Gaillac is an historic wine producing region located just northeast of Toulouse, in South West France It is one of France's oldest viticultural areas established in Roman times or even earlier and still produces a wide variety of wines today The region is best known for its richly colored, spice-scented red wines, which were historically used to beef up light-bodied Bordeaux the red wines of Gaillac can offer excellent value for money and many are of very high quality indeed There is clear interest in the diverse local whites too which come in various sweet and dry styles Sweet styles are covered by the "doux" (sweet) and "vendanges tardives" (late harvest) monikers The former can also cross over into the sparkling Méthode Ancenstrale wines Indeed, there are two kinds of sparkling wine made here, which quite possibly pre-date those of Champagne accounting for around 20 percent of white wine production it is not a style sanctioned in the appellation laws A small quantity of rosé is also made in the area, although this rarely attracts as much attention as the other wines. The appellation also allows for a "Primeur" title on labels to denote young white or red wines – the latter specifically made from carbonically macerated Gamay The primary grape varieties used for Gaillac's red and rosé wines are Duras, Fer (also known as Fer Servadou, Braucal or Brocol) and Syrah Any red wine must contain at least two of these varieties and any of the three must make up at least half of any red wine With Gaillac's historical links to the west of France, it is not surprising that the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are also permitted for use Gamay is also permitted, as is Prunelard Noir (a local variety once thought extinct and a parent of Malbec) in a minor role (no more than 10 percent plantings are allow in the vineyard) which are made solely from Gamay and marketed in a similar way to Beaujolais Nouveau – this accounts for around seven percent of red wine production The main varieties used to make Gaillac's various white wines are Len de l'El, Mauzac, the pink-skinned Mauzac Rosé, and Muscadelle Any one of these must make up at least half of a white blend and any white wine from the appellation must contain at least one of these varieties Secondary varieties allowed in the Gaillac appellation include Ondenc (a long-established but long-forgotten local grape making a steady comeback) and Sauvignon Blanc which is also gaining popularity here The sparkling Gaillac Méthode Ancestrale wines are made exclusively from Mauzac late harvest "vendanges tardives" wines typically rely on Len de l'El and Ondenc Occupying the northwestern third of the Tarn administrative department, the official Gaillac viticultural area covers 64 communes radiating for roughly 20km (12 miles) from the town of Gaillac (from which the appellation takes its name) on the Tarn river A further nine communes within the appellation lie on the other side of the town of Albi on the eastern edge of the main winegrowing area The Tarn River effectively bisects these 73 communes on its southwesterly course between Bellegarde-Marcel (13km/eight miles east of Albi) and Saint Sulpice-la-Pointe on the departmental border with the Haute-Garonne (23km/14 miles southwest of Gaillac). After passing through Saint Sulpice-la-Pointe, the river turns to the northwest and soon forms the eastern limit of Gaillac’s western neighbor Fronton The Tarn once played a vital role in Gaillac’s fortunes; 70km (45 miles) west of Gaillac town The latter ultimately connects Gaillac with the port of Bordeaux and the export markets beyond The phylloxera outbreak of the 19th Century led to a significant decline in Gaillac's vine plantings but they are now finally regaining momentum Land here is much cheaper than in other French wine centers and that fact combined with the region's viticultural history means that Gaillac is now seeing increased outside investment Gaillac's viticultural history dates back to the first Century BCE when it was one of the first regions beyond the Mediterranean Basin in France to be planted with grapes by the Romans Further supplementing wine production here providing the newly-established viticultural region with amphorae and wine vases Although pillaged by the barbarian waves of post-Roman era viticulture was rekindled by the church and vineyards were re-established and flourishing in the late 800s According to local viticultural historian Jean-Laurent Riol in 920 mention is made of a gift of "crus" of Gaillac vineyards by Archdeacon Bernassert to the clergy of Albi Viticulture is upheld by the Benedictine order which establishes the Saint-Michel abbey in Gaillac the building is now the site of the Maison des Vins de Gaillac (sold off in the French Revolution the site of the region's cooperative winery) Gaillac wines establish a reputation abroad – particularly in the Netherlands and England – and become known as "les vins du coq" (wines of the cockerel) after the cockerel stamp branded on barrels leaving the region for the port of Bordeaux and markets beyond The cockerel is still found on the coat of arms of Gaillac town Wars with the Netherlands and England in the 14th and 15th Centuries see foreign troops sack the vineyards (with the English crown retaining a claim on the wider Aquitaine region at this time) although production resumes and by the 17th Century production is evenly divided between white and red wines Riol notes that in this period, much white is produced as sweet, Botrytis-affected wine, similar to Sauternes in style much of the vineyard area is replanted to Mauzac Although local court rulings legally establish the status of "Vin de Gaillac" in 1922 the Gaillac appellation is officially founded in 1938 Today, vineyards in Gaillac appellation account for 3150 hectares (7780 acres) with 120 producers, two cooperative cellars and a single négociant operation White and sparkling wines account for roughly one third of production with two-thirds given over to red and rosé The central part of the Gaillac viticultural area produces dry whites of particular quality from its limestone-rich vineyards on the right (north) bank of the Tarn. These are sold under a separate appellation, Gaillac Premières Côtes This was created at the same time as the main AOC Areas like Bordeaux and Burgundy have not always produced France's most luxurious wines Andrew Jefford decodes the Gaillac puzzle.. You can’t call many wine regions ‘enigmatic’ – but Gaillac fits the bill which gouges its course through the Cévennes limestones from its source on Mont Lozère the hills open up and the river becomes navigable – all the way this was one of the two Grands Crus of Roman Gaul (The other comprised the vineyards around Vienne it was a millennium ahead of Burgundy and 1500 years ahead of much of Bordeaux Remember that the Romans came from the south and that they favoured hill sites (no use for grain production) for their vines Once the legionnaires had marched over the Cévennes Gaillac offered the first suitable hillside land with the evident transport advantages for colonists and garrisons further north that the river provided (Bordeaux’s first Roman settlers drank Gaillac.)  It was also a crossroads for the paths and roads which ran from east to west across Gaul; there were wild vines in the local forest of Grésigne Archeologists have discovered a large Roman-era pottery for creating amphorae at Montans just downriver from Gaillac The French historical geographer Roger Dion speculated that Gaillac might have marked the northerly limits of viticulture (most vineyards in Roman Gaul We don’t know exactly how good the wine was in Roman times – but it was certainly sought-after in the Middle Ages and beyond The Benedictine monks of the Abbaye St Michel in Gaillac created a set of appellation-like rules for its production which they wouldn’t have done had there been no reputation to protect (it included the singular one that the vines could only be manured with pigeon droppings which is why the area is still full of majestic stone dovecotes) what is probably the wine world’s first brand – Vins du Coq – was created for Gaillac and given official recognition in the early C16 Moreover at that latter century’s greatest ‘summit’ – the meeting between Francois I of France and Henry VIII of England in 1520 known as The Field of the Cloth of Gold – the young French king gave his still-dashing English counterpart 50 barrels of Gaillac First of all came the ‘privilege of Bordeaux’ which shut off export markets for Gaillac and other upland areas of the Garonne and Dordogne basins; then the vine-killing winter of 1709; and finally phylloxera Gaillac’s vineyards today occupy  one-twentieth of their former size There’s more enigma when you ask what might be Gaillac’s representative wine style There are so many answers to both questions that one of Gaillac’s vanguard producers considers Gaillac’s leading quality to be sheer adaptability “The soils and climate aren’t a limiting factor for us around 60 per cent of Gaillac’s annual production of 155,000 hl a year is red wine and around seven per cent of that is a Primeur wine based on Gamay as well as another local speciality called Perlé a slightly sparkling speciality of the dominant local co-operative at Labastide de Lévis; and there’s a Méthode Ancienne sparkler The grape varieties are a complicated mix of indigenous varieties and French staples are what gives Gaillac its uniqueness: they include the white Len de l’El (locally believed to be a descendant of the wild vines of the forest) Braucol (the local name for Fer Servadou) and Prunelard (one of Malbec’s parents) There is much talk of beginning to exclude some of the ‘staples’ from the appellation in order to give Gaillac more personality and individuality but the question is far from straightforward since the staples can help fill out blends very effectively there are two main and two subsidiary zones The clay-limestone hills of the Rive Droite (the ‘right bank’) is probably the best area of all; indeed it contains the little-seen subsidiary appellation of Premières Côtes de Gaillac for white wines only (just 8 ha planted for this AOP) The Rive Gauche (‘left bank) is a lower lying zone with alluvial or clay soils The Plateau Cordais (around Cordes-sur-Ciel to the north) is limestone-soiled and higher sited while the schist-soiled Noyau de Cunac lies much further upriver Gaillac is open to many influences – the mountains to the east the Mediterranean to the south and the Atlantic to the west – and this may be the principal key to its adaptability “We get our weather from different directions,” says Margaret Reckett who recently began a new life as a Gaillac wine-grower at Clos Rocailleux on the Plateau Cordais “You get a very pronounced vintage effect.”  