Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Showing posts with label Marigny-Marmande. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marigny-Marmande. Show all posts

Tuesday, 28 December 2010

Marché aux Truffes@Marigny-Marmande


Today we spent part of the morning at the second of this year's truffle market at Marigny-Marmande. We had intended to go last week but as it was raining we decided against because we thought the market was outdoors. We only discovered later that it is held in the village's salles des fêtes. Just as well as it was again raining hard today and thoroughly miserable. 

A top quality truffle

We arrived about 9.45am when it was still relatively quiet but it soon got very busy. There were a number of truffle sellers present but also a number of other stalls selling 'les produits du terroir'. 1000€ appeared to be the going rate for top quality truffles. This, if I remember rightly, was the same price as it was in Vaucluse about five years ago when I went on a truffle and Rasteau press trip.

Over the past few years Touraine has seen the revivial of the 'production and harvesting' of truffles. Apparently in the Middle Ages there was a very large truffle market held at Richelieu. I bought a copy of a pamphlet called La fouace chere a Rabelais/ la Truffe en Touraine (3€) produced by the Association Géohistorique d'Information sur le Patrimoine. 

Truffle seller nosing one of his truffles (above and below)




More truffle sellers


As well as food there were several wine producers showing their wines. These included Luc Bizard (Château d'Epiré, Savennières), Christine de Mianville (Jasnières) and Bruno Breton (Domaine du Carroi, Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas-de-Bourgueil).
Christine de Mianville with her 2008 Les Cotières, Jasnières

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Truffle time – Marigny-Marmande

Truffles@ Richerenches in the Vaucluse


As far as I know this is the most established truffle market in Touraine. Truffles are a growing business in the Loire with more and more truffle oak being planted. The first market in the 2010-2011 season will be on Tuesday 21st December (the shortest day in year). After that there is a market on Tuesday 28th January. Then the second and fourth Saturday of January with the last one on the second Saturday of February.  

'Marché aux truffes - 21 et 28 décembre - 2ème et 4éme samedi de janvier - 2éme samedi de février. De 8h00 à 13h30 - Salle Polyvalente'

Further details here – although there is a disagreement about start time.

Sunday, 14 February 2010

Truffle season hit by cold weather

Truffle seller in Richerenches (Rhône Valley)

La Nouvelle République reports today that the 2009/10 truffle season has been hit by the recent cold weather – too much ice and snow. December started well but the weather in January and now into February has hit the production of truffles with the last truffle market of the season at Marigny-Marmande (the leading truffle market in the Loire) having only seven kilos to sell. Overall this year France has produced only 15 tonnes of black truffles compared to 50 last season.

For story click here.

Richerenches: Lots of truffles!

Photos of Richerenches taken during a press trip in January 2006, which concentrated on Rasteau and truffles.

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14.2.2010. 19.00: Membership of the Facebook group – Save the wine column has now climbed to 657 members. If you haven't already joined, please follow this link.

15.2.2010. 08.30: Membership now just short of 700 – 698. Group was set up by Rebecca Gibb - see her latest blog post here.