This Wednesday’s blog round-up introduces a new blog from a fellow Australian living in the Loire Valley, Susan, author of Days on the Claise, explaining how to recognise the different grape varieties in the Loire. Thanks to her post, I was able to identify the grapevine at Closerie Falaiseau as gamay. Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris also explores a wine-related topic – a visit to some of the major champagne housse in  Reims – just one of her recent posts on the world’s favourite beverage!

Sorting out the vines

by Days on the Claise, a fellow Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history

On a recent visit with clients to la Domaine de la Chaise in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher the owner and winemaker Christophe Davault gave us an impromptu primer on how to tell grape varieties apart in the field.
Grape varieties are notoriously difficult to tell apart, but people like Christophe, who have worked with them all their lives, can do so at a glance. He says you need to look at the leaves and the wood. By wood he means the annual growth above the graft. Below the graft is the rootstock and will look much the same for all the varieties. He has planted examples of 5 varieties along a barn wall in his farmyard, and he explained the differences to us as follows: Read more

Visiting some of the major champagne houses: Taittinger, Pommery and Moet & Chandon

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

Just as I was dropping off to sleep last night, Stephane nudged my shoulder and asked if I was planning to write a blog post today. Rather surprised by his question, I mumbled that I was and started to return to that luxurious state when you’re just about to…. “What are you going to write about?” Jolted awake, I collected my thoughts and responded that the post would probably feature the major champagne houses. “Are you going to mention that the Cathedral of Reims is where 33 kings of France were crowned?” was the next question that he fired at me. When I replied that I wasn’t intending to write about it because we hadn’t seen it, Stephane chuckled and said that was the point he wanted to make. Read more