Blog
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – simple summer salads
2 super quick simple summer salads for you. Cucumber, creme fraiche and garlic salad and kidney bean, cumin and coriander salad. Healthy, low fat, quick and tasty.
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Personal news – my life in the Loire July 27th 2018
I’m sitting in the tasting room as I write this update, escaping the heat that has settled in the Loire and indeed in many countries around the world. Days and days of very hot weather reaching up into the late 30’s (in the 90’s).
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La Grange aux Belles – natural wines from Anjou
Marc Houtin created La Grange aux Belles in 2004. Former geologist, his passion for wine led him to change career and retrain in viticulture and oenology.
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What are we drinking this week? Chateau Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2011
If you remember 2011 was a hot, sunny vintage that saw rich ripe reds and luscious whites. We opened Mathieu Vallée’s Saumur Blanc last night.
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Recipes from friends of Le Tasting Room – crab and goat’s cheese filo pastry parcels
We enjoyed a lovely summer dinner with good friends John and Sheila Wilton recently. John served a delicious filo pastry crab and goat’s cheese parcel as the appetizer and he kindly agreed to share his recipe with us.
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Loire valley vineyard update – 14 July 2018
Planting at this time, with no rain and high temperatures has its problems but the team at Chateau de Fesles was unable to get onto the ground earlier.
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – cooking the perfect duck breast
A perfectly cooked duck breast (magret de canard) is one of life’s pleasures and something that you can easily master. Here’s how to do it.
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What are we drinking this week? Busardières 2011, Bourgueil from Domaine de la Chevalerie
Memories of 2011 as we sat out in the garden enjoying dinner this week. The difference between this year and 2011 is that as we sat in the garden that year, the rain clouds passed over us.
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Wine education – mildew in grape vines, what’s all the fuss this year?
Downy mildew is indigenous to north-eastern North America where it spread from wild vines into cultivated vineyards. It probably came over to Europe during the phylloxera crises when native American rootstock were being tested for their resistance to the disease that wiped out around two thirds of Europe’s vineyards.
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Recipes from Le Tasting Room’s kitchen – spicy cumin and turmeric roasted new potatoes
New potatoes roasted in the oven with cumin and turmeric. Delicious with a steak or any kind of bbq they are very moreish!
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La Grange aux Belles portes ouvertes
We tasted a very interesting range of wines today at La Grange aux Belles in Soulaine sur Aubance about half an hour from us here at le tasting room
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Un diner en blanc at Chateau du Petit Thouars
Our friends Sebastien and D’Arcy du Petit Thouars host a diner en blanc at their beautiful chateau every year and this year we were able to join in the fun.