Jack feels the best description is “like Bordeaux The south-easterly Autan wind is as much a feature of the Gaillac climate as the Mistral is of the southern Rhône – but in this case Having briefly visited the region last autumn and spent most of a day tasting recently it’s clear that standards vary greatly in this appellation; some wines are weak though are genuinely fascinating and unique even though production is slanted in the other direction; it is in the whites that the subtlety delicacy and grace of Gaillac is most clearly on view They sometimes remind me of the best Italian whites in their supportive gastronomic discretion – almost as if the long-departed Romans had left a plump little Bacchus or two tucked away in the region to guide the spirit of the place Sparkling wines can work well here (I’m a fan of the teasing The Mauzac of Gaillac makes a fascinating contrast to that of Limoux: it’s a little softer and less pungently appley freshened with some lively finishing bitter notes even though they’re sometimes picked well into October It’s almost as if they look up towards the mountains that the indigenous varieties have most to say for themselves: the region owes a lot to pioneers like Robert Plageoles for helping to salvage these A small selection of tasting notes is given below – and I begin with the Balaran family’s identically labelled made with the key local indigenous varieties make a useful introduction to Gaillac if you’re interested in what the French call cépages modestes owing to the exigencies of the appellation rules.) This is the white variety which tastes most like it came lurching out of the forest just a century or two ago: leafy bitter-edged grapefruit and rose flavours and a little closing asperity limpid rendition of white Mauzac (see below for a fine-dining version from Aurélie Balaran’s l’Enclos des Rozes): sweet orchard scents and poised less overt white wine than the Mauzac or the Ondenc leafy aromas with a faint hint of honeysuckle to them Everything is very soft and supple in this white Smooth and bright with lots of primary cherry on the nose but once in the mouth that cherry disappears and this red wine is more bitter-edged with a sappy-earthy finish: a typical South-Westerner in lively A touch of reduction quickly clears to make way for a blast of blackcurrant and sloe too: a vibrant draught of black-fruit flavours with forest-like wildness and cleansing bitterness on the finish If you had to pick the red of the trio with most potential which has deeper plum-sloe fruits than its two peers; a touch of tar sap and copse in its aromatic spectrum; and more of a sense of completeness to it than the Braucol or the Duras A pure Mauzac sparkler with 17 g/l residual sugar and just 10% grape-skin-pungent and with some finishing bitter-fresh notes which contrive to cover the sugars almost completely Hard not to finish the bottle as quickly as you’d polish off a beer The David family’s property is an enormous one its quenching acidity and vinous finishing turn is uncomplicatedly delicious This is mostly Len de l’El (with around 20 per cent Mauzac) It’s softly leafy with a touch of sweetness secondary flavours which combine freshness This pure Mauzac is fermented in demi-muids (of which around 30 per cent are new): classy softly creamy aromas and a softly appley flavour with lots of peel and perfume for the fine value Petit Enclos white — a blend of Mauzac and Ondenc — and an elegant and bracing Méthode Traditionnelle Rosé made from directly pressed Duras alone This late-harvest wine is made from a blend of botrytis-affected Sauvignon and raisined Mauzac peach and pineapple scents and flavours in a lush and luscious sweet white of frank sweetness balanced by comely but un-prominent acidity and a botrytis tang Len de l’El and Ondenc come together in this dessert wine made from indigenous varieties only sinewy and intense despite its amplitude and richness with much more of an apricot stamp to it than for the wine above Laurent and Fabien Caussé have crafted another supple delicately phrased Mauzac which has clearly benefited from its barrel fermentation and bâtonnage .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Ken Ross | kross@repub.comMany people know France's famous wine regions on a first name basis Bordeaux Burgundy (Let me add you can read about all three wine regions listed above in several where I recently spent four days tasting wines and interviewing iconic wine makers in Nuits-Saint Georges But there are so many other places in this country roughly the size of Texas that make amazing wine But don't stop there. Dig deeper and there's an endless array of lesser-known wine regions, especially in the southwest corner of France Cahors home to some of the oldest vineyards in this less-traveled part of the country "Our mission is to give the best that nature can give to us," said Alain Cazottes a 7th generation winemaker in Gaillac at Domaine des Terrisses "When we have beautiful grapes in our cellar that's the most beautiful thing," Cazottes added So what makes the wines from Gaillac so good Part of it has to do with the weather in Gaillac Mediterranean air and Bordeaux's ocean climate a bar in New York City that sells several Gaillac wines "There is an influence of the Atlantic (Ocean) and the Mediterranean that you don't find anywhere," Compeyre said "Our most important secret is make beautiful grapes," Cazottes said "We are proud of our soil," which includes a complex blend of clay French people have known about the Gaillac region for a long time But not many people outside of France have heard of Gaillac - until now "It's a wine region people are starting to talk about a little more outside the borders," said Andre Compeyre Another advantage of Gaillac wines - they're relatively inexpensive (often under $20 a bottle) and can be enjoyed relatively soon after they're bottled "The Gaillac is very special," Compeyre added Part of what makes the wines from here unique involves their "complexity," "long history" and the blending of several grapes to make a single wine "It's a very distinct wine," Compeyre added "Our mission is to give the best that nature can give us," he said a 6th generation winemaker from Gaillac at Domaine du Moulin sees the job of the winemaker as being similar to a great chef "I'm a chef in the vineyard and in the soil," he said a winemaker in Gaillac can only do so much It's up to the grapes and nature that decide what type of wine they can make there His work in the cellar accounts for maybe 1 to 2 percent of what the wine tastes like But Hirissou takes such work very seriously you will know who I am," Hirissou said primary wine growing regions along both sides of the Tarn River in the Gaillac Valley You can find almost any type of wine in the Gaillac Region red wines from Gaillac made with a wide array of grapes (NOTE: Open the wines about two hours before drinking to enjoy them at their peak.) bright red wine has a fascinating taste - a blend fruity and flinty flavors I especially enjoyed the way the wine smoothed out two hours later and took on a velvety smooth aftertaste with notes of plums and raspberries Would recommend this enjoyable wine for people who prefer their red wines slightly on the lighter side 2014 Domaine la Croix des Marchands Tradition TASTING NOTES - Talk about a wine that changes over time this wine has a slight bite and a bitter aftertaste soon after opening the bottle But give this wine just 10 minutes and its softer side starts to emerge It's fantastic peppery notes contain a complex blend of blackberries and hay (yes TASTING NOTES - Don't let this wine's goofy name fool you robust red wine from Domaine Plageoles is the real deal full-bodied wine exhibits a wide arrange of fleshy velvety quality surprising for wine so young 2016 L'Oree Du Domaine Des Terrisses Duras It's ripe flavors express themselves right away straight out of the bottle But like several of the wines reviewed above give this wine two hours and watch the magic really start to happen Notes of fennel and licorice also appear in the background of this terrific example of another outstanding red wine from Gaillac (Next Week - Great wines from Bordeaux for under $20.) Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican's weekend section every Thursday Follow Ken Ross on Twitter Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices \n m_gallery = \"wine_press_nov_27\";\n m_gallery_id = \"23822984\";\n m_gallery_title = \"Wine Press Nov 27\";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"1813\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Monday 7:37 AM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.masslive.com/1813/gallery/wine_press_nov_27/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.masslive.com/photogallery/1813/23822984.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n In Feature Articles by Richard CharkinAugust 4 Richard Charkin finds mostly resilience and ringing cash registers in the provinces this summer in southern France’s Tarn department in the Occitanie region Image – Getty iStockphoto: Martin Burguillo Editor’s note: As Publishing Perspectives readers will remember, Richard Charkin decamps London in August for a farmhouse in southwestern France. We’ve asked our man in the Tarn to look around while he’s there at local bookselling and to survey the condition of provincial French book retail amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.—Porter Anderson By Richard Charkin | @RCharkin I wanted to ask the owner of this tiny but beautiful shop how damaging had been the lack of tourists Before and during the pandemic: Le Temps de Lire (Time to Read) was a ‘tiny but beautiful’ bookshop in Puycelsi The shop has become ‘Atelier Aloussa.’ Images: Richard Charkin The owner confided that she’d make more money selling tapenade and olives but she said that books were doing okay in spite of everything Onward then to a typical French independent bookstore in Gaillac and their terrific receptionist and bookseller Angelique at Gaillac’s Librairie @ttitude ‘Reading Seriously Hurts Ignorance.’ Image: Richard Charkin Librairie @ttitude is a small chain—for those in London It has a total commitment to the local clientele The exterior of Gaillac’s Librairie @ttitude The stores in the @ttiude chain were shut down along with all other bookshops in France during the first lockdown in 2020. But the French government in its wisdom declared bookshops an essential service allowing them to reopen and operate as usual subject to normal social distancing and mask-wearing—both of which are assiduously observed but not restrictive This shop and its sisters in other towns are thriving enjoying and all kinds of literature—the ubiquitous BDs (bandes dessinées for children and adults); the Prix Goncourt winners or wannabe winners; mass-market paperback fiction; how-to guides; travel But not an English-language title to be seen They’ve initiated “le click and collect,” online direct delivery and the shops claim to be damaged neither by Amazon nor the supermarkets this picture of a small section of Gaillac’s local Leclerc supermarket tells another story: shelf upon shelf of paperbacks and bestselling hardbacks with three-for-two offers on books more than three years old to circumvent the fixed-price law Inside Gaillac’s Leclerc supermarket While supermarkets in the UK have become less of a threat to independent bookshops as they seem to have lost interest in anything but Top 10 paperbacks it seems that in France they’re still major competitors across the board An English-language shop in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val Hunting for an English-language bookshop took me to The English Bookshop in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val it was disappointingly closed during normal working hours but without many tourists you can understand why the owners may have decided to take things easy But an optimistic outlook and resilience were on display at this lovely independent store, La Femme Renard in Montauban Outside and inside Montauban’s La Femme Renard Notice the directional arrows on the floor inside There is some sort of free library service in every town and village I visited and have been doing great “business” throughout the pandemic This is a cherished service according to everyone I asked including the well-masked receptionists at this one in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val At the médiathèque in Saint-Antonin-Noble Val What have I learned from this light and informal tour of provincial book outlets in southwest France Retail price maintenance is revered and used to explain the relatively low market share enjoyed by Amazon and the health and vitality of the independent bookshop sector—as Evelyn Waugh wrote in Scoop Independents can thrive without retail price maintenance the French authorities seem to have devised a system which allows a degree of flexibility without abandoning the central fixed-price concept—with discounting allowed three years after the original registration of a title and five percent discount allowed on new books as well as restrictions on discounting of imported books And it’s hard to argue with such a thriving book ecosystem in spite of my Anglo-Saxon prejudice against commercial regulation But perhaps the most impressive aspect is that the French book trade operates within a national and governmental recognition of the importance of book availability and literacy for cultural How I wish I could say the same about the United Kingdom and other governments Did the UK or United States declare bookshops to be essential Did the UK adequately fund the public library sector Did the UK include books in its overseas aid funding Mensch Publishing’s summer headquarters in France Join us monthly for Richard Charkin’s latest column. More coverage of his work from Publishing Perspectives is here and more from us on the French market is here More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here Richard Charkin is a former president of the International Publishers Association and the United Kingdom’s Publishers Association he was executive director of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc He has held many senior posts at major publishing houses He is a former president of the Book Society and non-executive director of the Institute of Physics Publishing He is currently a board member of Bloomsbury China’s Beijing joint venture with China Youth Press a member of the international advisory board of Frankfurter Buchmesse and is a senior adviser to nkoda.com and Shimmr AI He is a non-executive director of Liverpool University Press He lectures on the publishing courses at London College of Communications Charkin has an MA in natural sciences from Trinity College Cambridge; was a supernumerary fellow of Green College Oxford; attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School; and is a visiting professor at the University of the Arts London of ‘My Back Pages; An Undeniably Personal History of Publishing 1972-2022.’ In the June 2024 King's Birthday Honors Charkin was made a member of the Order of the British Empire for his "services to publishing and literature." How can you be objective about wine when personal taste accounts for so much One thing is still sure: you get what you pay for “Why don’t you write a column about really bad wines?” my neighbour Adam asked “Because I have limited space and reckon readers find it more useful to know what’s worth buying The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. and it’s a subject that comes under periodic discussion among wine writers Why don’t we include adverse reviews more often even though it’s a given that not everyone can get to the restaurant in question Theoretically everyone can get hold of a wine I write about though that may be a bit of a struggle right now The thing is, personal taste comes into play with wine, and perceptions differ. The reason Adam asked about bad wine was because he’d just bought a bottle from the Co-op – its 2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico (£6 I tasted it and thought it pretty decent myself: a typically neutral Italian white that doesn’t stand out in a line-up or even make particularly thrilling drinking on its own What you think of a wine depends where you’re coming from and your tolerance of sweetness and acidity. If you’re sensitive to the latter, you may find wines such as picpoul and pinot grigio too sharp. If you don’t have a sweet tooth (as I don’t), you may find an appassimento red overly rich and cloying And if you’re used to conventionally made wines you’ll probably find natural wines weird and funky Like your reds light and fresh and served cool (see the Gaillac in today’s panel) some wines are just not very well made : as with chefs winemakers can be good or bad at their jobs Wines can also suffer from the conditions they’ve been kept in (under hot shop lights for example) or the fact that they’ve simply been kept too long: bin ends are bin ends for a reason though I have to say the Isla Negra Merlot I bought the other day in my local Tesco Metro showed remarkably good merlot character for £5.25 and was a much better buy than the weedy and unpleasantly sharp Wine Route Merlot that was part of the same store’s “meal deal” Is This It Hungarian white with a dash of fashionable grüner veltliner to add a bit of pep Taste the Difference Gaillac Rouge 2017 £8 Sainsbury’s made mainly from the local braucol grape with some syrah Should