A Cahors AC wine from 1985
There were just 7 wines on our first ALLEZ VINS! wine list in 1987, one of which was Cahors AC Chateau St Didier-Parnac 1985. So it was a surprise that some old friends of ours had discovered one of those very bottles in their cellar but also with some trepidation that I opened it. The label looked suitably aged, but to be fair to my friends they are not great wine buffs, and there was little likelihood that the bottle had been kept in the best of conditions for 20 years. The cork was inevitably a tad aged but did at least come out in one piece (very slowly) and the nose, whilst not powerful, was at least not pungent. The colour was surprisingly red rather than brown (a good sign) and careful decanting avoided the worst of the sediment.
The wine was perfectly drinkable, but somehow like visiting an ageing relative you've not seen for 20 years, it was a bit frail and lacking in some rounded robustness. The fruit character remained but the complexity and depth of the tannins was missing.
Now I have always claimed that Cahors wines improve with some ageing - but in truth it is not often that I get the chance to try something like this at that sort of age. Especially as this is not the Chateau's top cuvée (which at the time was the Prieuré de Cenac) although 1985 was a good year. So although I would not recommend keeping such a wine for 20 or more years, it does give some confidence to the recommendation that well-made Cahors should be good for 10-15 years from a decent vintage. Always check with your wine merchant or the chateau.
The other wines on our early list were a Vin de Pays des Coteaux du Quercy (now a VDQS from the area between Cahors and Montauban); a couple of Alsace wines from Emile Boeckel at Mittelbergheim and some Beaujolais from Paul Beaudet. Quite fascinating that the Languedoc did not feature for some years, whereas I would expect it to be amongst the early choices if we were to start again!
As for Chateau St Didier-Parnac, this was really where Allez Vins! started - as wines such as Cahors, Cotes de Duras, Coteaux du Quercy etc were seldom seen in the UK in the 1980s. The Rigal brothers owned this and other domaines in some of the best parts of the vineyard at Parnac, in the Lot Valley west of Cahors.
Since the 1970s, Franck and Jacques RIGAL have been building up the family business by concentrating on the 135 hectares (310 acres) of their three great châteaux: Prieuré de Cénac, Saint Didier Parnac and Grézels.
Their blend of 70% Malbec (also known locally as Auxerrois or Cot) and 30% Merlot with some barrel ageing produces a wine which retains it typicity whilst being quite approachable.
Now part of the huge JeanJean group since 2003, they remain one of the best Cahors producers.
In the UK Chateau St Didier-Parnac, Cahors AC (2003) is stocked by AVA wines in Northern Ireland (interesting, well-chosen list) and Whitebridge Wines (2001 vintage) in Staffordshire.
LINKS:-
Chateau Saint Didie-Parnac
RECOMMENDED READING:-
Paul Strang's Wines of South-west France
Stephanie Alexander's Cooking and Travelling in South-West France
Andrew Jefford's The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)
Avignon's Palais des Papes hosts a four-day exhibition dedicated to the rose from 16-20 May 2007. Subtitled "the roses you have never seen", thee show launches thirty new species of rose each year and there are conferences and exhibitions around the theme of the much-loved bloom. In the heart of Provence, Avignon (84 Vaucluse, Provence) is a vibrant historic city around the Pope's Palace (Palais des Papes). 
The village of Rocamadour (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) , about 35 miles north of Cahors and the Lot Valley, is well worth a visit at any time - a medieval village perched high on the hillside of a small valley, strung out on the face of a sheer cliff - historically a place of pilgrimage (and on one of the Pilgrim routes to St Jean-de-Compostela). Nowadays it is a major tourist attraction, which unfortunately can get hideously busy in the height of the summer.
Rocamadour has its own AOC cheese - Cabécou de Rocamadour , a 100% goat's cheese, made with whole raw milk.
With their usual flair for artistic extravagance, the French are launching a massive summer art exhibition along the 25 miles of the banks of the Loire estuary between Nantes and St Nazaire this summer. 
Continue on the D31 (ignore a right to Carpentras) but keep on through Monteux and Sarrians towards Vacqueyras. The D31 becomes the D21 which you need to follow through to Beaumes-de-Venise. Turn left(north) onto the D7 towards Vacqueyras, and on the outskirts of the village you will find on your left the Co-operative of Beaumes de Venise. It is admittedly not an inspiring sight, but it is a good place to get a sense of these wines, the prices are good and the staff are helpful. Beaumes-de-Venise is best known for its very delightful dessert wine made from Muscat, sometimes in a distinctive bottle shape. However, don't overlook the fact that Beaumes-de-Venise is one of the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages AC and produces some excellent reds and rosés as well. Opposite the winery you'll see the Dentelles de Montmirail - the jagged mountains which dominate this part of the Vaucluse as an extension of the Mont Ventoux range. "Beaume" apparently means grotto or cave. The "Venise" part of the name does not refer to Venice, but to the town Venasque (84 Vaucluse, Provence) which was previously the local capital of the area known as the Comtat Venaissin.
