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Richard Ehrlich, the Independent on Sunday's wine correspondent, is hanging up his pen (or resting his typing digits! and will no longer be writing his weekly column. Whilst taking a fairly broad swipe at wine blogs he does conclude his musing as follows: "My recommendations for the week affirm one thing I have grown increasingly convinced of over the past decade: that French wine is the best on Earth." He goes on to recommend 3 wines, two of which are technically Vins de Pays, both more expensive than the White Burgundy he also recommends! That farewell selection says much about the way French winemaking has evolved over the recent years - inspired, well-made exciting wines from lesser-known regions, often based on less popular grapes (e.g. the 100% Carignan that is one of his choices), whilst you can also find decent examples of good classics at affordable prices.
I shall miss Ehrlich's column, which was always independent, opinionated and did not slavishly promote supermarket offerings or unaffordable fine wines. He also gave our old wine business "Allez Vins!" some plaudits when he recommended our Gaillac wines from Domaine de Labarthe - their Cuvée Guillaume being "the bottle we drank whilst on holiday" (in southwest France)!

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The route of the 2007 Tour de France cycle race has been announced, and love it or hate it, you need to be aware of it if you are planning to visit South West France next summer. Starting in London for the weekend of 7/8 July the tour heads down to the Alpes via Chablis (going clockwise around France this year) before heading through Provence and the Languedoc via Marseille, Montpellier, Castres and Albi (Gaillac country) on 20/21 July. After a few gentle climbs in the Pyrenees the route then heads north from Pau through Castelsarrasin, Cahors, Angouleme and Cognac in the last week before the finish in Paris on Sunday 29th July 2007.
The impact of the race on local travel and hotels is severe, and even more so on the twisty roads and small villages of the South West - not just because of the cyclists zooming by, but because of the vast entourage of team cars, press, publicity,sponsors and spectators (many with large motorhomes) which can often mean the closure of roads and whole villages for up to 6 hours. It is such a part of French life that no-one complains about the inconvenience or hassle - unless you are not expecting it.
So make a note of the route and dates (see www.letour.fr/) and plan to either stop and enjoy the spectacle - or avoid it completely. The autoroutes are generally unaffected, but hotel rooms for miles around can be difficult to find on the night before or after the race passes through or near a town.

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Thanks to the Independent's Travel Section I came across a really neat little website and a novel way of touring Paris.
www.4roues-sous-1parapluie.com offers private guided tours of the City in a refurbished Citroen 2CV! The company's name translates as "4 wheels under 1 umbrella" a reference to the fabled 2CV (or "deudeuche", also known as "the duck" , rather appropriate for our website) with its canvas, retractable roof. With a variety of itineraries, most lasting about 90 minutes, you get an open-topped trip with commentary from a local Parisian, in an inconic French voiture.
It looks like fun, but beware that the 2CV was not built for comfort, and its idiosyncratic suspension system will prove interesting over cobbled streets and at any speed around a bend! And of course, whilst open-topped may be great in Spring and Summer, late Autumn and winter may be rather less enjoyable. as the author of the article in the Independent discovered.
A similar scheme operates in Lyon (69 Rhône, Rhône-Alpes)

See the full article in the Independent
www.4roues-sous-1parapluie.com

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In Burgundy they celebrate wine, in Perigord they revere the truffle and in Etaples they worship the Herring! 11-12 November 2006 is the weekend when Etaples (62 Pas de Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais - see map) holds its annual "Fete du Hareng Roi" - the royal herring fest! Traditionally celebrating the return of the fishing fleet from northern waters when much of ths town would help unload and prepare the catch - and once all the hard, smelly and cold work was done they would have a feast and celebrate with music and dancing!, The festival demonstrates the old fishing methods and tough lifestyle of the fishermen, and shows how the herring were cooked and preserved, with music, feasting and dancing.
. A good fish restaurant in Etaples (and in Boulogne, Lille and elsewhere) is "Aux Pecheurs d'Etaples" which has a huge fish menu (including herring) and is on the quayside.

