Auvergne: le ban des vendanges is no more + Tours oyster bar

Vines@Chalus, Côtes d'Auvergne

While catching up on some blog reading this morning I see from Annie Sauvat's blog that the Côtes d'Auverge and its regional vin de pays has abandoned le ban des vendanges leaving it up to individual producers to decide when to start picking. Having an official starting date for the harvest may have made sense 50 or more years ago but not anymore when all serious wine producers regularly check the maturity of their grapes in the lead up to the vendange. It avoids the nonsense of having to get a special dispensation to pick before the official date if your grapes are ready early.

Annie Sauvat and Michel Boudes

Hopefully other appellations will soon follow suit.

Annie also has details of their successful 2009 harvest of her blog.

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Pierre Pichot's oyster bar: Le comptoir Saint Kerber is due to open in Tours in a week's time: Saturday 14th November. Fingers crossed!

L'ouverture du premier corner "Le comptoir Saint Kerber" prévu le Samedi 14 novembre.

Address: Place Gaston Pailhou, Les Halles Centrales, 37000 Tours

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News flash: Due to work delays and public holidays opening of Le comptoir Saint Kerber now fixed for Saturday 21st November