The Mosel River winds for 544 kilometres from its source in the Vosges Moutnains of France, where it is called Moselle. Over the centuries the Mosel has carved thourh rock and slate to create one the world’s greatest terrois for white wine.

The Riesling wines produced here are known for their delicacy, aromas, low alcohol, vibrant acidity, crisp freshness, elegance and refinement.

Riesling, without the shadow of a doubt, is the best white wine grape of Germany, and arguably, of the world. Some wine critics maintain that of all grapes Riesling expresses terroir best and German winemakers always say that fine riesling is made in the vineyard and not in the winery.

Germany has 13 wine growing regions, but only two of worldwide fame – Mosel and Rheingau.

For my money, Mosel is slightly better than Rheingau when it comes to finesse, delicacy and aromatics.

The winding Mosel, after incorporating Rivers Saar and Ruwer at Trier, is not only beautiful, but offers incomparable vistas of vineyards and landscapes on which to plant vines. Many are on steep slopes, where only nimble humans can navigate up and down. At the end of each harvest, many hours are spent to lug was earth up on the slopes. While in many flatland vineyards 400 hours of labour suffices to tend one hectare throughout the year ad harvest the fruit, in the Mosel approximately 1800 hours are needed pending the location.

Although costs are higher than elsewhere in Germany and in most other regions of the world, Mosel wines cost on average much less than others products. This is because in the past insipid and inexpensive Mosel wines were exported, and millions still think these libations sweet and cloying.

Actually, Mosel wines range from off dry to sweet, but all are balanced, low in alcohol, are aromatic and refreshing. They contain sufficiently high levels of acidity to render then refreshingly light, and never too sweet.

On both banks of the entire Mosel River there are vineyards pending on aspect of the location.

The best single vineyards on the Mosel are located in the Middle Mosel stretching from the town of Bernkastel to Urzig. In this section the river, the best and most famous vineyards are located. i.e.

Leiwener Klostergarten
Trittenheimer Laurentiusberg
Trittenheimer Apotheke
Trittenheimer Altarchen
Piesporter Goldtropfchen
Burglayer Kappelchen
Burglayer Gunterslay
Burglayer Rosenberg
Wintricher Grosser Herrgott
Brauneberger Juffer
Bernkasteler Graben
Bernkasteler Schlossberg
Bernkasteler Doctor
Bernkasteler Bratenhofchen
Graacher Himmelreich
Graacher Domprobst
Zeltinger Himmelreich
Wehlener Sonnenuhr
Urziger Wurzgarten

These vineyards of excellence are based on three factor; climate, mineral-rich slate and volcanic soils, and age of vines.

They constitute the building blocks of fine wines. There are many wineries in the Mosel region. Some have vineyards and buy grapes from growers; others rely exclusively on the fruit of their properties.

The best known and reputable wineries are: J J Prum, A S Prum, Dr Loosen, Dr H. Thanisch, Pauly Begweiler, Wegeler, Egon Muller, Zilliken, Markus Molitor, Max Ferdinand Richter, Selbach-Oster, Studert-Prum, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt.
Dr. Loosen is one fo the best and most reswpected wineries int eh reigon with single-vineyards in bernkastel, Graach, Wehlen, Urzig, and Erden.

In Bernkastel, the vineyard is called Lay, the soil of which is mostly slate, but heavier and deeper than in Wehlen and Graach. The vineyard is on a gentle slope, and produces richly textured, assertive wines.

Graacher Himmelreich faces south and west, and contains deep soils. The wines combine elegance and a rustic strength with mineral undertones, which contribute to their cellaring potential in successful vintages. Spatlese and Auslese quality level wines of this vineyard can be cellared for decades.

Before modern watches were invented all along the Mosel River sundials were located atop the vineyards. They were the public clocks that one can still see in some Middle Eastern countries for the benefit of the population, who cannot afford to buy a watch.

The best locations were always where the sun shone the longest and most intense. Naturally, these happened to be the best vineyard sites as well.

There are only few sundials (Sonnenuhr in German) left along the Mosel.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr has 65 hectares of steep, slate covered slopes that face southwest. The slate absorbs the sun’s heat and keeps radiating after sunset. This single vineyard enjoys Grand cru status among Mosel single-vineyards.

It has very thin soil, and the purest blue slate of any vineyard in the region, ad which is responsible for the minerality, along with a delicate and crisp acidity that balances the white peach and lemon aromas. Wehlener Sonnenuhr from selected plots is aristocratic and elegant.

Urziger Wurzgarten is extremely steep and leis in a bend of the river resembling an amphitheatre. The wines are exotic with aromas of tropical fruits, and earthy. The soil is red volcanic and is covered with slate.

Erdener Treppchen is so steep that steps had to be carved to facilitate workers’ movements. The iron-infused, red-slate soil produces muscular and complex wines with intense minerally finish. They should e bottle-aged for a few years to achieve their flavour potential.

Dr. Loosen’s Erdener Treppchen wines are marketed in kabinett, spatlese, auslese, beerenauslese and eiswein quality levels.

Erdener Prelat measures 1.75 hectares and yields some of the best wines of Mosel. The vineyard faces south and the soil is composed of red slate, yielding wines of unequalled power and nobility. The location and the river ensure exceptional ripeness in every vintage. Quality levels marketed by Dr. Loosen are auslese and above.

NOTE: Dr. Loosen is involved in a joint venture with Château Ste. Michelle in Washington state that produces phenomenally aromatic, elegant and deeply flavoured Eroica Riesling.