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Although most of the grape harvest is now finished and most wines are now burbling away in fermentation mode, sweet wines which are "late harvested" are only now starting to be picked in late October.
At Saussignac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) the harvest started this week, and whereas some appellations go heavily into ceremony and dressing-up, here they decided to invite a range of merchants and restauranteurs to participate in the harvest - as one way of raising the profile of this small sub-appellation of Bergerac.
Traditionally the appellation has been for white wines only, which can be medium or sweet, but increasingly the production is focusing on the dessert or liqoureux wine, made solely from the Semillon grape. As such it is not dissimilar to nearby Monbazillac or more distant Sauternes, all relying on the "noble rot" to concentrate the sugars in the grape.
Personally I find Saussignac slightly less sugary then Monbazillac and less caramelly than many Sauternes. However, much will depend on the winemaker of course.
For excellent Saussignac I would recommend Chateau Grinou (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/grinou.html for more info) - only current UK stockist I can find is www.vintners-selection.com although www.frenchflavour.co.uk has a gift box which also includes some Foie Gras - very decadent.!
For Monbazillac try Chateau la Truffière - made by same winemaker as Pecharmant's Chateau Beauportail - available from www.easy-wine.co.uk

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Anthony Peregrine in the Times has penned an interesting article about the much maligned Beaujolais Nouveau, contending that it has improved immensely over recent years, and drawing attentiion to the fact that it seems only to be the Brits who have decided to turn away from what used to be a highlight of an otherwise dull late Autumn, with the Japanese, Americans, Germans and even the Chinese showing more enthusiasm for this young wine than us."So I say it’s time to ditch the misgivings and (re)join the party. I further recommend we travel to Beaujolais to do so. November is a dismal month that could use some festive brightening. And even in autumn, the Beaujolais is a delight, France’s most famous unknown region. It’s famous, of course, for the wine — and unknown because nobody goes there. A serious error."
The region is delightful, and the undulating hills of the Beaujolais are captivating - even in the winter. Although I have never quite discovered the charms of Macon, the surrounding villages and smaller towns such as Belleville are attractive. Peregrine offers some good recommendations for staying, dining and touring the region.
One personal recommendation is la Poularde, a good little restaurant in the small railway station at Pontanevaux (71, Saone et Loire, Bourgogne - see map) - excellent lunch just across the road from one of our favourite producers/negociants - Paul Beaudet - if you're lucky you'll meet the charming Etienne Akar, who is very knowledgeable and speaks excellent English.

Another place to visit is the Hospices de Beaujeu - see www.hospices-de-beaujeu.com, an old hospital and also the site of the annual wine auction for charity. Wine is made here and is available for sale.
Beaujolais Nouveau, like all Beaujolais reds, is made from the juicy, jammy Gamay grape, which because of its thin skin and low tannin is ideal for making a young wine, to be drunk slightly chilled. Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November each year (this year on 16 November 2006). A decade or so ago the wine could not be shipped out of the Beaujolais region before midnight on the Wednesday, hence the invention of the Beaujolais Nouveau run, whereby teams would race to be the first to get a case of the wine back to London.
Suppliers: Nick Dobson

