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Having been in the wine trade, we still get our share of Christmas Greetings from France - often these are fairly formal affairs - often a glorified business card - although some are more personal and entertaining. One that stood out was from Hugel, one of the very best names in Alsace.
This led me to re-visit the website at (www.hugel.com) where there are some really good videos (in English too) available to view or download. You can learn all about Alsace and its wines (did you know that Alsace is the driest wine region in France!) and of course about Hugel's wines.
Alsace is something of an enigma with numerous contradictions - it's French/German history and culture; the dry aromatic French wines in Germanic bottles with Germanic typefaces; the preponderance (and high quality) of the co-operative cellars and the mosaic of different terroirs. Alone in France, Alsace wines are identified by grape variety - predominantly Riesling, Gewurztraminer but also Tokay Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Muscat (and a little Pinot Noir red), although increasingly the best wines are also identified by the addition of "lieu dit" - often specific vineyard plots which have been officially recognised as providing superior quality.
Alsace also produces a blend - Edelzwicker - which to my mind is best avoided - the blend disguises the varetal character which is Alsace's strength.
Alsace would make a perfect accompaniment to Turkey or Goose - particularly a fine Riesling would offer a nice crisp edge against the richness of the food.
Unfortunately Alsace is not particularly cheap - but good wines do offer consistent value for money - the Wine Society has a good range.

Posted by frenchduck at 12:13 PM | Permalink

We've plumped(!) for duck as our Christmas bird this year, so a hunt for appropriate recipes was called for. Problem is of course that ducks tend to be a tad smaller than Turkey or Goose, so depending on numbers you may need more than one bird.Waitrose offer a couple of promising recipes - and although "duck with orange" sounds a bit of a cliché this sounds good.Roast Duck with Thyme and orange-roasted pumpkin. Alternatively try Roast Duck with Elderberry Sauce Over at the Observer, Nigel Slater offers a simple Roast Duck and Pancetta and Potatoes
Courtesy of www.slashfood.com we found a pile of duck recipes from the SanFrancisco Chronicle including several for Slow Roasted Duck. On the BBC website there is a more British recipe for Gary Rhodes' Roast duck with crispy duck hash and local beer gravy, spring greens and glazed carrots.
However for a more French version you could try "Caneton à la Bigarade" which is a variation on Duckling à l'Orange but using bitter oranges (bigarades) found in Elizabeth Luard's delightful book Classic French Cooking: Recipes for Mastering the French Kitchen

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With the foul winter weather of the last few days in the UK, it was a welcome breath of something warmer and sunnier that arrived in our mailbox today - details of the French House, a large 4-bedroom house on the banks of the River Yonne, within a few kilometres of Auxerre, Chablis, Irancy, St Bris-le-Vineux and Clamecy.
We've visited the area several times in recent years, and it has many attractions - not only the easy access to good vineyards. Nearby the Canal du Nivernais connects the Yonne to Nevers (58 Nievre, Bourgogne) through some wonderful unspoilt and tranquil countryside - and even if your not a boating enthusiast, the towpaths provide access to countryside which is often inaccessibe by road.
The French House is at Vincelottes (89 Yonne, Burgundy - see map) just 12 kilometres south of Auxerre. Away from the bustle (and facilities) of Auxerre, Vincelottes is truly rural, surrounded by farms, orchard and vineyards. Within 15 minutes are vineyards with everything from honest "Grand Ordinaire de Bourgogne" to the finest Premier Cru Chablis. Personally I find the reds in this northern part of Burgundy a bit thin, but the whites including Chardonnays from Chablis and Sauvignons from St Bris.can be magnifique! There are also numerous restaurants (this is Burgundy after all!) and evocative villages replete with history. And it is all within 4 hours of Calais.

Recommended vineyards include Jean-Marc Brocard at Chablis and Domaine Felix at St Bris-le-Vineux.

For more info on the French House see www.frenchduck.co.uk
Contact the owners, Jill Tounsend (jtounsend@aol.com)

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The official tourism site for Paris and the Ile de France (www.pidf.com) is a useful site for visitors to the Paris region and has a spin-off site where amongst other things the French do not take themselves too seriously - unusual, I know, especially on a government-funded website.
Here at www.cestsoparis.com (it's so Paris!) you will find invaluable guides to French and Parisian humour and an illustrated guide to the gallic shrug!. Apparently a survey showed that many visitors (especially from the UK) often misunderstood the non-verbal body language employed by the capital's residents, reinforcing the idea that Parisians are rude - although in my experience no ruder than Londoners as a general rule.