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The valley of the lower reaches of the mighty Loire River is a veritable garden of wines.
Loire, a lush green valley, was at one time, playground to courtiers, French nobility, kings ad queens.
Many aristocrats built chateaux to entertain their friends and concubines. Many of these lavishly built chateaux are today museums, and/or hotels or alternately wineries.
Although Loire is France’s largest river, it cannot be used for navigation. It is shallow and there are too many islands in it. This lovely region produces a wide range of wines – red, rose, white, dry, off dry, sweet, and sparkling.
Some go well with simple fare, others are just for quaffing, yet others are worth of gastronomic meals and a few lend themselves beautifully to desserts.
The personality and character of Loire wines change with geology, and geography.
Nowhere is the saying “wine is liquid geography” as true as here.
The river runs through the chalky hills of the Paris basin and “old rocks” of the Massif Armoricain.(Massif is a topographical feature of a mountain mass generally formed of rocks more rigid and older than those surrounding it. Massifs range in size from a few, to hundreds of square kilometres), Loire has four distinct sub-regions: Touraine, Saumur, Anjou and Sancerre.
It is amazing how a substantial variety and styles in Touraine, Saumur, and Anjou derive from two grape varieties – chenin Blanc and cabernet franc.
The chenin blanc is known as pineau d’Anjou.
In Sancerre, sauvignon blanc reigns supreme, but one must not forget the delicious muscadet wines grown close to the Atlantic Ocean. Chardonnay is found everywhere, and there is a substantial acreage of gamay, malbec, and pinot noir.
Touraine is home to appellations Vouvray, Montlouis, Chinon, Bourgeuil, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Coteaux du Loire and Jasnieres.
Wines range from dry to off-dry, rose and light reds, and the soil yellow tuffeau to argillaceous chalk.
Saumur has long been noted for its sparkling wines produced by the methode champenoise, but sold at less than half the cost of champagne. Saumur sparkling wines are light, soft, fruity, and fun to enjoy. They don’t cellar well, so drink them within a year or two of vintage.
Veuve Amiot brand is particularly famous and recommended.
Anjou here the terroir consists mainly of cretaceous chalk, clay, and schist. The best reds come from cabernet franc, roses cabernet sauvignon, gamay and cot.
The wines of Savennieres, Coteaux de l’Aubance, Coteaux de Layon, Bonnezaux, Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux de la Loire are particularly appreciated by connoisseurs.
Bonnezaux and Quart de Chaume enjoy elevated status for their sweet wines made from chanin blanc and which trend to be perfumy, and long-lived.
Muscadet is found just below, in gardens east of the city of Nantes. Chenin blanc and cabernet franc are replaced by muscadet and other grapes. Here Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, Muscadet de Coteaux de la Loire, and Muscadet Cotes de Grand Lieu stand out.
Here the granitic soil yields outstanding dry wines that go best with steamed mussels or light seafood.
Muscadet sur Lie is another unique specialty since the wine is kept on its lees for at least six months, but most winemakers keep it for one year, and then bottled. Sur lie wines must be consumed shortly after bottling and possess a yeasty aroma akin to freshly baked bread.
Sancerre contains 2500 hectares of vineyards planted to sauvignon blanc and pinot noir (25 per cent). This sub-region has three soil types; stony limestone with little soil, flinty (silex), and clay limestone (argilocalcaire), each of which gives a different taste to the wine.
Most Sancerre is made in stainless steel tanks, but a few top class are barrel fermented and barrel aged briefly. Sancerre wines display a typical sauvignon blanc grassiness, gooseberry and grapefruit aromas.
Red and rose Sancerre made from pinot noir are light and fruity, but must be enjoyed shortly after bottling, and ideally with food.
Loire wines represent excellent value, are versatile and deserve the attention than they receive.

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Beaujolais, a light red wine vented exclusively using gamay, has delighted millions. It is, when well made and from a successful vintage, enchanting, easy-to-drink, uncomplicated, and goes with many different foods.
You can enjoy a glass in between meals, with meals, snacks, sandwiches, in short it as a versatile wine.
There are many styles of this popular wine:
Cru Beaujolais from 10 recognized villages
Beaujolais Village from 35 classified villages
Beaujolais from a vast area in southern part of the region
Beaujolais nouveau
The last category of the hierarchy becomes ubiquitous upon release the third Thursday of November every year regardless of harvest date.
Beaujolais nouveau (literally new Beaujolais) is made from hand-harvested grapes during the same year.
Winemakers employ the carbonic maceration technique to produce this light wine that never “sees” the inside of a barrel.
Carbonic maceration involves placing whole bunches in an enclosed tank with a false bottom. A small amount he grapes is crushed, placed in a container and pushed into the bottom shelf of the tank. During the fermentation, the carbon dioxide that is given off cannot escape, and circulates among the bunches above. This creates an intracellular fermentation of berries. They swell, and their skins become almost translucent. After two to three days the grapes are crushed and an ordinary wine making formula is followed.
When the fermentation stops, the wine is rested for a few days, and then filtered; subsequently the malolactic fermentation us induced by increasing the cellar temperature. During this process half of the harsh malic acid is converted to mild lactic acid rendering the young wine more enjoyable.
Beaujolais nouveau is released everywhere in the world the same day. This involves air transportation of bottles to distant markets, and trucking them to Paris, Brusselles, Amsterdam and other important consumption locales.
About 50 per cent of all Beaujolais is made in this fashion and generates quick cash for vignerons, while creating a lot of publicity for the region and is eponymous wine.
The L C B O imported eight nouveau-style wines, five from Beaujolais, one from Languedoc, and two from northern Italy and will release them to 400 stores beginning November 19.
As a wine writer I have tasted all, and recommend the following:

Beaujolais- Village, J. Drouhin, France
Very appealing both aromatically and from a flavour perspective. It is with solid acid-backbone, appealing texture and long aftertaste.
$ 14.95

Beaujolais- Village, G. Dubeouf, France
Purple colour, as all young red wines. Smells of red berries, is medium-weight and finishes well.
$ 14.5

