The Vine Route

Domaine Giacometti: An oasis in an inhospitable land

tomfiorina — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:05:05 +0000

Domaine Giacometti: An oasis in an inhospitable land is a post from: The Vine Route

Domaine Giacometti: An oasis in an inhospitable land is a post from: The Vine Route The Désert des Agriates is a burnt-to-a-cinder landscape extending westward from the Gulf of St-Florent and the mouth of the Ostriconi River. This 16,000-square-hectare (almost 62-square-mile) area on Corsica’s northern coast is dotted with clumps of cacti and scrub-covered hills. [...]

Domaine Peyres Roses: a finely engineered bio vineyard

tomfiorina — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:13:46 +0000

Domaine Peyres Roses: a finely engineered bio vineyard is a post from: The Vine Route

Domaine Peyres Roses: a finely engineered bio vineyard is a post from: The Vine Route Astrid and Olivier Bonnafont work their Domaine Peyres Rose vineyard in Gaillac with missionary-serious bio zeal. No chemicals or artificial fertilizers are used on the vines or in their wines. A horse is used to cultivate the vineyard, and they’ve [...]

Vinécole: A Languedoc-Roussillon wine education

tomfiorina — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:17:19 +0000

Vinécole: A Languedoc-Roussillon wine education is a post from: The Vine Route

Vinécole: A Languedoc-Roussillon wine education is a post from: The Vine Route The Languedoc-Roussillon, extending from Nîmes and Montpellier in the east and reaching as far southwest as the Spanish border, is arguably the most exciting wine region in the world. About a quarter of all wine-producing vines in France are located here, with the [...]

Johnny Couchman and his amazing spraying machine

tomfiorina — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:06:55 +0000

Johnny Couchman and his amazing spraying machine is a post from: The Vine Route

Johnny Couchman and his amazing spraying machine is a post from: The Vine Route During my recent visit to Domaine Sarabande in Faugères, I came across a fantastical piece of agricultural equipment that seemed to be equal part H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds” and NASA lunar rover. Upon closer examination, I noticed nozzles on [...]

Domaine Sarabande: A ‘Flying Winemaker’ from Down Under lands in Faugères

tomfiorina — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:09:41 +0000

Domaine Sarabande: A ‘Flying Winemaker’
from Down Under lands in Faugères is a post from: The Vine Route

Domaine Sarabande: A ‘Flying Winemaker’ from Down Under lands in Faugères is a post from: The Vine Route A vineyard named after a somewhat risqué dance from 16th-century Spain that reappeared two centuries later as a stately court dance is the latest stop on The Vine Route. The Sarabande, a triple-time dance with the accent [...]

Faugères flamboyant: Domaine de Cébène turns northward to make unique southern wines

tomfiorina — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:11:29 +0000

Faugères flamboyant: Domaine de Cébène
turns northward to make unique southern wines is a post from: The Vine Route

Faugères flamboyant: Domaine de Cébène turns northward to make unique southern wines is a post from: The Vine Route The two adjacent Languedoc wine appellations of Faugères and St Chinian are similar in size, grape varieties, soil types and styles of wine. Both appellations were even created in the same year–1982. But Faugères has long [...]

Chai Christine Cannac: A naturally-good wine bar

tomfiorina — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:33:21 +0000

Chai Christine Cannac: A naturally-good wine bar is a post from: The Vine Route

Chai Christine Cannac: A naturally-good wine bar is a post from: The Vine Route French speakers will immediately catch the play on words in the name of this wine bar in Bédarieux, a small town in the Languedoc-Roussillon’s Hérault department. “Chai” is French for an aboveground structure used for wine storage and aging. The French [...]

The City of Vines and Wine reveals many secrets

tomfiorina — Sat, 08 May 2010 09:09:50 +0000

The City of Vines and Wine reveals many secrets is a post from: The Vine Route

The City of Vines and Wine reveals many secrets is a post from: The Vine Route Located in the heart of the Languedoc vineyards, the Cité de la Vigne et du Vin offers a unique look at viticultural and oenology research being done by France’s INRA agronomical research institute. The magic “Four Seasons Symphony” greenhouse [...]

Teaching a dog a new trick while hiking in the Pyrenees

tomfiorina — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:52:37 +0000

Teaching a dog a new trick while hiking in the Pyrenees is a post from: The Vine Route

Teaching a dog a new trick while hiking in the Pyrenees is a post from: The Vine Route Our two-and-a-half hour hike up a broad glacial valley had brought us to the limit of our energy reserves. We–myself, my wife, our three young sons, and our family dog, a four-year-old, half-Italian, half-English black Labrador named [...]

A birthday salute to American Founding Father and Vintner in Chief Thomas Jefferson

tomfiorina — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:57:06 +0000

A birthday salute to American Founding Father
and Vintner in Chief Thomas Jefferson is a post from: The Vine Route

A birthday salute to American Founding Father and Vintner in Chief Thomas Jefferson is a post from: The Vine Route This being the birthday week of Thomas Jefferson, it’s worth recognizing one of the greatest American wine lovers of all time. Jefferson’s passion for wine began at a young age, and one of the first [...]