Saveurs et vins de Vouvray:

Château de Moncontour

Le samedi le 14 et le dimanche le 15 mars 2009
Caves de la Bonne Dame, Vouvray

'Venez découvrir en avant-première le millésime 2008. Les vignerons de Vouvray régalent vos papilles dans une véritable troglodyte, autour des artisans de métiers de bouche et de leurs spécialités culinaires.

Au programme également...

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un grand jeu du vin mystère autour de la dégustation de 2 vins de Vouvray de millésimes inconnus, avec pour les gagnants des bouteilles de Vouvray !
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concours de cuisine ouvert aux amateurs, le dimanche matin autour de la géline de Touraine et d’un accord avec un vin de Vouvray.
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vente de barriques à 50 € pièce le dimanche à 19h. Pensez à réserver !

En parallèle, prenez place au départ de la randonnée pédestre pour découvrir le vignoble de Vouvray, ses sites remarquables. Puis entrez dans le tuffeau pour un en-cas accompagné des meilleurs crus de Vouvray.

Modalités d'accès:
Entrée libre. Verre de dégustation en vente sur place : 3€
Ouverture : samedi de 15h à 19h - dimanche de 10h à 19h

Randonnée : départ dimanche à 10h aux Caves de la Bonne Dame


Saveurs et vins of Vouvray: Saturday 14th- Sunday 15th March

An early opportunity to taste the 2008 Vouvray vintage in the Caves de la Bonne Dame on the Rue de la Belle Dame, just off the D47 and a short walk from the centre of Vouvray. Also on the programme blind tasting competition, cooking contest on Sunday, based around matching geline (Touraine’s grand cru chicken) with Vouvray, sale of barriques and a vineyard walk on Sunday morning leaving from the Caves de la Bonne Dame at 10am Sunday.

Details:
Free entry – tasting glass for 3€
Saturday: 15.00-19.00; Sunday: 10.00-19.00

Chickens from l’Orléans plus the Bléré Carnival (29th March)

La Nouvelle République today has a report on the poulets fermiers of Orléans. 160 farmers belong to the Orléans chicken farmers' organisation (la Coopérative agricole des fermiers de l'Orléanais). Of a total annual production of 4.3 million chickens – 90% have the label rouge. 36% of the production is in Loir et Cher, with 4% each in Indre-et-Loire and the Cher. In 2007 the organisation was asked to look after the production of the famous Géline de Touraine, the Loire’s finest chicken and on a par with a Poulet de Bresse.

Further information about the Géline and its rescue from extinction can be found here.

Carnival 2007: The Epeigné-les-Bois float

There is also a report on the forthcoming carnival at Blére – Sunday 29th March with a parade starting at 3pm. This is a bi-annual event that involves all the communes around Bléré including Epeigné-les-Bois, Francueil and Luzillé. The previous edition was on 1st April 2007 and certainly worth going to see.

There is now a carnival blog.

2007: Les Blancs: musicians

2007: le roi des cochons

2007: Le roi et la reine

2007: Le roi et la reine encore..................

2007: scenes from the parade

2007: scenes from the parade

2007: for some the excitement was all too much...

More photos of the 2007 Carnival on flickr.

Recommended eating places in Eastern Touraine (part 4)

La Promenade – Jacky Dallais

Somewhat of a cheat this as Le Petit Pressigny is in the deep south of Touraine but so what as this is one of my favourite restaurants in France. Jacky Dallais’ cooking is brilliantly inventive and given the quality of the food certainly offers amazing value for money. Dallais champions local produce including the geline de touraine*, a particularly flavoursome local bred of chicken. Once Touraine’s traditional, high quality chicken, the geline had virtually died some 50 years ago because it needs 120-130 days to raise against only 90 days for other, but less tasty, breeds. Profit and accountants appeared to have doomed the geline – also called the Dame Noire. Fortunately in a small group of people started to revive the breed in the early 1980s.

There is also a splendid wine list not just the Loire but other parts of France, especially Languedoc-Roussillon, expertly orchestrated by Xavier Fortin.

Road sign in Le Petit Pressigny

The only problem with La Promenade is that it is a long way from the Cher Valley and there is nowhere nearby to stay, so for me it has to be a long lunch day.

Closed Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday. Booking essential

11 Rue du Savoureulx, 37350 Le Petit-Pressigny
Tel: 02.47.94.93.52.
Web: www.touraine-gourmande.com/resto24.php

* For more information about the geline click here and here.