Montsoreau, Maine-et-Loire (49), France - Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was not the sunny day we had hoped for but drizzle and grey skies weren't going to put us off heading to Montsoreau to have a look around the market and monthly held Brocante.

Sadly our hopes of finding a 'Find' didn't materialise and we headed to our favourite cafe/resto to rest our feet.

Whilst I nosed around the market Gérald and Augustin headed to Le P'tit Bar to order hot chocolates.

Le P'tit Bar has always been one of my favourite places to eat since before arriving in France. It's a great place to have lunch whilst visiting Montsoreau, Candes St. Martin and Fontevraud l'Abbaye.

VITILOIRE, Tours (37) : 23rd & 24th May'09 - 7th Loire Valley Wine Festival

The medieval town of Tours, Inde-et-Loire (37, will once again host the 7éme édition du salon des vins de Loire the weekend of 23rd & 24th May, 2009

Meet Gérald there along with other wine makers from throughout the Loire Valley.

You will have the opportunity to sample wines ranging from the fresh sparkling wines, through the rosés, whites and reds and the deliciously rich sweet white wines.

Definitely a date for the diary !!

Saumur, Maine-et-Loire (49), France

A convenient 15 mins drive from the cottage, the noble town of Saumur hosts a fabulous market every Saturday morning.

The delicious smell of fresh breads and pasteries fill the air. Whilst seasonal fruits and vegetables, flowers, fresh fish and meats, saucisson, oysters and live stock make this colourful and vibrant market one of best attended in the local area.

The market, not only held in the town centre, continues along the towns cobbled streets and continues along the edge of the Loire river where clothing, accessories and an all sortment of household goodies, antiques and otherwise can be found.

The atmosphere is a busy one as the market ends at lunch time. Local cafes and brasseries buzz with activity and many a café is enjoyed on the open terraces.

Twined with Warwick, England and Verden, Germany the town of Saumur is also home to the famous Cadre Noir, the National Equestrian School.

Throughout the year these magnificant and graceful horses can be seen performing their acrobtic feats and I understand it is the croupade which sets the Cadre Noir apart from their counterparts in Vienna.

With many exhibitions and wine festivals scheduled throughout the year.

Saumur is a worthy visit, if not only to see the impressive château but to enjoy the beauty of this river side town set in the heart of the Loire Valley, France.

The Vines - taille à la baguette

At this stage of the year the taillage will be finished and the vines are fully prepared for their year ahead.

The photo shows these vines 'taille à la baguette'. Cut and prepared for their future growth and yeald.




Taillage complete attention is turned to the supporting posts, lines and soil. The lines which the vine will use to support herself are tightened and tension restored.

Posts are replaced if necessary and straightened and the soil either side of the vines feet is turned to oxygenate it.

AOC Saumur - sparkling Saumur Brut wine

Sparkling Saumur Brut wine - created by L'Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) on 31 December 1957 and actualised in 1976, to date its cépage remains a combination of the: Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc & Chardonnay grapes.

This week saw Gérald busy operating the machine which removes the dépôt 'à la volée' , from the bottles of tomorrows Saumur Brut wines.

The Saumur Brut is created by two fermentations, the first in the vat and the second in the bottle. During a period of 12-24 months the bottles are turned quarterly to encourage the dépôt collects in the neck of the bottle.

There are two ways to extract the dépôt: 1) à la volée (very rare) and 2) by freezing the top of the bottle.

Gérald is using the 'à la volée' method. The bottles resting at 180 degrees are placed into the machine.

The machine moves the bottles to 45 degrees, instantly removes their caps and the natural pressure created by the bubbles from fermentation ejects the dépot. Over within moments a cap is immediately replaced on the bottle to secure its contents.