The Chateau de Vougeot in Burgundy, France

We spent five wonderful days in Dijon, and took our time driving around to some of the vineyards and wineries of the burgundy area.  There were so many places to visit, and so many things to do that of course five days wasn’t enough, and we’re going to “have” to go back.  This is an incredibly beautiful area (although there was a bit of culture shock in some places… For example, there was an area where we went to see an old medieval castle – and the vineyard – and it’s located right in the center of a modern part of the city – urban blight – full of car lots, and grafitti and factories – and tenement buildings… so you’ve got the grace, beauty and heritage of something very old and lovely, right next to cement and asphalt and… well, ugliness.

I couldn’t help wondering what archeologists are going to think in a couple of hundred years from now of the things we’re leaving behind us.  What will they make of our squat cement buildings, the trash left on the side of the roads, the grafiti that seems to be everywhere these days?  Will they find any of it charming, or think it’s beautiful?  Or will they be appalled?

One of my favorite things about this trip, besides getting to see some fabulous castles, “discover” some new

Guilhen, Nadie and Alain at Le Savauge in Dijon

wines and get to review some new restaurants, was also getting to spend some time with Guilhen, Alain’s oldest son.  He’s got a wicked sense of humor, and he’s funny and really a nice guy.  Sadly we didn’t get to spend as much time with Nadie, as she’s incredibly busy at the hospital, and was working on a paper as well.  But I enjoyed the time we did get to spend with her. She’s working very hard, and is under a lot of stress.  I think she’s really amazing.  This restaurant, by the way, is one I highly recommend if you’re in Dijon.  It’s reasonably priced – they have great lunch and dinner specials during the week – things are a little more expensive on the weekends or holidays, of course, like most restaurants in France – and the food is fabulous!  I had the best steak I’ve eaten since leaving the states!  It’s called Le Sauvage, and it’s one of those secret places that you wouldn’t expect to see from the outside. To get to it, you have to walk through a big door, down an archway, and out into a hidden courtyard.  We ate on the terrace, under the shade of plane trees, and there was a lovely stone well in the center of the courtyard, with stone buildings all around – as you can see in the photo. It’s also a hotel, and some of the rooms are reached by climbing steps made of the same stones, and going into private entrances.  It’s one of those places that instantly charms and relaxes.

Oldest working wine press from Chenove, Burgundy area

Now here’s an interesting photo.  This is from one of those places that is surrounded by all things modern, and yet it’s history is absolutely fascinating. (In fact, look for an article soon about this one, because it’s a story worth telling.)

What you’re looking at is one of the oldest working wine presses in France.  And as I said, it has a fascinating history – there are two of them (the other one doesn’t work any longer), but they were both stolen by the French government in the 1700s!  Just look at how huge this thing is.

And every year after harvest (le vendage), the entire village gets involved in a wine making and tasting festival.  They make the wine the old fashioned way (including using bare feet to mash the grapes…) and then they are put into this huge press… There is a circular cavern underneath the main part of the press, and the grape juice goes down there.  Although they don’t make a huge number of bottles, we bought a couple, because it will make such an interesting story when we open them and share it with friends and family in a few years from now, don’t you think?

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An endless sea of vines near Bandol on the French Riviera.

get it all posted), we took a drive to see if we could see la vendage – the harvest season for all the vineyards.

We have a friend who used to own a really fabulous restaurant here, and so he contacted one of his friends who owns a lovely vineyard up by the Paul Ricard Formula 21 racing track, and left them a message that we’d be calling.  We did, and got their answering machine too, so we left a message that we’d be in their area on Saturday morning, and would stop in to see about doing an interview and takig some photos then.  So bright and early Saturday morning, I grabbed my “reporter gear” – and off we went.

On the way, we say some grape pickers in a small field near Bandol, and we decided to stop there. (I’m so glad we did, because when we got to the big vineyard, they were closed.) But the woman who owned this smaller vineyard was very sweet, and she answered lots of my questions and the workers did their best to ignore us while I snapped their photos.

The grapes will be used for three different types of wine.  The first two are for the AOC Bandol wines.  The third is a table wine. (People here use their own wine jugs – which can be either plastic or wooden – they look like small kegs – and go directly to their favorite wineries and have their jugs filled.  Then we put them into a bottle or carafe and drink them for everyday occasions.  If you don’t have a jug, you can buy table wine boxed – in either 5 or 10 liters.)  There are several really good Bandol rose wines that I enjoy, and of course, we have several bottles down in the wine cellar.

Oaken Wine Cask on wheels

This particular vineyard is only 14 hectares (34.59 acres), of Mourvedre grapes, and they own several others.  They are part of the local cooperative, so many of the smaller wine growers all take their grapes to the same place, where a special process must be followed as far as pressing, storing and fermenting the grapes.

The photo you see to the left is an old oaken barrel, but it’s relatively small – the ones used to store wine are much, much taller.  This one might have been used in a bar, or for storing table wines to be sold to the public. But I do love the look of it, don’t you?

If you’d like to read more, check out my article in the examiner about le vendage and let me know what you think of the other photos we took?  (By the way, we were really lucky to get these – because not only was le vendage nearly over with, but a few days later our rainy season started.  And while I love the rain, it’s not a good thing for the grapes!

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The motto of the French Navy is Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline (”Honour, Fatherland, Valour, Discipline”). These words are found on the deck of every ship of the Navy – which I think is very cool.

The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier

So, here’s a little more about the Charles de Gaulle first – from the wikipedia… (Don’t you just LOVE wikipedia?)

The Charles de Gaulle is France’s only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of theFrench Navy (Marine Nationale). She is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first Frenchnuclear-powered surface vessel, and the first and only nuclear-powered carrier built outside of the United States Navy. She is named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle.

The ship carries a complement of Dassault Rafale M and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. She is the second largest European carrier, after theAdmiral Kuznetsov. It is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses a shorter version of the catapult system as that installed on the US Nimitz class carriers, the 75 m C13-3 steam catapult.

The party was elegant, the drinks were plentiful and the food was gorgeous and delicious!  I love French cocktail parties with the variety of appetizers that are always so beautifully presented and taste so good. Two of my favorites this time was the crawfish in the guacamole and the foie gras on toast.

And I admit it – I used to think foie gras (which means “fat liver” – and is specially prepared goose liver pate) was completely gross.  However, now it’s one of my favorite things to eat on special occasions!  I’m sorry I didn’t get any photos of the food itself – I promise to take some the next time we go to such a party!

However, I did talk to a lot of people.  That’s one of the best things about being a writer – you get to talk to

The head chef on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier

people you normally might not, and ask questions that you normally wouldn’t ask!  (And what’s even more fun is that people talk back!)

For example, I got to talk to the head chef of the Charles de Gaulle, because I was absolutely amazed that the food was prepared onboard the ship – and not catered.  (These guys can cater for me ANY DAY because it was absolutely as delicious as any I’ve had before!)  Here’s what I found fascinating:

They go through about 700 pounds of flour every single day.  The 30 cooks, 25 wait staff and 25 stock people serve between 1600 and 2000 people three meals onboard the Charles de Gaulle every single day!

They buy from local markets and use fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and fish whenever possible rather than canned. The menus are planned months in advance, but once a month there is a meeting and the service men and women get a chance to say what they like, what they didn’t – and to make suggestions for upcoming menus.

Appetizers onboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier

During the cocktail party, part of the navy band was playing for us.  I love these guys – they practice sometimes five and six hours a day, and the French navy symphony can be broken up into the jazz band, the orchestra, and other smaller bands as needed. (I’m still looking for info on this, but Alain is reading to me about Tarzan and Cheeta right now, so I guess that’s going to be another post!)

We started with drinks and the cold appetizers – which were set on trays – some in their own little glasses, on little plates or spoons and served by very happy, friendly service men and women.  The same with the drinks – there was a delicious punch, as well as a variety of other drinks, which were served often enough that you never needed to be without food or drinks! It was very well organized.

After the cold appetizers, several stations opened up which served a variety of hot dishes – a little bit of everything – from Turkish gyros to curry chicken to Asian potstickers.  Absolutely to die for! (Did I mention that these guys can come and live with us and cook for me anytime they want to???)

In any case, it was a fantastic party and I enjoyed it very much!  I can’t wait for the next one!

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Why?  Because it marks the launch of the Beaujolais Nouveau.

What is the Beaujolais Nouveau you ask?

It’s a celebration of the official release of the Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine from the Gamay variety of grapes – and it’s authorized for immediate sale after fermentation.

It is a popular ‘vin de primeur’, a wine harvested in fall and sold before spring.

This time of the year, the Beaujolais region in south Burgundy really comes to life!

For example, one very popular wine tasting contest happens every year – at around 5 o’clock on Wednesday, all the locals along with ever-growing numbers of tourists – gather for this very special wine tasting contest.

The competitors try to identify 12 varieties of Beaujolais wine just by tasting it – and the winner gets a prize of a wine barrel that’s equal to his body weight!

The night is a celebration for wine lovers who come from all over the world! It doesn’t take long for the streets to be filled with celebrants who learn how to prepare wine from the local vineyards.

A torch parade is held.  And at midnight exactly the barrels of Beaujolais Nouveau are opened, and the official fete begins!

Of course, if a trip to France isn’t in the cards for you in the next two days, you don’t have to miss out on all the fun!  There are Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations planned all over the world – in fact, if you know of one in your neck of the woods – here in France or elsewhere – feel free to write a post and let us know where it’s goin to be.

And check back to this page, because as I find places where all the cool people will be celebrating, I’ll add their links to this post!

I’m looking forward to the parties we’ll be going to as well.  We’ve received two invitations to private Beaujolais Nouveau tastings – and at one party there will also be fois gras and other delicacies served, while at the other party, it’s a bunch of friends who will be getting together to drink the delicious wine (which is meant to be served chilled, by the way so that the rich fruity flavors are brought out)…and having a barbecue of delicious sausages and other meats.

The Beaujolais Nouveau is a celebration of the end of harvest – and a way to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor…and there’s no better way to welcome the coming of winter – and all its joys and wonderful moments, than to share the night with good food, good friends – and a good Beaujolais Nouveau!

Cheers!

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After the funeral, we were talking about what to fix for lunch – a common question around our house!

Wild

One of the things I love about vacations is getting to go and play tourist.

Today we decided we wanted some wild mushrooms, but Alain has been feeling under the weather, plus the weatherman predicted rain today, so we did our mushroom hunting the easy way – we went to Toulon’s open-air market!

I didn’t have my camera with me – because of the funeral, so I promise the next time I go to the market this week, I’ll take it with me, so I can take some photos for you – it’s really unbelievable!  

In the meantime, here are the treasures we brought back for lunch – fresh carrots, beautiful “safrane” mushrooms (named for their yellow color), farm fresh eggs (I decided to make an omelette) and raspberries for dessert, to which I added a little fresh creme and honey that we got from the monastery a couple of weeks ago.  All in all it was a delicious lunch.

Since I still have some of the mushrooms left, along with a little fresh spinach and some fresh creme, and some boneless, skinless chicken breasts I bought at the butcher’s shop yesterday, I’m going to stuff the chicken breasts, roll them in egg and breadcrumbs and bake them for dinner.  I’ll make carmalized carrots and onions as a side dish.  And we have plump, juicy grapes for dessert tonight – also courtesy of the today’s shopping trip at the market.

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Does it surprise you to learn that the French Riviera is also known for having some wonderful places where you can go to pick mushrooms! (In spite of what you might have been told, the French Riviera is not all sea, sex and sand!)

And actually, one of the reasons we have so many varieties of mushrooms here in the south of France (from Aquitaine in the west to the Alpes-Maritimes in the east) has to do with our wonderful climate.

Of course, each village and region has their own rules and regulations about where you can go, how many mushrooms you’re allowed to pick, what kinds of mushrooms you should – and shouldn’t – choose, etc.  In fact, it’s regulated by law! (It’s listend in Article 547 of the Code Civil which stipulates that mushrooms belong to the owner of the land where they grow.)

You can buy many books on the subject – but be aware that it can still be difficult to tell what’s good and what’s basically a toadstool (champignons vénéneux) and can poison you.

The French Who Know Have a “Don’t Ask – Won’t Tell” Policy When It Comes to The Secrets of Where to Find the Best Mushrooms

So, here are some general tips that some of my English Conversation class have given me

• Go into the woods – you’ll find the biggest variety

• Look for trees that have been cut down

• Go after a rainstorm

• There are more mushrooms after a full moon (or so I was told – I haven’t verified this one personally yet)

Here Are Some Things You Need to Know Before Going Mushroom Picking in France

Fee or Free?

The prefect (Préfet) of each area has the right to set restrictive measures to preserve the local fauna and to limit or outlaw mushroom picking.  Each region can also charge a fee for all mushroom pickers – and there can be stiff penalties – or worse – if you’re caught doing something against the rules.  For example: It’s against the law to pick mushrooms on private property (without the express permission of the owner) – and if caught, you could be charged with theft!  This means staying out of pastures and private land if it’s fenced off.  The easiest thing to do is check at La Mairie (city hall) or the local tourist office to find out what the rules are, where the best places to go, and what you should be looking for.

Warning! Some mushrooms are Poisonous!

It’s absoultely vital that you know the difference between the edible mushrooms in the area, and those that are toxic.  Again, you can talk to the Marie, the Tourist’s office, or the local pharmacy.  Traditionally, everyone who picks mushrooms would then head to their local pharamcy, where the pharmacist would look them over for you, to make sure that the ones you chose are safe and delicious.  The trade union for pharmacists is actually trying to get rid of this age-old tradition, because, naturally, over the years, even pharmacists have made mistakes.

However, many smaller pharmacies still provide this service for their clients, so it never hurts to ask!  If the pharmacist can’t or won’t look at your mushrooms for you, ask around to find someone who’s knowledgeable.

Never Mix Different Types of Mushrooms When Picking:

Each type of mushrooms you pick must go into their own container – even if you think they’re all safe.  It just takes a little bit of powder from the gill of a toxic mushroom to contaminate your entire basket.

Don’t Pick Mushrooms found close to the Road:

Mushrooms absorb toxic chemicals and compounds such as lead, murcury and cadmium – found in exhaust fumes – all of which can cause long-term health problems when they invade your body’s systems.

Don’t Get Greedy!

Even edible mushrooms can be toxic if you eat too much of them.  So enjoy them in moderation.  And because some mushrooms can become poisonous if mixed with certain alcohols, you absolutely have to know what type of mushroom you’re eating with what food or drinks.

A List of the Equipment You Need to go Mushroom Picking:

• A sharp knife (so you don’t damage the mycelium)
• One wicker basket (wicker not only protects the mushrooms from being bruised or damaged, it makes you look like you know what you’re doing!)
• Paper – not plastic – to put the different varieties in (plastic bags are very bad for mushrooms)
• Good walking shoes or hiking boots
• Water (even though the temperature isn’t as hot as in summer, you should always have water with you when hiking or walking)
• Paper towels (to wipe the biggest clods of dirt off the mushrooms)
• A walking stick (not just to help you climb up and down out of ravines, but also good to shake the bushes and scare away snakes)
• An orange flourescent vest (unluckily, mushroom picking season coincides with the start of hunting season, and there have been some accidents when mushroom pickers were mistaken for game – and if you’re taking your dog – put him/her in a flourescent vest too – it’s sad how many dogs are killed during hunting season)
• A map or – better yet – a pedestrian GPS (if you’re not from around here, it’s easy to get lost – but its frustrating to the Gendarmes who get called out to look for people who can call them on their cell phones – but have no idea how to explain where they’re at)

We’re now on vacation for two weeks – so I hope to be able to take some photos to share with you of where we go mushroom hunting and what some of the wild mushrooms look like!

By the way, if you decide not to pick wild mushrooms on your own, you can always find them in the open air markets at the cities – although you’re going to pay anywhere from around 15 to 20 euros a kilo.  Be cautious of buying them from someone who’s just set up shop on the side of the road – although the price may be better, you’ve got no guarantee that you’re not buying the dangerous mushrooms that could make you sick – or worse.  (There are around 30 deaths from bad mushrooms a year here in France).

Update: A new friend of mine Frances Penwil-Cook – who writes “France and the Unknown” blog also wrote a post about mushrooms not too long ago, and she had the great idea of listing the poison control centers – just in case. As I mentioned earlier, there are only about 30 deaths a year in France from eating bad mushrooms, but still – they’re helpful numbers to have!

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The Chestnut Wagon in Toulon

I’ve already told you that one of the reasons fall is my favorite time of year (beside the wonderful weather and the lack of tourists on the French Riviera) are the chestnuts.

Here in Toulon we have a chestnut wagon that sits on the corner of la Place de la Liberte (which is about a block away from us), and i wanted to share a couple of photos of it with you.

The price of chestnuts – like everything else, has gone up this year.  A small bag of hot, roasted chestnuts (roated on an open fire) costs 3 Euros this year.  Last year they were 2,50.  Oh well, that’s the price of indulging your passions, I guess!)

So here’s a picture of the chestnut wagon – you can see the burlap bags full of delicious chestnuts.

And the second picture shows the front of the chestnut wagon and my chestnut seller.  (It’s the same guy

The Chestnut Man at La Place de la liberte in Toulon

every year.)

Have you ever eaten roasted chestnuts?  Chestnuts come off the tree with a spiny kind of outer covering – which is usually green, which you crack open to find the nut itself.  Then you roast the chestnuts in their shell.  Be careful when you peel the shell away – they’re hot!  (I’ll get some photos of the chestnuts in their outer covering and in their shells this weekend.

By the way, you have to be careful about picking chestnuts here – even if you’re in a forest.  Because some people – or entire villages may own the rights to them – and if you pick them illegally, you can be fined. Personally, I’m just as happy to have someone else pick them and roast them – my favorite part is just getting to eat them!

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The prestigious AOC (which stands for Appelation d’Origine Controlee) -and means that the 45 cheeses (out of over 500) have been given the rights to bear this prestigious label.  So what happened? Had they been found cheating?  Were they of lower quality?  Was the world going crazy?

No, No and no.

It turns out that this is seen by most people as a “good thing.”  The label will be disappearing starting in May 09, and will be replaced by the equally prestigious “European-wide” designation “Appellation d’Origine Protogee (AOP) – which was created in 1999, and actually inspired by the French AOC.

Originally only wines received the AOC label – and believe me, there are some very stringent requirements for any brand to be able to carry the AOC label.

It was later extended to cheeses – and with the 45 cheeses that have this appelation, it’s by far the largest food group after wine to do so.

The purpose is to have all European cheeses – like the British Stilton, the Italian Parmsan and others – to share the same logo and quality standards.

At the moment, for a cheese to win the AOC appelation, here are the standards that must be met:

• The milk must be from a specific geographic area, and the production and at least part of the maturity process must be done in the same area
• Because the production conditions have a distinct and dramatic influence on the characteristics of a cheese, in order to assure the same high quality every single time, the AOC-cheese will be produced according to methods which are centuries old.
• Typical characteristics of a cheese such as size, rind, consistency or minimum fat content all come into play when determining the taste of a cheese and therefore must be kept in strict accordance with the standards and methods designated.
• Production of all AOC cheeses is subject to strict guidelines that must be followed and are supervised by a control commission which represents the AOC. By following these guidelines, AOC can be guaranteed by the state.

So for example, an AOC Camembert from Normandy can only be produced in the area of Calvados, Eure, La Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime. The milk may not be heated to more than 37 degree centigrade, and from its production date, the Camembert de Normandy matures for exactly 21 days – 16 of which must be at the place of production. (So if you buy your cheese from a farmer on a farm, you know that it matured at the farm – under strict conditions – for at least 16 days.  And more than that, the fat content of the Camembert has to be at least 45 percent fat in the dry mass , and it has to have a diameter from 10,5 to 11 centimeters.

The history of the controlled term of origin dates back to the 15th century.  A decree was issued by the Toulouse parliament in 1666  – which counted as the first legal text, and was based on a specific cheese, the Roquefort.

On the basis of this regulation, the whole administration of justice developed, which the AOC-cheeses are subject to today.

Laws from the years 1955 and 1973 determine that the placing of an AOC-seal is only possible through regulation.  Since 1990 this is the responsibility of the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d Origine – National French Institute for Terms of Origin).

So are you curious which cheeses will shortly be wearing the new appelation?  Here’s the list from Wikipedia Follow the links to read more about them.)

Cow’s milk cheeses

Abondance – 1990
Beaufort – 1968
Bleu d’Auvergne – 1975
Bleu de Gex haut Jura – 1977
Bleu des Causses – 1979
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage – 1998
Brie de Meaux – 1980
Brie de Melun – 1990
Camembert de Normandie – 1983
Cantal – 1956
Chaource – 1970
Chavignol – 2005
Chevrotin – 2002
Comté – 1952
Époisses – 2004
Fourme d’Ambert – 1972
Fourme de Montbrison – 1972
Laguiole – 1961
Langres – 1991
Livarot – 1972
Maroilles – 1976
Morbier – 2000
Munster-Géromé – 1969
Neufchâtel – 1969
Pont l’Evêque – 1976
Reblochon – 1958
Roue de Brie – 1980
Saint-Nectaire – 1955
Salers – 1979
Tome des Bauges – 2002
Vacherin Mont d’Or – 1981

Goat’s milk cheeses

Banon – 2003
Cabecou – 1988
Chabichou du Poitou – 1990
Crottin de Chavignol – 1976
Pélardon des Cevennes – 2000
Picodon – 1983

Pouligny-Saint-Pierre – 1972
Rocamadour – 1996
Sainte-Maure de Touraine – 1990
Selles-sur-Cher – 1975
Valençay – 1998

Sheep’s milk cheeses

Brocciu – 1983
Ossau-Iraty – 1980
Roquefort / Roquefort Carles – 1925

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