appeal if you like lighter reds such as those from Beaujolais and the Loire Tibaldi Roero Arneis 2018 £14.50 Tanners If it’s quality rather than quantity you’re after Piedmontese white that I greatly enjoyed with some Middle Eastern-style cauliflower fritters the other day It would be good with all kinds of seafood Kumala Eternal 2019 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon Pinotage full-bodied and well-rounded wine” described on the back label that I’m tempted to invoke the Trade Descriptions Act rather than fruity; and unpleasantly sharp Dino Trebbiano Pinot Grigio 2018 £6.50 Tesco The kind of wine that gives pinot grigio a bad name: tired and flabby For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com The Republic of Albania is a small country which borders the eastern side of the southern Adriatic Sea and looks towards Puglia It has one of the oldest winemaking histories in the world landlocked country at the southern end of the Eurasian Caucasus – the mountainous region between Europe and Asia Austria is enjoying a renaissance as a modern wine producing nation Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are the flag bearers Azerbaijan is a small country located in the Eurasian Caucasus As in neighboring Georgia winemaking here appears to date back thousands of years Better known for its vodka and grain spirit-based production than wine Belarus is a landlocked country in the north of Eastern Europe Belgium is better known for its traditional abbey-brewed beers than its wines but this small northern European country does produce a small quantity of wine each vintage Bosnia-Herzegovina is a country in the east of southern Europe also referred to as Bosnia and Herzegovina It does not produce a significant quantity of wine although it does have a few thousand acres of productive vineyards Bulgaria has a long history of viticulture and its modern wine industry is introducing regions The Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov dating back at least to the classical Greek period Croatia has been making wine for well over two thousand years the last three decades have seen a steady rise in quality The Mediterranean island of Cyprus lies 50 miles off the coast of Turkey In wine terms it is best known for the dessert wine Commandaria a wider range of styles and grape varieties are coming to the fore the western half of the former Czechoslovakia is better known for its beer than its wine though the latter is also produced in reasonable quantities Denmark is one of the three northern European countries which make up Scandinavia The brewing of beer dominates production of alcoholic beverages Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of northern Europe far north of the latitudes in which grapes can reliably ripen and the nation is better known for its beers and vodkas Finland is a northern European country located on the eastern side of the Scandinavian Peninsular The majority of alcoholic beverages produced in Finland are beers and spirits distilled from grain France is arguably the wine world's most important country and home to famed regions such as Bordeaux For centuries it has produced wine in a wide variety of styles in greater quantity than any other country Georgia is one of the world’s oldest winemaking countries The red grape Saperavi and the white grape Rkatsiteli are the key varieties grown here Germany's best Rieslings are some of the greatest whites in the world while fine wines are also made from a number of other red and white grape varieties Beer brewing is also a key part of the culture here Greece has been home to a winemaking industry for at least three thousand years Nowadays it combines tradition with modernity using both native and international grape varieties Hungary's wine industry is best known for Tokaj and Bull's Blood But its wine portfolio is much broader in terms of wine styles Iceland is an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean located around 900 kilometers (550 miles) north of Scotland's Orkney Islands There is little chance of successful viticulture being carried out on the volcanic island Ireland is an island off the west coast of Britain The following description majors on the beverages produced in the Republic of Ireland It has a rich and diverse wine heritage and a bewildering diversity of both grape varieties and wine styles Kosovo is a region of south-eastern Europe once an autonomous province within the former Yugoslavia Kosovo had a substantial acreage of productive wine-bearing vineyards Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe The country once held the Guinness World Record as the world's most northerly commercial open-air vineyard known as Vina kalns ('wine hill') Liechtenstein is a tiny country hidden away among the Alps the country's most noteworthy vineyard is terraced into a rocky outcrop topped by the 1000-year-old Schloss Gutenberg Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe between Belarus and the Baltic Sea bordered by Latvia to the north and Poland to the south The country's best known alcoholic produce is its vodka Luxembourg (officially the 'Grand Duchy of Luxembourg') is a small nation in northern Europe covering just over 2,500 square kilometers (960sq miles) Only 1 percent of this is given over to viticulture Malta is a small island (25 miles / 40m long) in the central Mediterranean Ocean just 80km (50 miles) south of Sicily Viniculture here dates back to the early 16th Century when the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem arrived on the island bringing with them centuries of winemaking tradition Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe and one of several former Soviet states in this region Moldova ranks among the most significant wine regions of Eastern Europe Montenegro is a small country on the western side of the Balkan Peninsula The wine industry here is best known for its intense deeply colored red wine made from the Vranac grape variety The Netherlands is a country in northern Europe The latter is the name of the ancient county in the western Netherlands Norway is a Nordic country located on the western side of the Scandinavian Peninsula but it also borders Finland and Russia at its far-northern edges is a new and perhaps surprising addition to the list of wine-producing nations Although viniculture is very much in its infancy here and has yet to make any mark on international markets But in the last decade or two it has gained acclaim for its new wave of rich with reds from the Douro Valley particularly prominent Romania lies at the crossroads between Central Europe and South-eastern Europe Its wine industry makes use of a broad portfolio of indigenous and international red and white grape varieties Russia is the largest country in the world covering over 17 million square kilometers (6.5 million square miles) although only the country's southernmost lands are capable of supporting quality viticulture is geographically the largest of the former Yugoslav states Serbian wine is not often seen on international markets although there is no question that the country has the potential to produce world-class wines Slovakia's vineyards are mostly clustered around Bratislava and scattered eastwards along the border with Hungary The eastern fringe of the Tokaj wine region lies in Slovakia Slovenia is a small European country with a long history of wine production Despite the cultural and political turmoil that has besieged the Balkan states over the past century one which has been particularly successful since the country gained independence from former Yugoslavia Spain is home to more hectares of vineyards than any other country and has a national wine output exceeded only by France and Italy Though a wide range of wine styles are made Tempranillo is by far the dominant grape variety Sweden is a country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe Winemaking here is very much in its infancy making up a fraction of one percent of the nation's total alcohol production Switzerland is not widely known as a wine-producing nation largely because the Swiss keep much of their output to themselves The white Chasselas grape is the specialty here Turkey may well be where wine production first began Today the country grows more grapes than almost any country on earth The United Kingdom is best known for its beer It also has a small wine industry which has undergone recent expansion particularly with respect to sparkling wine production Ukraine is a large Eastern European country with a long but potted history of wine production although the country is more readily associated to the production of grain-based spirits (horilka) Canada is famous for its high-quality ice wines but powerful Cabernet blends and aromatic dry Rieslings are also key features in the country's wine portfolio But wine has been made here for longer than anywhere else in the Americas The Vitis vinifera vine came to Mexico with the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th Century The United States is home to many quality wine regions though its global reputation still rides on the success of California and the Napa Valley in particular Whiskey distilling and beer brewing are both integral parts of American culture Argentina is the largest producer of wine in South America its principal grape variety; in recent decades they have together risen to global prominence Bolivia has an extreme