Week 3: France

Its Saturday night after another long week of traveling. This week we traveled to Dijon, France and toured wineries in Burgundy. Here they produce only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, although several producers have a little Gamay or Aligote that they produce on the side, and its not labeled Burgundy of course.
Our first stop on Monday was Francois Feres, the cooperage (for those of you who don't know what that is, cooperage= barrel maker). I have been to a cooperage before in Napa, but this was very different. For starters, there are no California safety regulations to make you wear goggles or stay behind any yellow lines. We were right next to the huge machines slicing the whole oak trees and the open fires toasting the barrels. We got to see the entire process from the beginning: whole trees cut into staves, set in an open yard to age for a matter of years, and then brought inside and formed into a barrel ready to be sold. It was a unique experience and I took lots of pictures to share.
That night we were let free to roam in Dijon. I found it to be a very charming big, little city. It has a lot of tourist traffic which dies down in the evenings so we were able to enjoy the scenery. Ryan and I found ourselves pulled to a Chinese restaurant we found called My Wok. We just couldn't resist eating something other than salami, cheese and bread. A couple hours later, however, we sat down to a real meal at a local restaurant and enjoyed French wine and cuisine.
On Tuesday we visited Domaine Bernard Hudlot, Hautes Cotes de Nuit, Villard-Fountaine. The place was on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley and the winemaker/owner was a very entertaining man. It took a while to get through some of his explanations because everything had to be slowly translated, but eventually we made it to the cellar and got to try his wines. I have never seen such a moldy barrel room, which is apparently a trend around here. The wines however were exceptional and un-phased by the infestation. We tried wines as old as 1987, which we surprisingly youthful and light.
By that night we were all starving, because, as we learned very quickly, the hostel where we ate at least one meal a day has the worst, most sickening food in all of France. We were free to eat in the city of Dijon again, so we stocked up on as much as possible for the next few days.
By the next morning however, the unbearable hostel cuisine had caught up with me. I was unable to be on the bus with the group at 6AM, but as soon as I started to feel better around 9, I decided to make the most of the day alone. It came as a much needed source of serenity. Being with a group of 50 people at all times can be a little rough. And believe it or not, having someone plan every move you make for 4 weeks but not telling you what they are until you're there can be a little stressful and aggravating too. Don't get me wrong, this trip is a blessing, but I definitely had no problem enjoying myself in Dijon all day alone. I had lunch in the sunlight near a fountain, read my book outside in a park, shopped at the local stores, toured a few museums and even bought myself a long-stemmed rose at the end of the day.
On Thursday we had a lecture in the morning at the local university with Hans Battig, a professor from a school in Zurich. It focused on the sensory differences between Old World and New World wines. We tried 14 wines in all and I took a LOT of great notes! In the afternoon following another tasty lunch at the hostel, we drove to Beaune. This is a charming little city with lots of wine shops. On the way there, we took the scenic route so we could get up close to Clos Vougeot. This was quite a treat, since their reputation is known worldwide, especially after gracing the cover of Wine Spectator earlier this year. When we arrived, a group of us went to the Hospice du Beaune, an old hospital from the Black Plague ages now serving as a museum. I wasn't a huge fan of this place, since it was a little creepy, but Rick Steves said it was a must, so we made it a quick tour. Ryan and I left the group and rushed over to the Burgundy Wine Museum before they closed. It was a great place complete with English translations and it was full of all kinds of old winemaking tools and drinking utensils. Afterwards we stopped in a wine bar and had a couple glasses and talked extensively to the man working there about many of the different wines they carried. Some of the wines were some of the nicest and most expensive in the area. I bought a nice bottle of Pinot and we cruised the town a little more, picking up local truffles on the way. For dinner, we went to a small place that offered a pre-fix menu with lots of local delights such as escargot and rabbit. Afterwards, a group of us got dropped of in downtown Dijon to go to a karaoke bar we had seen a couple days before. I never got up but Ryan sang "Time After Time" by Cindy Lauper. It was a great night and I have not laughed so hard this whole trip until watching all my friends sing.
On Friday we had our last meal at the hostel (hooray!!) and then drove to Beaujolais. We visited Chateau Thivin, Brouilly, and tasted several of their wines. This was the first producer we've visited that I have actually had before in the states. Many of the places we've gone to are large enough to export, but simply don't want the hassle. Thivin on the other hand exports 60% of their product! It was a great place with a very unique and impressionable winemaking style. We stayed there to have lunch, which was served to us as if we were harvest workers: local food prepared by the family, served in the large dining room where everyone shares and there is an old man playing French music on his guitar in the corner while the 2 Chateau dogs lick you until you give them some of your food. The cuisine was very traditional of the area too: salad of pigs feet and snout, green lettuce smothered in mustard dressing (of course), followed by sausages that are wrapped in the must from the previous harvest and slow cooked in a smoker for 4 hours. Quite amazing; can't even say more.
We made it back to Lausanne around 8PM and I decided to go to the store and cook dinner for a couple friends. It felt so good to chop garlic and satay it with yummy olive oil from Italy. I really miss cooking more. Later, several friends came over and we sat around the table drinking wine for hours. It doesn't sound like much, but it was such a treat to spend the night feeling like I had a piece of home, instead of constant travel.
This morning, Saturday, I slept in pretty late. Ryan and I went to Geneva in the afternoon and shopped around. He finally bought the Swiss watch he's been talking about for months, so he is thrilled. We got back around 10PM and everyone was in my apartment hanging out about to go out for the night. I opted to stay back and write to all my wonderful family and friends whom I miss so much!
I just wanted to write a note to those of you who have been reading my silly little blog and writing me emails in response: it means so much to me to hear from you! Even if I can't write you a personal email back, it really makes me smile to get your messages. I am having a great time here with all these new experiences, but there is a huge part of me that is aching to see my family and friends again. It feels like I'm going to be away for so long and I still have the fleeting thoughts about coming home early. But I am trying to be strong and make the most of this time here. I even sent my resume to the company I want to work for in London today. You should check them out if you have time: www.greenandbluewines.com. They focus a lot on organic and sustainable wines!
Ok that's enough for now, don't think I forgot anything. Write lots! Love and miss you all.
Mecaela