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Two major Hollywood films out at the moment which might be worth a view for any Francophile.
"A Good Day" with Russell Crowe is clearly designed to hit the buttons of most of us who yearn for a quieter, better life, under the Provencal sun - especially as we lurch towards a British winter and the clocks go back."Based on the novel by Peter Mayle, the film is about failed London banker Max Skinner (Crowe) who moves to Provence to tend a vineyard he inherited from his uncle, played by Albert Finney.". Peter Mayle is something of a controversial character, having been responsible for fuelling the caricature (and house prices) of rural France with its idiosyncratic, loveable characters, stunning scenery, great weather and all the bounty of the French countryside. But he is a marketing man and writes seductively (if not terribly well or reliably) about that French idyll we all crave. So the film is bound to be full of eye candy (and I don't mean the actors!) - lavender and vines abound.
Marie Antoinette looks to be something of a romp through French history - ".Based on Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette, "a naive, 14 year old Austrian becomes the Queen of France. Often maligned, passionately debated and ultimately a misunderstood young woman, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) emerges neither as staid historical villain nor divine idol - but as a confused and lonely teenage outsider thrust against her will into a decadent and scandal-plagued world on the eve of disaster" It will doubtless throw some light on a key figure in French history before the Revolution, and whose excesses probably acted as an additional spur to the angry populace, but looks to be more of a glossy pastiche than a serious historical contribution.
At Versailles and throughout the Paris/Ile de France region there are examples of her legacy in a wide variety of sites and museums.

The Conciergerie on the banks of the Seine where the queen was held in prison - her cell can still be visited. "The haunting gothic atmosphere of the Basilica de St Denis is the last resting place of the French monarchs and it is here that visitors can pay their respects to Marie Antoinette as it is where her remains are buried. Evoking happier times for the queen, the fabulous Château de Fontainebleau sits in the heart of the forest that shares its name. Perhaps the château that, more than any other exemplifies the French monarchy (it was added to by rulers from Francois I to Napoleon), is the home of the boudoir of Marie Antoinette. This private chamber demonstrates the queen's style and taste with fine furnishings and art works commissioned by her. The objects belonging to Marie Antoinette also show visitors what the queen was like. Fine collections are housed at the Musée Nissim de Camondo and the Musée Carnavalet. "
For more info on Marie Antoinette sites in and around Paris see http://uk.franceguide.com
For more on the film see www.marieantoinette.co.uk

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A useful article in the Telegraph extolling the virtues of St Malo (35 Ile-et-Villaine, Brittany) as a short-stay destination.
I fully agree - this medieval walled port town is too good to miss, which is what most of us do when we head off the overnight ferry to make our way south. Unlike the industrial wastelands which greet your arrival in Calais, Le Havre and Boulogne, St Malo looks impressive and welcoming - which it is in true Breton style.
It also is the destination for the most civilised cross-channel crossing - leaving Portsmouth mid-evening in time for a leisurely and decent meal in the restaurant, maybe a nightcap in the bar followed by a reasonable nights sleep before arriving at 8.30am (French time, 7.30am UK).- not a pre-dawn arrival.
The Telegraph also lauds the virtues of using the ferry (or train) on environmental grounds - as this would save over 96% of the CO² emissions compared with flying that distance.
Ryanair can fly a couple from London to DInard (14km from St Malo) for £224 return, whereas the Brittany Ferries crossing starting from Portsmouth including overnight cabin is £143 (both for late October travel).
To be fair the other channel ports - Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Le Havre (for Rouen), Caen, Cherbourg and Roscoff - all have their attractions as a short-stay destination - for shopping and dining and a real taste of France, but St Malo and Roscoff are probably the best - as long as you can face the long sea crossing!
For more on St Malo see www.saint-malo-tourisme.com/
Also www.brittanyferries.co.uk and www.ryanair.com
For other options for travel to France see www.frenchduck.co.uk

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"Holidaymakers are increasingly choosing to travel to the Continent by train and ferry rather than by air since the terror alerts of August 10." - so runs a headline on the Telegraph!
Not surprising really, given the rather disproportionate hassle and time delay which air travel for short-haul destinations now involves - such that you are likely to spend considerably more time getting to,into and within the major airports for most French destinations than you will in the air!

Somehow the idea of casually turning up at the airport and hopping on the plane to jet off to France has been lost with the latest security alerts - compounded by the searches and delays. You cannot really question the need for security these days, but nevertheless travel by train or ferry + car becomes a more attractive option, and certainly the train to Paris (from London and the South East at least) must be hard to beat in terms of time, cost or hassle!!