Hence the BOF! which is perhaps the classic French shrug. It is used to "deny knowledge, agreement or responsibility". With a visual guide and instructions you can add it to your own armour of communication skills whilst in France
- firstly stick out your lower lip, and then
- raise your eyebrows and shoulders sumultaneously! (not as easy as it sounds!)
There is also a competition to win a weekend in Paris - see www.cestsoparis.com

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The Independent has a weekly series of 50 Best.... of anything ranging from toys, gadgets, hotels etc. On 16 December 2006 it was the time for their wine selection. I have never been quite sure how they arrive at the selection, but the lists usually show up something a little unexpected.
So it's good to see some lesser known French wines on the list including:-
Saint Mont 2005 - from our favourite co-operative in Gascony - Plaimont's wine is made from Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu and Aruffiac - "fine fresh,peachy fruit quality and classic southwestern bite and tang to the finish" - Marks & Spencer £5.79
Bandol AC Tempier Classique 2001 mainly made from the Mourvedre grape in Provence - "mingles flavours of blackberry and plum in a stylish, modern, seamlessly oaked style" - Stone Vine & Sun £16.95
Champagne Tarlant Brut Zero "a fine full-flavoured blend... excellent fruit quality crafted in super-elegant style".- Marks & Spencer £25 - proprietor Benoit Tarlant also has an interesting video diary at http://champagne.typepad.com/podcast/
Alsace Riesling AC Trimbach Civee Frederic Emile 2001 "intensely aromatic dry white, whose lime-zesty fruitiness and typical Riesling "petrolly" notes are balanced by an underlying mineral streak" - Paragon Vintners, London £28.04
Costieres de Nimes AC Chateau Mourgues du Gres, Fleur d'Eglantine 2005 from the southern Rhone/Provence/Languedoc border - a rose from Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan "blackcurrant and raspberry notes in a full-bodied style" Gauntleys of Nottingham £7.99
Canard-Duchene Charles VII Champagne a delicate deluxe cuvee .. praline, grilled nuts and honeycomb aromas...elegantly dry..deliciously refreshing tang....evolved toasty flavours.Majestic £19.99 o4 £13.99 if you buy 2 or more.

Posted by frenchduck at 8:32 AM | Permalink

In the very heart of France, Brive-la-Gaillarde (19 Correze, Limousin) the modest town of Brive does its bit to keep up with the bigger cities such as Paris and Nice. In the summer they set up "Brive Plage" an articifical inland beach, and at Christmas they convert one of the town's squares into an ice rink (patinoire). in Place du Civoire, whilst the Christmas Market takes over the Place General de Gaulle (16 - 31 December 2006.
Named "la Gaillarde" or the "brave" it is the main town of the Correze departement, probably best known in the UK as a destination for French Motorail - I've always fancied the idea of loading the car on the train at Calais and waking up next morning in central or southern France avoiding the hassle of the long journey. It tends to be an expensive option, but if you save the cost of fuel, autoroute tolls and a night's hotel then it does not look so bad.

Brive is an ideal destination with easy access to the Dordogne, and not forgetting the gentle delights of the Corrèze itself - considered by many to be the most unspoilt region of France, relatively untouched by many of the worst excesses of modern France - and tourists.
To capture a flavour of the region read the novels of Claude Michelet - such as Firelight and Woodsmoke
For more on French Motorail see French Motorail
For more on Brive see www.brive-tourisme.com/

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A recent invitation to taste a couple of vintage Armagnacs was something too good to miss, as I tend to prefer this brandy to the more widely available and commercial Cognac. One of the reasons is that most Armagnac is produced by small domaines rather than large multi-nationals, so you can establish more of a connection to place and people.
In this instance the people are an English couple, Nick and Karen Kitchener who took over the Domaine de Lauroux at Manciet (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees - (see map) in 2004, whose red, white and rosé Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne we have tasted before.

However, tasting Armagnacs (or Cognacs come to that) is not quite as easy as tasting wines (see www.frenchduck.co.uk) but we managed to rise to the challenge. We had 2 fine Armagnacs to taste - a vintage 1967 and a 15 year old - the first being Armagnac only from the 1967 harvest; the second a blend of Armagnacs which have been matured in oak for at least 15 years.
The Lauroux Armagnacs are based on wines made from 100% Ugni Blanc which are then distilled and aged in oak - initially new oak barrels to extract colour and tannin, and later in older barrels to allow for slow maturation. Once bottled Armagnacs do not develop further.