high-altitude wine industry in which around 75 percent of production is devoted to red wine its winemaking origins date back to the 16th Century arrival of the Spanish Brazil has a burgeoning wine industry led by its sparkling wines though Cachaça is still its best known export beverage Chile occupies a thin strip down the western coast South America and is home to an enviable variety of wine terroirs and styles it is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Colombia is situated at the north-western corner of South America though the country's rum has a higher profile Ecuador lies on the Pacific coast of northern South America There are only a few hundred hectares of vineyards; rum and beer are produced in much greater volumes Guyana is a country located on the Atlantic coast of northern South America It is well-known for its production of rum and cultivation of sugarcane Spanish-speaking country in central South America The country is more famous for its rum than its wines alhough it does produce more than seven million liters (1.85 million US gallons) of wine each year Peru is a Spanish-speaking nation in western South America Suriname is a country on the north-eastern coast of South America but a small amount of winemaking does in fact take place Uruguay is the fourth-largest wine-producing country in South America Wine grapes have been grown here for more than 250 years although commercial vineyards were first established in the second half of the 19th Century in terms of production of alcoholic beverages The bottlings from Diplomático and Ron Santa Teresa have gained particular acclaim around the world Belize is a small country on the eastern (Mediterranean) coast of Central America The Caribbean is not known for its wines (grape vines do not thrive in the tropical climate) though the region is the undisputed home of rum Costa Rica is a country in Central America and sits on the isthmus between Panama (to the south) and Nicaragua (to the north) The country's key alcoholic beverages are beer and rum Guatemala is a small country in Central America Although it is far from competing with Jamaica sugarcane and the rum produced from it are some of Guatemala's main exports Given Nicaragua's location at the western edge of the Caribbean it is hardly surprising that its key alcohol production comes from sugar famous as the land link between North America and South America It is also home to one of the world's largest tropical rainforests Australia is a leading wine producing country its climatic and geographical range offers versatility Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay lead the way Fiji is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean There are over 330 islands (110 are inhabited) plus many hundreds more islets New Zealand is known globally for its aromatic Sauvignon Blanc whites but it also makes a range of acclaimed cool-climate wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to Bordeaux blends and Syrah Norfolk Island is a tiny island located in the Pacific Ocean located almost exactly half-way between New Caledonia and the northern tip of New Zealand Although technically part of the Commonwealth of Australia (Sydney lies 1050 miles / 1700km to the south-west) the island has a high level of self-governance is one of the world's least-known wine regions grape wine is made on this tropical island China vies with several countries as the world's sixth largest producer of wine by volume Its best producers are gaining international recognition India is a rapidly emerging wine economy in terms of both production and consumption with the potential to become a significant player Whisky and spirits distillation has a longer history Indonesia is a Southeast Asian country made up of 33 provinces spread across more than 13,000 individual islands there are wines made in Indonesia: not from imported must or juice but from grapes grown in the island's small number of vineyards though its modern industry has mostly developed in the last few decades The Judean Foothills and Galilee are the largest regions though grape wine has been made there for several centuries Beer and whisky production have also become established in the last hundred years Jordan is a country in the Middle East (or Western Asia as it is officially labeled by the UN) bordered by Iraq and Iran to the east The country takes its name from the Jordan river which since biblical times has been a vital source of water in this desert area Kazakhstan is a large trans-continental country: the vast majority of it lies in Asia but its western extremities cross over into eastern Europe Though it has a very long history of wine production vodka is the principal alcohlic beverage here Lebanon has an ancient wine culture and a modern industry dating from the 19th century Its vineyards are concentrated mostly in the Bekaa Valley The Republic of Myanmar (or Burma) produces a minute quantity of wine unlikely as that might seem to the outsider in this hot has been home to tiny plantings of wine-producing vines since the late 20th Century The high-altitude Himalayan climate is not particularly suited to Vitis vinifera vines so local wines are made from a combination of honey The Philippines is a complex group of islands in Southeast Asia indigenous wines are produced from a variety of fermented crops including fruit South Korea is a country at the far eastern extremity of East Asia situated on a large peninsula which juts southwards from north-eastern China Sri Lanka is an island off the southern tip of India Syria is a mid-sized country in the western Middle East (also known as the Near East) situated between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the deserts of Iraq is located at the centre of the Indochina Peninsula there are also a number of rum producers with the wine industry beginning to gain international notice Vietnam is one of a number of East Asian countries which have appeared on the wine radar since the turn of the century Although its growth is far from rapid and nowhere near as dramatic as that of neighboring China Vietnam's wine production is steadily increasing Algeria is a large country in the Maghreb geographical region of north-west Africa Though an Islamic nation it has a remarkably extensive area under vine Though today much of this focuses on table grape production it is still the second largest wine producer in Africa Cape Verde (officially Cabo Verde) is a small archipelago nation off the coast of West Africa originally colonized by settlers from Portugal in the 15th Century and has a long history of wine production Egypt is home to some of the oldest winemaking traditions on Earth Madagascar is a large island off the south-east coast of Africa it lies almost entirely within the southern tropics creating an ideal climate for sugarcane cultivation and rum maturation Mauritius is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean about 2000 kilometers off the south-east coast of Africa the country has a long history of rum production Morocco's wine industry retains a strong French influence over six decades from independence bordered by the southern Atlantic Ocean to the west South Africa to the south and Botswana to the east produces only very small quantities of grape wine Wines made from pineapples or palm sap are more common in this tropical nation Pinotage and Chenin Blanc have been its signatures Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also widely planted despite not having an international reputation as a wine producer is actually home to the second largest wine producing region in Sub-Saharan Africa (after South Africa) The history of wine production in the country is relatively recent and roughly grew in tandem with the independence of Tanganyika and its merger with Zanzibar in the 1960s Tunisia is a North African country with a long (if not consistent) history of wine production Despite being a predominantly Muslim country the wine industry here makes over 40 million liters of wine per year and there is no cultural tradition of winemaking have at least one producer making wine from hibiscus flowers Zimbabwe is rarely cited as a wine region of note the southern African nation's wine industry has been gradually growing and evolving This page is currently under development as we change its function Read about the best known regional styles and find the most popular signature style wines A 43,959 foot building is set to become Rally Pickleball Club Auburn Riverside downs Kennedy 3-1 en route to longest win streak since 2022 Hillis is a Riverside alum and former Bellevue College player Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker While ruminating about what my next story would be I had a delicious snack of hummus and pita bread with a glass of L’Arete de Thau Piquepoul & Terret from the eastern Languedoc region The Piquepoul or Picpoul grape originates in France’s  Rhône region where it is one of the 13 grapes allowed in a Chateauneuf du Pape and the Languedoc The Languedoc region produces more than a third of the grapes in France Wines from the Languedoc region along the Mediterranean coast are labeled Languedoc Languedoc wines from the interior can be labeled Franton Picpoul means “lip stinger” because of it’s bracing acidity it has found a home in Washington vineyards Especially in the sandier vineyards in eastern Washington Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla Valley has