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BBC Radio 4's You & Yours programme aired an article today on Biodynamic wines. As Robert Joseph concluded the whole thing sounds weird and a bit looney BUT it does seem to work! Just a shame they chose to illustrate it with a wine retailing at £29.99!! (It was from Western Australia)

"Detailed knowledge of astrology and astronomy dictate the timing of all aspects of cultivation, harvesting and winemaking. Special sprays of homeopathic strengths are used to increase fertility of the soil and to protect the vines from pests and diseases."

In France the most famous proponent is Nicolas Joly and his Savennières vineyard "Coulée de Serrant" - a single vineyard appellation in the Loire Valley.These are dry white wines from the Chenin Blanc grape that achieve impressive concentration and lengevity - for more see www.coulee-de-serrant.com
Yapp Brothers stock the 2000 vintage in the UK - admittedly at £45 per bottle.

Listen Again at www.bbc.co.uk

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Taunton is the venue for the next French Property Exhibition (3-5 November 2006), where you can plan or dream of your move to France - and by all accounts you will not be alone.
According to a survey recently carried out by ICM a third of British citizens say they would rather live in France than the United Kingdom.

"Of those aged under 50, one in five British citizens would have preferred to have been born in France rather than the United Kingdom and two out of five would be prepared to cross the Channel and set up home in France.

Over the past decade, France has been captivating more and more people from across the Channel. Another reason for this fascination is the success some French celebrities have been having in Britain: the "Thierry" factor (Thierry Henry), films such as "Amélie Poulain" and "The Da Vinci Code" are contributing to this British passion for France."

See www.french-property-news.com

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AdVintage Wines is an independent online wine merchant located in Wimbledon, South London - specialising in wines from all over the world. Axel and Marleen, as old world wine lovers, have a great assortment of French Wines. Apart from a range of ready-to-drink wines you also can get very interesting mature wines not readably available elsewhere. Small overheads mean that prices are kept low, typically 20-40% below normal retail prices. AdVintage Wines offers a personalized service & advice on wines and deliver straight to your home nationwide. They have recently added some good wines from South West France - Buzet, Cahors and Jurancon!
They stock the excellent wines of Domaine du Tariquet who many to transform otherwise pleasant but unexciting Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne into something special - try their oaked Cuvée Bois, and the 100% Petit Manseng "Dernières Grives" (last thrushes - as it is late harvested!)
Other domaines include the Chateau Lastours (Gaillac), Chateau Castet (Jurancon) and wines from Vouvray, Savennieres (Loire) and Arbois (Savoy); a decent selection of Bordeaux and Burgundy, northern and southern Rhône; a great selection of Cahors wines (including the superb Chateau de Mercuès) and the Chateau Montus from Madiran, widely considered to be one of the very best of the appellation.
All in all an exciting and adventurous selection of French wines which could keep your cellar stocked for some time - not to mention a wide selection of wines from around the World.

Advintage Wines
58 Buckleigh Avenue
Merton Park
London SW20 9JZ

Phone: 0208 286 0089
E-mail Address: info@advintage-wines.co.uk

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The Languedoc wine appellations are a bit of a minefield at AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllée) level, with the all encompassing "Coteaux du Languedoc" AC supplemented by numerous sub-appellations such as St Christol, Pic St Loup and Terrasses de Beziers etc etc. In addition there are numerous independent ACs such as Fitou, Faugères, St Chinian etc etc. All these appellations are based on the same range of grape varieties - e.g for red this includes Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre - albeit in slightly different permutations.
The Terrasses de Larzacis one such sub-appellation, which is less well-known, but does enjoy a particular "terroir" which is the key element which differentiates it from its neighbours.
The Coteaux du Languedoc vineyards essentially run along the Mediterranean coast south from Montpellier (34 Herault, Languedoc) towards Narbonne (11 Aude, Languedoc) and stretch back inland towards the foothills of the Massif Central and the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc .
In general the higher and more sloped the vineyards the better (more concentrated and more mineral extraction) the wines are likely to be. The Terrasses de Larzac is right in the foothills of the Causse du Larzac, a limestone plateau in the south of the Massif Central. Here the altitude is higher 300-1000ft above sea level, with hotter days and cooler nights, and generally the wines produced are impressive - especially the reds which are big and intense.
Pic WInes, who are based in the Languedoc offer some excellent examples - "The Terrasses du Larzac is one of the most northerly wine growing regions of the Languedoc, and is home to many of the new generation of ‘immigrant’ winemakers. Ripe, or even stewed fruits are characteristic of this region, as is a certain spicy edge."
At a recent tasting we found the Cuvée Antonin et Louis 2003 from Mas de la Séranne at Aniane (see map) was an absolute stunner, made from a blend of 40% Syrah, 27% Mourvedre. 23% Grenache and 10% Carignan with 13 months in oak (for more info see Pic Wines).