Novio Vino Novello, Mezzacorona, Alto-Adige, Italy
Appealing fruit aromas greet your nose. Medium-bodied, with some depth. A “juicy”, very enjoyable wine with a long aftertaste.
$ 9.95

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Tourists visiting small cities and towns in France become watch with fascination people carrying baguettes under their arms in specially designed bags or on their bicycles carriers around noon in time for lunch at home.
French, except in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg and other major cities go home for lunch. Life literally stops in small-town France from 12 – 2 p m.
Baguette is France’s standard bread provided by neighbourhood bakeries, each of which has its own “secret” recipe. In Paris, bread aficionados travel across the city to obtain their regular baguette from their favourite baker, something unimaginable in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or new York. Even so called “foodies” don’t contemplate to travel for five minutes to go to their favourite baker. Yet there is a lot to be said about tasty bread!
The baguette, France’s pain ordinaire, is a slim, long crusty, fragrant, nutty bread that can be eaten universally with café au lait, butter and jam, with fondue, cheese, and to mop up sauce from the main course plate.
French bakers perfected the formula in 1921 for the discerning palates of Parisians. This is light leavened bread with a specially created yeast strain, baked in a steam-injected oven. Previously, baguette dough was started with sourdough starter and baked in standard, conventional ovens that were incapable of baking a crusty baguette.
Bread is as symbolic to France as beef to Britons. During World War II, bread quality in France was less than acceptable. After the war French bakers intent to sell quantity rather than quality, started churning out super white, fluffy (airy) but tasteless bread.
Soon the population, who remembered the taste of properly baked baguette before the war had money in their pockets, started demanding for tasty bread. Artisan bakers, always eager to maximize profits, started churning out white, crisp, chewy and flavourful baguette with proper ingredients now readily available.
Artisan bread making requires the best flour available. Saskatchewan wheat has all the qualities baguette bakers want, and yet only few cities in North America boast outstanding bread. It seems white sandwich bread still rules!
Fortunately the young, well-travelled and gastronomically adventurous generation exposed tasty bread in their European travels know and care enough about taste and the taste of bread they eat.
Ace bakery, a runaway success with Torontonians, proves the point.
French bakers also sell other regional breads developed over centuries including ficelles, Petit Parisien and epi de Charente just to name a few.
But none has the ubiquity of baguette.
The only disadvantage, if we can call it a shortcoming of baguettes is it gets stale within six to eight hours but ingenious French cooks invented pain perdue, and excellent specialty to finish a fine meal or start the day.
Italian balers are well known for their calabrese, ciabata, olive breads, Tuscan country loaves just to name a few.
German bakers take pride in producing German rye bead, pumpernickel, bauernbrot.
San Francisco sourdough enjoys an excellent repuatio9n, but only a few artisan bakers care enough to produce fine quality.
Middle eastern people have always valued their breads and produce an endless variety. In all villages and cities, local bakers enjoy popularity over other trade people seldom can.
Persian flat bread flavoured with herbs, cheeses and olive oil sell well in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver whenavailable. Enterprising Iranian émigrés run successful bakeries.
Of course Armenian sesame seed flavoured lavash is a class act only a few other breads can match.
All of the above are available in any of the stores in Toronto, and for that matter any large urban centre in North America.

NOTE: Unbleached organic wheat flour, (12 ½ % protein not to hard is best), pure water with as little as possible chlorine, yeast and salt are the only ingredients for baguette.
Long fermentation lasts up to 15 hours, a short high-speed mix and a second mix of 2 ½ minutes at a little slower rate gives good results. Over mixed dough is fluffy, but results in an airy product. Then the dough must rest, formed and baked. Forming itself is an art form only few accomplished bakers master well.

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Provence, located on teh Mediterranean coast adjacent to Italy has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times (2 ½ million – 10 000 BC) mostly because of its mild climate and fertile soil.
Archaeologists discovered Neolithic sites (a.k.a New Stone Age starts 9500 and comes to an end 7500 years later) dating back to 6000 BC in Marseille, which was founded by trading classical Greeks from Phocea (today located in Turkey and called Foca). The Greek name of Marseille was Massilia.
The history of Provence is tumultuous as many kings, emperors, and fiefs were interested in exploiting both the land and its population
From 200 BC to 500 AD the senate of the Roman Empire directly from Rome governed Provence: Christianity arrived in the third century.
Provence offers beautiful scenery, the most famous of which is the garrigue, composed of soft-leafed scrubland, mostly found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean, along with juniper tress, lavender, sage, rosemary and wild thyme. In Provence, Occitane is the common language derived partially from Latin. The soft and diffuse light attracts painters and artists. Cannes, one of the cities of the region, is the site of world famous annual film festival.
Nice and Marseille are the two other important cities along the coast are well worth visiting while staying in the region. Marseille with its diverse population, (many inhabitants came from Algeria) and its markets, bustle with almost oriental commotion, shouts, traffic and trade.
Inland of Provence, life is more leisurely and decidedly less expansive. Here the visitor can actually witness how the true Provencal lives.
You can rent a house at a reasonable cost, and make daily excursions to Nice, Cannes, Marseille, and even Aix-en-Provence, all of which are beautiful and highly interesting.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English nobility used to spend winters in Provence and there are still architectural remnants of this era to be admired in Nice and/or Cannes.
Provence is famous for its perfume industry, mainly due to the availability of flowers. Over time, inhabitants perfected essence extraction techniques, and the town of Gers is the centre of the industry.
Provence is famous for its food, Here olives, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, seafood (rouget, loup de mer, sardines , rock fish, sea urchins, octopus) lamb, goat, chickpeas, fruits ( particularly melons from Cavaillon), vegetables, and herbs reign supreme.
Boillabaisse consisting of onions, tomatoes, fennel, saffron, sage, laurel, white wine or cognac, a mixture of Mediterranean seafood including langouste (spiny lobster), not to be confused with lobster (homarus americanus) is a specialty every visitor ought to experience at least once. “Honest” and well-prepared bouillabaisse is expensive but well worth the expense. Then there is ratatouille, a rich vegetable stew wich originated in Nice, escabeche, poached fish marinated in vinegar, olive oil spices and herbs, brandade de morue, creamed crushed cod fish, olive oil, milk, garlic and tomatoes and sometimes truffles, rouille, mayonnaise with crushed garlic, soupe au pistou, fish soup flavoured with basil, daube Provencale, beef stew with herbes de Provence, fougasse, round, flat bread with holes, and olives and nuts, la pissaladiere, invented in Nice is a square pizza-like finger food made with puff pastry, and callison, a cookie from Aix-en-Provence.
As you can see, the cuisine is rich and varied.
Provence also grows a lot of grapes. There are three wine producing regions Cotes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, and Coteaux Varoisien. Each has several sub-regions – Bandol, Cassis, Bellet, Palette, Les Baux de Provence. This region is famous for its rose wines which complement the cuisine well.
For those who like exotic alcoholic beverages, pastis flavoured with liquorice and herbs is highly recommended. There is nothing better, and refreshing than a pastis on the rocks with a little water on a hot day while relaxing in a sidewalk café and watching the world go by.
There is no shortage of sites in Provence, Paul Cezanne’s studio in Aix-en-Provence, V. van Gogh painted in Arles and where he cut his ear, the castle in Les Baux de Provence, the city of Avignon, the former papal summer residence and towering medieval palace, the Pont d’Avignon (26 km. Eat of the city) is an engineering marvel of Roman building art (it is still in good condition), Gordes, the prettiest town in Luberon, and the set of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence.
Bon voyage.