been fermenting Picpoul since 2013 They source the grapes from the Los Oidos Vineyard in the foothills of the Blue Mountains The Picpoul grape planted here is a Tablas Creek Clone A meaning that it comes from Tablas Creek in California which was founded in 1990 by the Perrin family The Perrin family are the proprietors of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf de Pape Another vineyard planted to Picpoul is Boushey Vineyards in Yakima Valley This celebrated vineyard on the southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Mountains produces many varietals of distinctive character Dick Boushey first planted his vineyards to Cabernet and Merlot in 1980 followed with the most recent planting in 2003 Planted on generally south-facing slopes varying from 700 to 1400 ft the vineyards  are composed of layered soils on top of fractured basalt With these different types of soil and cooler elevations And the longer ripening time means grapes with more complex aromas and flavors Callan Cellars is a boutique winery in the Woodinville Artisan Hill District Winemaker Lisa Callan crafts both Bordeaux and Rhone style wines from grapes sourced from several AVAs most notably Red Mountain’s Ciel de Cheval Vineyard and Yakima’s Boushey Vineyards She crafts crisp Rhone-style whites from Boushey Vineyard’s Picpoul and Grenache Blanc I tasted her Picpoul years ago at a Taste Washington event and have been a fan ever since Callan made an impressive Grenache Blanc from Boushey Vineyards and it has since become her largest production wine Both the Picpoul and Grenache Blanc have garnered multiple awards Syncline Winery has been operating since 1999  This small winery sources their grapes from some fabulous vineyards in addition to their own estate vineyards in the Columbia Gorge AVA winemaker James Mantone first fermented Picpoul from Boushey Vineyards delicious complexity and brilliant acidity,” he planned “to keep working with this vineyard for the long term.” the grapes are now whole cluster pressed and then settled overnight before vinifying in concrete tanks aromatic white that would be a perfect pairing with seafood or hummus Sycline’s owners James and Poppie Mantone specialize in some of the most unique wines available in Washington Not many places on the west coast grow and hand harvest Cinsault Gruner Veltliner or Mourvedre in their vineyards Directly west of their vineyards and winery is a massive 2,100-foot formation of columnar basalt cliffs rising into the Cascades out of the Columbia River Known locally as the “Coyote Wall Syncline,” it’s a very prominent feature This dramatic feature is what inspired the winery’s name a trough of stratified rock in which the beds dip toward each other from either side It is at this point in the Columbia Gorge that the rainier western side transitions to the semi-arid eastern Washington desert The Columbia Gorge AVA is one of four Washington AVAs that shares its borders with neighboring states Total acreage is 186,610 with 120,010 acres in Oregon only 925 acres on both sides are planted to the vine Other unique features of this AVA is the variation of geography One side is affected by the maritime climate and the other is more high desert the west side is cooler than the east side This extreme climate variation makes this unique AVA a region where many different grape varieties thrive Besides being inspired by that pairing of Picpoul and hummus that led to this missive on Washington state Picpoul I also received an invite to a harvest celebration at Syncline Winery Syncline’s event on November 12 is billed as a Harvest Roast Chef and Farmer Matt Dillon will fire roast meat and wild mushrooms from his Old Chaser Farm Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale Andy Howard MW became a Master of Wine in 2011 and runs his own consultancy business He previously worked for Marks & Spencer as a buyer for over 30 years and was responsible as wine buyer for\u00a0Burgundy,\u00a0Bordeaux,\u00a0Loire,\u00a0Champagne Although his key areas of expertise are Burgundy and Italy he also has great respect for the wines of South America and South Africa as well as a keen interest in the wines from South West France He is a Decanter contributing editor and writes a regular column on the UK wine retail trade for\u00a0JancisRobinson.com At the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) he was the Regional Chair for Southern Italy Just an hour's drive to visit these producers.. The vineyards of Gaillac are just an hour from Toulouse and have been transformed by a new wave of younger winemakers so hopefully we will see more of the crafted individual wines from this area in the near future One of the best producers is Damien Bonnet, who has taken over from his parents at Domaine Brin This estate is focused on an organic and minimalist approach with great results for whites and reds (his sweet wines are also outstanding) Damien’s father is an avid collector of old cars so expect to see him doing some maintenance when you visit Open Monday to Saturday (10am-12am / 2pm-6pm) Back towards Gaillac, drop in to the new tasting room at Domaine du Moulin where sixth-generation winemaker Nicolas Hirissou is challenging local traditions by planting Tannat vines to complement old-vine Syrah and Braucol (aka Fer Servadou) – the latter one of the main local red varieties Domaine du Moulin Credit: Domaine du Moulin One of Gaillac’s trump cards is the presence of several rare and exclusive grape varieties. Several have been saved from extinction through the efforts of Domaine Plageoles which has promoted local terroir through a focus on single Visit here to taste the deeply coloured Prunelard (one of the parents of Malbec and unique to Gaillac) which accounts for 1% of red plantings but is growing rapidly a long-lost white grape which only survived at a Montpellier vine library and is also credited with rescuing Ondenc from extinction – although this variety is found outside Gaillac Opening 8am – 12pm and 2.30pm – 6.30pm Monday to Saturday – Only on RV Sunday morning Gaillac has its fair share of radical winemakers, such as Michel Issaly of Domaine de la Ramaye the emphasis is on encouraging natural flora and fauna The wines are thought-provoking as well as high quality a product of oxidation and ageing under flor Shop open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm Visit only in the afternoon and by appointment The domaine is closed on weekends and public holidays Domaine d’Escausses is closer to Albi off the main route between the city and the famous hilltop bastide of Cordes-sur-Ciel try the méthode gaillacoise sparkling – an ancient form of fizz fermented in one bottle Sauvignon dominated blend that can challenge top white Bordeaux Over on the gravelly soils of the left bank (close to the A68 autoroute) is the consistently excellent Domaine Rotier where Alain Rotier doesn’t put a foot wrong with any wines in the extensive line-up He also has a very smart new visitor centre to explore The name Duras comes from dur, the French word for "hard". This is a reference not to the wines (although these can be relatively dark and unforgiving) but the sturdiness of the variety's wood. The Duras variety is entirely unconnected with, and not used in, Cotes de Duras wines The variety covers a total of roughly 2,400 acres (1,000ha), almost all of which are located in the Tarn department where Duras plays a key role in the red wines of Gaillac. Some is also planted in the neighboring Aveyron department, for use in the little-known wines of Estaing and the Cotes de Millau Together these three varieties make up at least 60 percent of any Gaillac red or rosé wine During the post-war years of the mid-20th Century swathes of Duras vines were pulled up and replaced with more fashionable varieties from Bordeaux By the 1960s only around 240 acres (100ha) of Duras vines remained a movement of Gaillac winegrowers (including local hero Robert Plageoles) banded together to safeguard the variety's future and its prospects are now decidedly brighter Brian Alonzo and Tilden Sansom led the way for Auburn grabbing state placings at the Mat Classic XXIV 4A state championships last weekend According to the sparse information available on Verdanel, the variety produces conical bunches of medium-sized, loosely clustered berries. The highly dentated, round leaves, with their jagged, tooth-like edges, resemble those of Chardonnay Aside from the obvious implication of "green" in the name Verdanel little is known about the specific origins or meaning of the name Only a handful of wines are now produced from Verdanel grapes. The variety's most notable supporters are heritage vine campaigner Robert Plageoles and his son Bernard (of Domaine Plageoles), who have experimented with producing varietal Verdanel The domaine also boasts such ancient Gaillac varieties as Prunelard Noir, Duras and Braucol, the Gaillac name for Fer Servadou The Plageoles grew their Verdanel vines from cuttings they took from the variety's few remaining plants. These were found miraculously preserved ("miraculeusement conservé") in Marseillan, just south of Pinet (of Picpoul de Pinet fame) Santa Emily consecrated her life to the poor involving some of her companions in a true charity organization she inaugurated a new form of religious life devoted to the service of all the poorest of the poor - caring for them in their every sort of misery - as well as attending to the