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Now that most of the grape harvest is over, except for late harvest-style dessert wines, the attention now moves to that other vine - the olive.
In Provence in particular many wine domaines will also grow olive vines (e.g. Mas Sainte Berthe at les Baux de Provence (13, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence)). So for a different take on a late autumn break you could always get the TGV down to Avignon and make your way out to a neat B&B near Beaumes-de-Venise (84 Vaucluse, Provence) where you can indulge in an olive-themed weekend - stroll around the olive groves, take part in the harvest, and enjoy the olive-dominated cuisine of yout hosts.
The Mas de l'Evajade is a farmhouse in the midst of the vineyards and the olive groves where you can enjoy the view over the Dentelles de Montmirail.. "Take part in gathering the olives with your host. Visit the olive mill and taste your hosts' cuisine, based on olive oil of course."
It is a delightful corner of Provence, close to Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape. And of course, although the sweet white Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is well-known in the UK, Beaumes-de-Venise is an important Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation making seriously good red, rosé and dry white wines. There is a good co-operative in the village.
Our favourite recommendation would be the Domaine la Fourmone in nearby Vacqueyras/

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News from the southern Rhône that the harvest for Vacqueyras and Gigondas in the southern Rhône as Domaine la Fourmone/l'Oustau Fauquet has finished - and some evoative images to record this year's "vendange". It is fun to be in the wine regions at harvest time - usually quiet rural landscapes are transformed with men, women and tractors working feverishly in the vines, and less visibly in the cellars. There is a continuous sound of tractors, both harvesting the grapes (if not done manually) and transporting the grapes to the cellar or co-operative for crushing and vinification. Many vineyards still pick manually (such as Domaine la Fourmone), but where the terrain allows machine harvesting is often chosen - finding cheap skilled labour has become more difficult, and the real benefit of manual harvesting comes from selective picking. So, if you pickers are not well-trained and knowledgable, then machine harvesting may be as effective and more reliable.
For smaller domaines it is often a family or even village event, with everyone takng part - and although it is definitely hard work everyone finds it very sociable, especially when the vigneron supplies a healthy lunch with enough wine to persuade people to return to the picking in the afternoon without falling over!
Meanwhile down in the Southwest the Kitcheners at Domaine de Lauroux have found the time to provide almost daily updates on the progress of their harvest which provides fascinating reading - see the Vineyard Diary at Domaine de Lauroux
A different angle on the experience of the vendange comes from Benoit Tarlant's video diary at Champagne Tarlant - although it is in French you nevertheless get a real feel for the work involved this time of year.

Domaine de Lauroux wines available in the UK from Planet of the Grapes

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Down in the furthest corner of southern France, in the lee of the Pyrenees and close to the Spanish border, the town of Banyuls-sur-Mer (66 Pyrénées Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon - see map) is about to celebrate the annual grape harvest with its Banyuls Vendanges weekend ( 14-15 October 2006). The highlight is a massive beach barbecue which sounds great fyn!
This and neighbouring Collioure are attractive little Mediterranean ports, but Banyuls is also known for its fortified sweet wines based on the Grenache grape.These are Vin Doux Naturels (VDN) which can mean alcohol levels up to about 17^o without the use added spirit.

