Tasting the Wine

We had a smooth, if long and tedious, journey from the Creuse region to the Macon area last Monday, taking in a memorable picnic lunch just above Montluçon with a view of the city to die for! We had two nights of France Passion night stops to look forward to, both in vineyards (where else would you stay when in Macon and Bourgogne?). We thought we’d lost the first place in Sologny, just off the main road, but then on completing yet another twisty steep turn, we spotted a beautiful pink chateau on the hill and I mused that this might be it! We were directed up to the house, but then instead of through the iron gates, we drove into the ancient farmyard behind it. The vigneron only ran the vineyards on behalf of the Chateau owner, and did not actually live there. A disappointment, but made up for by the fascinating cellar she led us to in order to taste three of her wines. This led to a sale, of course, and Victor started to fill up the van with bottles of Macon Village Blanc 2005 and a ‘bag in box’ of the red Passetoutgrains 2008. As Madam put it, a most ‘bizarre’ name for a wine! We strolled up to the vines above the farm, and took in the spectacular view across the valley, including the main N79 Viaduct, an incredible piece of engineering that takes both road traffic and trains (TGV), many of them heading for Paris. A lovely herd of white Charollais cows wandered across the nearby fields in the setting evening sun, completing the picture.

The following morning we set out on our task to discover the best wines of Macon, starting in the picturesque village of Prissé, where we found the Groupement de producteurs de Prissé-Sologny-Verzé, the local association of wine growers. The very smart showroom was a joy and Victor enjoyed himself choosing a wine to buy (see photo). It was lunchtime by now, and I was keen to find a scenic spot for our picnic. We decided to investigate a near-by limestone escarpment, valued by the area as a prehistoric wonder called Roche de Solutré. The drive up was a little hairy, but we made it to the panorama area, and sure enough we were directly beneath the gigantic rock, faced with another view across the valley, vineyards and villages. The sun was warm and the mackerel salad was delicious. Ironically as we were driving all day, we drank soft drinks despite being surrounded by hectares and hectares of grapes!

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving through the tiny hillside villages, getting into one or two tight spots (have you ever tried reversing a 3.5 ton motor home at a dead end on a one in three incline? Victor has!) We enjoyed tasting the Pouilly-Fuissé 2007 white wine in a fascinating little wine store in Fuissé (see photo) and bought another six bottles to bring home. We completed the day by taking a peek at the town of Beaujeu, the capital of the Beaujolais area, and Villié-Morgon. Everywhere we drove the views were astounding.

Our night stop was meant to be a particular vineyard in the tiny wine town of Fleurie, but despite ringing the bell at the forbidding chateau, there appeared to be no-one around. There was another France Passion place on the ‘view’ side of the road, so we went there instead, even though we had not reserved a place. There was no problem as no other motor home was expected, and a young girl of about twelve - Steph, told us to park up against the hedge leading to her father’s vines. This gave us an incredible view across another valley of vineyards and villages to the mountainous horizon beyond, which turned out to be the Alps. It was only a couple of hours drive to Geneva from this part of France, and apparently on a clear day they can see Mont Blanc! The girl’s parents did not seem to be home, but she offered to give us a ‘degustation’ of their wines and duly showed us into their showroom and poured us the, by now familiar, glasses (see photo). Imagine the authorities allowing that in England! We bought a ‘bag in box’ of her rosé, and walked into the village for a meal at a restaurant in the square by the church. On the way we checked out the big co-operative wine showroom, had a “quick” taster before they closed and promised to return in the morning to buy some of their Fleurie vintages.

The meal was very French with Victor having a charollais steak – I was a little disturbed by that after seeing the beautiful herd of them the night before – and I stuck my neck out and had fried grenouilles or frogs legs to most of us! Frankly, although the flavour was very good, there were so many tiny, tiny bones so it made the meal quite a marathon! Back to chez Steph, to sip a liqueur sitting outside, gazing at the twinkly lights below that led to Switzerland!

And so to Wednesday when we went back to our restaurant for a coffee, and bought some meats and other groceries before driving on to the city of Macon for lunch. We did not know the city, so parked at the station and walked in. We had a good lunch in a leafy square and were impressed by the Cathedral and the Mairie (City Hall). It was not until we bought some postcards that we realised the River Sôane runs through it. Having asked directions, we turned two corners, and there it was, a most beautiful wide impressive river with a medieval arched stone bridge crossing to the far side. It had swans and boats and bridges and flower borders along its banks and was a photographers dream! There were some stone armchairs dotted about strategically which were amusing and practical. Norwich Council take note! Our next campsite, a small club site, was only thirty minutes out of town and around 5pm we rolled up to be greeted by one of the members and shown to a pretty pitch in the middle of their very own arboretum – the area is full of different trees and there is a clear warm covered pool that we are taking advantage of every evening.

Tomorrow we leave here for three nights in the beautiful Beaune area. More wine tasting, more shopping, three more France Passion night stops. Stay tuned for a report from our next campsite, following our arrival there next Wednesday. Cheers!