Friday, February 23, 2018

Château du Rivau, Loire Valley France Day Trip

by Paige Donner

Planning a day trip from Paris is always a fun undertaking. Even if the designated day or weekend is still weeks away, just thinking about getting out of the city and into some good countryside fresh air feels exhilarating.

(All photos courtesy Château du Rivau © 2017)

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Château du Rivau in the Loire Valley offers just such a day trip. This château has been renovated and refurbished with painstaking TLC by its family owners. Today, one of the daughters also runs the newly opened restaurant which serves up the fresh vegetables she cultivates on the property in the way of fresh soups and salads. Served with warm, crusty just-baked bread and some of their very own AOC Chinon (Cab Franc), this makes for a delicious, hearty, healthy meal any time of year but especially in late winter or early spring when there is still a nip to the air.

Château du Rivau es des Ecuries Royales (royal stables) et ses jardins de conte de fées (fairytale gardens) stand ready and waiting to welcome you. What's more, these gardens are deserving of their 'fairytale' designation since they have preserved some of the oldest strains of seed and vegetables found in the Région Centre-Val-de-Loire and are labeled CCVS (Conservatoire des Collections végétales Spécialisées).

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The nearest main train station is in Tours and then you can arrange with the château in advance for their driver to come and collect you for the picturesque 45 minute ride to the property. In all, it's about 2 hours journey from Paris.

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All photos (where noted) copyright 2018  Paige Donner  FoodWine.photography

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Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Episode 34: Marché des Enfants Rouges & Savennières AOC Loire Valley

by Paige Donner

For our 34th Episode of Paris GOODfood+wine, we focus on the Marché des Enfants Rouges located in Paris' Upper Marais as Julie Collas, star of the one-woman show, OMG, She's Parisienne!, takes us on a walk through this fabled Paris covered market. 

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We then turn to Evelyn de Pontbriand, the president of Savennières AOC in the Loire Valley and owner of the prestigious domain, Château Closel, to tell us all about this distinct white wine made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley of France. 

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Julie Collas, star of the one-woman show, OMG, She's Parisienne! pictured here at the Marché des Enfants-Rouges in the Upper Marais, Paris 

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The Savennières AOC region of France's Loire Valley

Show Script:

Marche' des Enfants Rouges

The Marché des Enfants Rouges  - the name in English translates to "Market of the Red Children" - is Paris' oldest covered market

It was established in 1628  and refers to the children clothed in red (the color of charity) who were cared for in a nearby orphanage.

The market offers fresh fruitsvegetablesflowers ,bread, cheese, wine, but is most well known for its market stand restaurants where shoppers can buy prepared meals and dine on site in a lively atmosphere.

My interview with Julie Collas, the mastermind behind OMG She's Parisienne, a stand-up show that plays every weekend here in Paris, took place here at the Marché des Enfants Rouges. One recent Friday evening. we shared a glass of wine at the charming wine bar, BiboVino on the rue Charlot side of the Marché.

Le Marché des Enfants Rouges is located at 39 Rue de Bretagne in the Marais, the (3rd) arrondissement.

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We then turn to a very distinct Loire Valley appellation called Savennieres. It's known for its Chenin Blanc grown in schist – or shale – soils and is typically more full-bodied than dry Vouvray,

Savennieres is situated on the north bank of the Loire River, in the Anjou-Saumur subregion near Angers.

It is generally a dry white wine as we'll see in my interview with Evelyn de Pontbriand who is the president of the Savennieres AOC and the owner of Domaine Closel, Though, as Madame de Pontbriand explains, it can also be sweet as well as sparkling.

There are three Appellation d'origine contrôlées (AOCs) for Savennières wine: 

Savennières, covering most of the vineyards, and then the enclaves Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines and Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant.

The area allowed for Savennières AOC spreads over 3 hills on the northwest bank of the Loire and totals about 300 hectares ( or 740 acres), situated in three villages: Savennières, Bouchemaine and La Poissonnière.

Of these, about 146 hectares are actually planted with vineyards.Savennières-Roche-aux-Moines covers 33 hectares (82 acres) and Savennières-Coulée-de-Serrant covers 7 hectares (17 acres).

Savennières was originally defined as an AOC in 1952, which was then revised in 1996 to introduce designations for sweet wines.

To have more information on the Academie du Chenin, international Chenin Blanc lovers network, Chenin Blanc think tank visit our website: www.academieduchenin.org  Use with no moderation #cheninblanc #chenincheninchenin #drinkchenin #cheninday

All music free of rights courtesy FreeSoundtrackMusic.com 'Crystalline City by Steve Lowther and Groovy Paris Jazz by BensoundMusic.com for show Intro and Outro.
To contact Paige Donner for speaking/hosting/producing paigedonner.info
For more info about Paris GOODfood+wine and a complete show lineup go to localfoodandwine.wordpress.com
And our website parisfoodandwine.net
Instagram @paigefoodwine Twitter @parisfoodwine

Listen to Paris GOOD food + wine on :

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All photos (where noted) copyright 2018  Paige Donner  FoodWine.photography

iTunes – Paris GOODfood+wine / 

Media Engagements, speaking and collaborations: contact http://PaigeDonner.info