Getting there: You can fly from any major European city to Marseille, and from North America via Paris, or London, or Frankfurt/Main.
There are excellent TGV (Trains de Grand Vitesse) connections from Paris to Marseille or you can fly to Paris, rent a car (Renault achat rachat programme recommended) and drive via Burgundy to Provence

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Wine enthusiasts who seek to unlock the mystery of terroir must start with Burgundy. Here growers and winemakers, mostly monks in medieval times, created exquisite wines that express the very spirit of the rocky soil from which they have coaxed for over 1000 years.

Terroir is the combination of soil and climate, but we must never forget that mankind contributes a lot to taste, texture and intensity. A wine farmer can prune to get a yield of 10 tones per hectare, or five tons. The taste of the fruit of the two will differ a great deal.

Then there are other contributing factors – slope, vineyard’s orientation, altitude, pruning, green harvest, shoot positioning, harvest time, selective harvesting, sorting of harvested fruit, crushing, fermentation, aging, blending, and filtration or not.

Each wine of pedigree should tell us something about the earth that we will otherwise not know, and it is not something visual, but you can taste it.

Burgundy soil, and the Burgundians do it!

Burgundy is a relatively small wine-producing region with eight sub-regions, i.e Chablis, Cote de Beaune, Cote de Nuits, Maconnais, Cote Chalonnaise, Haute Cote de Nuits, Haute Cote de Beaune, and Beaujolais.

Chablis produces exclusively white wines using chardonnay only, and a sauvingon blanc de St Bris.

Chablisienne rarely age their wines in barrels.

Cote de Nuits is revered for its well-structured and log-lived pinot noirs. The vineyards are steeper, and more easterly facing therefore absorb sunshine for longer periods.

Cote de Beaune is famous for its delicate fruit-forward pinot noirs suitable for mid-term aging. They represent good value.

Cote de Beaune is better known for its world famous whites i.e Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, and Montrachet, just to name a few.

Cote Chalonnais produces still red and white wines, but has become more famous for its sparkling wines – Cremant de Borugogne.

Haute de Beaune and Haute Cote de Nuits produce fine wines, but only from well-tended vineyards with low yield, and in the hands of quality oriented winemakers.

Beaujolais is best known for its light, quaffable red wines vinted using gamay grapes. In most cases consumers consider Beaujolais a completely different class of wine.
Burgundy wines have always been expensive, and many merchants and wineries have tried different techniques to increase yield, and/or got involved in fraud.

In Burgundy the name of the producer and his/her integrity are paramount to receiving quality. These people refuse to sell inferior vintage wines under their label, and sell it off in bulk to those who care less.

Now there are several young, university-educated Burgundians who either inherited vineyards or work for well-established wineries or are devoted to making wines that truly express the characteristics of the terroir. Michel Caillot, Nicolas Potel, Jean Durup, Michel Poitout both from Chateau de Maligny, and Chartron et trebuchet are only a few that come to mind.

Chartron et Trebuchet is a small negociant house that cares about quality as much as any winemaker.

Bouchard Pere et Fils, L.Latour, are very old and reliable negociants, and some own famous vineyard sites, but also buy grapes or wine to process further.

Here are some Burgundy shippers and wineries well known for their integrity.

Chablis:
Domaine Christian Moreau, Jean Marc Brocard, Domaine Laroche, Louis Michel at Fils, Domaine Simonet-Fevbre, Domaine William Febvre, and Jean Sebastien Dauvissat.
Burgundy – Cote d’Or:
Rossignol-Trapet, Doudet-Naudin, Patrick Javillier, Remoissenet, Frederic Magnien, Marc Colin, L. Jadot, Prince Florent de Marode, Domaine Tapenot-Merme, Domaine Geantet-Pansiot, Domaine Henri Gouges, Domaine Robert Arnoux, Domaine Laflaive, Domaine Thierry et Pascal Matrot, Domaine Guy Roulot, Domaine Marc Morey et Fils, Domaine Guy et Thierry Amiot, Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Michel Caillot, Domaine Tortochot, Domaine Vincent Gerardin, Nicolas Potel, Comte de Vogue, Michel Picard, and Chartron et Trebuchet.

