Category Archives: France

France, Wines

Wine Notes: Mercurey

 

What I Learned

Mercurey is a small appellation in the Cote Chalonnaise wine sub-region of Burgundy. This appellation has about 800 hectares under vine, spread between the villages of Saint Martin sous Montaigu, and Mercurey, with its hamlets of Touches, Chamirey and Etroyes. A number of Premier Cru are found throughout this area. Viewing the area, one is struck by the number of clos – enclosed vineyards.

About 85 percent of total harvest comes from its famed Pinot Noir grapes, which do exceptionally well in its soils. A parcel entitled Les Ruelles is known in particular for its clay soil, almost blood red in color due to its high iron content, giving wines from this parcel distinct flavors. Total red wine production in this AOC is about 3.3 million bottles every year.

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France, Nutshell

Mercurey: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Mercurey; AKA: Circuit des Vignes (Circuit of the Vignes), Petite Boucle de Mercurey (Small Circuit of Mercurey), and M1 (on signs)

Trail Type: Short distance circuit through various landscapes, but half of it vineyards; fairly well-maintained with a variety of surfaces, including some naturally rough (rock) surfaces in places; some climbing; marking on the trail very good overall.

Length:

Total – 7.75 kilometers/4.8 miles

Convenient to: Chalon sur Saone, or Macon,  France

Marking: Yellow lines; as well as posts indicating positional and directional references

MI Signage

 

Location and Directions Post

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France, Hiking

Blond or Brunette?

 

When I began this hike, I had little idea how delicious the Appellation Cote Rotie wines could be! I had not really considered the potential for difference between a Cote Blonde or Cote Brune wine, especially given the varietals allowed. Once again, I found that hiking this terrain, this “terroir,” opened my horizons in more ways than one.

Snapshot of Ampuis

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Cote Rotie

 

What I Learned

France’s great Northern Rhone River Valley appellations begin about 20 miles downriver from Lyon by Ampuis. Eight appellations in total from north to south, the famous Cote Rotie appellation, on the river’s right bank, is where some of the worlds famous vineyards and wines begin.

The appellation begins in Saint Cyr-sur-le Rhone, and ends in Tupin-et-Semons. Ampuis, in the middle, is particularly well situated as its slopes face in a more southerly direction. Vines have been planted on the slopes overlooking Ampuis for over 2500 years. The town has two famous slopes: Cote Brune and Cote Blonde. Legend says that these names arose when the local count provided the slope now known as Cote Blonde as a dowry for his fair-haired daughter, and the slope now called Cote Brune for his brunette daughter. The soil in this appellation is an iron-rich schist soil, overlaid by limestone and granitic components. Some wine enthusiasts find in general that, due to slight soil differences, Cote Blonde produces a softer style of wine, and Cote Brune, with more clay in the soil mix, tends to result in bigger and more powerful wines.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Sentier des Vignes: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Sentier des Vignes (a Ampuis)

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; varying surfaces, from tarmac/concrete (about half) to earthen, to loose gravel, fairly well maintained, and fairly well marked.

Length: 7.1 kilometers/4.4 miles

Convenient to: Lyon or Vienne, France

Marking: Black lettering “Ampuis 1” on yellow and white (beginning at Route de la Brocarde)

Trail Marking for Sentier des Vignes

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France, Hiking

A Trail for the Senses

 

Local cuisine develops best from local produce. Local wine best complements local cuisine. In this part of southern France, lying in the leeward side of the Pyrenees Mountains, the warm, sunny and dry climate is such that herbs grow wild, and grapes grow well. Both are flavorful and intense. Taking advantage of the natural conditions, the local tourism office developed a short, educational, circuit trail focusing mostly on the local vegetation, set in patches between the vines, through and around the village of Cucugnan.

Corbieres-Queribus AOC

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Corbieres Queribus

 

What I Learned

The Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) Corbieres, is a relatively large area between Perpignan and Narbonne, west almost to Carcassonne. It is in the southwestern region of France known as Languedoc-Rousillon. Corbieres is large enough to merit division into eleven separate terroirs, or areas, one of which is Queribus. (Queribus is the name of a famous Cathar castle, in southern (Hautes) Corbieres, overlooking the towns within the terroir.) The appellation Corbieres-Queribus contains the following towns: Cucugnan, Duilhac sous Peyrepertuse, and Padern. The red wines from Corbieres-Queribus (most of the appellation’s production) derive from the red varietals of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, Mouvedre and Syrah; while the whites wines come from Bourboulenc (aka Malvoisie), Marsanne, Muscat, Maccabeu, and Piquepoul.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Sentier de la Fontaine: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Sentier de la Fontaine

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; Somewhat roughly maintained; Marking on the trail is limited.

Length: 3.5 kilometers/2 miles

Convenient to:  None, but the closest big city is Perpignan

Marking: Wooden signpost with a pointing finger, with the trail name inscribed, at the beginning and end of the trail, (see the featured photo)  and educational signboards, see below, along the way.

Educational Signboard

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France, Hiking

From the Moselle to the Mosel

 

The Moselle River is famed for its wines – German wines. But the Moselle actually begins in France, coming out of the Vosges Mountains, rolling along its way through the northeastern corner of France. Where France and Germany and Luxembourg meet, the Mosel begins, where all three countries lay claim to Moselle/Mosel wines of note. But this is not an article about German Mosel wines, nor about Luxembourg’s Moselle wines either, as they have already been done. (See here for Germany, and here for Luxembourg.) Rather, this is about the French Moselle wines and wine country, which is far less known, and quite new as an appellation.

Moselle Leaving France

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: French Moselle

 

What I Learned

The year 2011 saw the creation of the Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) Moselle. This AOC produces still white, red and rose wines. About 60 hectares and 20 communities participate in this newest of appellations. It falls in three distinct sections. One is by Sierck-les-Bains, where the Moselle first leaves French territory, heading into Germany and Luxembourg. A second is around the city of Metz, a bit further south. The third section is about 60 miles south from Sierck-les-Bains, around the town of Vic-sur-Seille.

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