Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair 2010

As previously blogged about - this week saw Gérald at the Loire Valley Wine Trade Fair, (Salon des Vins de Loire), in Angers representing the highly reputed Domaine de la Paleine.

This salon is the largest wine fair held in the Loire Valley housing the majority of the Domaines from this vast wine producing region at any one given time. Most definitely a calendar marking event for any 'wine lover' and open to the general public on the 3rd day.












Whilst taking time to discover and sample the many different AOC appellations there are many opportunities to rest the olde feet and make & take notes of your favourite wines.

Joyeux Anniversaire Augustin - 2 ans !!

Tuesday 2 February will see Augustin turn 2 years old.

Goodness hasn't time flown by....how many times have I heard parents say this before ?!

With Papa Beaumont at the Salon des Vins de Loire, Angers this week birthday celebrations got underway early.

And Maman Beaumont found another excuse to make a cake !

The household favourite, chocolate.


Constance bought son grand frère a remote Thomas the Tank Engine which peeps and plays the theme tune...








...needless to say Maman Beaumont now knows the theme tune off by heart !

Joyeux Anniversaire à notre petit, BIG bisous, Maman, Constance & Papa xxx

Salon des Vins de Loire, Angers (49)

Meet Gérald at the Salon des Vins de Loire, the Loire Valley Wine Fair in Angers on 1st, 2nd & 3rd February, 2010.

Open to wine traders and the general public on 3rd February only, visit vignerons and sample the largest selection of Loire Valley wines at any one given time.

A bientôt !

'La Grange d'Henri' - new for Spring 2010

Bonne Année - Happy New Year !

Januarys cold weather has made spring and summer feel a long way off but with work well underway on 'La Grange d'Henri', our soon to be beautiful barn conversion, thoughts of a nearing spring/summer time have returned, also aided by the lengthening days.

Ready for spring 2010 'La Grange d'Henri' will be our new holiday cottage, a perfect retreat for a 'Wine Tasting Holiday' in the Loire Valley.

Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre, Paris 2009

The Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre, Paris is certainly one of my favourite salon du vin of the year.

Click on the official video and join Monsieur Daniel Vaillant, the Mayor of Paris 18e arrondissement, and experience the weekends events.

Keep an eye out for Géralds staring role, 1 minute into the video, talking about the Saumur rouge !!

Here's Gérald sharing un verre with Montmartres Oenologue.

See you there in October 2010.

AOC Saumur Le Puy Notre Dame

After much talk the arrival of the 69th AOC appellation in France is here - AOC Saumur Le Puy Notre Dame.

....and now this niche appellation can be sampled.

Join Gérald for une dégustation at Domaine de la Paleine, Le Puy Notre Dame.

And for those UK based, contact Simon at Ten Green Bottles.

Helen & Steves Weekend Wine Discovery

Last Friday we welcomed Helen & Steve back to 'La Bellevue' for their exclusive Weekend Wine Discovery - a weekend dedicated to Val de Loire wines and traditional French home cooked cuisine.


The evening started with the customary pre-dinner aperitif, and was shortly followed by a 'Beaumont household' custom...

...une petite dégustation to experience the difference between les primeurs - Beaujolais Nouveau and Touraine Primeur.



Spending most of their weekend with a wine glass in their hands Helen & Steve had an impressive 17 different AOC appellations to sample throughout their day.

No time was lost heading off to the first vineyard where a Chinon blanc was tasted - only 2% of the wine produced under the appellation AOC Chinon is blanc, a rare find as Chinon is traditionally known for its fruity reds.

The mornings wine tasting concluded, at this next particular dégustation Helen was a little more reserved but Steve embraced his 'French experience' and tucked into a plate of oysters.

In keeping with French tradition a pre-lunch aperitif is taken at the bar of our friends lovely cave â vin/bar à vin where conversation is freely shared with fellow lunchers....aaahhhh la France !

To avoid any temptation of la sieste a visit to the vines for 'a breath of fresh air' and a look at the surrounding countryside was opted for before the afternoon dégustations got underway.

Fortunate enough to experience une porte ouverte at one of the Domaines it was time all too soon to return to 'La Bellevue' for the evenings aperitif and a home cooked dinner.


"Just FANTASTIC, such a great experience ! Very friendly vineyards. A great selection of wines and extremely interesting to sample the difference between the different appellations. The Weekend Wine Discovery was everything we were looking forward to.

"Sarah-Jane & Gérald have been fantastic and looked after us as part of the family. We will be encouraging our friends to come along next time." Helen & Steve, Warwick