Trip to France

In February we decided to drive through France in May and visit some producers, collect information on last year's harvest and outlook for the new year while picking up some small quantities of wine. We hoped to escape the cold and wet of Ireland to have a beautiful Spring drive through the lush country side of the Loire Valley, Burgundy and Alsace.

We left Rosslare on a sunny Sunday evening, arriving in Cherbourg on Monday midday to a strong easterly wind, rain driven clouds and cold. There was no need to take out the shorts but instead a heavier top was required and the heating in our van. We travelled through Brittany in the rain and fog and it was only when we got to Ancenis on the banks of the Loire that we hit our first ray of luck; it was not the sun.

If you have ever travelled through France then you know that smaller towns and villages are not exactely teeming with life even before sunset and while we crawled through Ancenis looking for a hotel we spotted a Moroccan Restaurant that was open. After having found a hotel, checked in and consoled ourselves over the bad weather with a rather generous Pastis, we looked again for the said restaurant which was not far from the hotel. When you enter the Restaurant Toudaya it is like entering a tent as the walls and ceilings are covered with Moroccan tapestry, the atmosphere is warm and the smell exotic. The service was very observant, the food just delicious, the Moroccan red wine an excellent choice and the sweet mint tea very authentic. Should you ever travel through Ancenis take a break and have a meal at the Toudaya, 185, Bd. Leon Seche, you will not regret it.

France in the rain, fog and wind is basically not different to Ireland except that the roads are better. Having said that we did find some sunshine towards evening and before looking for a hotel in Macon we visited Cluny, that religious powerbase of medieval Europe. How things change! Hard to imagine today that this place was a hub of such religious influence.

Next day in the rain again we visited Isabelle Perraud in Vauxrenard. Driving through the steep hills of the Beaujolais we finally found Domaine des Cotes de la Moliere.

Bruno and Isabelle Perraud are one of very few organic producers in the Beaujolais. They are not just dedicated to organic: they produce natural wines which means they use the natural yeast and intervene as little as possible in the development of the wine; nor do they add any sulphites. Their Moulin a Vent 2009 is loaded with flavours of black cherries and the wine has great structure and depth. The Saint Veran 2008 is fresh, crisp with citrus aromas and a nice minerality at the end. Let anyone who claims that you can not produce decent natural wines taste their's and they have to admit that with hard work, dedication to details and meticulous cleanliness in the cellar one can produce not just decent, but great natural wines.

Since our last visit to the Alsace and the Domaine Zusslin, Marie gave birth to her second child last December and they built a new cellar. Both signs that they believe strongly in investing into the future. What strikes first when climbing down the stairs into the cellar is the pink stone floor made from slabs cut out of the Voges mountains. It radiates a feeling of warm and quiet energy.
They have been producing biodynamically for over 12 years and the new cellar is part of this development. The wine presses are above the cellar and the wine flows down into the cellar by gravity without mechanical intervention.
If you are ever driving through Orschwihr do stop, have a look and taste their beautiful wines.