The colour of both Armagnacs was an attractice mahogany brown - the use of clear bottles helps here. What was noticeable with both bottles was that after the initial hit of the alcoholic spirit, they were both surprisingly delicate to the taste with discernible fruit characteristics.
The 15 year old came across a touch lighter and more floral but with nutty, almond tones - whereas the 1967 was noticeably richer with more depth of complex flavours - and almost a sweet edge (caramel) - and beautifully smooth in the mouth. I could happily drink both, although inevitably the older bottle had the edge. But compared to cheap brandies, these 2 bottles were akin to putting 2 classic vintage Champagnes against cheap fizz - it is quite a different level of exquisiteness!!

Nick and Karen are hoping to put their Armagnacs online soon, but in the meantime they can be found at Planet of the Grapes, Bentleys of Ludlow and at the Butchers Arms Pub/Restaurant in Priors Hardwick, Warwickshire.
For more info on the Armagnacs of Domaine de Lauroux - see http://frenchduck.co.uk
For more on Domaine de Lauroux wines see www.frenchduck.co.uk/lauroux.html
Domaine de Lauroux, Manciet, France

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The Wine Diet
For the last week or so we've had numerous calls from people trying to track down retailers of the Madiran wines of Chateau d'Aydie in SouthWest France.
Like many others several Google searches revealed little (except our old website www.allezvins.co.uk) , as we used to stock this and other Madirans.
The enquiries stemmed from the Telegraph's trailing of a new book by Roger Corder "The Wine Diet" in which he looks at the health impact of wine and "the so-called "French paradox" - why the French have a comparatively low rate of heart disease despite their love of fatty food - and discovered that it was more specifically a south-west France paradox.""He discovered that the traditionally-produced and very tannic local wines, particularly Madiran. which is made from the Tannat grape, have much the highest procyanidin content of any wines in the world.

Unfortunately for British drinkers, such wines are currently hard to find, because producers and retailers claim that the public demand much smoother, easy-drinking reds. Such wines, usually produced by modern techniques, tend to contain virtually no procyanidins."

Hoorah! for something with character and style say I - especially if it is better for you than the bland, blended wines which so often adorn supermarket shelves. I have long been a fan of Madiran wines, stocking wines from Chateau d'Aydie and the remarkable Domaine Berthoumieu. True, they are not to everyone's taste, and are more for sipping than glugging, more for rich food than by themselves.

But since the demise of ALLEZ VINS! and the it did appear that no-one was stocking this wines. I spoke to the Chateau who were very excited by the appearance of the book and Telegraph article, who put me in touch with their UK agents. "It's a difficult wine to sell" was their response (a perfectly justifiabl response under normal circumstances), and besides they do not hold stock. I tried another former wine merchant, who had discovered by chance that The Wine Society who have spotted the opportunity and now feature the 2003 Chateau d'Aydie and 3 exquisite (but expensive) wines from Alain Brumont at Chateau Montus! You have to join the society and delivery is free if you buy a case of 12 or more bottles.

Our favourite Madiran was always from Didier Barré at Domaine Berthoumieu - intense, concentrated, rich and smooth - available in the UK from Bertrand and Nicholas in Bourne End, Bucks - terrible website, but excellent selection of French wines.

For more on Chateau d'Aydie and its wines see www.frenchduck.co.uk
For more on Domaine Bertourmieu see www.frenchduck.co.uk

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Francophiles can indulge their passion and start building their dreams of holidays or living in France at the 2007 Vive la France Exhibition at Olympia in London from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 January 2007. This year's event claims to be 4 shows in 1 - French Food & Wine Show, French Lifestyle and Culture Show, French Travel & Tourism Show and the French Property Exhibition.
There's usually plenty to see, do and buy - plus you can get some info on where to go and how to get to France. Numerous french food and wine stands to visit with a Food Theatre, wine tastings, A "taste terrace" and places to eat genuine french food.
If you are planning to go it's cheaper to book in advance (£8.50) rather than pay on the day (£12)
For more info see www.vivelafrance.co.uk

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Christmas is apparently a little later in Menton (83 Var, Provence) on the French Riviera - as its Christmas market does not start until 16 December 2006, and then continues until 7 January 2007. There is an environmental theme this year to the celebrations, looking at conservation, safeguarding threatened species of animal, sea and plant life - centred around the town's Christmas Arch - sounds like a good place to be even with children. For more info see www.menton.fr