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Most consumers in other parts of the world hardly ever see a bottle of Savoie wine since the majority of the production is consumed by tourists from Switzerland, Germany, Benelux states, Scandinavia and locals.

This mountainous region south and west of Geneva has less than 1700 hectares of vineyards. The majority of Savoie wines (66 per cent) are white. The vineyards are widely dispersed; in the flatter more sheltered parts of the region.

Savoie wines display aromatic characteristics, are medium bodied, relatively low in alcohol and meant for food. They are acid-driven mainly because of the altitude of vineyards and cool climate.

Appellation d’origine controllee was granted in the 11940’s.
The prolific jaquere is the most popular grape variety followed by rousette (a.k.a altesse), chardonnay, and roussanne (a.k.a Bergeron).
For red wines, growers prefer pinot noire, and mondeuse, which is said to be related to refosco in northern Italy. Mondeuse goes best with local, flavourful semi-hard cheeses.

Crepy, Seyssel, Roussette de Savoie, Abymes, Apremont, Arbin, Chignin, Cruet and Montmelian are appreciated by those like to enjoy fine, nuanced and light wines.

Savoie was originally comprised of parts in Italy, and Switzerland; today treh region is within France. The history of Savoie is turbulent and goes back to the Frankish Kingdom of Burgundy, int eh 10th century. After the collapse of this kingdom, Rudolph III, King of Burgundy, created the House of Savoy, in 1003. It has become the longest surviving dynasty in Europe.

It is a beautiful, rugged region and relies mostly on agriculture and tourism.

Regardless, France occupied Savoie in 1792 and again in 1815. After many small battles between Italy and France, the Treaty of 1860 was signed to annex the region to either country, pending the results of a plebiscite. France won and now administers it.

It is a tourist region in winter for skiers, and in the summer for hikers and those who enjoy the purity of mountain air.

Chambery, just south of Savoie is famous for its flavourful vermouths.
In addition to wines mentioned above, Mousseux de Savoie and Pettilant de Savoie are produced as specialties based on chardonnay.

Small amounts fo Abymes, Seyssel, ansd Crepy are exported to Switzerland, the U k, and the U S A.

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We have been a weekend in Paris and we tried to see as much as possible in the short time, so it has been a lot of walking. This is the road map we followed on day three:

We started again at the Eiffel tower and look NO queue!! Then again it is one hour until opening (09:30). The queue was formerly starting so we had about an hour in it, but then again we were among the first 20 people in it.

We took the elevator up to stage 2 and took a lot of pictures and admired the view.

As we were in the queue to the Eiffel Tower and the sun rise we know it would be a hot day with temperature up against 30 degrees Celsius. The route for today was to take the Metro to Les Halles and just walk around.

We did pass the Pompidou Centre. Because it was so hot and that this was our third day we decided to take it short, so we ended up with about 4 km totally + an hour in queue at the Eiffel Tower. Here ends our Paris walkabout and we do hope you have enjoyed reading about it.

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We have been a weekend in Paris and we tried to see as much as possible in the short time, so it has been a lot of walking. This is the road map we followed on day two:

We started at the Eiffel Tower again this day and the queue was as long as the day so we decided again to try next day and even earlier. We took the Metro/Train to the Montmartre area and did some walking there.

This map is approximate the way we walked and we started the day with a 2 km long route.

When we came up from the Metro the Moulin Rouge was just ahead of us. And we started to walk up the Rue Lepic.

We went past a botcher.

And a cheese store.

And the famous area with all the painters.

And up to the Sacré Coeur.

Walking part 2.

We took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe and started walking down the Champs-Elysees.

As you can see we have walked a bit.

And there still is a long way too go.

Finally at the Louvre and the queue was reasonable so we went inside.

And of course we did some walking inside the world’s largest museum.

I am really glad we did got too see the famous Mona Lisa.

And we sow an African exhibition.

Totally we did walk about 8-10 km the second day. After the Louvre visit we went back to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the day.

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We are going for a trip to Paris, France me and my wife. This is my Christmas gift for my wife and it is also a 5 year wedding celebration. This will be our first trip to Paris and even France ever so this is very exciting.

We are staying at the hotel Le Marquis which is near the Eiffel tower; I do hope we can see it from the room. I know from experience that it will be a lot of walking through the streets this weekend, because we do like to see as much as possible in the short time. I will bring my camera and take a lot of pictures so there will be much blogging posts with picture from Paris next week. And to all my EC card droppers: I will have a break from dropping, so this will be a time to see who cares to drop back.

We are planning to take some time at the Montmartre and I do hope the weather will be with us. We must visit the Eiffel tower, but I’m not sure we will go to the top due to our fear of heights. Notre-Dame is a must and I really like to see Mona Lisa, but I am uncertain about the queue at the Louvre so this is on hold.

We are also looking forward to good food and wine and hopefully we will bring you some reviews of a restaurant or two. The airplane is leaving Gardermoen, Oslo at 08:00 am tomorrow and we have an hour drive to get there so we must get up early, but this will be for fun.

Wish us good luck!

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Chatel Delacour Chateau de la Cour 2003.

This is Bordeaux wine the way we like it. It is full-bodied, round and with a long aftertaste. It has a little tight taste with good tannins and a little dirt in the aftertaste. We did like this very much and it fitted well to the entrecote we had for dinner.

Have you tasted this or another wine, you are welcome to add a dice/review in our wine guide
Winesworld.