Matured in large oak casks, depending on age they can be richly coloured from golden through to mahogany or black coffee brown. With an extraordinary palette reminiscent of crystallized and dry fruits, nuts, liquorice, peel of orange and cocoa, they are probably closest to a rich oloroso sherry, although a little more viscous in body. The French may drink them as an aperitif, and for all that I have enjoyed tasting them, I really am at a bit of a loss to decide when to drink them, or with what.

For more info see the Banyuls website at www.banyuls-sur-mer.com
Available in the UK from The Secret Cellar in Tunbridge Wells

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Avignon (84 Vaulcluse, Provence) is hosting a huge wine-tasting event called "Rhone Exaltation" on 11 and 12 November 2006, where over 400 wines from the Southern Rhône - "During one exceptional weekend, Rhône Exaltation will offer a unique experience for all lovers of wine and cuisine to discover over 400 different wines from the Rhône Valley,to savor fine French gastronomy, and to visit some of the finest historical monuments and museums of Avignon..". For a very reasonable €30 (about £21) visitors get a tasting glass, a tasting guide with a full program, and a booklet of 20 tasting tickets with access to 12 thematic wine exhibitions, courses in the wine school and tastings at the Chatelet on the Pont d’Avignon.
The southern Rhône is a rich and prolific area for wine production, dominated by Syrah and Grenache reds which thrive in this hot climate Apart from the wealth of Côtes du Rhône AC wines - there are additionally "Côtes du Rhône-Villages AC" wines from specific named villages which tend to be on the surrounding hillside slopes generally producing more concentrated and intense wines (such as Rasteau, Vinsobres, Cairanne....) Then there are real blockbusters from areas such as Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Lirac and Tavel (best for rosés), not forgetting the dessert wines such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.
A few recommendations:-
Domaine la Fourmone for seriously good Côtes du Rhône, Vacqueyras and Gigondas
Chateau d'Aqueria for Lirac
Domaine Maby for Tavel rosé

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At Saint Jean-de-Beauregard (92 Hauts de Seine, Ile de France - see map), about 20 miles southwest of Paris, the Chateau hosts an annual Fete des Fruits et Légumes Oubliés - forgotten fruits and vegetables every autumn - this year it is 10-12 November 2006. In the grounds of a rather grand 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

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Majestic Wine Warehouses and Online

Although a national chain, Majestic is unusual in seeking out lesser-known wines, and its adventurous policy means that it stocks an impressive range of French wines not readily found elsewhere in the UK. It has retained its 12-bottle minimum rule (although no longer strictly necessary under the new Licensing Laws), but this does tend to mean that its clientele are more discerning and interested in wine than most casual visitors to the supermarket or local off-licence. And, their prices are good, often with mult-buy discounts on top! Staff are invariably knowlegeable and helpful and every store has good parking!
We can recommend the following wines which we know well:-
Touraine Sauvignon AC, Domaine Joel Delaunay
Beaujolais-Villages AC, Château de Maladrets (Paul Beaudet)
Brouilly AC, Domaine des Maison Neuves (Paul Beaudet)

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Leon Stolarski Fine Wines is a specialist wine importer, with a growing list of hand-selected wines from some of the best small growers in Languedoc, Roussillon and southern Rhone. After more than a decade of travelling these regions, Leon was fully aware of the great potential and sheer diversity of the wines. He believes passionately that these regions now offer some of the most exciting (and fairly priced) wines in the world. Yet many of them have, until now, been unavailable in the U.K. There are no “agency” wines here, since they are all imported directly from the individual growers throughout the regions. The classic red table wines, from grape varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Carignan are the real strength of the list, together with some exciting and unusual wines from many other varieties, both red and white. There are also some cracking sparkling and dessert wines, making for a truly eclectic and exciting selection. Many of these wines have already attracted great reviews, from some of the U.K’s foremost writers, including Jancis Robinson M.W and Tom Cannavan. And the selection continues to grow, with more wines and growers being added on a regular basis to a list that is definitely worth watching out for. CLICK HERE

