Place Aux Femmes: Fashion Your Own Wine Tour by Tasting the Wines of the Women Winemakers of the Rhone

Wine is a Women’s World: In the U.S., women account for 58.1 percent of wine buyers, according to the Beverage Information Group. A Gallup Poll indicated that among adult drinkers 58 percent of women prefer wine, compared to 20 percent of men, whereas 55 percent of men prefer beer to 23 percent of women.

Here’s the thing. No trip to Provence is complete without a visit to a winery, and the sooner that you make one upon your arrival the more your stay will be a respite from blandness (the reason you are here).

There are many ways to go about it. You can ask your gite owner or hotel clerk of a vineyard in the vicinity. Or you can taste a locally-produced wine at the recommendation of a sommelier or chef, and if the vintage agrees with you, pop into the winery the next day. This is how some guests of Le Phebus in Joucas found there way to Philippe Gimel or Olivier B. after quaffing their wines.

The sure deal for wine enthusiasts is to book an organized tour, either individual or small group, for a half or full day, visiting at least two vineyards in various appellations, such as those offered by Provence Wines Tours or Avignon Wine Tours.

Now here’s a way to organize your own visits to wineries with a single criteria: women in wine. There was once a deluded but unshakable conviction that wine was about everything masculine. At a Paris dinner party or at a ski lodge in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, the cracking open of a great Bordeaux was a ritual of male bonding.

Anne Hugues, a winegrower at the Domaine de la Royère, which produces 12 vintages at its vineyard in Oppede, and has a wine shop in Coustellet, had seen enough of just guys in wine. In 2004, she and Inter-Rhone President Michel Bernard came up with an idea of wine women-as-community on a Rhone Valley-scale togetherness called Femmes Vignes Rhône, or Women Winemakers of the Rhone Valley.

The Femmes Vignes Rhône has more than 30 members taking in the entire range of wine related professions – growers, winemakers, oenologists, sommeliers, brokers, merchants, sales reps, marketing specialists, and journalists. The association aims to promote the work of women in the businesses of viti-and-viniculture, and supports the  role of women in the traditionally masculine environment of wine. Present at numerous events for both professionals and the general public, in France and abroad, the Femmes Vignes Rhône enrich the knowledge and encourage the distribution of the Rhone Valley appellations, cultivating a simple and friendly approach to wine.

When looking for vineyards to visit in the Vaucluse, you can consult the English language website of Femmes Vignes Rhône which lists all its members by appellation (see below) along with a description of their winery.

Using the map on the website, you can arrange your own tour of the estates of the Rhone Valley tended to by women seriously into wine.

 Member Profile

Women wine maker Brigitte Noël (photo l.) at the Château Noël St Laurent, is president of the Les Compagnons des Côtes du Rhône, an organization that runs the “Ban des Vendanges” in Avignon on Sept 1.

The Château Noël St Laurent has a precise division of labor: Didier Noël, who converted from tax specialist to vigneron, looks after the vineyard while his wife Brigitte, who trained at the University of Wine at Suze-la-Rousse, handles the vinification. The Château Noël St-Laurent is situated 6 miles southeast from Avignon at a 13th-century castle that has been in the Noël family since the 1940′s. A fabulous cuvee of the Château is the “Matador,” 1/3 Grenache, 1/3 Syrah and 1/3 Mourvèdre, deep ruby in color with a nose of pepper and black cherries and black fruit and round tannins on the palate.With a limited production of 1000 bottles, the 2006 vintage is a steal at 19 euros.

