Grapevine
This week’s column is chapter four of a multipart series on our recent trip to Paris and the French wine regions of Champagne, Loire and Burgundy. In last week’s column my wife and I explored the Champagne region, northwest of Paris, with our friends, the Russells.
Before heading out from the Champagne city of Reims to the LoireValley and Burgundy, we took a side trip to Paris. We arrived aboard the TGV fast-train for a five-day exotic excursion through the wide boulevards and narrow back streets of Paris.
We immersed ourselves in the aura that Paris exudes as a modern, bustling metropolis along the elegant promenades in the area of the LouvreMuseum, the nostalgic neighborhoods frequented by 19th century Belle Époque Impressionist artists and the still-thriving vestiges of the ancient city along the banks of the River Seine.
Meandering through these neighborhoods thrust us into a sense of the essence of Paris– warm, friendly locals plying their centuries-old trade as restaurateurs, bakers, jewelers, fashion designers or chocolatiers.
It was as if we were caught up in a time machine; on one block the din of 21st century cars and cackle of tourists, while around the corner the quiet, tree-lined alleys with nary a car, just locals (and hordes of tourists) going about their business, each enveloped in their own microcosm of Paris. From the cacophony of intersecting Metro underground railcars to the quiet solitude above the din from the crow’s nest of the 1,063-foot high Eiffel Tower, one can detect the faint rallying cries from the French Revolution era that have permeated the sounds of the city for more than 200 years.
All of these impressions of Paris were accentuated by my early morning jogs along centuries-old cobblestone streets, interrupted only by daily stops for a double espresso and a freshly baked croissant at a neighborhood boulangerie.
As a prelude for visiting the wines of the LoireValley and Burgundy, we sampled many of the unique local wines that do not find their way to the restaurants and retail shops in the United States. We were tempted to patronize the newest wine trend–the many wine bars popping up all over Paris–but we were heading to our exclusive tasting-room wine bars south of the city.
Instead we indulged our wine palates in harmony with food: from wine lists written on linen-texture wine lists at Michelin-starred restaurants, to stained inserts in plastic-coated bistro menus, to chalk-scribbled boards hanging from ancient walls at neighborhood haunts. From the broad and deep–and expensive–wine choices at the Jules Verne restaurant, to the unlabeled “house rosé” at the tiny Le Secure neighborhood bistro near the Place de la Concorde, to a nightcap at the Hotel George V lounge, we indulged our insatiable appetite for French wines. Our favorites? Too many choices. Our go-to wines? Any French bubbly.
On the fifth day of our surreal experiences in Paris, we boarded the TGV fast-train again, this time for the city of Tours, in the heart of the LoireValley. An hour later, we rented our car for the sojourn through the cities and ancient castles along the banks of the LoireRiver.
Only 160 miles from Paris, but what a difference. The conviviality of the townspeople, the medieval villages, the food and the thriving river life all felt as if we had been transported to the 16th century.
Tours, and the rest of the LoireValley, has often been referred to as the “Garden of France,” and for good reason. The climate and proximity to irrigation are ideal for growing the multitude of fruits and vegetables that are found in the greenmarkets of Paris and other cities throughout northern France (and certain grapes flourish here as well).
Our plans were to enjoy the area as the nobility of the Renaissance did: fine cuisine, elegant wines and extravagant castles and chateaux.
Next week: “Cuisine Traditionnelle,” Vouvray and Château de Chambord.
Nick Antonaccio is a 35-year Pleasantville resident. For over 15 years he has conducted wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
