Blog
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Loire valley vineyard update – Domaine de la Cotelleraie St Nicolas de Bourgueil
Grapes are looking superbly healthy and there are plenty of them at Domaine de la Cotelleraie in the St Nicolas de Bourgueil appellation here in the Loire valley.
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Wine education – picking grapes by hand
Why would you bother picking grapes by hand when you can use a machine? Small growers often choose to pick by hand. Why do they do that?
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The Loire harvest 2018
The Loire harvest 2018 has begun and vintage is now in full swing. First to be given the go ahead were the Chardonnays destined for sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert
I’m calling this a squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert rather than a cake because there is no flour and it’s something you would serve as dessert rather than with a coffee in the morning or cup of tea in the afternoon (not that you couldn’t of course because it’s delicious!).
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What’s going on in the Loire valley vineyards in August?
Harvest has officially started here in the Loire with the first grapes being picked on Monday, the 27th August. Chardonnay destined for Crémant is first in.
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What are we drinking this week? Clos St André from Jérémie Mourat
Jérémie Mourat’s vineyards are planted close to the coast in the Fiéfs Vendeen Mareuil AOC/AOP. Never heard of this AOC before? Put it in your GPS!
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – tomatoes!
I’m sure we are not the only ones to have tomatoes coming from every direction. They never taste better than when picked fresh from the garden. Here are a couple of ideas that are easy and tasty.
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Two French ladies drinking beer
Caught these two French ladies sitting quietly watching the world go by on the Ile de Ré this week. Each with a straw hat, each with a beer.
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Chateau de Villeneuve
Chateau de Villeneuve is one of the top producers in the Saumur Champigny AOC. We popped in for a quick tasting last week with clients from New York.
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What’s on the cheeseboard this month? Trèfle du Perche
Trèfle du Perche is a relatively ‘new’ cheese from the Loire valley. Created by 7 cheese making goat farmers, it has the shape of a four leaf clover.
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – super easy chicken marinade
For a really easy dinner try this really simple marinade. It works well on chicken thighs or breasts and is healthy and quick to prepare.
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Veraison – counting down to harvest
Veraison is the point at which grapes start to change colour. Black grapes that until this point are green, take on a pink or purple hue and white grapes change from green to a slightly more golden colour. It marks the transition from berry growth to berry ripening.