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Modern winemaking started to take root only in 1980’s, but today this region’s wines are as good as any from the New World. Prices are reasonable.
Young winemakers of Midi and Provence are creating exiting wines with supreme individuality, character, and refinement.
Roussillon, adjacent to Spain, favours carignan, grenach, syrah, mourvedre, cinsaut and lladoner pelu varieties. There are also many hectares of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc in the cooler parts of the region.
All these grapes ripen well, ad yield robust, aromatic, spicy wines to complement hearty food, for which the region is well known.
Corbiere is a large and rugged appellation using mainly the same grape varieties as Roussillon produces full-bodied, dark and flavourful red wines suitable for beer, roasted root vegetables, sausages and game stews.
Minervois located inland, is known for its full-bodied, “forest floor” and garigue-smellig red wines. All small of ripe red berries and are recommended with hard, ripe cheeses, steaks, meat-sauced pastas, and pizzas.
St Chinian, just east of Minervois, is relatively small but produces crisp, elegant, flavourful wines reminiscent of Bordeaux.
Fougeres is another small but important region, producing deeply coloured, rich and spicy wines reminiscent of Cotes du Rhone.
Languedoc as an appellation was established in 2005, but has been producing wines, mostly red, for centuries. Today a limited amount of white wine is also produced. Languedoc wines are concentrated and balanced.
Bandol is a small appellation just east of Marseille, the main port of southern France.
The wines are dark in colour, full-bodied and deeply flavoured.
Provence s best known for its rose wines, but also produces cellar-worthy red wines.
Here are some wines you may want to try:

Château Calissanne, 2006, a blend of grenache, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, packed with aromas of raspberries, leather, coffee, and wet stones. A refreshing wine.
061283 $ 17.95

La Bastide Blanche, 2006, Bandol
Mulberry, plum and blackberry aromas waft out oft eh glass of this full-bodied and tannic wines. Cellar-worthy for three to five years, but you can decant it and enjoy with medium rare cooked steaks.
Occultum Lapidem, 2006, Domaine de Bila-Haut
A FINE WINE MADE BY CHAPOUTIER, THE FAMOUS COTES DU RHONE WINERY. FULL-BODIED, RICH AND SUPPLE.
643239 $ 19.95

LE GRAND PENCHANT ROUGE, 2007
DRY, INTENSE, VERY FLAVOURFUL AND WELL-STRUCTURED.
061267 $ 17.95

TERRASSES DE LA MOULIEN ROUGE, 2007
RICH ON THE PALATE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE FLAVOURS, AND VERY LONG FINISH.
103648 $ 13.95

ESPRIT DU SUD ROUGE, 2007
DRY FLORALFRUITY, VERY ACCESSIBLE.TRY IS WITH CASSOULET, A TYPICAL FRENCH MEDITERRANEAN STEW.
104919 $ 15.95

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret 2006.

The Domaine du Vieux Lazaret is the largest estate in Chateauneuf du Pape and covers over 250 acres (1.0 km2) in 35 different parcels, with consequent complexity of soil types. Modern winemaking techniques, along with rigorous selection, are employed in this area to produce wine. The Quiot family has owned vineyards in this region for over 200 years.

It is still a round and good wine, with great distinctive fruity taste and medium body. We still miss a little more structure in the wine, but all over it is a pleasant acquaintance.

Have you tasted this or another wine, you are welcome to add a dice/review in our wine guide
Winesworld.

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Burgundy, located on the fringes of the northern hemisphere wine belt, produces inspiring libations in good vintages. Historically, three to four vintages every decade yield extraordinary wines, the rest are either acceptable or below average. The 2006 vintage was one of the better ones since the beginning of the 21st century. Vintage 2006 in Chablis, Burgundy was overall very successful. July was hot, even scorching, particularly during the second half of the month. August was rainy with showers. Hot and dry weather returned in September accelerating ripening and necessitating harvesting early (on the 13th and finishing nine days later).
Harvesting, at least at W. Favre, one of the best Chablis producers, was by hand and the old vine vineyards yielded superbly flavoured, ripe grapes, which are reflected in the wines.
In all the years of tasting, I can safely say that the consistency of all W. Fevre Chablis is remarkable.
The vintage in the Cote d’Or was overall successful with some outstanding wines. July was sunny and hot, while August turned out cool with showers throughout the month. September was warm and grapes ripened well. Overall rot was minimal (five per cent) and at Bouchard Pere et Fils was easily solved by double sorting.
Wine enthusiasts watch Burgundy vintage reports with great interest and purchase accordingly. Those who neglect to buy according to vintage quality end up paying too much for their bottles.
Bouchard Pere et Fils is one of the oldest Burgundy shippers with 130 hectares of vineyards, of which 12 hectares are rated grand cru and 74 premier cru.
Grand cru classified vineyards yield superb wines even in mediocre vintages, and outstanding quality in good vintages. In 1995 Bouchard Pere et Fils was purchased by the owner of Henriot, a famous champagne house, who invested substantial amounts purchasing new barrels and modern technology. Quality has improved appreciably since.
In Burgundy, more than anything else, the reputation of the shipper plays a great role as a guarantee of quality. Reputable shippers never put their name on the label of a bottle with poor quality wine. They safeguard their hard-earned reputation. If the vintage turns out to be poor, many will sell their inferior wines in bulk to other shippers, and only bottle the ones that are better than the average and hence acceptable or pleasant to drink.
Bouchard Pere et Fils enjoys an excellent reputation and the name on the label should provide sufficient reason to be sure that quality is in the bottle, yet every vintage produces wines that are less than good. At Bouchard Pere et Fils less than good wines are remarkably few.
Meanwhile, W. Fevre, a renowned Chablis producer was acquired, with the objective to producing elegant and balanced wines.
Luc Bouchard visits Toronto, Montreal every year in March or April to provide samples of the impending release. This year’s line up of 2006 was remarkable, and prices reasonable.
Here are my recommendations:

W. Fevre, Chablis
All Chablis (Chablis Domaine $ 30.00; Chablis Beauroy Premiere Cru $ 40.00; Chablis Montmains Premiere Cru $ 45.00; Chablis Vaillons Premiere Cru $ 51.99; Chablis Fourchoume Premiere Cru $ 51.00; Chablis Mont de Milieu Premiere Cru $ 51.00; Chablis Bougros Grand Cru $ 90.00; Chablis Bougros Grand Cru $ 99.00, Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouguerots Grand Cru $ 99.00; Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru $ 99.00, and Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru $ 112.00) were fruity, exuding apple and pear aromas, balanced, refined, with long aftertaste. All offer remarkable complexity.
The prices are reasonable considering quality and the small quantities produced.
The Grand Cru Chablis can be cellared for two to three years but are ready to enjoy with appropriate foods.
Serve at 12 – 14 C and never too cold if you want to appreciate the subtle qualities of this superb vintage.

Bouchard Pere et Fils

Red wines

Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru
Exudes strawberry aromas, evolves in the mouth, is elegant and balanced. 91/100, $ 50.00

Beaune Teurons
Offers an excellent mid-palate, is elegant, and smooth with berry aromas dominating. Long aftertaste.
91/100, $ 64.00

Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot
Bouchard Pere et Fils owns 30 per cent of the appellation and always produces well-balanced wines from the old vines of the site. This particular bottle with a mid-weight palate and succulent texture, exuded strawberry aromas,
92/100, $ 96.00

Volnay Clos des Chenes
Excellent depth, fruit and extract. Enjoyable now but will improve with one or two years of cellaring.
92/100, $ 78.00

Vigne de l’Enfant Jesu
This is a monopole vineyard i.e entirely owned by Bouchard Pere et Fils, and available only through the winery or its agents in export markets. The entire property belongs to Bouchard Pere et Fils, and is known for its consistency in fine quality year after year. The vines are pruned to yield approximately five tons per hectare. This multidimensional, silky smooth and fruity wine is truly outstanding to enjoy with food, or sip while contemplating wine in general, or philosophy of nature in particular.
95/100, $ 144.00

White wines

Meursault Les Goutte d’Or (Golden Drops)
Exudes ripe apple and pear aromas, is full-bodied with excellent depth and “power”. Refined, lively, and elegant on the palate.
94/100, $ 114.00

Meursault Genevrieres
Smooth, warming, clean, and balanced, Match with pan-fried Dover sole, salmon with beurre blanc, or pike dumplings in cream sauce.
94/100, $ 114.00

Corton-Charlemagne
Intense fruitiness and typical minerality derived from the Cimmeridgian soil of the region. Soft, rich and elegant mid-plate. Many connoisseurs consider this vineyard the epitome of white Burgundies. Only 17,300 bottles were produced. Worth aging for four to five years.
95/100, $ 200.00

Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
A rare treat of a wine offering superb minerality, and fruit. Distinguished bouquet, intermingling with floral aromas. Complex and rich mid-palate with an unusually long and pleasant aftertaste. A wine that must be tasted to appreciate it. Words can hardly ever do justice to the subtlety and refinement of this wine in this vintage.
95/100, $ 394.00

All of the above are special imports and will take approximately eight weeks to
arrive. Prices quoted are all-inclusive, but approximate pending on currency fluctuations.

Order can be faxed or phoned in.

For orders contact Jason at Woodman Wines and Spirits
Telephone: 416 767 5114 / Fax 416 767 9008

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Bordeaux is one of the wine world’s natural wonders, exciting connoisseurs with its elegant, refined, and complex wines. This is the largest high-quality wine-producing region in the world and has been exporting its legendary wines for centuries, all over the world, but particularly to the United Kingdom due to history and vigorous marketing of English wine merchants.
Bordeaux classified chateaux (there are 65 out of some 12 000) are the best known and most written about, but there are thousands of others that make fine wines at reasonable cost. The world famous chateau production is at most five per cent of the total, and correspondingly very expensive pending the quality of vintage and economic condition in its important markets, i.e the United Kingdom, the U.S.A, and Japan.
Bordeaux is best known for its fragrant, refined, medium- to full bodied red wines, but also produces huge amounts of dry white wine and appreciable amounts of sweet libations that are capable of aging for decades.
The officially sanctioned major grape varieties for red wines are: cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, and carmenere, and for whites sauvignon blanc, semillon and muscadelle.
Cabernet sauvingon is dark-skinned, yields wines that smell of cassis and raspberries, are elegant, and age well.
Cabernet franc offers floral smells, and provides spice in a blend. It prefers cool inland climates, ripens early, and in St. Emilion is preferred to cabernet sauvignon.
Merlot smells of black cherries, plums and herbs. It contains less tannins and generally blended with cabernet sauvignon to soften it.
Petit verdot is used in very small quantities to provide depth and colour.
Malbec contributes to colour and texture. Now many estates use very little or none of it in their blends.
Practically all Bordeaux wines are blended to achieve flavour, depth, textural elegance and balance.

