Salon des Vignerons Independents à Bordeaux

the crowd gathers

Spent an interesting morning in Bordeaux at the Parc des Expositions . Every year at this time they hold the Salon des Vignerons Independents for small independent producers from all over France.  It’s a three day event over the weekend but we decided , based on the advice of our experienced friends who came along to join in the buying spree, that first thing Friday morning is the least crowded time to go.  

pick your producer

The carpark was filling fast around us as we arrived. Many had the forethought to bring along their own foldup trolleys. We’ve seen these for sale at the Brico and wondered how much use one would get out of them. Now we know why they are so popular – wine sales !

Is your favourite here ?

There were around 280 vignerons from all over France, including even producers of Armagnac and Calvados. 

pick a region - any region...they're all here

When you arrive and pay your entrance fee ( in our case we had free passes thanks to our kind and generous friends)  you are presented with your own wine glass to use for all your tasting – not a plastic picnic cup here but a proper wine glass ! Then you either start at Aisle A, stand 1, and work your way around the hall, or , you show that you are serious and go through your catalogue marking the producers from the regions that interest you and plan your attack. They are not grouped by region so that means you pretty much have to cover the entire hall. Once you have made your choices and paid the exhibitor for your purchases he puts them aside so you can continue on your way unencumbered, and tasting and buying as you go.

Naturally, there are places to rest and recuperate with a little food and drink  ( as if you need more)  including a restaurant, an oyster bar, a sandwich bar, boulanger, charcuterer, fromager, and a lovely man generously sharing samples of his handmade chocolate and nougat.

a little jambon or saucisse anyone ?

small sample from the chocolate and nougat man

brebis, chevre or vache ?

Of course we had to try a few things and made up a nice little bag of goodies to take home for the weekend to go with the wine.

not quite like the supermarket trolley

When you think you have done enough damage to your card, you arrange to borrow a large chariot ( first hour free) and go around collecting your purchases. This is not as easy as it sounds given the crowd now collecting around each stand and filling the aisles in your way. It's becoming more like a party . It was such a relief to be back in the car, boot fully loaded, and heading home in the sunshine.

our little haul

The Salon moves on to Lyon and then Paris at the end of the month so, if you are planning a visit to France, don’t have much time and want to try lots of wines, consider the Salon des Vignerons Independents in March in one of these wonderful cities.

looking forward to this sight later in the year

Bon weekend mes amis

Cadillac and the Garonne valley

Château de Cadillac

No, not the car, but the town on the Garonne river. The sun came out for just one day this week so we took the hint and hit the road. We did a loop through the Entre Deux Mers region (" between two waters" ) and followed the Garonne from Bordeaux down to Cadillac.  We hadn’t visited this town for many years but remembered that it had an attractive château overlooking the centre ville.

one of the old gateways into the centre ville

We parked outside the château entrance, but the place is undergoing  some restauration and is surrounded by cyclone fencing so we couldn’t re-visit.

the second gateway

We strolled down the hill into town.

the church of Saint Blaise is opposite the château on top of the hill

Cadillac is a bastide town founded in 1280. That means it is built on a grid with the market hall at the centre. It is a pleasant village on the riverbank surrounding a traditional open market hall made of the local stone with commune offices above.

The open market hall with it's high arches 

Across the river is the town of Sauternes and Château d’Yquem where they produce a Premier Cru Supérieur wine, one of the finest white wines in the world. It is said that, with proper  care, a bottle of Château d’Yquem can keep for a hundred years.

Château d'Yquem

Nearby is the Château Malromé. This was the home of Toulouse Lautrec’s mother and the place where he died in 1901. You can visit and see some of the public rooms in the house. It’s in a beautiful setting in the countryside and , while not a grande château, it is a large country home surrounded by vineyards.

Château de Malromé

We also visited the medieval chateau at Langoiran. This is now in ruins but has a caretaker living on site so for just €3.00 each we could clamber about to our heart's content. The chateau is on a hillside overlooking the valley of the Garonne river. You can see why this was considered an advantageous position for spotting an approaching enemy.

the entrance across the moat - a rider would have to get off and walk his horse through this gateway

16th century accomodation buildings

The chateau was mentioned in documents in the 11th century but the current fortifications date from the 13th. The dungeon was added in the 14th  and more buildings in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

There is always a chapel for use by all those who lived in the chateau.

modern painting in medieval style over the altar

windows in the chapel with family crest - what a view !

There are wooden pews in this room as though it is still used for worship.

the family crest on the stone altar

a sunny seat by the window - bring your own cushion

very steep and shallow staircase - difficult for an attacker to fight his way up here

We climbed the staircase from the lower courtyard to the upper where the family would have lived.

steep walls everywhere

no floors left in the donjon (tower) 

see how thick these walls are in the dungeon - no tunnelling out of here

Mostly the work that continues here appears to be just to stop any further degredation.