 

Women Winemakers of the Rhone Valley

Costieres de Nimes
Elisabeth Glas, Domaine de Poulvarel

Luberon
Anne Hugues, Domaine de La Royere
Nathalie Margan, Château la Canorgue
Côtes du Rhône

Céline Barbaud, Domaine des Favards
Marie-France Bressy Masson, Domaine Bressy Masson
Florence Chazallon, Château de la Selve
Claire Clavel, Domaine Clavel
Claire Fabre, Domaine des Romarins
Marianne Fues, Sarl Domaine de Coste Chaude
Stéphanie Fumoso, Domaine du Gour de Chaulé
Jeanne Gaillard, Domaine Jeanne Gaillard
Sabine Garagnon, Domaine du Gros Pata
Anne-Marie Gaudin Riché, Domaine du Terme
Coralie Goumarre, Domaine Galevan
Pascale Hemard, Domaine Saint Luc
Anne Hugues, Château Husson
Véronique Lombardo, Château Le Devoy Martine
Brigitte Noël, Château Noël st Laurent
Camille Nosworthy, Domaine Saint Amant
Christine Olivier, Domaine de Panisse
Françoise Roumieux, Vignobles Mayard
Elisabeth & Marie-Laurence Saladin, Domaine Saladin
Sabine Thompson, l’Ameillaud
Sabrina Tolphin, Inter Rhône
Catherine Vogt, Domaine Saint Justin
Carine Zago, Domaine Nicolas Croze

Beaumes de Venise

Camille Nosworthy, Domaine Saint Amant

Chateauneuf du Pape

Coralie Goumarre, Domaine Galevan
Anne Hugues, Château Husson
Christine Olivier, Domaine de Panisse
Danièle Raulet-Reynaud, International Sommelier Consultant
Françoise Roumieux, Vignobles Mayard

Gigondas

Marie Thérese Combe, Domaine La Fourmone
Stéphanie Fumoso, Domaine du Gour de Chaulé
Anne-Marie Gaudin Riché, Domaine du Terme

Vacqueyras

Marie Thérese Combe, Domaine La Fourmone
Anne-Marie Gaudin Riché, Domaine du Terme

Crozes Hermitage

Sylvie CHEVROL MICHELAS, Domaine Michelas St Jemms
Jeanne Gaillard, Domaine Jeanne Gaillard

Saint Joseph

Sylvie CHEVROL MICHELAS, Domaine Michelas St Jemms
Jeanne Gaillard, Domaine Jeanne Gaillard

Cornas

Sylvie CHEVROL MICHELAS, Domaine Michelas St Jemms

Hermitage

Sylvie CHEVROL MICHELAS, Domaine Michelas St Jemms

Rasteau

Marie-France Bressy Masson, Domaine Bressy Masson

Tricastin

Pascale Hemard, Domaine Saint Luc

Lirac

Véronique Lombardo, Château Le Devoy Martine

Ventoux

Anne-Marie Forestier – Château Juvenal
Nancy et Alexandra GONTIER – Domaine de la Camarette
Anne Hugues – Domaine de La Royere
Joanna King – Château Unang

Basics

Women Winemakers of the Rhone Valley: Website

Chateau Unang (photo below heading of Joanna King): website

Domaine de la Royère (wine cellar photo r): Website

Château Noël St Laurent: Website

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Provence Pairings: Escalope de Veau and Ravoli Saint-Jean with an “Imagine,” a Red Vintage of Vindemio by Jean Marot

A quick recipe for a warm September evening: grill veal scallops in a pan with a bit of olive oil; cook small Saint-Jean spinach ravioli, a speciality “Dauphiné” (the ancient roman province) from Romans-sur-Isère; sauté mushrooms in olive oil, and mix with creme fraiche, ravoli and the scallops. Serve with an “Imagine,” a red vintage from the Vindemio winery in Ville sur Auzon.

Jean Marot is a winemaker’s winemaker; he is “dans le truc” (into the thing) as they say here of gifted vintners. Honing his craft at the Domaine Le Murmurium, he launched a new brand with his son Guillaume and some friends called Vindemio, which means “I harvest” in Latin, by combining one-half of the former Domaine Le Murmurium acreage with other parcels. Note: the “Wine Advocate” gets it half-right when it reports incorrectly that Vindemio is the former Domaine Le Murmurium.

At Vindemio, Jean Marot concerns himself only with the vines and the vinifying, leaving the commercial tasks to sales agents. From about 45 acres of vines, he vinifies organically-grown red and white vintages:

Amadeus: the top-of-line vintage from the oldest vines, 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah. 17 €

Imagine: 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah, 12 €

Regain Red:  Grenache-Syrah, 7.5 €

Regain White: Clairette-Grenache Blanc, 7.5 €

 

The high-quality of Jean Marot’s wines asserts itself on the palate, and whereas one can string out flowery adjectives of praise for these wines ‘en bouche,’ the superb pleasure arises from their great balance, texture and structure. It is no small wonder that demand for his wines are stressing supply.

With the wine shop of his friend Olivier B. also in the village, Ville sur Auzon, where Mount Ventoux faces down on it as a remonstrance, is a must for an afternoon visit of wine tastings.

Basics:

Vindemio: wine cellar at Av. Jean Jaures, Ville sur Auzon, (on the left as you enter the village on Hwy 942 east from Carpentras) tel 04 90 70 20 45,  website

U.S. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, tel. (704) 358-1565, website

Romans-sur-Isère: Ravioli and pogne (a large brioche-like desert) festival on Sept 15-16. Wine tastings. website

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PASSAGES: NORA EPHRON. REMEMBERING HER DAYS IN THE WHITE HOUSE WITH J.F.K. AND PIERRE SALINGER

“When you take someone to the airport, it’s clearly the beginning of the relationship”

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

The cherished screenwriter, director and author Nora Ephron, whose lustrous humor and nimble mind compelled us to laugh and to learn about  how women and men relate to one another, or how they strain to communicate one to another without connecting at all, passed away on June 25.

In this interview segment for the Academy of Achievement, Nora reminisces on her internship in the White House:  “I had this fantastic internship, I thought. I interned for Pierre Salinger, who was the Press Secretary for John F. Kennedy, for President Kennedy, and I was beside myself getting this internship. Six weeks in the White House! It never crossed my mind that I would have almost no duties whatsoever, much less even a desk. I had really nothing to do, but to sort of hang around and eavesdrop and look through files hoping to find secret documents, which I did find several of, by the way.”

In May of 2003, Nora Ephron published a drole Op-Ed column in the New York Times titled “All the President’s Girls.”

Nora recounted with lucid wit her encounters with J.F.K. during that summer of  1961 when Press Secretary Pierre Salinger hired her to join five other girls in the press office. It appeared to Nora that one girl, called Faddle, had a sole function: autographing Pierre Salinger’s photographs.

What mild irony would come calling if any of the photographs autographed by Faddle’s “main” are among the photographs of Pierre Salinger in his archives preserved by the Pierre and Poppy Salinger Foundation, which are on display among other memorabilia of that époque in an intimate museum on the grounds of the Bastide Rose, a well-appointed bed and breakfast, in Le Thor in the Vaucluse.

Toward the end of her piece in the New York Times, Nora reflects that she might have been the only young woman who ever worked in the White House that the President did not make a pass at. If your curiosity arouses itself about Nora’s three suppositions as to why she never showed up on J.F.K’s radar, you may read her essay here.

For a vivid journey through the period when Nora Ephron worked at the White House, visit Le musée Pierre Salinger in Le Thor. Note: Call in advance for an appointment.

Basics:

La Bastide Rose, 99, chemin des Croupières, 84250 Le Thor, Tel 04-90-02-14-33, home of Le musée Pierre Salinger.

Consult website for directions: www.bastiderose.com, www.pierresalinger.org

 

 

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MENERBES: DORA MAAR AT PASCAL LAINE GALLERY JUNE 23 – JULY 5

 

An exhibition of DORA MAAR “de Picasso à Ménerbes,“ presented by Laura Pecheur and Pascal Lainé, runs from June 23 to July 5 at the Galerie Pascal Lainé, Rue Sainte Barbe in the center of Ménerbes.

 

Open from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.Tel: 04-90-72-48-30, Gallery Website

 

A photographer, poet and painter, Dora Maar was a muse, lover and companion of Pablo Picasso as well as a resident of  Ménerbes. Wikipedia info.

 

A good read: Picasso and Dora: A Personal Memoir by James Lord. Here is Lord talking about Dora Maar on Youtube

 

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Cairanne: Le Tourne au Verre, a Snappy Winemakers Wine Bar

In the Southern Rhone, Cairanne rings cherries, dark cherries that is for its terrific AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages ruby-colored Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah blends from a region where wine has been vinifed for over 300 years.