If you cannot make even this extended Christmas event, you could always wait until February and try the Menton Lemon Festival - "Fete du Citron". which runs from 17 February to 7 March 2007.Somehow this always sounds so tempting - the crisp acidity of lemons against a winter blue sky and the Mediterranean is conjured up for me. This is a celebration of lemons and other citrus fruit from around the world - and this year's "Guest of Honour" is India - it looks like France is getting a thing for India - Lille has centred it's Lille 3000 celebrations on the country and you'll find Elephants, Indian music, food and textiles adorning the city (see more....)
Back on the Riviera Menton will be showing off citrus fruits from all corners of the planet, with evening light shows, demonstrations, music all in the mild heady climate of the Cote d'Azur!
For more info see www.menton.fr

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A trip to the Loire Valley should brighten up a dull February. For the weekend of 24/25 February 2007 you can visit the Fete des Vins d'Anjou at Challonnes-sur-Loire (49 Maine-et-Loire, Val d'Anjou - see map) on the weekend of 24/25 February 2007.
This sounds much more fun than the Loire Valley Wine Fair in Angers at the end of January, which is a serious trade event.
But at Challonnes you will get the chance to tase wines from the 29 appellations of Anjou-Saumur (and no, I cannot list them all!) plus a wine exhibition; a wine tasting and a tour of the cellars;
an exhibition of agricultural and wine-growing equipment (wow!); "a wine brotherhoods parade complete with enthronements" (i.e. probably an excuse for rather portly men to dress up in silly garb to re-enact quasi-historical cermonial) and a contest to find the "Best Anjou Tasters"
The quality of Loire Valley wines has improved considerably in recent years, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the richness of many Cabernet Franc reds.

I'm not sure yet if our favourite Anjou winemaker - Antoine Leduc at Domaine Leduc-Frouin, (whose wines we used to import and which always impressed) will be there - but if not you could always make a little detour to visit the domaine. Two of his wines have recently been written up in "la Revue du Vin de France", the most serious of the French wine magazines. His red Anjou AC 2005 gets 17½/20,whilst the exceptional dessert wine Coteaux du Layon AC Nectar 2002 gets an impressive 19/20!

For more on Domaine Leduc-Frouin see www.leduc-frouin.com

For more info on the Anjou Wine Festival see www.fetedesvins-anjou.fr/

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So with his French Odyssey, Rick Stein hires a luxury barge to cruise the Canal du Midi and Canal Latéral à la Garonne whilst indulging in a few visits and doing a spot of cooking - and yet here is a cook and author who lives in South West France, writes and runs a cookery school - and who has sailed her own barge all the way from Holland through Belgium and France.
"Kate Hill is a gourmet chef who teaches cooking classes internationally and runs culinary tours on her 75-year-old Dutch barge in the Gascony region of France. Home chefs and armchair travellers alike will cherish this collection of tales along with 80 recipes from the heart and soul of Gascony. This book features full-colour and black-and-white photographs of the picturesque Gascony region and full-colour food photographs"

Furthermore she writes an interesting blog - Kate Hill's French Kitchen Adventures although not updated recently.

For more info see A Culinary Journey in Gascony: Recipes and Stories from My French Canal Boat

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Somehow you do not expect to find an aperitif being made in the middle of the Bordeaux vineyards - at Podensac (33 Gironde, Aquitaine - see map) - 30km south of the city centre in the middle of the Graves appellation.
Lillet is a blend of wines (85%) from one of the most prestigious wine-growing regions in the world - together with 15% fruit liqueurs. Like many french vermouths Lillet is flavoured with quinine (the bark of the cinchona from Peru. To this are added sweet, bitter and green oranges and orange peel. These are distilled into a fruit liqueur, then blended with the wine and matured in oak for 6-12 months.
Lillet has recently come back into fashion as one of the components of James Bond's favourite cocktail in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. 007 called it the Vesper (after the female lead character in the book and film) - a mix of gin, vodka and Lillet!!
There are both red and white versions of Lillet - the white based on Sauvignon and Semillon grapes, the red from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The white is more popular with aromas of mint, flowere and citrus fruit.
For more on Vermouths including Lillet see http://ukwinesonline.co.uk
For more info on Lillet see www.lillet.fr

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Much has been made recently of the great exchange rate with the US Dollar, but you have to do some serious maths to work out how much you might actually save after the lower prices, exchange rate, costs of flights and accommodation and any UK duty and VAT which may be levied.