education of very young girls that it would spread within the span of a few years to all continents and transferred her remains to Gaillac in 1972 where it is now offered for the veneration of the Christians of the land where she was born the day on which she is celebrated in Marseille She founded her congregation at Christmastide With the thought of spreading the Gospel in the farthest countries she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Assumption and despite many difficulties managed to found 42 houses from North Africa to Burma thus giving a significant development to the Institute Today her sisters are present on all five continents Her feast day is August 24 on the General Calendar though in her communities she is celebrated on June 17 It was the strangest sight to ever grace the sky over Oloron high school superintendent Jean-Yves Prigent there appeared a "cottony cloud of strange shape was slowly moving in a straight line toward the southwest A sort of plume of white smoke was escaping from its upper end." In front of this "cylinder" were 30 smaller objects that, when viewed through opera glasses, proved to be red spheres, each surrounded by a yellow ring. "These 'saucers' moved in pairs," Prigent said "following a broken path characterized in general by rapid and short zigzags When two saucers drew away from one another But this was only the beginning of the strangeness hairlike substance rained down from all of the objects When observers picked up the material and rolled it into a ball it turned into a gelatinlike substance and vanished who had observed the episode from a bridge and he was able to extract himself from it only by cutting his way clear-at which point the material collected itself and ascended A nearly identical series of events occurred in Gaillac Such "angel hair" is reported from time to time Laboratory analysis of authentic material (airborne cobwebs are sometimes mistaken for angel hair) is impossible because the material always vanishes when Craig Phillips (director of the National Aquarium from 1976 to 1981) witnessed a fall off the Florida coast he collected samples and placed them in sealed jars Take a look at these ­articles to learn more about the older and more oddball UFO phenomena: Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: `;return t.byline_authors_html&&(e+=`By: ${t.byline_authors_html}`),t.byline_authors_html&&t.byline_date_html&&(e+=" | "),t.byline_date_html&&(e+=t.byline_date_html),e+=`\n\t\t\t\t Haute Living hosted an exclusive Haute Leaders dinner at Alessa NYC a modern Italian gem in the heart of New York’s Penn District certain names echo not just for their scents but for their seismic influence on the industry Estée Lauder unveils its first Skin Longevity Institute in the Americas at Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica’s Blue Zone We’ve rounded up the best Mother’s Day gifts that will pamper and indulge the ultimate beauty lover in your life Haute Living and hip-hop legend Fat Joe celebrate the launch of Sonrisa Rum at the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach IWC and Mercedes-AMG Petronas kicked off the 2025 Miami Grand Prix with a soiree featuring George Russell and the stars of the new F1 film Receive Our Magazine Directly at Your Doorstep Embark on a journey of luxury and elegance with Haute Living magazine Subscribe now and have every issue conveniently delivered to your home Join Haute Black and unlock access to the world's most prestigious luxury events vintage bicyclettes and champagne: our tipsters recall holiday joie de vivre Plus our £200 holiday prize is back - scroll down for details pretty towns like Gien and the occasional castle to break up the view and the four teenagers still say it was their best holiday ever.Angela Luke Sailboats in Jardin du Luxembourg Photograph: Laura StoreyI’ll never forget watching my children pushing vintage wooden toy sailboats down the lake in Paris’s Jardin du Luxembourg on a hot summer’s day They had seen kids doing it in a colouring book A French neighbour at our campsite invites us for oysters and crabs in spaghetti We play volleyball with the camp owner’s kids There is a path from the site to a small beach on the basin where we swim at midnight and watch the shooting stars a girl from Lille who I’ll never meet again but remember as if it were today.Simon Tobin A cafe in Saint-Germain-des-Prés dotted with white-cloth covered tables and Parisians raising their champagne flutes Madame in Yves Saint Laurent inclined her head as did Monsieur in velvet trousers Flowers spilt out in front of exquisite small shops and galleries and the elegant doors of Rue de Verneuil clutching the address of my apartment and pulling my case on wheels I walked into this scene celebrating arts and antiques week in Saint-Germain-des-Prés I saw a bunch of giddy children in lifejackets It was a perfect sunny day and their enthusiasm summed up how it felt to be a child during their summer holidays make sure you’re sheltered when eating an ice cream: French seagulls are full of confiance en soi!Eve Photograph: incamerastock/AlamyIn Chinon – a Centre-Val de Loire town that was once a royal residence and seat of power in France and the place where King Henry II Plantagenet died in 1189 – a small pathway leads from the main château to the Chapel of Sainte-Radegonde There you find a still-unresolved fresco from the end of the 12th century probably of Eleanor of Aquitaine with her son Richard the Lionheart you will find a sacred site of the Celts still in place: the aquamarine of a holy bath.Christine Zeile The prologue of the Anjou Vélo Vintage Photograph: Jonathon Short/AlamyEvery June and July the Anjou Vélo Vintage is held in Saumur on the Loire Saumur is a pretty little town with a cracking château But when it’s filled with vintage costumes it’s transformed into a carnival of colour The festivities start on the Friday evening with 1950s live music and dancing in the vintage “village” overlooking the bridge over the Loire The Saturday and Sunday have several rides leaving the town centre and spanning the fields and country lanes nearby Gaillac wine is practically unheard of outside France, but its unpretentious and discreet nature can be best appreciated by experiencing an apéro concert in and around Gaillac. These outdoor events are held on warm summer evenings at numerous local vineyards. Music varies from classical (chateau-de-mayragues.com) to rock’n’roll (lesvignals.fr) The wine has travelled no further than vine to cellar and is served by the owners themselves while food vans offer a choice of Toulouse sausages From next week we will be once again be issuing a prize – a £200 voucher for a Canopy & Stars glamping stay – for a winning tip chosen by travel expert Tom Hall.Enter next week’s readers’ tips competition: we’re looking for tips on UK campsites the picture accompanying the cycling in Normandy entry wasn’t of the correct location It is with a tired face and a slightly misty mind that Louis de Faramond welcomes me on his estate one morning in September We are in the middle of the harvest season and the young man has just spent a sleepless night “we have to harvest at night to pick a fresh grape and better preserve its aromas” At the age of 33, Louis de Faramond is the heir of a long line of winegrowers. In the Gaillac region (France), one of the oldest vineyards in France, Château Lastours has been in the family since the 16th century and before telling me about its wines Louis wants to tell me the history of the estate He tells me about the small fort that originally stood on these lands transformed in the 16th century into a castel with two towers He also mentions the magnificent 17th century dovecote as well as the hard blows such as the fire that in the 1950s ravaged a third of the buildings or the phylloxera two ordeals that forced his grandfather to reinvent himself If today the years of misery seem far away one feels however that the profession of winegrower is not simple and requires constantly to question oneself Over the generations and the evolution of techniques a half-buried cellar was built to maintain the temperature of the wine the use of tuns was abandoned in favor of concrete and then stainless steel vats the Faramond family was one of the first to bottle the wine directly at the estate and to develop sales in the cellar … It takes two essential qualities: passion but above all madness “What we have today is because for five centuries there has been transmission from generation to generation” humbly confides Louis de Faramond With humor he concedes “To take over a wine estate you need two essential qualities: passion but above all madness” an engineer in food processing with a banking specialization He worked for a few years in the banking sector before returning to his roots A welcome training because today the job of winegrower requires a lot of versatility and skills in marketing management … all without losing sight of the know-how of course the profession of the vine has changed a lot New techniques such as machine harvesting have changed the methods but also allow a better control of the winemaking process the challenge is to adopt a more ecological approach to production which has led Château Lastours to completely eliminate the use of insecticides Louis de Faramond welcomes those who come to push the door of the estate It is even possible to take a guided tour – preferably by reservation Louis is unable to choose a favorite among his children and does not try to impose his tastes: his recommendation is simple “good wine is the one you love” I let myself be tempted by the dry white “Les graviers” and the red “Tradition” but I let you go to Domaine Lastours to find the one you will appreciate the most It is possible to make a visit of the wine storehouses These visits are offered from Monday to Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 1:30 pm to 6:30 pm Book a visit Many thanks to Louis de Faramond for having taken the time to receive me and to speak to me with such passion about his (beautiful) job despite his fatigue! Thanks also to Christian Rivière of Tourisme Tarn for this contact Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.  