Lacking the quaint charm of neighboring Rasteau, the village of Cairanne is a functional commercial nexus that services the expansive vineyards that encircle it. For wine enthusiasts, the gravitational pull of Cairanne asserts itself in the presence of what many claim is the most outstanding wine bar / restaurant in the Vaucluse: Le Tourne au Verre, where wine is treated as royalty.

It’s all about attitude. The service is serious and snappy. Spiffy servers, attired in white tees with a restaurant logo printed on the chest and “Staff” printed across the back, place each bottle of white wine in an ice bag, and each bottle of red is decanted at your table. (Wine is available by the glass.) The 500-bottle-plus wine list has inner depth —  every French wine region is well represented. The menu choices pair well with either white or red wine, and the cuisine is top-notch fare.

Moreover, this is a winemaker’s wine bar. Conversation on all things wine is vivid. During our lunch there, a vigneron at our table was approached by a woman, another winemaker, who was captivated by our table talk and wished to exchange phone numbers.

Avignon Wine Tour leader presenting menu to clients. The couple, he in white shirt and she in lavender top, are from Carlsbad Ca.

And as it was a Thursday lunch, two groups of wine lovers escorted by Avignon Wine Tour, which makes Le Tourne au Verre its canteen as an interlude to their daylong tastings in Cairanne, Rasteau, Gigondas and Beaumes de Venise, animated the scene. Each day of the week, Avignon Wine Tour features a unique itinerary to the various wine regions in the Southern Rhone (see website below for information).

The Alary family name is legend in Cairanne; they have been cultivating vineyards in the region for ten generations.  Frédéric et François Alary of the Domaine Oratoire Saint Martin, a winery of 25 hectares, produce 80% red, 18% white and 2% rosé.

Le Tourne Au Verre treats wine as royalty: every bottle of red is decanted at your table.

This Domaine turns out two great bottles of red: A “Réserve des seigneurs ” of Grenache (60%), Mourvèdre (30%) and Syrah (7%) from 50-year-old vines, and a ” Cuvée prestige” of 60% Grenache 40% Mourvèdre from 100+ year old vines that have very low yields and intense fruit. The ‘prestige’ has a deep spicy texture, with notes of dark raspberries. Wines from the Domaine Oratoire Saint Martin are available in the states (see below for link).

A high-quality Cairanne producer not on the wine list at Le Tourne Au Verre whose richly flavored spicy reds are available in the states is Frédéric cousin’s Denis Alary of the Domaine Alary. Of note is his Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne La Brunote 2007 and his vintages from a parcel La Font d’Estevanas.

Le Tourne au Verre offers a lunch menu of Entrée – Plat – Dessert for 14.50€ and a dinner menu of Amuse-bouche – Entrée – Plat – Dessert for 25€.

Traversing the village toward St.-Cécile-des-Vignes, Le Tourne Au Verre is visible to the right

Directions: Carainne is located northeast of Orange. Take Hwy D976 from Orange to Carnaret-sur-Aigues and then Hwy D93 to Carainne.

Basics:

Clients can purchase wines, regional specialties and wine accoutrements at Le Tourne au Verre

Le Tourne au Verre: Situated in the center of the village on the Route de Sainte-Cécile, closed Wednesday and Sunday, Tel 04 90 30 72 18,  Website

Avignon Wine Tour: Website

Domaine Oratoire Saint Martin: Website, Winesearcher

Domaine Alary: Weygandt Wines

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Provence Pairings: Chevre in Search of Locally-Produced Wines with Zippy Acidity

Chèvre, or goat cheese, is an acidic cheese in search of a naturally acidic wine. The white wines of the Southern Rhone often lack acidity due to nighttime temperatures that do not dip low enough for white grape varieties to protect their acids from being lost through the biochemical process of respiration, whereas grapes grown in the Loire Valley or Burgundy have high acids because of the cool climate.

Whereas the Sauvignon Blanc grape grown in the Loire is a natural for matching with goat cheese – think of Sancerre – there are white wine blends of various grape varieties, notably Rousanne, produced in the Southern Rhone, which have a bracing acidity to marry with the acidity of goat cheese:

Jade 2010, a white wine produced by Olivier B, is a mesmerizing cuvée with surprising dryness despite its residual sugars due to uncommon blending. In fact, a wine totally unique. Harvested at the end of September, ¼ grenache blanc, ¼ roussanne and ¼ clairette are blended with ¼ ugni harvested in late November when the grapes have an aroma of lightly caramelized apples. Jade has a floral nose and a rich tangy fruit on the palate. It is paired with goat cheese at Le Phébus in Joucas. Only available direct from the producer.

Here are two other local whites to accompany fresh chèvre recommend by Patrick Fischnaller of the one-star Michelin restaurant Le Vivier in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue:

Le Temple 2009 of Château Bas, AOC Coteaux d’aix. Patrick’s tastings notes: apple, pear, and peach with a beautiful minerality that agrees with fresh chèvre. A blend of Sauvignon and Rolle from vines aged 15 to 25 years.

 

Archange Blanc 2011, from Domaine des Anges, 100% Rousanne, a nose of  honey blossoms, lime and toast, and a palate of citrus fruits and floral overtones with a subtle oakiness. This vineyard is under the direction of an Irishman Ciaran Rooney, winemaker, a graduate of Stellenbosch University where he obtained a BSc degree in Oenology and Viticulture.

 

Basics:

Olivier B: Olivier B Wine Shop: Center of Villes sur Auzon, next to the bakery. Open Daily, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 4-7 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday morning. (Hwy 942 east from Carpentras). Tel: 04-90-61-72-07 or 06-25-39-08-60, Email: obvigneron@free.fr

Chateau Bas: Located northwest of Aix-en-Provence in Cazan, Tél. 04 90 59 13 16, email: contact@chateaubas.com, Consult website for directions.

Domaine des Anges: Mormoiron, Tel: 04 90 61 88 78. Directions: Arriving to Mormoiron on D942, turnoff to gravel road on south side, opposite side of direction to village. Look closely for signage. Consult website for directions.

Le Vivier: Shaded terrace dining over pattering river. 800 Cours Fernande Peyre, L’Isle Sur-la-Sorgue,Directions: From the center of L’Isle Sur-la-Sorgue, take direction Carpentras on Cours Fernande Peyre to the next roundabout. The entrance to Le Vivier is on the right of the roundabout behind a Credit Agricole sign. In arriving are from direction Carpentras on D938, you cross a small bridge and make a ¾ spin on the roundabout at the foot of Cours Fernande Peyre to the restaurant. Reservations: 04-90-38-52-80. Website.

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Zen Master Meets Gentleman Farmer Meets Saffron Chef at L’Aube de Safran, a Bed and Breakfast Hideaway in Le Barroux

The backstory of L’Aube Safran (“dawn of saffron” alludes to the time of the day when saffron is harvested): A Parisian couple – Marie an interior designer and Francois an architect – check out of the claustrophobic mash of urban life in search of a tranquil locale for a bit of farming in the Pyrenees, then they ditch the farm for another rural palette upon which to display their heightened sensitivity for elegance by renovating, decorating and encircling with saffron a large mas in Le Barroux, a bed and breakfast spread out among trees and pines on a patch of land offering mystical views of the small jagged mountain chain, the Dentelles de Montmirail. It’s the kind of place where if you were led to it blindfolded you would not know where you were at first sight, but you would find its isolated tranquil prettiness so downright reassuring that you would want to stay on.

Wandering from room to room, you feel a covetous and almost prurient envy of L’Aube Safran, as you can not imagine your own interior to be more detailed, color-coordinated, spatially-arranged or more elegantly appointed.  Marie and Francois create small private open spots — a single couch here, a small table there — enveloped by open space, in a way superior to overdoing it with clutter — even with expensive clutter — on terraces, in courtyards and in the rooms.

The pool has an overflowing border; the soothing patter of falling water muffles poolside conversations.  Good taste need not be lavish. There is nothing aggressive about L’Aube Safran’s design, rather its essence lies in its a priori simplicity.