Sauvignon blanc offers grassy and green fruit flavours, adding zest to semillon.
Semilloon has a “fat” mouthful and smooth texture with superb fruitiness. Generally blended with sauvignon blanc and occasionally with muscadelle.
Muscadelle is extremely fruity and offers muscat flavours.
In Bordeaux the 2005 vintage was very successful, and yielded powerful, balanced, cellar worthy wines that could be excellent investments, but only if judiciously chosen.
Classified chateaux wines are expensive and the worldwide financial crisis has contributed to decreasing sales.
Below find some lesser known, but very fine chateaux wines you can try:
Chateau de Pez, 2005, St. Estephe
Firm berry flavours and other fruit aromas dominate. Should be cellared for four to five years for optimal drinking.
717389 $ 63.95

Château Loudenne, 2001, Medoc
A fine wine from a well-managed property. Medium-bodied, fruity and well-balanced.
087718 $ 38.95

La Dame de Malescot, 2005, Margaux
This is the second label of the respected Chateau Malescot St. Exubery. The wine represents good value, is well balanced, and particularly well suited for grilled lamb chops or roast leg of lamb.
079269 $ 51.95

Chateau La Couronne, 2005, St. Emilion
Blackberry aromas waft out of the glass. In the mouth, vanilla and dark chocolate flavours are noticeable. Full bodied and still somewhat tannic, this wien would benefit from two to three years of cellaring.
606640 $ 29.95

Chateau de Roques Merlot, 2005, Premier Cotes de Bordeaux
This “right bank” Bordeaux offers great value, flavour, and balance. The property (Chateau Lezongras) is well managed and produces consistently fine wines at reasonable cost.
087726 $ 17.95

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

CÔTES DU RHÔNE

If you enjoy full-bodied red or white, and fragrant s that age well Côtes du Rhône is the region to look for. This rugged region’s vineyards are located mainly on both banks of the mighty Rhone River that originates in Switzerland and runs through the region then flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

The rich history of this windswept valley and cuisine has made it a captivating tourist region. Regional food is flavourful, and always lovingly and expertly prepared. You will never be served reheated, unappetizing, and dull looking food. The wines are even more interesting. Vineyards were first planted by Greek traders venturing north from the city of Massilia (today’s Marseille) and which was founded around 200 B C. Cotes du Rhone’s warm, sunny, Mediterranean climate ripen grapes fully, and yield generous, deep red wines, with ripe tannins, balance and harmony. All complement regional specialties perfectly.

Syrah, mourvedre, grenache, carignane, and cinsault are only some of the most popular red wine varities, while viognier, marsanne, roussanne, picpoul and grenache blanc are preferred by growers for white wines. The vineyards of the northern Rhone line both banks of the river. They are planted almost entirely to syrah, i.e. Petit syrah (not to be confused with Durif. This is called Syrah a petit grain that is small-berried and thick-skinned, both of which contribute to superior taste when fully ripe. Here in most vintages grapes ripen fully). Cotes du Rhone stretches in the north (Vienne) to south (Valence) are Chateau Grillet (the smallest appellation of all of France with two hectares), Cote Roti, Condrieu, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage, St Joseph and Cornas.

Only a small portion of wines of the Rhone comes from this part, and understandably, tend to be expensive. Viognier originates here and until recently was neglected, but now with increasing international interest, the vineyards have been expending exponentially. The red wines exude black fruit and accents of black pepper, smoked meat, and firm tannins, making them excellent and age worthy. Syrah here, particularly from Crozes Hermitage, and Hermitage, and Cote Roti produce memorable red wines.

M. Chapoutier, Cave de Tain, A et P Fayoll, Jaboulet and Guigal are large and well established wineries. Here small vignerons produce outstanding wines, which they sell directly to consumers in their tasting rooms or ship on demand (In Europe wine may be shipped within the country and internationally with the exception a few countries that use state controlled distribution of alcoholic beverages as is the case in Finland, and Norway). Most of their wines hardly ever come to North America.

Invitare Condrieu white, 2006, M.Chautier, Cornas 2003, Cave de Tain, Parallel 45, 2004 M. Chapoutier and Hermitage, 2003, Jaboulet are drinking well, particularly with medium-rare grilled steaks, or roast rib of beef, BBQ pork, game stews and aged cheeses. Southern Rhone starts south of the town Montelimar, famous for its nougat, and stretches all the way to Avignon, once the summer seat of Popes.
Here the valley opens up; the climate turns distinctly Mediterranean with hot summers and cold winters. The mistral that blows down form the north, keeps the vineyards well ventilated and relatively disease free.

The Appellation controlle permits 13 grape varieties for Chateauneuf-du-Pape but 50 percent of the vineyards are planted to grenache. Most of the grenache is used in blends and a good portion for rose wines in Tavel and Lirac. Some winemakers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape employ all the 13 grape varieties in their blends with stunning results. Chateauneuf-du-Pape enjoys great popularity for its red wines, although a small portion of whites is also produced. Gigondas, and Vacqueyras, are the other subregions nest to Cotes du Rhone Village and Cotes du Rhone tout simple.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape blanc, 2005,
Domaine Mathieu; Seguret Cotes du Rhone Village Tradition, 2005,
Domaine de Mourchon; Tradition Le Grand Montmirail, 2005,
Domaine Drusset, Montpezat Vacqueyras, 2005;
Domaine des Ondines, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2004;
Domaine du Galet de Papes Vieille Vignes, J.L. Moyord; Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2004,
Château Fortia are highly recommended.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Pope’s new castle) can be some of the most alluring of warm climate wines. The name originates from the summer house built in a town formerly known as Celernier, when the Papal Court was relocated to Avignon in the 14th century, and it is the birth place of France’s now famous and much imitated appellation controlle classification system. Chateau Fortia’s owner formulated the rules to produce Chateauneuf du Pape. It prescribes the grape varieties permitted (13 in all), also sets upper limits of yield per hectare, minimum natural alcohol levels, forbids chaptalization (actually never needed in this region), and irrigation.

Although the vast majority of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is red, a small quantity of whites is also produced. If you prefer sweet wines try Beaumes-de–Venise produced from Muscat a petit grain, originally from Alexandria in Egypt and you will be thrilled with its aroma, balance and fruitiness.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Here she has began to produce Chateau K at her parents farm.

K Blanc BU 43303, kr. 89,90
Château K Rouge 42906, Kr. 150.-
K Rouge BU 43302, kr. 99,90

We in Winesworld has not yet tastet her wines, but the day will come. We wish here good luck.