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An Autumn Tour of Champagne
The late September day dawned cool and overcast. However, that did not dampen the excitement my friend and I were feeling for our upcoming adventure: an autumn tour of Champagne. We met our guide at a nearby Parisian hotel and settled in for a pleasant ride to northeastern France. In less than two hours, we arrived in Reims, the heart of the Champagne region. Here, we took a few minutes to visit the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims. With it’s twin, square towers and stunning, rose windows, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. I also found the expressions on some of the façade sculptures…
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 2
As I write this, a warm, sunny, breeze wafts through my open window and I am immediately transported back to a similar day in the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. The vineyard tour I was on had just finished a delicious lunch at the bistro of La Côte des Monts Damnés in Chavignol. And now we were now strolling down a lane to visit a local fromagerie – cheese maker, Dubois Boulay. Crottin de Chavignol In addition to producing wonderful Sancerre wine, Chavignol is also known for making the most famous goat cheese in the Loire Valley – Crottin de Chavignol. Some believe that the name comes from the…
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 1
I love it when serendipity shows its wondrous face. The act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it always brings me joy. So I was thrilled while visiting Paris to receive an email from Le Cordon Bleu offering a Sancerre vineyard tour. The first bit of serendipity was that Sancerre, a dry Sauvignon blanc, has become my favourite French white wine. The second was that this world-renowned culinary arts school was offering this tour during my current visit. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to visit this beautiful corner of the Loire Valley and registered for the tour immediately. I arrived bright and early…
