Category: Wine

France: A Wine Tasting in Provence

JWF 1 Comment

WINE TASTING 

Through the years, the Chief Penguin and I have visited a number of vineyards and done tastings.  Some of our earliest ones were in the Finger Lakes wine region in upstate New York; others were in the Loire and Rhône Valleys in France and in Chile and New Zealand.  While living in San Francisco, we would drive north to Sonoma and Napa Valleys and sometimes Mendocino and stop in at those California wineries.  On one trip to Mendocino, we tasted pinot noirs in the Anderson Valley.  At Toulouse Vineyards, we sat on wine barrels in their makeshift tasting room.  

Amateur wine tasters

Probably the most memorable tasting experience before today was one that took place in Hammondsport, NY in the early 1970’s.  The Chief Penguin and I spent part of a day driving around Cayuga and Keuka Lakes stopping in at a few wineries.  We had read about Dr. Konstantin Frank, Ukrainian émigré, who came to the United States in the early 1950’s and began experimenting with growing vinifera vines from Europe for wine making in the Finger Lakes.  His pioneering and successful efforts led to the expansion of winemaking in this region and to award-winning vintages.

Back then, Dr. Frank’s small winery did not have a tasting room, and it appeared from the road as if they had no interest in wooing prospective buyers.  As I recall, we went up to a nondescript building with an open door and went in.  A bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling, and a few cartons of wine were scattered around the room.  We waited a bit and an old man (or so he seemed to young us) came and greeted us.  It was Dr. Frank himself.  We mostly listened as he talked about wine and why American wines were preferable to European ones.  

Our intention had been to buy just one bottle, maybe two.  Unexpectedly, we found ourselves agreeing to buy a mixed case!  One bottle in particular, he made us pledge to not open and drink until our 10th wedding anniversary.  “Drink no wine, until its time,” he said.  For seven or eight years, that “special” bottle of wine sat in a shoebox on a shelf in the Chief Penguin’s closet.  When we opened it in 1980, It was past its prime—beyond its time, you’d say!

DOMAINE LE CHENE BLEU

Vineyards with the Dentelles mountains in the background

Today we drove a short distance to the small village of Crestet for a tour, tasting, and picnic lunch arranged by our trip organizers.  The distance was short, but the roads, narrow lanes really, were the most challenging we’ve been on.  Domaine Le Chene Bleu is high at about 1,500 feet and the road twists and turns and winds on a tortuous path that only got smaller, narrower and higher the farther we went.  I simultaneously held my breath on some of the hairpin turns while wondering why we were going here at all.  Ultimately, we arrived at the gate, early since it took less time despite the twists, and were admitted to a beautiful mountain property.  

Tasting room in background

The original house called La Verriere (after the glass blower who first came here) was a medieval priory that felt into ruin.  The current owners restored the house which is now a B&B, and the old barn houses staff.  They also revived some 70 year old vines and are now producing organic and biodynamic wines. This required building a wine production facility with a tasting room. In addition to the vineyards, there are beehives, olive trees, and a vegetable garden.  

Layered stone walls and olive trees

Julie, one of the newer staff members, gave us a comprehensive guided tour of the vineyards and the actual processing and storing facilities.  It was fascinating, and we learned a lot about this natural way of making wine.  

Then we adjourned to a tasting table where we sampled several whites and several reds.  These wines are complex and quite different from others we’ve had on this trip. If you know French, the name of the wine means ”blue oak;” there’s a story behind that, but I’ll save it for another time.

Lined up for tasting!

Nicole, one of the owners, happened by during the tasting.  She’s American and her husband French.  We had a most engaging chat with her about her trips around the world and to the U.S. marketing their wine.  (She was supposed to be in Tampa on the day Hurricane Ian hit.)  Between her and Julie, we now know where we can buy these wines back home!

PICNIC

French picnic table
Lunch from a basket

You know I like to write about food, and part of this winery tour was a picnic lunch.  We thought it might be with a large group, but it was a basket of local fare prepared just for us with a bottle of rose’.  We trotted down the path to a covered table next to the vegetable garden and enjoyed lunch al fresco.  Given the winding roads back, we agreed to defer the rose’ and savor it later.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Chile: Neruda and Wine, Day 3

JWF 3 Comments

ISLA NEGRA

Poet Pablo Neruda is respected and revered by many Chileans. Politician, diplomat and man of letters, he owned three houses, one in Valparaiso, one in Santiago, and the third one on the coast at Isla Negra. This third house is a museum full of many of the objects that Neruda collected, and what a collector he was! There are ship figureheads, life-size wooden sculptures, fancy glassware, model ships, paintings, and even a gorgeous collection of seashells.  No photos allowed inside the house, alas.

The house is narrow, like the country, and has elements of both a ship in that it’s small and like a train with its narrow corridors. It’s located on a stunning stretch of coastline with large grey boulders and while we were there, huge waves crashing against the rocks, some of the largest waves I’ve seen on any beach.  

Neruda and his third wife, Matilde, lived here and he spent his last illness here in 1973, before dying in Santiago on the same day as the military coup. The museum has an audio guide in English which we appreciated and also a short film about Neruda with English subtitles. It was well worth the visit! Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Now I must read some of his poetry.

Getting here was a scenic drive through the countryside, stretches lined with pencil thin eucalyptus trees. They are often cut down and the boards used to make fence posts. The eucalyptus smell reminded me of California, particularly Torrey Pines outside La Jolla, and the dry climate and some of the flora, California poppies along the roads, are also reminiscent of that state.

CHILEAN WINE
The remainder of our day was spent visiting two wineries in the Casablanca region about a half hour outside Valparaiso.  Bodegas Re, the first one, is into doing things differently and experimenting. They are using clay pots for some of their wine aging and also huge rounded concrete vessels instead of steel tanks or oak barrels.

Over a delicious lunch, we tasted four blended wines, each paired with a dish designed to highlight its unique characteristics.  We began with a timbale of salmon, onions, coriander and another fish along side a small mound of greens, followed by round ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and tomato decorated with a red pepper purée. This was followed by a soft corn compote topped with caramelized onions and shreds of beef and then a dessert of leche asada ice cream.   Wines to go with each course were Pinotel, Chardonnoir, Syragnan, and then a liqueur of vodka with blueberries.

The second winery was Loma Largo, and the young woman who hosted us was a delight! We learned more from her about how grape vines are pruned, trained and grown in 15 minutes than we ever had in many previous wine tours. She sat with us at a round table and we tasted four of their wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Cubes of cheese and a few saltines were there to accompany the wine. Two wineries, very different in style, and both great places to visit!  

We also learned that most Chilean wine is exported. Chile is a small country, only 17 million people total, and most Chileans don’t visit wineries and wine is not as popular a beverage here as elsewhere.

Upon returning to Valparaiso, we took another walk in the neighborhood before ending up at an Italian trattoria for dinner.  The restaurant we’d booked at was closed up as tight as could be.  

 

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).