  

and you think you have cracks in your walls !

the one room that has received some restoration in the family apartments

The view from the top is magnificent...

south across the Garonne river valley and the chateau's vineyards

The pictures are a little hazy as this was still a winter’s day and the vines are bare, but you can see how beautiful this area can be in summer.

This little stone man was perched on the roof of the chapel looking like an early version of ‘The Thinker”.

Hope you have enjoyed our day out.....

Bonne semaine mes amis

A winter’s day….

nothing much beats French Onion Soup 

We’ve hit the zero degree days and all this morning we have had a gentle sleet falling. It melts as soon as it hits the ground so the temperature is not quite cold enough for a photo opportunity.

This is just the weather for staying inside and cooking. We’ve tried a few new recipes as well as the traditional. Lot's of soups like carrot and coriander, chicken and corn, minestrone, thai vegetable, and of course, french onion.

We've also discovered a local dish called potée . The supermarket sells the vegetables in packs and separately a mixture of the meats - sausage and pork. You just throw them all in a large pot with stock and cook long and slow. It is delicious on a cold day.

Potée ingredients

One of the most common ingredients in this region is duck. It's reasonably priced and very easy to find in it's various forms. In summer we pan fry aiguillettes ( duck tenderloin) and serve with a marmalade and whisky sauce. But in winter one of the best ways to eat it is confit. The duck legs are cooked very slowly in duck fat until almost falling apart, then they are pan fried to crisp up the skin. It's not hard to do as the duck is sold at the supermarket already cooked and in a layer of fat ready to fry. Served with potatoes also cooked in the duck fat and this is a favourite dish. And we are told that duck and goose fat ( also popular here) are good for you !

confit de canard aux frites

I've been making Tarte Tatin for years in Australia and even brought my favourite pan with me so that there is no problem  making them here.

a simple apple tarte tatin

But I've also learned to make madeleines. These are a lovely small cake made in a fluted mould and dusted with sugar or often drizzled with honey.

Yum !

With the weather the way it is and the Six Nations Rugby competition starting tonight,  we will be hibernating for the weekend. So, I have just baked a fruit cake and I'll be making meat pies for saturday night.  A pity Australia isn't playing.

can you get anymore french than this ?

Bon week-end mes amis

Australia Day is an excuse for a party here….

Naturally, we took our flag with us to France

The weather is grey and depressing so we thought  “why not have a party for Australia Day ?” We invited about 20 of our nearest and dearest friends here, mostly English of course, and stocked up the wine cellar. They arrived around 4.00pm on Sunday (already Australia Day in Oz if you take into account the time difference) and showed great enthusiasm for the celebration. Some even kindly made lamingtons , coconut cake and anzac biscuits – all very popular. 

mini lamington's were a hit

and  we loved the anzac biscuits and coconut cake

It all lasted well into the night , but perhaps they were just reluctant to venture back outside ( below zero after dark).

around 'the bar'

We were only able to buy  three australian wines locally to share which were much commented on.  I told the story of the arrival of Le Comte de Laperouse at Botany Bay on 26^th January , too late to claim the land for France but just in time to join the First Fleet for a little R&R for a few days as they moved on to Port Jackson. Since we were almost french instead of english it seemed appropriate to celebrate with french wines.

the chilli prawns were considered unusual - but they all disappeared

We had mini pizzas, smoked salmon pinwheels, barbecued chilli prawns and lots more and , in truly australian tradition , the men tended to congregate around the booze supply.

Sorry there aren't more photos, but I was busy with the food and Graham was busy being a 'good host'. Typical australian party.

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for those who didn't see the new car on Facebook - it's a Ford Kuga

The weather forecast is for rain for the rest of the week, so on Tuesday we decided to take a drive in the new car before the bad weather arrives. We headed south east to Villeneuve-sur-Lot about 80 kms away because we haven’t been into the town before though we have often driven past.

one of the 'gates' to the old town

Despite the grey skies and the cold, we enjoyed a walk around the town centre. There are two main town squares where the weekly market is held. The church of St Catherine  takes up much of one square and is on the site of an earlier church that was in too poor a state to restore. It’s built of pink bricks just like the cathedral at Albi and the centre of Toulouse.

eglise St Catherine

pink bricks just like at Albi and Toulouse

built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style last century
to replace a much older church on the site

The other square, Place Lafayette, is surrounded by  colonnades in the traditional style and some beautiful old buildings. We enjoyed a simple lunch at a cozy café – rognons d’agneau for Graham and an omelette for me, all with excellent frites and a glass of rosé, then back out into the ‘crisp’ air.

they were packing up from the weekly market when we arrived at Place Lafayette

the christmas lights are still up

the january sales are still on 

There are a surprising number of good looking restaurants and cafes, and a grand theatre for public performances.

someone living ON the river

house for sale overhanging the river - not a bad position

there are three bridges crossing the river Lot

I’m sure this is a beautiful place in the spring and summer when the trees are in leaf and the sun shining and we shall return. 

Bon weekend mes amis