Saint-Emilion Wineries Hold Open House 2012

[press release]

This year the Saint Emilion "Portes Ouvertes" Open House event will last four whole days from Saturday 28 April to Tuesday 1st May 2012.

If you are looking for an idea for a real break, don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to meet the winegrowers of the Saint-Emilion, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Lussac Saint-Emilion and Puisseguin Saint-Emilion appellations, who are opening their estates to welcome visitors, share with them their passion for wine and invite them to taste their products.

The program has been significantly updated this year:

• A winegrowers’ dinner will be served in the Dominicains Hall on Saturday 28 April and the Saint-Emilion Jurade will be present,
• An oenologist will lead tastings of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé wines in the Saint-Emilion Maison du Vin,
• On Sunday 29 and Monday 30 April, bus tours will be available for visitors. These will be free shuttles running between all the chateaux that are open,
• Two reception tents will be set up at each end of the town to provide information, guidance and support for visitors,

As before, visitors will be able to get to know the chateaux around four themes:

• Tasty delights
• Exploring our architectural heritage
• Culture and fun events
• Family properties and traditions

This will also be a perfect time to explore the Medieval town, attend tasting classes at the Saint-Emilion Maison du Vin and really enjoy a weekend travelling around the Saint-Emilion vineyards.

There will also be a question-and-answer contest with bottles of wine from the different Saint-Emilion appellations as prizes!

For further information and brochures:

Maison du Vin de Saint-Emilion – Place Pierre Meyrat – 33330 Saint-Emilion – France - Tel.

+33 557 555 055 – maisonduvin@vins-saint-emilion.com – www.maisonduvinsaintemilion.com

Conseil des Vins de Saint-Emilion – 14 rue Guadet – 33330 Saint-Emilion – France -Tel.

+33 557 555 050 – info@vins-saint-emilion.com – www.vins-saint-emilion.com

Office de Tourisme de la Juridiction de Saint-Emilion - Le Doyenné - Place des Créneaux –33330 Saint-Emilion – France - Tel. +33 557 552 828 - st-emilion.tourisme@wanadoo.fr     www.saintemilion-tourisme.com

From 16 April 2012 you will be able to download the brochure from the website: www.vins-saintemilion.com (Photos courtesy Vins Saint-Emilion)

YOU WILL LOVE MY WINEPICKS! - ♥CHÉRIE DU VIN

*LOCAL FOOD AND WINE *

 

Grands Jours de Bourgogne 2012

[Press Release]

Last Thursday at Château du Clos de Vougeot, the GJB Association - and through it the entire regional wine industry - presented awards to a journalist, a photographer, and a television show for their pedagogical work highlighting the Burgundy wine culture. This was an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of these professions and the difficulties they often encounter.

Three Press Trophy Winners! Crédit photo : Jean-Louis Bernuy

Another success for the GJB – last week, this 11th edition brought together the trade from around the world (2,200). With 5% increased attendance compared to 2010 - an overwhelming endorsement for the show providing an opportunity for the trade to taste the wines in the heart of the region that brought them into being.

This success seems to confirm the upturn in 2011, in particular marked by strong growth in export sales (+16.5%). At €666.5 million, this is the 2nd best result, in terms of value, in Burgundy’s history. While Europe is stagnating, the U.S. is becoming the number 1 export market (+33% in value and +19% by volume) and the China-Hong Kong duo is approaching the Top 5 (doubling sales to €34 million). In Japan, where the strong yen has boosted exports, Burgundies have exceeded their peak value by more than 10% (+20% to €85 million).

It is in this context that Pierre-Henry Gagey, Chairman of the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB), honored the Press Trophy winners, hailing those without whom “our wines would not have acquired their international reputation.”

Grands Jours de Bourgogne 2012 – A few figures :

• "  2,200 visitors, +5% compared to 2010

• "  10,274 of total admissions, an average of +20% of visitors per event

• "  More than 1,000 new contacts recorded during pre-registration

• "  42% of French (45% in 2010) and 58% foreign visitors (55% in 2010)

• "  44 different countries were represented with first visit from people coming from New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Seychelles, Mexico, Finland, Slovakia and Lebanon

Yukino Kano, Japan, received the trophy for the “Press Article” category for her special feature entitled “Les Terres de l’épopée [The land of the epic tale],” published in December 2011 Japanese magazine Nile’s Nile. The jury of professionals and journalists especially enjoyed this feature’s poetic and very educational aspects evoking the lands and history of Côtes de Beaune and de Nuits.

A native Burgundian was awarded the first trophy for the “Photography” category (new for this edition). Armelle Hudelot was recognized for her catalog dedicated to the Burgundy Vineyard Climats, published in 2010. The jury was touched by the aesthetics and attention to detail transcribing the diversity of elements that make the mosaic of Burgundy Climats unique in the world.

