France

Why French Millennials Don’t Drink Wine

Why French Millennials Don't Drink Wine. Photo Credit: Pexels.com When I was traveling in France for a month in 2008, I did some research on why younger French consumers were not adopting wine as much as French people did in previous generations. The results were rather surprising so I published them in an article in WineBusiness.com, with my co-researcher, Dr. Francois d'Hauteville, who was teaching at the University of Montpellier in Southern France. Recently I was contacted by a French student who is studying the same topic, because -- alas -- the issue is still current. Young people in France [...]

By |2023-03-20T12:30:01-07:00March 20, 2023|

The “Terroir Whisperer” at Domaine de Villaine in Bouzeron, Burgundy

(May 27, 2019) It was only a 45 minute drive from my hotel in Vougeot to the small village of Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise where I had a 10am appointment at Domaine de Villaine. I was greeted by winemaker, Pierre de Villaine, a slim man with a goatee and calm grey eyes. Even since tasting his Aligote several years ago in Beaune, I have been wanting to meet him, because he has an intriguing reputation of being a “terroir whisperer,” with strong beliefs in the benefits of organic and biodynamic farming, as well as the use of numerology to [...]

By |2021-01-22T22:24:00-08:00June 1, 2019|

Attending the Hospices de Beaune Auction and La Paulee

(November 2016) During the third week of November, Burgundy breaks into a non-stop party mood as visitors from around the world flock to the small town of Beaune to participate in a 4 day wine-tasting feast. This is all centered on the oldest wine auction in the world – the Hospices de Beaune Auction where the proceeds go to medical charities. The Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy, France I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to attend the auction as a member of the press. See article I published HERE, and was very impressed with the magnificence [...]

By |2021-01-23T12:37:23-08:00May 24, 2017|

Working Harvest in Burgundy

Originally published in the Huffington Post as How Harvest in Burgundy is Different. (Fall 2016) Even with ten years of harvest experience under my belt from stints in Napa, Australia, and my own small vineyard in Sonoma, I was still not prepared for how different harvest time is in Burgundy. While working there this past autumn, I encountered some very unique differences, with Polish pickers, pick-up truck parties, and hovering helicopters, as just a few of the unusual occurrences. WORKERS HARVESTING GRAPES IN BURGUNDY. PHOTO CREDIT: L. THACH Since I moved to Burgundy at the beginning of September, it was [...]

By |2021-01-23T13:01:18-08:00May 19, 2017|

How to go Winetasting in Burgundy – 6 Tips for Wine Tourists

Due to its long history as a top growing wine region for chardonnay and pinot noir, Burgundy is obviously a place where many tourists want to go winetasting. However, unlike many New World wine locations, such as Napa and Sonoma, it is not always possible to drop by a winery to taste wine without an appointment. There are some exceptions, with more domains opening cellar door operations in the past several years, but in general, it is necessary to do some advance planning. Wine Tasting at Chateau Mersault According to the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB), there are 3890 [...]

By |2021-01-23T13:01:52-08:00May 1, 2017|

Three Months in Burgundy

(Autumn 2016) The opportunity to live in France for three months was a dream come true – part of a bucket list item I’ve had for years as something I would do “someday”. However someday came much sooner than expected after a doctor told me I only had one year left to live. Five days later another doctor told me it was a misdiagnosis, but during those five days – which were some of the longest of my life – my husband and I had deep talks about how we would spend that last year together. Beautiful Vineyards of [...]

By |2021-01-23T13:05:19-08:00April 9, 2017|

The Route of the Cathars & Wines of Limoux and Maury, France

June 2012 – Before leaving the US, I read several articles on the Cathars and their unusual and tragic history in the Languedoc-Roussillon area of France. Therefore, I was anxious to visit some of their territory, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Route of the Cathars coincided with my planned visits to the wine towns of Limoux and Maury. (Wine was introduced into this region in 600 B.C. by the Phoenicians and Greeks.) Lonely Region of France -Route of the Cathars The Cathars were an usual sect of Christians who were vegetarians and believed in reincarnation. [...]

By |2021-01-23T13:07:07-08:00March 17, 2017|

Alsace – One of the Most Beautiful Wine Regions of France

(Oct. 2016) Though there are other more famous wine regions in France, it is hard to dispute that Alsace is one of the most beautiful. With the vineyards flowing down steep hillsides to nestle against storybook villages filled with cobble stone streets, candy colored houses with bright flower boxes, and giant white storks nesting on rooftops, it seems as if the region is part of a fairytale. Wine Village in Alsace The wines are also exquisite, with a focus on dry, semi-sweet, and dessert styles made primarily from riesling, pinot gris, muscat, and gewürztraminer. There is even a large cremant [...]

