Wine for a writer no longer living

Where does the following text come from: “She had other little confessions of affection, too, that she made from time to time; always with a little hesitation, as if understandably delicate about bearing her heart; she told her love of color, the country, a good time, a really interesting play, nice materials, well-made clothes, and sunshine.”

I’ll give you a hint, a line from the same story: “I love flowers’, she said, in one of her little rushes of confidence.”

Okay, I’ll concede; it’s from the ever so clever Dorothy Parker and her story, “Too Bad,” written in July 1923.

Although I’m aware that I’m opinionated and pretty verbal about it, many of my convictions swing between grey and light grey. Except for one- fictional social commentary doesn’t get much better than that of Dorothy Parker. I’m re-reading one of her anthologies right now, and am trying to digest how, though almost all her stories were written over half a century ago, her astute, often biting, observations on the bourgeoisie, married life, and emotional daily scenes continue to be relevant and on point.

Although I nearly idolize Dorothy Parker and her witticisms on ordinary realities, and I’d like to think that if I were ever to meet her, I could come up with something better to say than, “Oh, snap!” I can’t imagine her drinking wine. If she were to come over for a drink, I’d likely pour her a vodka neat: clear, strong, sharp and straightforward. Naturally, she would then tell me that drinks and prose have nothing to do with each other.

Bonne Saint Joseph

Aujourd’hui est la fête de Saint Joseph, le père de Jésus, l’homme de Marie, et le saint patron des ouvriers, des artisans et des familles.  Souvent, par rapport à sa famille, Saint Joseph est un peu négligé, mais ce n’est pas le cas ici, où j’habite…il est effectivement très connu. Le nom d’appellation où je vis, et où se trouvent les premières vignes de mon mari et moi, est Saint Joseph.

Les vignes de Saint Joseph sont comprises du blanc et de la rouge, mais sont principalement plantées avec de la Syrah, le cépage rouge qui produit les vins très puissants, robustes, poivrés, et qui se trouvent  partout dans la vallée du Rhône septentrionale (sauf Saint Péray et Condrieu.) L’appellation, comprise de plus que 1100 hectares et plutôt étroite, s’étale sur 60kms, du nord au sud. Le lieu dit (c’est à dire le lieu de naissance) est trouvé à Tournon sur Rhône, sans coïncidence, où je vis.

Pourquoi Saint Joseph comme nom de l’appellation? A mon avis, parce que les prêtres du 18éme siècle, en dédiant au Saint Patron des ouvriers et de la famille bien sûr, n’ont pas négligé le fait que toute la famille doivent participer à la culture de la vigne, et du coup, ils ont décidé à planter les vignes ici.

C’est à vous, Saint Joseph, qu’on lève les verres du superbe vin élégant. Bonne fête 2013, que cela soit plein de famille, de bon travail, et surtout, de bon vin.

Shiny surfaces

What do you do when your blog is quoted in a highly read online journal?  You blog about it. If that’s not postmodernism, I don’t know what is. I have the impression that I’m standing between two mirrors right now somewhere in the virtual realm. Is this why people play Oregon Trail?

The article was all part of the Whole Foods Dark Rye Column in the HuffingtonPost, and was posted with the link to the video ‘A Bout de Vin‘ from the Dark Rye Magazine.

I have to say that the story is pretty flattering and the quotes from this blog – yes, reader, your participation was integral in making my day- make me out to be a little more quick on the draw than reality would have it. If it weren’t for my pal Angus, who works for Dark Rye and made the video, and his wife Sheila, one of my dearest friends, today I would just be standing in front of one mirror, grimed up by toothpaste splash.

In all seriousness, it’s extremely touching to have numerous supportive family and friends (some of who would dare do a video in the freezing weather) encouraging Julien’s and my wine endeavor.

I raise my virtual glass to you. Lots of love.