Exceptionally this year, the jury wanted to commend France 3 Bourgogne’s TV initiative, by awarding a special prize for the program “Millésime.” Broadcast once a month on Sunday at 11 a.m., it explores the wine-making world through current topics (harvest, vinification, Climats, discovering professions, food and wine, exploring appellations…). As he presented the award to Muriel Bessard, the show’s creator, and Jean-Pierre Stucki, France 3 Bourgogne TV Director, Pierre-Henry Gagey explained this decision: “This choice - in French public television - is an act of courage, given the vigilance of some and the difficulties caused by the Evin law and jurisprudence.”

The GJB came to an end on Saturday in the sun with the Chevaliers du Tastevin’s Spring Tastevinage.

Mark your calendars now for the GJB’s 12th edition in 2014!

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♥Chérie Du Vin

 LOCAL FOOD AND WINE 

 

 

 

Bordeaux Primeurs Explained – Interview with Sylvie Cazes by Paige Donner

Bordeaux Primeurs Explained - Interview with Sylvie Cazes by Paige Donner from Local Food And Wine on Vimeo.Sylvie Cazes explains the unique Bordeaux tradition of Primeurs, or  "wine futures"; She also talks a bit about the annual Marathon du Medoc. Interview and video by Paige Donner for Local Food And Wine TV.

Sylvie Cazes, President of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux . Interview and video by Paige Donner for Local Food And Wine TV.

YOU WILL LOVE MY WINE PICKS! - ♥CHÉRIE DU VIN

*LOCAL FOOD AND WINE *

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♥Chérie Du Vin

 

Notes From Burgundy

[From Bourgogne Newsletter]

BURGUNDY WINE SCHOOL

 

BURGUNDY WINE SCHOOL
For full details see ecoledesvins-bourgogne.com

The Wine School’s programme

The Burgundy Wine School has launched its 2012 programme. This year is likely to be a full one, as it includes three new features: sessions on food and wine pairing with Burgundy wines; sessions in English in September and October and the organisation of a 3-day programme (in English) as part of the Hospices de Beaune wine auction.

These new offerings will be added to the rich catalogue of around sixty training courses aimed at the general public, not to mention the “Coaching” and “Tailor-made services” (from 3 hours to several days) set up by the School. 

The Wine School also manages the Aroma Cellars, with around fifty exhibitions per year.
In 2011, 2,550 people attended training courses at the Burgundy Wine School and gave it an average score of 17.6 out of 20.

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♥Chérie Du Vin

Read More...

BURGUNDY’S CLIMATS AT UNESCO: A KEY STAGE REACHED

The French ministers of ecology and culture have decided to put forward the application for theClimats of the Burgundy vineyard for inclusion in the UNESCO world heritage list. Two projects were selected throughout France (the second was the Chauvet cave in Ardeche).

UNESCO should give its verdict on the project in July 2013. In the words of Bernard Pivot, French writer but also Chairman of the support committee for the application: “It is not just a question of distinguishing a famous vineyard and its universally known wines, but it is also a question of recognising the segmentation of the soil of Burgundy’s vineyards into Climats as being unique in the world. They are works of art drawn on the soil by man and by time.” 

Aubert de Villaine, Chairman of the association behind the project, thanked all those supporters (nearly 40,000) who believe in the legitimacy of this application. “Their mobilisation is not only the expression of the universal notoriety of the wines of the Côtes de Beaune and Côtes de Nuits, but also that of the attachment of the local population to their history. Adding them to the UNESCO world heritage list will help assert their specific nature and preserve the landscape situated between two towns of art, Dijon and Beaune.”

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♥Chérie Du Vin

TOURISM: CHABLIS OBTAINS THE “VIGNOBLES ET DÉCOUVERTES” LABEL

The vineyard of Chablis and the Chablisien is the 4th of the Burgundy vineyards to receive the “Vignobles et Découvertes” label for its 43 tourist services. This label, dedicated to wine-tourism, allows visitors to identify wine destinations in a region covering some 30km, which provide a full, high-quality offering: wine cellars, cultural and natural heritage, gastronomy, leisure activities, accommodation, local tourism agency, etc. 

It was implemented in 2010 by the wine tourism council. Three regions across Burgundy were already awarded the label last year: the destinations “Côte and Haute-Côte de Beaune: around the Montrachet hill”, “Côte and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune: around the Corton hill” and “Dijon-Côte de Nuits”. 

There are a total of 300 offers labelled “Vignobles et Découvertes” in Burgundy! Find out more in the guide “En route vers les Bourgognes” published by the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB).

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Read More...

by Paige Donner

Cognac for the most important ♥ holiday of the year!? Yes! And not just for your fella. But for your Lady (love) as well. 

