Sunday at the Salon des Vins.

If the theme of Friday night is always purchasing restraint, Sunday's theme can only be described as "well, then we have it." 

Sunday was the final day of the Thoiry Salon des Vins 2014, and as per usual, it was a bit of a free for all for us. We started out at the market, picked up some food, picked up some blooms, and then headed over to the Salle de Fetes. It was warm, and we were fast approaching a missed nap time, but being the last day, we made a quick stop to round out our Salon des Vins weekend. 

We started out at a new stand, one that was not only new to us, but also new to the Salon des Vins. Le Pere Jules came down to the salon from Normandy, and specializes in Calvados, Ciders, other apple based liqueurs, and the one that grabbed our attention, a Pear Cider. It's funny how you end up at the stands that you do, as the only reason we actually stopped there was because we saw some friends the night before with a case from this stand, and I trust their wine tastes. We were not left disappointed, nor did we leave empty handed. A case now sits in our cave, waiting for the right time to indulge in this pear effervescent beverage. 

We made a short stop at a beer stand, one that we've had in the past, but never at the salon. Brasserie Gessienne is a brewery not far from here, just a town over from where we used to live in Ferney-Voltaire, called Ornex. They only had one beer available to taste, their Blanche, but we were told that they would be celebrating their two year anniversary this coming weekend, and won't we be so kind as to attend the party? Yes, yes I believe we will see you this weekend Brasserie Gessienne. 

Our final stop for this salon des vins, was Chateauneuf du Pape. Never one to disappoint, we spent a good 45 minutes at their stand. We talked to the vintners for awhile about their trip to the US to see the Grand Canyon, about the speeding ticket they received while there, and the big hat the State-y who pulled them over was wearing. The two people who run the stand are always so nice, even when we only buy a bottle, and not a case. It's been a tradition of ours to always get a bottle of 2010 something or other from them, as that's the year we were married. We typically have to wait to drink them until they're ready, but we're excited that we can open one of our bottles this January to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Sunday's purchase will go away for a year or two, but it's always so nice to have a really good bottle of red to celebrate with on a cold January night. 

So the total damage for this weekend:

Friday night: 7 bottles

Saturday night: 8 bottles

Sunday afternoon: 7 bottles 

Stands visited in total: 7 out of 48

You can see why people get super serious about Salon des Vins, right? Unless you stick to a very specific schedule, and dump a lot of the wine you're tasting, there's no way you can get through all of the vendors. Long gone are the days of spending 5 hours at a time at the salon, but with quick one hour to one and a half hour visits, Oswin proved to be a most worthy Salon des Vins buddy. Efficiency is key when Salon des Vin-ing with a wee one, that's for sure. 

I like that we have certain vendors that we go to year after year, and make sure to get our orders in for them before trying new ones. It's a balance. Get your standbys and still expand your repertoire. A difference this year however, and one that I was disappointed about, was that there were no Cerdon sellers. Bummer. Looks like we might have to make the drive to Cerdon to stock up. Who's in for a little fall roadtrip?

Au revoir Salon des Vins 2014. You were good to us. Until next time...

A la prochaine friends...

Honey   

Saturday night at the Salon des Vins.

Last night at the Salon des Vins, Les Duggans were all business. 

Again, like the previous night, we were only able to attend for the last hour or so, but we made quick work of our time there. We hit one stand, but it was THE stand. Our favorite. A vintner worth dropping some dough on. 

I present to you: Hubert Clavelin et Fils. 

The Jura wines that they sell are amazing. They are greatly influenced by the soil and what grows in it, as all wines are, but I never realized how much this influences the taste of wine until this vintner came into our lives. Jura wines are known for a walnut taste that resonates within the wine, due to the large amount of walnut trees in the region. It gives the wines such a unique taste, it's not something that can be easily missed. 

We tasted most of their wines before they closed up shop. We ended up coming home with three bottles of their 2012 Traditional blend (Chardonnay/Savagnin), three bottles of  2010 Savagnin, one bottle of the best Cremant du Jura (Blanc) that I've ever tasted (not kidding, it tasted like maple syrup to me, so it's obviously being used for brunch), and, a bottle I've been waiting to purchase for the last five Salon des Vins, a 2006 Vin Jaune (Cotes du Jura). 