By comparison popping over to France is rather more straightforward to calculate. www.travelex.co.uk are currently offering €1.41 for your pound with no commission charges. If you go to at Coquelles (near the EuroTunnel terminal) and in central Calais and pre-order £300 of wines you can get a free day return crossing on SeaFrance. Even better, their prices are displayed in £sterling and if you pay cash or cheque you will be charged in sterling - so no exchange rate to worry about - and you can make up your order online before you go - the store will prepare your order for collection and you save precious time in Calais for more shopping, dining etc.

You'll also notice a difference on petrol and especially on diesel prices, at supermarchés and hypermarkets - e.g. current prices per litre in Calais:-
Diesel (Gazole) €1.012 (71.8p per litre)
Unleaded (Sans Plomb 95) €1.169 (82.9p per litre)
Super Unleaded (Sans Plomb 98) €1.209 (85.7p per litre)

Diesel still makes a lot of sense in France with lower prices (as used to be the case in the UK) and generally better fuel economy - it can make quite a difference on a long journey from the Channel to southern France.

Simon Calder in the Independent has some ideas on shopping abroad for Christmas."Sunday trading laws in France mean that hypermarkets are normally closed, but a number of large stores in Calais have once again been granted special dispensation to open on specific dates this month.

Champion at the commercial centre Les 4 Boulevards will be open every Sunday this month, including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The Carrefour hypermarket at Cite de l'Europe will be open on 10, 17 and 24 December. And Auchan in Calais will open on 17, 24 and 31 December. " See the Independent for more

Posted by frenchduck at 7:00 AM | Permalink

Thanks to Andrew over at www.spittoon.biz I learn that Madiran is one of two wines which is rich in certain polyphenols which can protect your health.
Now I am a great fan of Madiran AC wines, but they can be a bit heavy and tannic for some tastes.It is certainly not a beginner's wine and is undoubtedly better with food than by itsslf. Like other rich wines, it is also one that is worth spending some money on - probably £8.00 per bottle upwards - cheaper versions are likely to be a bit thin, or a bit too young.
The wine region itself is centred on the small village of Madiran (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) and spreads over the adjacent undulating countryside of southern Gascony - north of Pau and the Pyrenees (see map)
Rainy winters and springs foster excellent growth, and the hot summers and warm, dry autumns are favorable for ripening the grapes. Madiran produces only red wines, and Tannat, whose name suggests its robust tannins, is its star variety. However, Cabernet Franc, and to a lesser extent Cabernet Sauvignon and Fer Servadou also play a role. Because of its tannic structure, Madiran wines must mature one year before qualifying for the AOC classification. They are robust solid reds, with strong aromas of black fruit and spices and toasty notes.

Good producers we can recommend include Domaine Berthoumieu, Chateau d'Aydie, Chateau Peyros, Chapelle l'Enclos

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Some of you may have seen in the press the supposed "mistake" which this UK wine merchant chain has committed by making available a 40% discount voucher available on the web. Although intended for suppliers, the voucher's availability is widely known and does not include any restrictions other than it is confined to wine and champagne up to a limit of £500. All you have to provide is your name and email address and use the voucher by 10 December 2006.
voucher download here - can be used at Threshers, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, Haddows and "the local"

I've not always been impressed with Threshers, but Bottoms Up tend to have a good selection of French wines

Posted by frenchduck at 8:32 AM | Permalink

Somehow I am accustomed to finding historic or spectacular sights classed as "Wolrd Heritage Sites" but the inclusion of a 200 mile stretch of the Loire Valley in Unesco's list is quite something - but then when you put together all the elements of geography, history architecture and culture you start to understand just how rich and treasured this area really is.
"The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments (the châteaux), and cultivated lands formed by many centuries of interaction between their population and the physical environment, primarily the river Loire itself." It features historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord." (see map)
Of course, this stretch is only a small proportion of the river's length - about 200 of the total length of over 600 milews from the Massif Central down to the Atlantic near Nantes - so does not include the wine regions of Sancerre or Muscadet.
However the area does include the better-known wine regions of Touraine, Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur and Anjou, a number of stunning chateaux, interesting towns and pleasant, if undramatic landscapes.
The Loire is France's 3rd largest wine region, 2nd largest producer of sparkling wines, and apparently, the number one region for wines ordered at restaurants in France!
For Brits of course, this is an ideal short-stay destination with numerous budget airlines serving the region (see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/flights.html) and now more accessible by ferry and car with the recent opening of the A28 and other autoroutes offering faster access from the Channel ports (see www.frenchduck.com)

For more info on the World Heritage Site see www.valdeloire.org/

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