There are five rooms / suites — bed and breakfasts in France are by law limited to five — that range in price from 120€ a night for a single to 185€ for the largest room for a double, with accommodations for three or four in other suites. Check the website for room descriptions. The place is a lot more about breakfast, included in the room price. There are lunch servings along with a common kitchen, and twice a week there is a table d’hote in the evening for guests. Yet, it’s really about what Marie does in her kitchen in bonding ingredients with the magical spice that transports you on an extraordinary culinary voyage.

Francois cultivates saffron in parcels of land surrounding the mas. Realize that it takes 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas (three per flower) to make a single pound of Saffron. He produces between a kilo and three kilos each year. In a small shop, you can grab a one gram pot of saffron for 27€, 5 grams for 98€, or select from numerous pots of saffron-scented concoctions of apricots, olives, onions, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and fennel for 9€ each.

A wine lover, Francois consults clients on bottles to marry with the various saffron products. For instance, the fennel w/saffron goes well with a “Fleur de Terroir” white, 50% roussanne and 50% clairette, from the Domaine de la Ferme Saint-Martin in Suzette. With the green olives w/saffron, drink a Tavel rosé from the Domaine de L’Angore. Marie has a website dedicated to saffron recipes.

The general atmospherics of L’Aube Safran are zen master meets gentleman farmer meets saffron chef. The best advice is to get yourself ‘en place’ and let Marie and Francois kick your palate up a notch in a spot mercifully free of any mind-cluttering disturbances.

Basics:

L’Aube Safran is located north of the village of Le Barroux in northwest part of the Vaucluse at 450 Chemin du patifiage, Le Barroux, Tél. 04 90 62 66 91, website

For a visit to the shop to purchase Saffron products, call in advance to confirm an appointment.

Marie’s saffron recipes: website Photo above: Fennel scented with Saffron

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THE DOMAINE DE CAPELONGUE IN BONNIEUX: FOUR GREAT CHEFS CELEBRATE THE SEASON’S END WITH A “GOURMAND DAY” FRIDAY NOV 4

Bonnieux in the Dreamy Light from the Dining Room of the Domaine de Capelongue

In the Luberon, many restaurants, hotels and resorts close the weekend after Armistice Day on November 11 and the Calavon Valley hibernates — a chilly slumberous sometimes rain-lashed place — until mid-March.

In some quarters Anglo-Saxon types hold to the tradition of seeing fall out by gathering for a toast of malt scotch at a tony bar. Now, if you find yourself in Provence and pine for a smart and proper salute to the season’s end, surrender yourself to the culinary imagination of “Chef of the Year 2011” Edouard Loubet of the Domaine de Capelongue who takes this concept to a thoroughly delightful, higher level: a “Gourmand Day” with not one cook mind you, but four hugely talented chefs enlivening your palate with the fresh flavors of Provence.

The line-up summons up a Master Chef reality show: Edouard Loubet of the Domaine de Capelongue; Philippe Jego of the Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel; Christophe Renaud of the Domaine de la Coquillade, and Jacques Chibois of the Bastide Saint-Antoine.

The festivities begin with an “Atelier Cueillette,” a workshop of picking wild herbs, and a visit to the gardens of the Domaine de Capelongue, followed by a wine tasting. The soigné evening takes its first notes from a jazz ensemble at sunset. The gastronomic affair features champagne and wines paired with each serving by Moët Hennessy.

There is no published menu. One always appreciates riveting discoveries and pleasant surprises; the evening foretells a bracing sensual adventure. There is a reality cooking program in France called “Un Diner Presque Parfait.” For this elegant repast at the Domaine de Capelongue, one can dispense with the ‘Presque’ in that title.

The “Gourmand Day” program is 121€ per person. The Domaine de Capelongue is offering two nights stay for the price of one along with continental breakfast for 265€ per person, which includes “Gourmand Day.”

