MY HOLIDAY season has begun with a weekend with my family in a Pembrokeshire cottage. Fortunately, it was warmed by log fires and some good bottles. Some of these were brought by my daughter, who had called in on Yapp Brothers, the wine merchants at Mere, in Wiltshire, who specialise in wines from the Rhône and the Loire (www.yapp.co.uk).
One of my early discoveries there was a Gamay vin de pays from Vignerons Ardéchois which was every bit as good as a Beaujolais, but, in those days, much cheaper. I am pleased to say that they still stock it (£8.25 a bottle), but what my daughter had brought with her was the same producer’s Côtes du Vivarais Réserve 2009, a warming blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes. This went well with our beef, and seemed a bargain at £9.25.
She also produced an old favourite of mine, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise Domaine de Durban 2009 (£10.50 a half-bottle). I love the full, grapey flavours of the Muscat, and this is a wonderful example of a dessert wine. The same estate also produces a Vieilles Vignes 2010 red wine (£11.75), which is the equal of many a Châteauneuf du Pape.
For a variety of reasons, the coming months, for me, seem to be full of trips abroad — often to places where wines happen to be produced. One of the pleasures for me is the preparation for these trips. There is a great deal of information available, often free.
If you are thinking of spending your holiday gourmandising in Burgundy, the Bureau Interprofes-sionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (www.burgundy-wines.fr) produces a very useful free booklet, En Route vers les Bourgognes. As well as useful information about wine regions, it gives details of all the producers who welcome visitors, and, most interestingly, the wine-related events that take place throughout the year.
Thus, if you are in Savigny-lès-Beaune on 20 October, there is a ten-kilometre run through the village vineyards, with a bottle of Savigny for each person who completes the course. The next day, you only have to move a couple of miles to Pernand-Vergelesses for Le Tréteau des Vins, where you will be presented with a special glass, and given the opportunity to taste the full range of wines from the village.
The weekend after, you can move northwards to the Cistercian cellars of Le Petit Pontigny, in Chablis, and enjoy a Burgundian banquet with the local vinous brotherhood, Les Piliers Chablisiens. At €110, it may seem a lot to pay for a meal, but you will get food, wine, and ambience.
Similarly, if you want to visit the Rhône, you should visit the website of Inter Rhône (www.vins-rhone-tourisme.com). They also publish a useful book, Guide Inter-Rhône with profiles of wineries that welcome visitors, as well as hotels and restaurants. Indeed, most wine regions, not just in France, produce something similar, which enables you to prepare well in advance.
There is the often quoted saying, “A day without wine is a day without sunshine.” I am seeking my instant sunshine in liquid form, but I hope that we all will have had some of the solid form, too.