Learn more recevez le meilleur de Culturez-vous dans votre boite mail Parcel Series Sauternes, Bordeaux, France 2018 (£24.99, or £14.99, as part of a mixed case of six bottles, majestic.co.uk) A sweet golden wine made of mist and mould: sauternes is a defiantly odd creation Produced in the eponymous appellation in the south of Bordeaux’s Graves district it relies on the very particular conditions of its vineyards by the river Garonne and the Ciron tributary which are cloaked by lingering evening mists in autumn at the end of the growing season In the cool and damp a benign form of mould This makes for an exceptionally labour-intensive and profoundly uneconomical form of winemaking: at harvest time pickers for the best sauternes producers pass through the vineyards several times selecting and sorting the semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes Yields may be as low as one glass of wine per vine – a glass of pure in the case of Majestic’s clever find from an undisclosed ‘top’ château Ulysse Cazabonne Sauternes, Bordeaux, France MV (£18.50, thewinesociety.com) Another secret château is the source for The Wine Society’s equally gorgeous example of sauternes seductiveness: a blend of three vintages (hence the MV or multi-vintage) that fully expresses the special charm of the style the silky sheen of the texture offset by ripples of fresh acidity and a wonderful clarity and length of flavour Sauternes isn’t the only Bordeaux region where top châteaux occasionally sell off the odd bit of stock under cover to help cashflow and the practice isn’t necessarily an indication of financial difficulties there is no doubt that recent years have been tough for winemakers in the region Thanks to the impact of spring frosts and mildew (a not-at-all benign form of mould for grape growers) the latest vintage with many producers not making any wine at all And all this in a global context where sweet wines have never been less fashionable and harder to sell Domaine Rotier Renaissance Vendanges Tardives, Gaillac, France 2017 (£16.99, 50cl, Waitrose) One of the problems for sauternes producers – not including the region’s most revered château which has never lost its centuries-old status as one of the world’s most expensive and sought-after wines – is the way it tends to be sold as ‘dessert wine’ sauternes has the necessary sugar and balancing acidity to work with the sweet part of the meal as a kind of dessert – or sweet part of the meal – in itself Think of the way that quince or fig jam makes such a good contrast with stronger cheeses: a glass of sauternes does much the same job while also rinsing the mouth clean with that tangy acidity This skill isn’t the sole preserve of Sauternes by the way: a couple of hours’ drive west of Bordeaux Domaine Rotier’s Renaissance is an intense yet scintillating crystalised apricot-accented sweet alternative made from the local loin de l’oeil variety in Gaillac Follow David Williams on Twitter @Daveydaibach This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice 2009 Domaine de la Chanade Galien Gaillac Rouge This young red from France's South West displays liquorice aromas with cherry fruitiness topped off with a rustic freshness. £7.49, down from £9.99, M&S 2010 McManis Family Vineyards Viogner, California A tropical dry white showing the viognier fragrance of honeysuckle and apricot fruit whose richness is leavened by refreshing acidity. £10.99, Waitrose Elegant Aussie cool-climate shiraz with spicy undertones and a fruit quality that's satisfyingly lingering. £22.25–£25.99, Cambridge Wine Merchants (01223 568989), Wine direct.co.uk Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies A road-trip through the south-western region of Tarn throws up an Ab Fab feast of food and wine for Audrey Kane French fancies: Tarn's episcopal capital Audrey KaneSun 21 Apr 2019 at 03:30I remember watching the decadent duo of Eddie and Patsy from Ab Fab travelling around the South of France and ever since it's been on my list of things to do ­- minus the carnage I finally fulfilled that dream thanks to a little French delight - Tarn be thy name so our first stop at Toulouse-Blagnac airport was to pick up a rental An hour's drive from the airport was all it took to feel Absolutely Fabulous Gaillac in the north of the region is home to some of the oldest vineyards in France and here we checked into our first destination - Domaine de Perches a restored 17th-century château transformed by hosts Alain and Howard into a small boutique hotel that you'll never want to leave We felt like lord and lady of our own manor with suites overlooking the rolling countryside After working up an appetite with a quick spin out to Cordes-sur-Ciel - a medieval bastide town where we strolled the craft shops and artists' galleries - we settled down for a four-course meal prepared by Alain with the first of many Gaillac wines to be tasted on our trip or a dark chocolate mousse with an orange and raspberry salad.. it's among the loveliest areas of south-east France steeped in history and characterised by an enormous variety of landscapes Our journey continued on day two as we leisurely drove through the rustic countryside Here the colourful local market was in full flow but with the Musée Art du Chocolat (chocolat-tarn.fr) awaiting in Lisle-sur-Tarn there was no time to stop The Musée holds a permanent exhibition showcasing amazing skills of building in chocolate - sculptures range from little fish to a life-sized mother and child As I sat eating rich dark chocolate from Columbia and drinking hot chocolate from Argentina I realised I had broken Lent ­- they had found my weakness We quickly became accustomed to the French way of life; three-course meals for lunch and the obligatory bottle of wine for two a restaurant set on a little square away from the busy main street The food is simply amazing - you can enjoy a three-course meal here for as little as €28 There is also a fabulous selection of wines by the glass ­- our favourite was Domaine d'Escausses from the Gaillac region at just €7 a bottle; one for the table and one for the suitcase where we had a rendezvous with Duncan Geddes from Château de Mayragues (chateau-de-mayragues.com) Set 10km north of Gaillac in a vineyard on slopes leading down to the Tarn river it was built in the 13th and late 16th centuries and bought in 1980 by the Geddes family Treated to some organic wine-tasting from the vineyard once again I left with a favourite bottle - Brut De Mayragues 2017 ­- this one priced at €15 If it's haute cuisine paired with local wines you're after rural Château de Salettes hotel (see factbox below) hits the spot Dating from the 13th century and set in 32 hectares of vineyards Polish head chef Ludovic Dziewulski served us an eight-course gastronomic delight (dinner from €29 to €90 depending on how decadent you are feeling) with excellent wine pairings by the house sommelier Another bottle ended up in our ever-expanding suitcase - Chateau de Salettes The final leg of our little tour de France was the episcopal city of Albi Tarn's capital has been classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site One of Albi's biggest draws sits at its heart ­- Sainte-Cecile Cathedral redbrick masterpiece which took over 400 years to complete It's definitely worth having a guided tour of the city as there are little gems everywhere you may miss such as the Restaurant Le Lautrec (restaurant-le-lautrec.com) take a trip to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum (musee-toulouse-lautrec.com) where over a thousand works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Our final night was spent at the four-star Hotel Alchimy near the cathedral and other tourist spots We had dinner at the hotel in the new Albigeois restaurant where almost everything is made in Tarn - Le Pont du Tarn with a wide selection of authentic cuisine and great service plus This time we had a bottle of Mas des Combes for €10 All that was left to do now was to say au revoir to the South of France and also to somehow fit my fab collection of Gaillac wines into the airline allowance If you are planning a trip to Tarn you will need to drive Having never driven on the opposite side before I chickened out and let my partner take the wheel driving through the rural parts is a lot easier Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Toulouse-Blagnac airport Audrey was a guest of the airline (aerlingus.com) Suites at Domaine de Perches (domainedeperches.com) from €155 at Hotel Château de Salettes (chateaudesalettes.com) from €255 and at Hotel Alchimy in Albi (alchimyalbi.fr) from €180 Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel