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www.wine-tours-france.com - January, 2003

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This month's wine explorations:

Tasting of the Month: Apremont from the Savoie
Touring in Burgundy: Scenic beauty, great wines
Wine tips of the month: recorking bottles, where to cut the foil, more
NEW October 2003 Cooking and Wine in Provence program
Upcoming Wine and Food Events in France
Join us on a tour for FREE!!

Tasting of the Month: Apremont from the Savoie

We recently spent a week skiing in the Alps, and while we were there, we took advantage of the opportunity to taste the wines of the Savoie region. Virtually unknown outside of the region, these wines are light bodied, refreshing, and inexpensive. The vineyards lie in the lower altitudes roughly between Geneva and Grenoble. The region produces mostly white wine, made from the Chasselas, Jacquère and Altesse varieties. The rosés and reds are produced using either Mondeuse, Gamay or Pinot Noir grapes. While it's true that Savoie wines generally lack the finesse and elegance of wines from France's most famous wine regions, these fruity wines are the perfect accompaniment for the region's hearty cuisine (fondu, raclette, charcuterie, sausage, etc.).

Apremont Vielles Vignes, 2001, Le Vigneron Savoyard
The local cooperative makes a nice Apremont from old Jacquère grape vines, which give the wine a little more depth and body than it would usually have. A simple, fruity nose of fresh Granny Smith apples and pears with a hint of white flowers, lively acidity on the palate and just a tiny bit of effervescence (typical of these wines), balanced by a good concentration of fruit. Apremont is the wine of choice for making the classic Savoyard cheese fondue. We warmed ourselves on a cold, snowy day with a fondue and this Apremont, and it was a great combination. The wine cut through the heaviness of the cheese and accompanying sausages and dried meats to leave the mouth fresh, and since the dish is rather salty, it was a refreshing alternative to water (a no-no when eating fondue - the locals say you'll get a stomach ache for sure if you drink water with your fondue!).

Touring in Burgundy: Great Wines, Scenic Beauty

Think of French wines, and most people will think first of Bordeaux. Bordeaux is a wonderful place for a wine tour, but one doesn't go there for the scenery (which is flat and rather unexciting). For a terrific combination of great wine and beautiful countryside, Burgundy is a wonderful choice.

Travelling down the small highway that passes through the Côte d'Or, the vineyards of Burgundy are stretched out before you. Lush, green hillsides covered with grape vines are dotted with lovely little villages, each with its church steeple, and many of the churches have typically Burgundian roofs of colorful, lacquered tile. In the heart of the Côte d'Or, the city of Beaune is a delightful place to spend the day. This small and intimate city (really more like a town) has an extensive historic district that houses many wonderful examples of Burgundian architecture, including the famous Hospices de Beaune, a marvel of Renaissance styling.

Burgundy is the epitome of the French expression "to live well, live hidden", and walls surround everything: the homes, the chateaus, even the vineyards (the famous "clos" vineyards, like the Clos Saint Denis and the Clos de Vougeot, are enclosed by walls). Accordingly, people here are a bit on the reserved side, but once we introduce you to them, they will open up and give you a warm welcome. And of course, you'll taste some of the most elegant and quietly powerful wines in the world in this region.

Come discover the beauty and fine wines of Burgundy on one of our 2003 Burgundy tours (some spaces are still available):
Burgundy and Northern Rhône, June 29-July 5, 2003, or
Burgundy & Champagne Luxury Tour, Oct. 12-18, 2003

Wine Tips of the Month

During this past holiday season, like most people, we ate out quite a bit with friends and family. This gave us an opportunity to observe various aspects of wine service and how they are performed, sometimes quite well, other times, well . . . less well. Here are some of our observations, with suggestions on how you can do a better job than some sommeliers!

Cutting the foil: sometimes the foil was cut just below the lip of the bottle (at the "first ring", as we say in the trade), and sometimes just below the ring of glass that encircles the top of the bottle (at the "second ring"). Foil cutters, like the one made by Screwpull, fit on the very top of the bottle and cut at the first ring. Classic restaurant service calls for cutting at the second ring. Why? Cutting at the second ring ensures that no small shards of aluminum can fall into the bottle. Your bottle will also look much more elegant with the foil cut at the second ring. Give it a try and see what you think. To cut at the second ring, you'll need to use a knife, like the one on most "sommelier"-style corkscrews.

Turning the cork upside down when recorking the bottle: at our hotel in the Alps, we had the option of saving our undrunk wine in the hotel's cellar for the next day's dinner. Great idea! Only problem is that the waiter turned the cork over to recork the bottle. Easy to understand why - once the cork has been extracted from the bottle, it expands at the bottom where it was wet. It's easier to get the cork back in if you turn it over. But when we opened our bottle the next day, it was "corked" (had been tainted and smelled and tasted musty) and undrinkable. Mold can form on the top of the cork when it is in the bottle, so NEVER recork your wine with the other end of the cork!

Leaving the cut foil and the cork in the ice bucket: Yuck! The ice bucket is not a garbage pail. The waiter should have put the cork on the table for us to observe, and the cut foil in his pocket to be discreetly disposed of.

October 2003 Dates for Cooking and Wine in Provence

Due to the excellent response for our April 23-29 program, we are pleased to announce a second Cooking & Wine in Provence program for the fall, October 1-7, 2003. Our collaboration with Food & Wine Magazine's Connoisseur Club for this program continues. We'll be making two special offers to Connoisseur Club members for this great week of gastronomic exploration in sunny southern France: a 10% DISCOUNT on the price of the tour, and a special gift basket filled with Provençal goodies and an autographed copy of one of chef Tamara Milstein's best-selling cookbooks.

YOU can benefit from this special offer! Just sign up to become a Connoisseur Club member. Go to their web site, and follow the simple instructions. The $49.95 one-year membership fee will be covered many times over by the savings you'll perceive on our Cooking & Wine program. It's a great deal, so don't miss out!

More information here about Cooking & Wine in Provence October 2003. There are still a few spaces left for the April program!

Upcoming Wine and Food Events in France

Here are some great wine and gastronomy events you may want to attend if your travels take you to France in the coming month or so:

Jan. 20-30: Truffle festival in Uzès (in the Southern Rhône Valley)
All January: Wine Market in Ampuis (Northern Rhône Valley) - local winemakers present their wines for tasting.
Feb. 1: Wine Fair in Tain l'Hermitage (Northern Rhône Valley) - 80 winegrowers from the northern Côtes-du-Rhône region let you discover and taste their wines.
Beginning of February: Drilling of the Vin Jaune (Montigny-les-Arsures, Jura) - Vin Jaune, the unique wine of the Jura, ages in oak casks for 6 years and 3 months. The opening of the vin jaune celebrates its bottling and the "drilling" of the layer of yeast which protects the wine. Wine-tasting in more than 40 cellars.

Join us on a tour FOR FREE!

To get the year started right, we're making a special offer to make it possible for everyone to join us in France in 2003. If you can get a group of 10 friends, relatives or colleagues to take a customized, private wine tour together in 2003, you can come for FREE! For our scheduled tours, just get six other people to sign up with you, and once again, you come for FREE! This offer is good through June, 2003 for our 2003 tours - just contact us for details.

Contact Us

I'm always available to answer your questions about our wine and culinary programs, our company, and wine in France in general. Don't hesitate to contact me at lgreene@wine-tours-france.com, or 1-877-261-1500.

Best regards,

Lauriann Greene, Sommelier-Conseil
President/Founder

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FRENCH WINE EXPLORERS
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