CLIMATE CHANGE ❘ TASTE THE TERROIR
TASTE TEST
Now that Dry January is out of the way, it’s time to head into the wine cellar and dust off a few bottles. Here are three worth trying…
OUR VERDICT
CALVET CRÉMANT DE BORDEAUX BRUT 2019 ★★★★★
This crémant is made in Bordeaux from a blend of Merlot and Semillon and oozes aromas of lemon sorbet and brioche. Great with appetisers, a summer dessert or on its own.
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR Down on the farm…
ABBOTTS & DELAUNAY,
FLEURS SAUVAGES PAYS D’OC MALBEC 2020 ★★★★★
Elegant with fi ne tannins and a long fi nish, this Malbec has notes of liquorice, red
fruits and spice. It’s ideal with a platter of charcuterie and cheeses.
France is famous for its dairy produce, with 1,200 different types of cheeses, butters and creams and around 60,000 dairy farms. Many farmers work as part of a co-operative, like Soizic Trotel, who works on her husband’s family’s farm in Saint-Cast-le-Guildo in Brittany. Soizic came to the farm after getting married in 2002, with no
CALVET PRESTIGE CUVÉE FUMÉE 2021 ★★★★★
Beautifully dry with a big pinch of white pepper this Sauvignon blanc has been vinifi ed in a traditional way, bringing its oaky notes to the fore. Delicious with cheese or oysters.
experience, having previously been a nurse. She described a typical day: “From 7.15am until 9am, we do the milking. From 9am until noon, we clean the milking sheds, feed the animals, take care of mulching and other caretaking tasks. Then evening milking takes place between 5pm and 6.30pm. Once more, we need to clean up afterwards and feed the animals before going back home at about 7pm or 7.30pm. The afternoon is dedicated to field labour or mechanics for my husband, while I do any admin work and farm management which takes a lot of time!” The farm (which numbers 80 cows and 45 heifers who graze outside from March to the end of October) produces up to 1,400 litres of milk per day, which is collected every two days, and transported to the Créhen factory 7km away, where it is used to make Paysan Breton cream cheese. Despite the long hours, Soizic is enchanted by the farming way of life.
“I love the contact with the animals, living by the rhythm of the seasons… I did not choose to work with dairy cows, it was a consequence of my marriage to my husband, but I absolutely don’t regret it. I have learned how to understand and work with cows, but most of all how to love them!”
THREE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC DINING SPOTS IN PARIS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY ROMANTIC RENDEZ-VOUS
Above: Soizic Trotel and her family work together on their dairy farm
DUCASSE SUR SEINE
Enjoy supper as you sail along the Seine, courtesy of the world’s most-starred chef, Alain Ducasse. “As the beauty of the city becomes a feast for the eyes, so the soul of Parisian cuisine comes to life on the plate,” promises the website.
LE JULES VERNE
This luxurious restaurant on the second fl oor of the Eiffel Tower is hard to beat for romantic views across the Champ-de-Mars, Quai Branly
and Trocadéro. Sip champagne and enjoy Michelin- starred cuisine 125m up. You’ll be on cloud nine.
LE GRAND VÉFOUR
This shimmering jewel of mirrors and chandeliers is imbued with more than two centuries of
history and is Paris’s oldest restaurant, opening in 1784. Legend has it it’s where Napoleon proposed to Josephine – what could be more romantic?
Feb/Mar 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 61
IMAGES © P MONETTA, PABLO MONTEAGUDO/FLICKR, GRAND VÉFOUR/FACEBOOK
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