Montelimar (26 Drome, Rhone-Alpes) may be best known for its nougat, but every July it binges on Lavender with its Colours of Lavender Festival "Montélimar Couleur Lavande" - from 21-22 July 2007.
Up in the Alps, the village of Les Gets (74 Haute-Savoie Rhone-Alpes) has and a rather different event this summer (6-8 July 2007) with a festival of wood - very suitable as part of a European celebration of Mountain and Forest! Between Lake Geneva and Mont-Blanc, at the heart of the region known as Les Portes du Soleil, Les Gets (1172 m – 2002m) is both a winter and summer resort.
Le Havre is to my mind something of an eyesore - probably because I really do not like masses of concrete, which was all the vogue in the 1950s. Le Havre was devastated in the Second World War and was totally rebuilt by Auguste Perret, who was also responsible for another of my pet hates - the stark Tour Perret in Amiens, which to my view seriously detracts from a splendid Gothic Cathedral which should be the focal point of the skyline. But what do I know, as Perret's Le Havre is now designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site!!:-
The French Cafe
Brittany Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
Normandy Green Guide (Michelin Green Guides)
17 April 2007 sees yet another French cycle race as the season gets into its swing. This time it heads out west of Paris to the town of Vimoutiers (61 Orne, Normandy). The race is now known the "Paris-Camembert"m, as despite being a small and otherwise undistinguised village, the name of the cheese carries a bit more cachet than Vimoutiers. The race is sponsored by the Camembert dairy of Fromagerie Lepetit, as it has been for the last 64 years! The 200km circuit passes through delightful countryside with a couple of circuits around Vimoutiers - and does actually go through the village of Camembert a few kilometres to the southwest.
Along with the Brie, Camembert is probably the best known French cheese, and is similar in style being a soft cows milk cheese with a rind. Brie comes from the area south and east of Paris, whereas Camembert is from the west. It was created during the French Revolution in Normandy with its mild climate and lush pasture and those typical black and white cows! The invention of the wooden Camembert box in the 1890s made it easier to transport and handle, and being in smaller rounds than the tradtional Brie it is more often bought as a whole cheese. The traditional, full favoured Camembert can be made from pasteurised or unpasteurised milk (the latter thought to be richer in taste) and has a rich, buttery taste, and a characteristic lactic flavour. Choosing a perfect Camembert cheese is quite a skill - test for a slight springiness to the texture and a soft white mould on the rind. Inside it should be a creamy yellow with the centre just slightly ligher in colour and a little firmer. Best of all buy from a cheesemonger who knows his/her cheeses!
St Remy de Provence and Les Baux de Provence 
If you are a serious wine lover, then the city of Bordeaux is the place to be from 12-13 May 2007.
The slow food movement and the wines of the Coteaux du Languedoc come together in a celebration "the origins of taste" at Montpellier (34 Herault, LanguedocRoussillon) from 13-16 April 2007 
Last year we were asked to propose an outline for a short wine tour in the southern Rhône Valley. This is an area we know well and like - and it is a great area for a wine enthusiast, as the region offers a really good selection of wines from quite a small area, including stunning reds; some of the best rosés; dry, medium and dessert white wines. Plus there is plenty to offer besides wine - rich Provencal food (especially olives and olive oil) and markets, history, great landscapes and the source of inspiration for many artists.
Getting there is easy - just about 15 minutes from the futuristic Avignon TGV station (under 150 minutes from Paris on some services) - about 50 minutes from Marseilles Airport at Marignane, 30 minutes from Nimes, about 1.5 hours from Montpellier and only 2.5 hours from Nice 
by Hugh Johnson on the exciting developments in Rhone wines.
by Hubert Duijker
For 5 weeks this Autumn France hosts the Rugby World Cup Tournament, starting with the initial match on 7 September 2007 in Paris and ending with the Final on the Stade de France in Paris on 20 October.Teams from across the World will be competing, and they may be a little surprised to find that some of the early round matches are being played in Cardiff and Edinburgh!!
