I went for a jog in St.
Rémy, then I cooked breakfast for Mary.
We bought eggs and fresh parsley yesterday, so I scrambled them up, made
a pot of coffee, and we relaxed around the maison
for a while. We decided to skip lunch. I called for an appointment at a domaine that
was recommended to me by other wine enthusiasts.
Speaking of telephoning,
here’s a travel tip for France vacations.
Skype offers an inexpensive subscription service that allows using its
telephone function (not video) to call specific countries, 60 minutes per month
for $1.09. We don’t use our cell phones
in Europe because we decided it is too expensive. Both rental properties where we have stayed
on this trip don’t have landline phones, so a laptop and wi-fi are essential. We made appointments and restaurant
reservations using Skype. Then, I needed
to call home for a family issue and bought $10 of Skype credit, which allows
calling pretty much anywhere in the world for 2.3¢ per minute. A 10 minute call is only 23 cents!
We struck out into the
countryside to find Mas de Gourgonnier.
Although only a half hour or so from St. Rémy, the location is remote
and beautiful, what I might almost describe as wild.
Small country roads, practically lanes, curve
through rugged limestone hillsides and scrub brush. Some of the mountains are sheer cliffs with
what is sometimes called chaparral in California but called garrigue in Provence … sage, thyme, and
rosemary growing in the wild. Some of it is
pine, cedar, olive, and wildflowers. The
fragrance is wonderful!
Mas de Gourgonnier farms
biodynamically, which is a step even beyond organic. You can see from their sign that they also
grow olives and the photos show a vegetable garden and fruit trees.
Mary took these photos to show how much more vegetation is already on the vines in comparison to the much cooler climate of Burgundy.
Although the fierce mistral was not blowing today, this tree
shows the effects of the powerful winds.
The tasting experience
was fine and the tasting room was more developed than we expected. In addition to wine, they had fruit and
vegetable products from their own estate, as well as others from nearby.
This photo shows apricot nectar and
non-fermented raisin juice. The tasting
didn’t take very long. The person in the
tasting area didn’t speak any English at all and conversation about the wines
was difficult. What I like about them,
though, was their freshness and balance.
They had great fruit and aromas and flavors of herbs and that savory,
peppery note I like in a Provençal red, but not jammy or compote flavors with
high alcohol. We enjoyed the white wine
enough to take a bottle with us for dinner later in the week.
We had dinner reservations
at Bistrot Decouverte, recommended by TripAdvisor. It’s right on the main street in St. Rémy,
which is a circle around the old part of town.
You can see how leafy and pretty it is.
Once again, we asked for
an interior table in order to avoid smokers on the terrace. And once again, we were about the first to
arrive at 7:00 p.m.
We started with our usual
sparkling wine aperitif, this one an
actual Champagne.
The restaurant was decorated with attractive artwork of wine and food.
The amuse bouche was
crisps of French bread with a tuna spread, paté
de thon, which is quite popular here.
Mary decided not to have an
entrée first course. Remember, the entrée in France is what Americans call an appetizer. I had a Caesar salad, which was more
elaborate than most Caesar salads I’ve had.
This one had grilled chicken and sundried tomatoes. It also had anchovies, which I love.
The evening's carte was listed on a chalkboard.
Mary selected risotto de St. Jacques, seasoned and seared scallops on a bed of
risotto. She said the dish was
incredible. She makes risotto at home
quite often and I think it is delicious, but she said this risotto was much
richer and creamier than hers. Her
risotto calls for chicken broth, but after tasting this creamy, smooth risotto,
she said she’s going to try adding some cream to her recipe next time.
I had dos de cabillaud en gratin d’aioli, cod
with aioli, browned and served over a bed of mashed potatoes. I snapped a photo, but it doesn’t do it
justice.
Just after the main
courses were served, we were joined at an adjacent table by another
couple. I smiled and nodded to them, but
we didn’t chat right away. Then another
couple took the table on the other side of us, so that we were in the
middle. They looked at our dinners, so I
said, “Le risotto de St. Jacques est
magnifique.”
That made them think I
actually speak French, so off they went, chattering away. I then said, “Je parle un peu le Français,” which I say all the time and
translates to, “I speak only a little French.”
Then the first couple joined
in. They are Belgian and it turns out he
teaches French as a second language in Belgium.
He’s 84 years old and they drove all the way from Brussels for a
vacation.
The second couple is French,
down to Provence on a holiday from their home in Paris. English is the language that all three
couples had in common, at least to an extent.
From there, a three-way conversation evolved quickly to discussion of
our trip, families, grandchildren, a little bit of world politics, and the next
thing you know, we’re all getting photos taken of each other.
We laughed and clapped
and just had the best time. Our new
Belgian friends had a cheese course of chèvre, which is quite popular in
Provence. I asked him if he enjoys
chèvre and like the good French teacher I’m sure he is, he corrected me to say
I should have said “fromage de chèvre.” He said asking him if he likes chèvre without
including the word for cheese means I’m asking him if he likes the goat. That
set off more gales of laughing all around.
We didn’t exchange names
or contact information, but we all had a fine time. Strangers became friends … a couple in their
eighties from Belgium, a French couple from Paris, and Americans on their first
visit to Provence. It was a highlight of
our trip.
Mary’s dessert was a sorbet de fraise et ganache au chocolat,
strawberry sorbet and a chocolate muffin with a warm hot chocolate center. Mary thought she was in dessert heaven. And we both had coffee, of course.
The wine for the evening
was also outstanding, a Bandol rosé by Domaine Tempier. We have an appointment tomorrow at Domaine
Tempier and I’ll describe their wines in more detail in the next blog post, but
this is definitely not just another rosé.
It is what the French call a vin
gastronomique, a serious wine for serious food.
It is mostly Mourvèdre with lesser amounts of
Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault. The Mourvèdre
brings a savory, meaty quality to the wine, similar to its character in red
wine. It is a much more complex and
interesting wine than almost all other rosé we’ve tried, in France or at home. It has the cool, refreshing qualities of
rosé, but the character of a much more serious wine.
With all the fun we were
having with our new friends, the wine probably didn’t get as much thoughtful
attention as it deserved, but that’s ok and that's what wine is for. A good wine serves three main purposes … it
provides pleasure, it enhances food, and it is shared among friends.
That’s
our post for today. We hope you enjoyed
it. We had such fun, we learned some
things, and we made new friends. Keep
checking back at Cépage et Cuisine for more as we explore the wine,
food, culture, and geography of Provence.
In the meantime,
Cheers!
Mary♥Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment