Blog

The Chenin Blanc grapes are now coming in as harvest continues here in the Loire valley.

Nigel cut down the mint a few weeks ago and it’s now pushing again so I cut a big bunch today and made a fresh summer salad that I enjoyed for lunch.

We had a wonderful day yesterday with lovely folks from San Fransisco, New York and Denver. The sun shone and the conversation flowed easily.

We spent a couple of hours with Juliette and Peter Hahn on Saturday as they prepare for the 2019 harvest. The 2018 will be bottled tomorrow.

Haute Valeur Environnementale is a new certification that encourages and recognises efforts made by vine growers to work with respect to the environment.

It’s a while since we opened a bottle of Savennieres as we’ve been immersing ourselves in the wines of Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire since we moved east.

Just a few more pics of grapes that have suffered badly with all the heat this summer. These grapes won’t be picked for making wine as there is no juice.

As we countdown to harvest it looks like 2019 may prove to be a tricky year for winemakers.

This is a lovely summer salad. Make it when all the ingredients are tasting at their best and it’s hard to beat on a hot day in the garden.

Boa Moa is a delightful example of something a little offbeat. 100% Sauvignon Rose, this colour mutation of Sauvignon makes beautifully aromatic wines.

Made from raw milk in the Haute Garonne department in the south of France, the goat’s have roamed freely among the garrigue (the dense scrubland found in Mediterranean regions covered with wild plants and herbs).

Celeriac is a very underused vegetable. It’s delicious both raw as in the classic celeriac remoulade and braised as I have done here with orange juice.