a buffet-in-courses; some of my favorite elements were the spring green salad…
{French Wine: Rhône Valley Road Trip}
“Do not search in a wine for the reflection of an exact science. The formulas of scientific oenology are only a thin competition which does not know how to respect the mysteries of eternal creation.” ~The late Jacques Perrin, Château Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape If only lightly familiar with French wines, Champagne or Burgundy probably pop…
What You Can Learn About Wine From Drinking With French People
I don’t do nearly as much drinking as my blog might lead you believe. I actually do a lot more writing and reading about wine that I do drinking it. But, I do my fair share and I’ve learned that sometimes you must be open-minded. Sometimes you have to be vulnerable, try something new. Look at things a…
On the second day of wine…
#12daysofwinefacts According to Moët & Chandon you should place the bottle in a Champagne bucket, fill bucket with one-third water and add ice cubes to top. Leave for at least 15 minutes before serving to bring champagne to the proper temperature (8˚-9˚C/46˚-48˚F). Your friends will be asking you so, when do we drink… If you…
French Dessert Wines for the Holidays
Even though we won’t be eating Thanksgiving dinner for days, and Christmas dinner for weeks I’ve already chosen the wines I’ll serve because of course I need to need taste-test them, admire the bottles and simply rest in the security that there will be lovely drink to toast the good fortune of the holiday season.
Inspired by the Wines of Provence
We’re in Provence, on a gravel road off of the D-99 just outside of St. Remy-de-Provence.
{French Style} A Party Guide
Bells will be ringing….doorbells. Your doorbell. All those guests, work-people, in-laws, neighbors, cats-from-down-the-street, the cast of Downton Abbey, members of Congress… Wait, you aren’t hosting top-cats & dignitaries? Well, you can. Here’s how to zest up your party with French class & style: {French Style} A Party Guide
How the French find Joie de Vivre in daily life
“She wanted to live, and live fully, and to give life, she who loved life! What was the good of existing, if you couldn’t give yourself?” ― Émile Zola, The Joy of Life Joie de vivre. A love of life. Joy in living. The sound of those words lights the spirit, makes one want to…
Great French wines | Is it all about Labels?
“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle” … Paulo Coelho, Brida It’s unromantic, pouty: Labels, methods, classifications and designations… not the most loveable aspects of wine says wine writer Jill Barth… Our most…
How the French find Joie de Vivre in daily life.
Joie de vivre. A love of life. Joy in living.
The sound of those words lights the spirit, makes one want to gulp up life, travel, explore, laugh, love and enjoy. Ah!