Vin Jaune is a regional Jura wine that must meet very specific requirements to be called Yellow Wine. It comes from the Jura region, and again has a very strong walnut taste to it. We were both a little giddy about finally adding it to our cave.

Another motivation for stocking up at this stand? It's the one Salon des Vins that Hubert Clavelin et Fils attend all year, so it was really our only chance of getting a hold of their wine until next year. This is unlike Chateauneuf de Pape, which attends 35 Salon des Vins festivals a year. It felt good to stock up for the coming months of melted cheese and potatoes.

And so we headed home. We had one more afternoon to hit up a few stands after the Sunday Market, and we intended on making the most of it. 

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

Opening night of the Thoiry Salon des Vins 2014.

We went, we drank, we purchased. It was a quick go round for our first night at this year's Salon des Vins des Thoiry, as we were operating around little miss Oswin's schedule. Our goal was to hit three stands (out of 48), and come home with just 1 or 2 bottles of wine. We ended up hitting three stands and bringing home 7 bottles of wine.

That's just kind of how Salon des Vins goes. 

It was more crowded than I thought it'd be for the last hour or so of the first night. People were out with their dolly carts in full force. Trunks and back seats of cars were completely full in the parking lot with cases of wine. We are very much small potatoes when it comes to Salon des Vins, but one day, one day we will have our car packed to the gills with Jura whites, Beaujolais, Muscat, Chat de Pape, Eau de vie...one day.

What three vendors did we go see last night? I'm so glad you asked. Our first stop was to Chateau d'Excindre, where we came home with a nice Gres de Montpellier 2011, and two bottles of Muscat de Mireval. They also have a bottle of spirits called Garhiofilatum, which, although we didn't purchase any, was very interesting to try. Next stop was to the stand of Domaine Saint-Denis, a stand we frequent each year, where we bought one bottle of 2011 Bourgogne. Last but not least,  was to one of my favorite stands at the Salon des Vins, Regnie, for three bottles of their amazing 2003 Beaujolais that is oak aged for 10 years. 

And how could we not buy Beaujolais from a man who looks so good in shorts shorts? It was a necessary.

Oswin handled her first night at the Salon like a pro. She loved watching all the people, trying to lunge at our wine glasses, and being close to Papa in the sling. Fingers crossed that tonight goes smoothly, as we're hitting two of my favorites tonight: Hubert Clavelin and Chataeuneuf de Pape.

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

Friday Finds: Salon des Vins

Friday Finds: Salon des Vins by outlawnotahero 

Today's edition of Friday Finds is brought to you by a weekend of wine. Or at least, the promise of tasting loads of delicious french wine. And cognac. And armagnac. And Lac Leman biere. For those of you who read my post yesterday, you know that today starts the 29th Annual Thoiry Salon des Vins. This event is not only one of my favorites of the year, but for me it signals the official start of fall and the fall festivals here in France. It's when we, and apparently everyone in our village, stocks their cave (a cave, pronounced "cahv," is the French word for wine cellar/pantry), for the coming months of cheese filled dinners and drinks with friends.

So what will we need this weekend for the three day event? Well for starters, a pair of comfortable sandals like these from Birkenstock would help with the hours of standing, as well as the 2.5 mile round trip walk to and from. Some gorgeous sunnies from The Row would be do nicely, as Saturday and Sunday we will be there in the daytime. A light and loose shirt will be helpful, as it doesn't matter how cold the summer has been, it is always 80 degrees on the weekend of the salon. (And there is seriously no ventilation in that tent.) I always say I want to take notes on the wines that I really loved, as well as to take note of who to go back and purchase from, and what is more French to use for this endeavor than a quadrille papered Rhodia notebook? A bkr glass water bottle in its silicone sleeve would be perfect for helping me stay hydrated during the event. And that leather rucksack? Oh how I would love to strap that on my back with my water bottle and a few bottles of wine for the walk home. That lovely tea towel is currently on my want list, and it would help me brush up on my "where does my French cheese and wine come from" trivia. A newly painted set of nails in my all-time favorite color, Chanel Blue Satin, would make me feel ready for, well, anything. And how nice would it look with that new colorway, Black Currant, from Sakura Bloom's Fall Collection? Oswin would be right in the action in that sling, which is just where she always wants to be. And last but not least, when going to the Salon des Vins one mustn't forget their checkbook, as writing checks is still en vogue here in France.

