RIVER CRUISING
The Captain’s Dinner on the last night
quail, feta stuffed aubergine, smoked salmon or potted shrimps. After-lunch excursions in the mini-bus and the captain’s car were made to castles, caves and cities. The week’s tours started with Chateau de Commarin, built in 1346 and home to the de Vogue family for 26 generations. It gave a touching insight into the lives of French aristocrats. Wine producers were another
obvious attraction. In Beaune, we had an innovative and fascinating wine tasting at Bouchard Ainé where, in a series of 18th century cellars, we were encouraged to learn about wine via the five senses.
fter the tasting, there was a tour of the Hospices de Beaune founded in 1443 by the Duke of Burgundy’s Chancellor as a hospital for the poor and used as such until 1971. Now it displays tapestries and stained glass, scarlet-cov- ered beds and mannequins of nuns work- ing in the kitchen and pharmacy. There are no vineyards around the
A
Ouche stretch of the canal, so the great swathe of grand and premier cru vineyards around Gevrey-Chambertin seemed extra impressive as we stood on one side of the Cote de Nuits looking over the valley near
36 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2012
Clos Vougeot, which we visited to see the ancient wine presses.
A tasting at Camus in Gevrey- Chambertin followed; an informal family affair with tasting of biodynamic wines and a tour of vintage cellar treasures. The culmination of each day was
dinner. The captain described the wines (all included with the cruise) each day to marry with the dishes to be served. Our chef was Sharif Gergis from Edinburgh, half Irish, half Egyptian, who, from a small kitchen and forays to local producers and markets, produced superb menus my fellow Australian and American passengers hailed as definitely Michelin standard. Sharif introduced his dishes at every meal and included some twists on traditional Burgundian recipes. Ingenious flavourings included wild salmon with passion fruit sauce, beetroot carpaccio with spicy crusted cheese roulade, and orange soy sauce with duck. Puddings ranged from lavender, rosemary and heather honey panna cotta to autumn berries in sparkling wine jelly. Every evening, two specially selected French cheeses were served, including Brie de Meaux, Tomette de Savoie, Regal de Bourgogne and Plaisir du Chablis.
was a splendid affair with champagne aperitif, myrtle glazed foie gras, fillet of Charolais beef, Blue d’Auvergne and La Chaource cheeses and chocolate cheesecake. With it came a premier cru Louis Latour Beaune 2004 and Grand Cru Camus Charmes Chambertin 2000. Indulgent? Maybe. Memorable? Without question.
BARGING FACTFILE L’Impressionniste’s season runs from early April to the end of October. Prices for a 6 night cruise aboard hotel barge L’Impressionniste from £2,690pp in a twin/double cabin, including all meals, wines, an open bar, excursions and local transfers. Full boat charters also available from £25,600. MORE INFO: European Waterways. The Barn, Riding Court, Riding Court Road, Datchet, Berks SL3 9JT; tel. 01753 598555 or visit
www.gobarging.com.
Railbookers can arrange hotel and rail packages, tailor-made to individual needs and will arrange transport and hotels before or after a cruise. Contact them at 14 Bonhill Street, London, EC2A 4BX, UK; tel. 020 3327 0800 or visit
www.railbookers.com.
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