STRAWBERRIES ❘ TASTE THE TERROIR
TASTE TEST With the first sunshine of summer just
around the corner, what better excuse is there to crack open a bottle of rosé? We love these by Mirabeau. . .
OUR VERDICT
MIRABEAU AZURE PROVENCE ROSÉ ★★★★★
Silky raspberry pink in colour, this is packed with fl avours of red summer berries and glimmers of blackberry and blackcurrant. Delightful as an apéritif, it also pairs well with grilled meats and desserts featuring chocolate and fruit. Try to keep a bottle to hand at all times!
LA FÊTE DE LA FRAISE As nice as pie. . .
Make sure you leave room for dessert if you’re heading to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, in the Corrèze, for the 27th annual Fête de la Fraise. Sunday, May 10, will see a whole market dedicated to ripe, luscious strawberries as
MIRABEAU LA FOLIE SPARKLING ROSÉ ★★★★★
Made using the Charmat method (like Prosecco) this fi zz is fragrant with notes of grapefruit and pineapple and luscious red summer berries. Enjoy it with dessert or to toast any happy occasion – it’s the ideal tipple for a warm summer’s evening.
growers display their wares along rue du Général de Gaulle and producers show off their gourmet offerings on place du Champ de Mars. As well as enjoying the street entertainment, live music and activities for the little ones, you’ll want to head to place Marbot at 4.30pm sharp to bag yourself a slice of the giant tarte aux fraises. The garden strawberry can trace its French roots back to 1714, when Amédée-
MIRABEAU ÉTOILE PROVENCE ROSÉ (LIMITED EDITION) ★★★★★
The winemaker says this wine is ‘almost
celestially sublime’, and we’re inclined to agree! With alluring scents of peach and pear and a delicate frisson of citrus, it’s heavenly with creamy cheeses and desserts.
François Frézier, a naval officer and cartographer, was dispatched to Chile. While there, he discovered strawberry plants growing in the woods, liberated a few and brought them back to his home in Brittany, where he set about trying to cultivate them. He crossed two varieties and, to his joy, produced a crop of plump, juicy numbers – which quickly became popular and spread across the whole of Europe. We haven’t looked back and there are now more than 600 varieties to choose from, all with different sizes, textures, flavours and colours. The gariguette, for instance, which is harvested from March to mid-June, is the earliest and most-eaten variety in France. Bright vermilion with an elongated shape, it’s sweet and tangy. Then there’s the ciflorette, which appears in spring and summer and is more of a brick red shade. It’s considered to be one of the best varieties because of its consistently delicious taste and fragrance. Across the Dordogne valley, some 50 producers produce 400 tonnes of
strawberries per year, contributing towards France’s total annual production of 53,000 tonnes – which is enough for a scrummy 106m strawberry tarts… Or one very large one, if you happen to be in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne!
www.vallee-dordogne.com
THREE MORE FABULOUS FOOD FESTIVALS TO TUCK INTO NAPKINS AT THE READY!
The giant tarte aux fraises at Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne measures a hefty 8m in diameter – enough for everyone to have a slice!
TASTE OF PARIS
Taste of Paris returns to the Grand Palais on the Champs-Élysées from May 14 to 17. Expect four days of Paris’s fi nest chefs serving dégustations from pop-up versions of their restaurants.
www.paris.tastefestivals.com
FÊTE DE LA COQUILLE SAINT-JACQUES Brittany’s annual scallop celebration is heaven on a plate. This year it’s the turn of Erquy to host, on April 18 and 19, when highlights will include talks, parades and, of course, plenty of tastings.
www.fetedelacoquillestjacques.com
FÊTE DES FROMAGES
Head to Rocamadour on May 31 for all things cheese. Exclusively dedicated to AOP farm cheeses, there’s plenty of wine and bread to add to the fun, of course.
www.vallee-dordogne.com
Apr/May 2020 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 65
IMAGES © MIRABEAU, LE GRAND CRICRI, SHUTTERSTOCK, BRITTANY TOURISM, TASTE OF PARIS
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