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Friday 6 October to Sunday 9 October 2006 sees the finals of the French Sailing Championships at (or off) Hyères (83 Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - see map).
Toulon, a large commercial and military port is a few kilometres to the west, but from Hyères eastwards you are into some of the best of the Provencal coast, with pretty (and expensive) harbours and impressive coastal corniches leading to St Tropez, Sainte Maxime and Fréjus.
It is also an important and rather beautiful wine are producing Côtes de Provence, with some vineyards within just a few kilometres of the coast near Hyères itself. One example is Domaine la Tuilerie, which produces reds and rosés (Syrah & Grenache), whites from Rolle. Not only that, but they also have a number of gites on the domaine for those of you who want the best of all worlds - Provence, sun, sea and wine!
The only downside is the Mistral wind which can blow for up to 100 days a year - worst in winter - a wind which blows down from the Massif Central to the Mediterranean, often for days on end and frequently at gale force. The only upside of it is that the skies will be clear and the famous Provence "light" will not be dimmed.

For more info on the French Sailing Championships - see www.tourvoile.fr
For more on Côtes de Provence wines see www.cotes-de-provence.fr
Château Saint Roch-les-Vignes 2005, Rosé de Provence
A delicious rosé showing soft spice and attractive fruit from this top winery in St. Tropez. Perfect with Mediterranean style food or simply on its own.

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French Wine Week is being launched in the UK from 9th - 15th October 2006, which is essentially a project to increase consumer awareness of the wealth of quality, interesting French wines available to us.
In the UK we are blessed with the widest range of wines almost anywhere in the world, and even in France you will seldom find quite such a range of French wines in any hypermarket as can be discovered in the UK. But in the UK these wines are up against heavily-marketed, consumer-friendly wines from the New World, with names which are easy to pronounce and remember AND labels which are helpful and informative.
But France can and does produce really good, accessible wines which are really enjoyable, interesting and good value for money - but I know people who insist on regarding French wines as over-priced, dull and difficult.
The Languedoc and the Loire in particular are producing some great little wines, often single varietals, sometimes helped by antipodean experience (the flying winemaker) - where tradition and innovation come together to produce exciting wines. For real evidence see Andrew Jefford's book The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides S.)
The best recommendation is to take advantage of the choice available and try something different and French - the £4.00 - £7.00 price range is full of great offerings from places such as Majestic and Oddbins
, It is also worth seeking out small independent wine merchants who will take a few more risks in seeking out something really interesting.

For more about the French Wines Week see www.frenchwinesweek.com

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Just off the A10 Autoute (l'Atlantique) a few kilometres north of Niort (79, Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes - see map) the town of Pamproux has a different twist on the wine harvest festival (festival des Vendanges) - throughout the week-long festival from 6 - 15th October 2006 visitors are encouraged to help with the grape harvest through the provision of a wide variety of musical offerings - some even in the vineyard. It should all add up to a jolly week, although be warned that grape-picking is murder on your back, and you tend to get filthy as the juice from split grapes is very sticky.

The wines here are the Vins de Pays Charentais, mainly white wines from grapes that also serve as the basis for Cognac. Ugni Blanc and Columbard are the traditional varieties but more Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are evident, which add body and richness to what otherwise can be rather thin acidic wines (ideal for Cognac!). I have tasted some very good light, fresh whites from the region. I cannot say the same for the reds which I've always found a little disappointing. However if you want to try some of the best wines from the area, Swallow Fine Wines in Salisbury and online are offering a mixed case of wines from Domaine Gardrat.