By |2021-01-23T13:29:14-08:00October 30, 2016|

Hidden Wineries in the Steep Hills Above Nice – Visit to Chateau Bellet de Cremant in Bellet AOC

Zia at Chateau Bellet (Summer 2014) Another afternoon during our two week stay in Nice to attend a French language school, we visited Chateau Bellet de Cremant in the steep hills above Nice. It was actually only a 10 minute drive from our gite that we rented in the hills, and is about 20 minutes from downtown Nice. The Bellet AOC is the second smallest in France, after Chateau Grillet in the Northern Rhone. Bellot includes only 70 hectares of vineyards and 10 domaines (wineries). They do not advertise and there is no tourist office with maps to help you [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:03:09-08:00March 17, 2015|

A Magical Day in Provence with Visit to Maison des Vins de Provence in Les Arcs

The Beauty of Provence Roses (Summer 2014) During our two week visit to Provence with French language classes every morning in Nice, we managed to slip away one afternoon to visit Maison des Vins de Provence. It was about a 50 minute drive from Nice and easily accessible from the freeway, where we exited at the town of Les Arcs. A large sign signals the entrance to a cluster of buildings, which include the welcome center and tasting room, a wine shop, restaurant and the administration buildings for the Maison des Vins de Provence. There is ample free parking in [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:03:38-08:00March 9, 2015|

Last Night in Paris and a Video Highlighting Our Adventures

Our Group in Paris (May 23 & 24, 2014) The next morning we boarded the bus for the 3.5 hour drive from Beaune to Paris, stopping once along the way at another large French gas station to grabs some snacks.  We arrived back at the Mercure in Paris around 1pm, and everyone was happy to be back in a modern hotel with working wifi. The afternoon was free time, so some people opted to take a nap, whereas others took the metro to Versailles, the Louvre, and many other Paris locals.  It was our last night in Paris, and everyone [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:04:28-08:00January 26, 2015|

Visiting Romanee Conti and La Tache Vineyards With a Stop at Clos de Vougeot Wine Museum

Clos de Vougeot (May 22, 2014) – Our last appointment of the day was at 4:30 at Clos de Vougeot, the ancient wine farm of the Cistercian monks who studied the soils of Burgundy and recognized the unique terroirs that could be found just a few meters apart.  It was their early work that helped to determine the Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards of the area. The sky was darkening with threatening rain clouds as we approached, making the medieval structure look even more forbidding. We entered and toured the old cellars and everyone was amazed at the three ancient wooden [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:05:36-08:00January 10, 2015|

Celebrating Chardonnay in Cote de Beaune – Meursault, Montrachet & Santenany

Our Group in Meursault at Caves Ropiteau Freres (Wed., May 21, 2014) The remainder of the day was dedicated to exploring the homeland of Chardonnay, so we headed south out of Beaune to the famous villages of Meursault, Puligny Montrachet and Chassange Montrachet. The first stop was lunch in Meursault where everyone came to realize that you can’t rush a meal in France. So though we were a little late for our next appointment, we managed to make up time later. After lunch we had an appointment at Caves Ropiteau Frères at 2pm where we met with winemaker, Nicholas, who provided a [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:06:27-08:00January 6, 2015|

Warm Welcome to Burgundy by the BIVB and Domaine du Clos Frantin

Hospice de Beaune in Burgundy (May 21, 2014) – We awoke to a warm day in the low 80’s with partially cloudy skies, and were made to feel very welcome in Burgundy by a presentation provided by the BIVB.  They actually came to our hotel and provided an excellent slide show describing the special terroir and AOC’s of the region. Wine Tasting with Christophe at Domaine du Clos Frantin Next we boarded the bus and drove to Nuits St. George for a cellar tour and tasting at the Domaine du Clos Frantin.This is one of several estates owned by Maison Albert Bichot.  [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:06:50-08:00January 5, 2015|

Wine Tasting at Chateau Chenonceau and Chablisenne

The Loire River We spent the night in the small town of Amboise with its ancient castle, pedestrian walkways, rose covered houses, and colorful cafes all nestled along side the Loire River. The next day we drove the short distance to Chateau Chenonceau, the famous castle that spans the River Cher and was the home of both Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici.  We had 1.5 hours to tour the castle and magnificent gardens, and though it was raining a bit, it was still an enchanted place. Chateau Chenonceau At 10:30 we all met in the wine cellar for [...]

By |2021-01-23T15:07:12-08:00January 1, 2015|
Go to Top