Are some tastes so riveted in memory that you can not conceive of your childhood without them? Your first Mars Bar perhaps. Mr. Loubet’s food memory of youth is his grandmother’s gratin which accompanies a rack of lamb

Basics:

Domaine de Capelongue, Maisons Edouard Loubet, Bonnieux en Provence, Tel 04 90 75 89 78, website

Directions: From Cavaillon or Avignon, traverse the village of Bonnieux direction Lourmarin. The Domaine de Capelongue is on the hillside to your left exiting the village. Signage is well-placed.

Secure Reservations No Later than Saturday October 22 by phone or email at reservation@capelongue.com

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The Silky Kosher Wines – Cotes Du Rhone – of Les Vignobles David in the Gard Provencal

Within the highly-driven status-infected bourgeois Parisian culture, those who look to make a new life in “Le Sud” may be divided into three categories: those who search out the ‘bling-bling’ life of comfort in the Riveria and tony towns along the Mediterrean, those who cherish the quiet countryside of Provence as gentleman farmers with an abundance of hired help, and those who get their hands dirty in working the land as winemakers. The latter activity – one can name numerous captains of industry who have taken up the craft of vinification throughout Provence – is the most meritorious. After all, what is more glorious than serving your own wines at a luncheon on your terrace overlooking your vineyards.

For the David family of Les Vignobles David in the Gard Provencal, such a luncheon offers a cinematic gaze across an Olympic-size pool and vineyards towards the village of Castillon-du-Gard and the iconic Pont du Gard, the ancient Roman aqueduct bridge constructed to carry water from Uzès to Nîmes.  In 1991, the Paris-based Davids purchased a vineyard and olive groves near the village of Saint-Hilaire D’Ozilhan west of Avignon and constructed a Provencal-style house with the obligatory terrace.

Today, fils Frédéric, aided by père Alain, looks after producing Côtes du Rhône (42 acres), Côtes du Rhône Villages (49 acres) and Pays d’Oc white wines from about 100 acres of vines. The Davids recently took control of a parcel of vines in the Châteauneuf du Pape.

Red wines dominate production at 85%, with 10% rosé and 4% white wines. What distinguishes Les Vignobles David among winemakers in the region is that 28% of their production is dedicated to Kosher Wines vinified in accordance with  the laws of Judaism. To be declared a kosher wine, a Sabbath-observant Jew must be involved in the entire winemaking process and all ingredients used must be kosher. Furthermore, all equipment must be dedicated uniquely to the process of making kosher wines and the wine is kept free from grain, dough and bread. At Les Vignobles David, an authoritative rabbi visits the winery to verify the process.

In the winery’s pronounced signature style of silky full-flavored wines with soft tannins, Frédéric bottles three vintages of kosher wine:

Le Moure de L’isle Kosher Rosé: 50% Syrah, 25% Cinsault, 25% Grenache from vines averaging 30 years carrying the hechsher “KOSHER LEPASSACH under the strict supervision of Badarz Beth Yossef.”

Le Moure de L’isle Kosher: Côtes du Rhône, 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre from vines averaging 35 years  carrying the hechsher “KOSHER LEPASSACH under the strict supervision of Rav Eliever Wolff Dayan of Amsterdam.”

Reserve Kosher: Côtes du Rhône Villages, a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines averaging 55 years

The two Pays D’Oc whites are the Fleur de Sel, 85% Chardonnay and 15% Roussanne, and a varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Along with the “Reserve” Kosher Côtes du Rhône Villages, Frederic vinifies two other Côtes du Rhône Villages red vintages from old vines that have a deep ruby color with a nose of garrigue and dark fruit, black currants and herbs on the palate and a smooth finish:

 

Le Voyage d’Ulysse: 40% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre and 30% Carignan. This vintage can be held for four or five years.

Prieuré La Clastre: 81% Syrah, 9% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan. Drink within three years.

From Avignon, consider wrapping in a tasting at Les Vignobles David into an itinerary to the Pont du Gard and to Nîmes. There is a wine shop on the property for direct purchase. If you do visit, bring along a treat for their shy black kitty Twingo.