P.S.S.S.P. (p.s. shameless self promotion) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dark-rye/a-bout-de-vin-the-end-of-_b_2765767.html

Love

Fritures and Wine

First things first- how in the world did I end up living in France?…Don’t know how it happened really, but it had something to do with marrying a French man and, in the words of Edith Piaf, “Noooonn je ne regrette rien.” Tonight, said French guy and I went to a nearby wine bar/restaurant called Auberge du Pere Monnet in La Roche de Glun, France, where we were welcomed with good service and lots of smiles. We were both also pleasantly surprised by the number of never-ending customers passing through the front door. You see, the other times we’ve gone, it was during the week and we’ve been recipients of smiles and good service, but I thought it was because we were only a couple of the few customers. Little did I know. (.. or did I ? It was my suggestion) that Friday night would be as bustling.

After teaching in the morning and working in the vineyard this afternoon, I had a healthy meal of fritures (think small fried minnows) and calamari paired with some pretty excellent white wines. Normally, I’d choose my own wines, but here at L’Auberge du Pere Monnet, the owner/sommelier is not to be messed with. He’s good. Each time I’ve spoken with him, he’s suggested some really unusual, hard to find wines, and I’ve never been disappointed. Tonight, even with the big crowd, it was no different. What stood out the most was the first, 2009 Le Cornillard Chenin Blanc from Domaine Patrick Baudoin, from the Loire.  It was biodynamic and had punchy aromas of pear confit and ginger on the nose and loads of minerality and red apple on the palate. The acidity was intense, yet balanced out by the roundness of the fruits and it had a finish that went on. And on. And on. I use my similes sparingly, but it was like drinking summertime in a glass. It was simultaneously warm, fresh, intense, and relaxed.

It was my first ever experience of being completely blown away by a biodynamic wine. The simplest way to qualify this glass of wine is as unforgettable- even after two subsequent glasses of different wines (and varietals.)

Returning to my first question – What? You thought it was rhetorical??-  the best explanation to how I ended up in France……it was love, or wine, or the both, it seems.

A Bout de Vin

A few months ago, some friends from Whole Foods came to France do a small feature on Julien and me for their online magazine, Dark Rye. The theme for this month is ‘Partnership,’ so it focuses on our relationship and wine project.

http://www.darkrye.com/content/bout-de-vin-0

There is a video on page 3 and some great photos on page 8.

In case you don’t happen to be a French New Wave cinephile, the black and white video pays homage to Godard’s “Breathless.”

Have a look!

fun with scissors

Momentarily bereaved of words, so I present you with a visual.

Picking Grapes 2012 at Domaine Julien Cécillon

You know the old saying, ‘it’s officially Fall and we are still not finished harvesting in the Northern Rhône Valley?’ Well, isn’t that the truth! Because we had such cool temperatures during the Spring and early Summer, the grapes took their sweet time to ripen. In other words, they took their sweet time to sweeten. I was a bit hateful towards Mother Nature in June, I remember. It was chilly and rainy and perfect for those who like to sit indoors listening to whiney singers reminisce about road trips with their ex-lovers. For the anti-suicidal types, June just was another vote for August as the best month of summer.

Today, October 5th, it’s 28 degrees (82.4°F) in the Northern Rhône, and people are out dancing in the streets under the sun like they were auditioning for a relentlessly upbeat orange juice commercial. So, given the forecast, we can suppose it’s sufficient cause to renounce any bitter grudges against the weather. I call a truce.

In wine, climate and geography play a vital role in grape maturity. Our La Rivoire vineyard in Tournon was harvested 12 days ago, but only 3.7km further north, in the La Roue vineyard, the red grapes are not expected to be fully ripe until this Sunday. It’s such a short distance, but the difference is enormous. The kind of enormous likened to 2 weeks before your 21st birthday- no matter how mature you think you are, it doesn’t matter because you’re still 20 and not 21.

Here are some pictures from our La Rivoire Harvest, which was a momentous occasion at Domaine Julien Cécillon. Not just because we had a lot of free labor, but because it was the first day of grape-picking for the first ever vintage at DJC. It was fun: we laughed, we worked, we were allowed to handle sharp cutting tools.