Have you ever been to a French Salon des Vins? Here are 10 things you need to know about how to survive and thrive at a french wine festival, in case you were curious.

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

Sidenote: This is NOT a sponsored post. I just happen to really dig all of the items mentioned above, and sometimes I like to share. Sharing is caring, after all.

29th Annual Thoiry Salon des Vins

{Pic via here.}

It's here, it's here, it's really here! One of my favorite weekends of the whole year!

Tomorrow begins this year's installment of the annual Thoiry Salon des Vins, and I cannot wait to attend. We went last year, but I was unable to partake in the festivities, as I was oh so pregnant. Waddling around a hot tent with a bunch of slightly tipsy people when your feet are swollen and the baby is kicking and all you want to do is lie down in an air conditioned room until the baby decides to arrive wasn't as much fun as it sounds. So this year I'm pretty stoked to have Dan carrying the baby (see what I did there?) while Mama gets her wine tasting on. 

{Pic via here.}

Vintners, producers of cognac and armagnac, and Lac Leman Brewers come from all around France (and a bit of Switzerland and Italy), to provide tastes of their wares for free. Really, it's free. Free good wine is the best kind of wine, is it not? 

This is typically the time when people in our area stock their caves, and they take it seriously. People will purchase the wine and leave it in a special area until the end of the weekend to pick it up, you know, once they've finished shopping. There are dolly carts all around to help people load cases upon cases of wine into their cars. Check books are out in full force (yes, they still write checks in France, I like to think of it as a lost art form). The whole family comes out for the event. The family that wine shops together, stays together, am I right?

We always get more than we plan on. It's part of the fun. In our earlier days of the Salon des vins, it would lead us to walk home with 18 bottles of delicious wine, over a mile, in the dark. It was kind of fun. And then of course we'd always open one of the bottles once we got home to celebrate, and realize, "we need to go back tomorrow to replace this bottle!" It's a cycle. A glorious cycle. I guess it's good that the salon is only three days long. 

And so tonight we will plan our strategy. There are always a few mainstays that we get each year, as this is the only chance we have to purchase them, unless of course, we go out to the winery. What are some of our tried and true must haves? Well I'm so glad you asked! Here are a few of our favorites from the last few years:

1. Vin jaune: a rare wine that is specific to our area, and has to meet very strict requirements to be named a yellow wine. There is a really strong walnut taste as a result of all of the walnut trees in our area.

2. Chateauneuf du Pape: I don't think I really need to explain this one. As Sterling Archer would say, "duh and or HELLO."

3. Beaujolais: it's a specific vendor that I never remember their name, but I always recognize the bottle

4. Bollenberg: They are from the Alsace region and not only have some very good white wines to pair with Thai food, but also have a great selection of eau de vie and liquers.

5. Chardonnay from the Jura region: again, more walnut tastes in the wine

6. Cerdon: somewhat of a local sparking pink wine...I'd compare it to pink champagne, but somewhere some frenchman would end up having a heart attack (but it's kind of like pink champagne)

7. Macvin: another regional drink, served as an apertif. A little sweeter, and served in a liquer glass.

I know, I know, the above descriptions don't exactly make me a wine critic extraordinaire, but it's the best I've got for now. This year I'll actually show the results of this weekend's bounty, which is probably a lot more helpful for any of you who would like to track down the wines and try them yourselves. 

Have you ever been to a french Salon des Vins? Well here's a how-to I wrote last year following the event, if you're interested:

10 Things to Survive Salon des Vins

Here's to a weekend of great wines and stocking up the cave! 

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

Fall is coming.

If you were in our house right now, my immense joy would be quite palpable. I'm quite literally dancing around our kitchen while I put the kettle on in preparation for a pot of smokey earl grey tea. In long pants, and a sweater...and still chilly with the windows open.

And it's grey out. Did I mention it's grey out? With the wind blowing outside, and the rain occasionally coming down.

In other words, it's my all time favorite weather. 

I can't help but be giddy. There's nothing that screams cozy to me more than this weather. I'm only a summer person when I'm about 10 feet from the beach, and that's only happened once this summer. I'm ready for the leaves to change and electrify the Jura behind us, for the wind to blow cool and to break out the pom pom beanies. To plan with Dan how many different cheese dishes we can make in one weekend. Will it be a cheese trifecta weekend - tartiflette, raclette, fondue - because I'm open to it. A chilly hike on the Jura with Oswin in the sling, and me carrying a travel mug of espresso or hot tea. Dracula clouds over the mountain while we watch horror movies from the 50's under a warm flannel blanket over Sunday brunch. Walks to the Sunday market that leave our cheeks rosy and our bellies hungry. Boots! BOOTS! Yes, this mama is ready for fall. 