Posted by frenchduck at 7:15 AM | Permalink

Some worrying times in the deepest southwest, as hail and rain have made the harvesting of grapes for Jurancon and Madiran difficult.
It is mainly the sweeter white wines which are worst affected, as most of the Jurancon Sec is now in the cellars fermenting away, as are most of the reds such as Madiran. Rain near harvest time can dilute the grape juice, lowering sugar (and hence alcohol) and flavour levels. And if the rain is particularly heavy, as it has been in some parts, then the grapes can get damaged with the resultant risk of unwelcome rot and disease. The sweeter whites such as Jurancon AC and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC will be OK as long as there are some good weather days to finish the ripening and concentration of the sugars - and an "Indian Summer" is quite common in these areas.

It seems strange therefore to receive news on the same day of the imminent arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau, due on the 3rd Thursday of November every year - this year on 16th. Here the harvest has also been a trifle difficult. According to Nick Dobson's website - "2006 has been a very mixed year climatically; the winter was cold, and spring was very late to arrive - flowering was between 1 and 2 weeks later than average, although this will have reduced frost damage. The cold late spring was followed by a heatwave in June and July, enabling catching up after the hesitant start, although conditions deteriorated for part of August, the second half of which was cool and wet. September however has turned out very well, with warm dry sunny days. The majority of growers I have spoken with started picking between 8 and 12 September, which is quite typical. Growers are reporting ripe healthy grapes, with thick skins and good acidity & sugar levels."
If you are interested in securing some Nouveau this year then you need to order soon - and Nick knows his Beaujolais - see /www.nickdobsonwines.co.uk

The sign at the top of this article was seen in the Languedoc a few years ago on the N113 which runs from Narbonne west to Carcassonne and Toulouse. This can be quite a dangerous road at any time, but when numerous ancient lumbering tractors use it to deliver their grape harvest to the local co-operative at 5 mph it becomes even worse!

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With autumn fast approaching we console ourselves by looking ahead to our main holiday in France in 2007. Yes, its the Rugby World Cup (in September) but we prefer peaceful rural France, probably in the SouthWest, Midi-Pyrenees - great landscapes, pretty villages, small markets, interesting wine and superb food.
But looking at how to get there is complicated, trying to calculate exchange rates, motorway tolls, the price of fuel, cross-channel ferry crossing and the route across France - and that assumes we dismiss the other options of budget flights (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/flights.html), car hire or great train services.
Dover still dominates as a port of departure - with recently improved routes to Boulogne and Dunkerque but the cessation of the Hoverspeed services - and the western Channel has seen a loss of P&Os services to Le Havre and Cherbourg. There are other options including Dieppe and Le Havre (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/ferry.html)
However even having got across the Channel the autoroute system in France continues to improve with fast new routes available which help you to avoid Paris and some of the other traditional pinch points on your journey south (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/autoroutes.htm)
Whilst things can change over the next 8 months or so, a little research offers the following snapshot of some of the options.
Based on typical hypermarket fuel prices as at 1 October 2006 and a tourist exchange rate of £1=€1.405:-

Unleaded Petrol (sans plomb 95) is €1.17/litre (83p)
Unleaded Petrol (sans plomb 98) is €1.20/litre (85p)
Diesel (Gazole) is €0.999 (71p)

Autoroute options
Dunkerque - Paris toll (péage):£11.17; 293km(183miles) journey time 03h00
Boulogne-Paris via A16 and Amiens toll: £12.03; 254km (159m) time 02h37
Calais - Paris via A26/A1 toll:£13.17; 289km (180m), time 02h50
St Malo - Bordeaux tolls:£17.30; 539km (337m); time 05h12
Paris - Toulouse via A20 tolls: £20.78 678km (424m); time 06h20
St Malo - Toulouse - tolls £28.26; 772km (483m); time 07h21
Calais - Strasbourg - tolls £29.04; 622km (389m); time 05h28
Paris - Bordeaux tolls £33.74; 590km (369m); time 05h31
Calais - Avignon via Reims tolls £36.80; 988km (618m);time 08h49
Calais-Nice via Reims tolls £62.70; 1238k, (774m);time 11h02

For more on travelling in and to France CLICK HERE

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