Basics:

Les Vignobles David: Domaine de la Clastre, 30210 Saint-Hilaire D’Ozilhan, Tel 466 370 399, website, The terrace of Les Vignobles David gazes over an Olympic-size pool with the village of Castillon-du-Gard in the background (photo)

Allied Importers: Tel 718-472-1155, website

Fine Vines Importer: Tel 708-343-6702 website

Zachy’s Retail: website

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A WINE HARVEST SEASON OPENER: “LE BAN DES VENDANGES COTES DU RHONE” IN AVIGNON

Preparing the ceremonial 'First pressing" of grapes at the Ban des Vendanges in Avignon

In Roman times, no grapes could be harvested before the official authorization to begin picking, an edict called  “lever le ban des vendanges,” to lift the banning of harveting.  Today, the custom of “le ban des vendages” is respected on much less strict terms with French institutions within the Minister of Agriculture and local wine organizations conferring on a date to begin harvesting.

The parade of the confederations at "Le Ban des Vendanges" in Avignon

The parade of the confederations at "Le Ban des Vendanges" in Avignon

For the past 16 years, Avignon has celebrated the ban des vendages for the Côtes du Rhône with a festival that traverses generations: a parade through the city streets of members of wine federations dressed in ancient colorful garb – a medium age of 60 – arriving to the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Doms of the Palais des Papes for a mass blessing this year’s harvest.

Wine and grapes prior to the Mass at the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Doms of the Palais des Papes

Just prior to the Mass, what is dubbed as the world’s largest rock group featuring more than fifty drummers, pounds out tunes that reverberate against the stone edifices of the Palais.

Prior to the service at the Mass at the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Doms of the Palais des Papes

After the Mass, a crowd gathers in the expansive garden above the Palais to hear proclamations lifting the ban in numerous languages followed by the ceremonial frist pressing of the grapes, a tasting of a Côtes du Rhône appellation – Rasteau this year – and a picnic at tables and on the grass, the food and three wines (see below) offered at booths for reasonable prices.

Proclaimation of the lifting of the banning to harvest in Chinese; some French vineyards have Chinese language as an option on their websites

For the thousands at the picnic, it is a family affair, and the average age is now in the 35-40 range, that is until a rock group lights up the stage at 9:00 p.m. until midnight, and the demographic dips to twenty-or-thirty somethings keen on a bit of drink and canoodling.

By 10:00 p.m. the night had grown young with old fashioned rock and roll

Three Prize-Winning Vintages

Each year, the Compagnons des Côtes du Rhône conducts blind tastings by a panel to select a red, white and rosé wine from the vintages submitted by wineries located in the Côtes du Rhône. At receptions and events during the year held by the “Compagnons” including the Fête du Ban des Vendanges, these wines serve as ‘ambassadors’ for the AOC Côtes du Rhône. This year winners, which were available for sale at the Fête Saturday, are:

Red Vintage Winner, an AOC Vinsobres 2009, Cuvée Grenat, a blend of 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah, Cave La Vinsobraise,

RED: AOC Vinsobres 2009, Cuvée Grenat, a blend of 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah. Cave La Vinsobraise, Route Départementale, Vinsobres, Tel 04 75 27 64 22, Email: infos@la-vinsobraise.com, Website

WHITE: AOC Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2010, Blend of 75% Viognier, 20% Marsanne, 5% Bourboulenc. Château Noël Saint Laurent, 1847 route de Noves, Morières les Avignon, Tel 04 90 33 32 07, Email: argentines@wanadoo.fr, Website

ROSE: AOC Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2010, Cuvée Rosélia Blend of Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre. Chantecôtes, Cours Maurice Trintignant, Sainte Cécile les Vignes, Tel 04 90 30 83 25, Email: contact@chantecotes.com, Website

A romantic vineyard: The Clos de la vigne du Palais des Papes in Avignon

A City Center Wine Appellation

The Clos de la vigne du Palais des Papes is only wine AOC in a city center in France with 554 stumps planted on terraces on the grounds around the Palais des Papes.

Picnic Party Animals

The AOC produces both red — varieties of Grenache and Syrah and white — varieties Grenache blanc and Viognier — wines which were offered Saturday evening at 50 euros each.

Basics:

Le Ban des Vendanges Côtes du Rhône: website

Inter Rhône: website

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