Scenes from Cognac   Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud (in that order)

all photos by and c.Paige Donner 2012 

Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud 

Women love things that are smooth, warm, that glide just the right way and yet still have that appropriate touch of femininity. You might think that I'm describing lovely lingerie. But, No! I'm talking about cognac. That's right!  Cognac can be YOUR dreamy passport to love and pleasure this Valentine's Day!

On a recent trip to Cognac, I was tasked with spitting out X.O. and Paradis...From all the best makers... Some that you've no doubt heard of and some that you'll only hear about and get to taste if you venture into the quaint and cordial hinterland of France that is Cognac.

Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud

I'm not a spirits drinker and anything tougher than champagne usually makes me gag. So I was a hard sell in terms of being persuaded to see the merits of enjoying a sip of cognac or two. For me the idea of the cognac cocktail - a dose of cognac mixed with champagne and some Chambord or cognac with green tea and a few shakes of a couple other things - were the ways I was ready to take my medicine.

Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud (in that order)

Cognac For ♥ Valentine’s Day

One of the qualities that got me to hang in there, though, is that cognac is the only spirit, or eau de vie, that is distilled from grapes. Gazing out at the wintry landscape of hibernating vines somehow reassured me that this spirit was different. I was tasting a form of wine, after all. Also, unsurprisingly, cognac was originally a happy accident. A couple of barrels of wine gone bad on their shipment to England a few centuries ago...a dose of French innovation and farmer ingenuity and Voila', cognac!

Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud 

After tasting (and spitting!) my way through approximately 75 blends and brands of cognac, I discovered that there were a handful that I could sip and savor. And it wasn't only the XO's that pleased my palate. There were a couple of VSOP's that made the cut. Though, I admit, once you've tasted Paradis, you'll swear you've heard the angels sing!

Cognac - It's not named X.O. for nothin'!

♥Chérie Du Vin

*For customized Cognac Travel Itineraries contact:  Local Food And Wine

Click Here for Slideshow Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin and Paul Giraud 

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♥Chérie Du Vin

Champagne And a Bodyguard - Holiday Wish List!

Coming in at a sexy just 30 Euros is Champagne Piper Heidsieck's new limited edition bottle wrapped in its own crocodile skin bodyguard. Think a lipstick red croc Kelly bag for your champagne. Makes a chic gift and the red latex imprint will pair nicely with your holiday heels or even your (naughty) red Santa Suit! Champagne is a blend of several vintages, with a dominance of Pinot Noir. Available at select Travel Retail outlets such as CDG Paris Airport store Aelia.

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Le Cordon Bleu And Le Grand Tasting

[From Le Cordon Bleu]

The Grand Tasting took place on December 2nd and 3rd at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Twenty one Wine and Management Diploma students, representing 9 countries, were responsible for serving wine for the “Master Class” and “Master Class Prestige” tastings. *Editor's Note: Including the Ruinart Master Class Tasting that featured a 1998 Ruinart and an almost caramel-colored 1988 vintage paired with pan-seared fois gras.

The Grand Tasting brings together the best producers of wine, from International personalities to young talented winemakers. During the Master Class the best wines are unveiled and tasted. The following were amongst the esteemed producers who were present:  Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, Château Ausone, Domaine Ponsot, Maison Cazes, Domaine Weinbach, Domaine Jean Louis Chave, Domaine de la Chevalerie, Champagne Joseph Perrier, Champagne Taittinger, and other well-known brands.

The tastings were organized by Franck Ramage, Director of the Wine Department at Le Cordon Paris. During this two-day event, more than 3000 glasses were served to 500 wine connoisseurs. Le Cordon Bleu students were eager to participate in this event, proving their professionalism and confirming their know-how in the world of oenology.

Le Cordon Bleu excels in culinary arts training, but the Wine and Management program brings a new dimension to professional education in oenology, wine producing countries, technology, and food and wine pairing.

What do Students think about this experience?

“It was unquestionably one of the most memorable experiences of my life! Most unexpected in fact as prior to the occasion, I could only appreciate (and fear!) the vast challenge. To taste some of the world's most incredible wines and work in a team under one of the wine world's best teachers... With hindsight, it was an honor to be included and consolidated my passion for the subject “  Amanda Thomson, student at the Wine Management program.

“it was really a good opportunity for all of us to learn how to cooperate with each other, and the team work. It builds the trust for all classmates. It also a good chance for people to show their individual leadership. […]. I have no doubt this was the best work opportunity I have ever had.”  Jessica Lee, student at the Wine Management program.   *LOCAL FOOD AND WINE * TWITTER.COM/LOCALFOODWINE FACEBOOK/LOCALFOODANDWINE Follow us On Tumblr  * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook  ♥Chérie Du Vin