Fall here in SwitzerFrance is also the time for festivals. The official start to fall for me while back in the United States was always the start of College Football...now it's the first night of the Salon des Vins in Thoiry. 

{WHOA BABY!}

At least year's Salon des Vins I was heavily pregnant with Oswin. I'm excited to partake this year and bring home a few of our favorites, along with maybe a few new bottles of goodies. And maybe another Rolf Dieter-Heuer photo op. (He's kind of a big deal here at CERN, being the Director General and all...) 

September is also the time to celebrate the Festival of St. Maurice (complete with oompa bands and a parade of torches), the Parade of Cows down the mountain (dressed in flower crowns and huge cow bells), and the Fete de Vendage (the harvest festival). September really is the greatest here. 

And what of October? Well, this year it will be pretty special, as we'll be celebrating the first birthday of our little dragon, our little Smaug, Little Miss Magnifque, Oswin Jade. Couple that with a few special guests coming our way and a trip or two in the planning stages, and I think October is going to give September a run for it's money. 

I'm ready for apples. And pumpkin everything. Leaves carried on the wind of red, orange and yellow. Chilly nights sipping scotch on the terrace in hoodies while Oswin slumbers. Grey skies. Cheese cheese cheese. I'm so ready. 

A la prochaine friends...

Honey 

P.S. In true fall fashion, prepare to be inundated with pumpkin recipes from this lady. We've got a list of favorites ready to be made, as well as a few others we're planning on trying. And maybe if we're lucky, the next installment of "Who Let Doc in the Kitchen?" He's got some killer recipes to share. 

10 Things to Survive Salon des Vins.

 

 

Seriously, this weekend was just the best. As you all know our town's 28th Salon des vins took place this weekend, but the awesome sauce started well before the drinkers mosied up to their first booth.

 

 

One of the great things about living in France is that you get accustomed to eating fruit in season. And one of the bad things about living in France is that you get begrudgingly accustomed to eating fruit in season. Behold! The first Bio (that's organic for my Americans) apple of the season. I've been dying for a sweet, crunchy Bio apple for over 2 months now, but there have been none to be found. Once the granny smiths are back I'll be over the moon, because I'm craving some green juice as well. Regardless, I looked to this little treat on Saturday morning as a true sign that the annual Salon des vins is truly the official start of fall, and not, contrary to public opinion, when Starbucks starts serving up Pumpkin Spice lattes. (#sorrystarbucks) 

 

 

What other treasures did Doc come home with from his early Saturday morning marketing? (Not kidding, it's typically just him and a bunch of little old French ladies if he goes to Migros when it opens on a Saturday morning...and he loves it. He does well with the over 60 crowd...but I digress...) Well, aside from the major success of finding his very pregnant wife Bio apples, he also came home with 29 lbs. of pumpkin (so, yeah, look for some more pumpkin recipes coming up) and a kilo of figs. It really is the little things...

 

{Aden and Anais swaddles, Sophie the Giraffe}

 

I know, I know the above ramblings of excitement over food shopping does indeed make me feel old, thanks for noticing. But wait there's more! Our la poste lady dropped off some new baby swag that we ordered too! That's exciting, right?! Right?!

 

 

Ok fine, on to the booze then.  

 

 

Being our fourth Salon des vins here in Thoiry, we've learned a few things over the years:

 

 

1. Choose wisely. Every stand is an investment in time, as well as what your liver can be expected to handle. There is no, "I'm going to just try one wine." Be prepared for 15 - 45+ minutes per stand, and multiple samples of an assortment of wines.

 

 

2. Bubbly and cognac last. A wise man once told us, "Never start with cognac or bubbly at the Salon des vins." Well, we typically start with the Cerdon stand (read: bubbly), but that's because they often sell out, but the cognac is always a last booth kind of deal.

 

 

3. Ask away. If you've got the French linguistic skills, ask questions (and hell, even if you don't, try). We've found out so many interesting things about the wines, eau de vie, Armagnac, cognac, etc., because Doc can talk the talk (and his talking the talk gets better with each wine sample - funny how that happens!). Don't be afraid to ask questions about how the grapes are grown and how long they ferment - the vendors love to talk about their wares.

 

 

4. Stick to the order. Don't think that just because you want to try a specific wine at a table that you can just ask for it, or taste wines in any order you want. Often the only choice you get at a table is if you'd like red or white, and then the vendor will give you your samples in a very particular order that they choose. If you choose to start out of order and skip wines, they often won't let you try the earlier ones as there is a palette method to their madness. Be patient, you'll get to your 2001 Jura Savignin eventually, but you've got to work through the 6 younger Jura wines first.

 

 

5. Bring water. Seriously, do it. And maybe a snack, like a baguette or granola bar. Not only is our Salon des vins hot as balls each and every year (regardless of the outside temperature), but water can be used to clean your palette and most importantly, stay hydrated. Why spend valuable wine money on buying a water at the event (if they even have it), when you can bring your own.

 

 

6. Don't lose your glass. Vendors have their own glasses and wash them in between uses, but if you're gonna pay the 4 euro for a sweet Salon des vins souvenir glass with the year on it, make sure it leaves the booth with you. Everyone forgets or almost forgets it at a booth at some point, so just keep it in mind.

 

 

7. No need to carry your purchases around with you. A few single bottles are fine to carry around, but anything more can be cumbersome. Vendors will gladly hold your wine behind the table until you're leaving. Just remember what vendors you need to go back to at the end of the day, and ask what time they are leaving. Some vendors leave early if the crowds thin out.

 

 

8. Do take pictures with famous scientists. Ok this one isn't a Salon des vins survival suggestion, just a chance for me to brag share that we got a picture with physicist and Director General of CERN, Rolf Heuer. You might recognize him from the Higgs Boson announcement back on July 4, 2012, or maybe in the awesome way that he handled questions from the press following the announcement. We were pretty stoked to see him at the salon, and didn't hesitate to ask for a picture with him.   

 

 

9. Have a "must buy" list. It's easy to spend all your money at the first three stands. The question you need to ask yourself is, "what special goodies has Chateauneuf du Pape brought with them this year?" I knew that I wanted to get a bottle of Chat du Pape from 2010 to put away, as that is the year we got married. We were able to snag a bottle of that to put away for our five year wedding anniversary, while still being able to enjoy ourselves at other stands with leftover cash in hand.  

 

 

10. Go in a group. Why? Not only is it more fun to go to the salon with friends, but it also takes away the pressure of feeling the need to buy something at a stand because you feel guilty. If it's just Doc and I, and we spend a lot of time tasting a vendors wares and learning about the process, we sometimes feel compelled to buy a bottle or two because we took up so much of someone's time (and wine). If there are 6 of you, someone is inevitably going to fall in love with some of the wine and buy it because they can't wait to drink it, rather than out of guilt.

 

 

Hey, speaking of friends, our dear friend Marc was in town for a bit, and somehow we were lucky enough that his trip lined up with Salon des vins. Living the expat life can be a lonely one, as there is often a revolving door of people coming and going, sometimes after a year, sometimes after five. It's even harder when you lose people to new jobs who have become like family in that time, and Marc is one of those friends for us. We were both so happy to get a little time with him on this trip.

 

 

How did I pass the time while our friends boozed for five hours, you ask? Well, all that standing around was tough on my 33+ weeks pregnant feet, so I had to sit and take breaks quite a bit. My big goal was to not be a big 'ole wet blanket for everyone else, while still taking breaks as needed...

 

 

...and of course I drank plenty of this wonderfully vintage Pelligrino in my very own Salon des vins glass. Le sigh. Next year Salon des vins, next year...

 

As far as my earlier mentioned wishlist of wines is concerned, we did a good job of knocking some of those off of the list. In the end we came home with six bottles of Cerdon, two bottles of a 2001 Beaujolais, a peach vine liquor, a 2010 Chat du Pape, a 2005 Jura Vin Jaune, a 2011 Jura Traditonal white, an Alsatian white, and another white that escapes me now because I was sitting on a bench while Doc bought it. All in all, thirteen bottles to add to our ever growing cave. Not too shabby of a Salon des vins if you ask me!

 

How was your weekend?

 

A la prochaine friends...

 

Honey