Reunited and it feels so good......

Although I have been able to find my beloved Provence Rose back home, it just isn't the same as drinking it at a sidewalk café in Paris.  I could go on and on about Rose, but will have to move on to some new varietals.  I was able to go to my local supermarket today, not DIA this time but a Carefore. I pick up a few types not familiar to me and all under 5 euro a bottle.  Tonight we have a 2012 Le Pas du Templier Minervois, from the Minervois appellation. Had to look that one up, low and behold it is part of the Languedoc region, my favorite wine region for reds.  I know the sophisticated wine lovers are shaking their head in disgust at my dismissal of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Rhone. I guess it comes down to the fact that I love a cheap red blend that is very drinkable, doesn't require a big meal nor locked away in a cellar for years.

This wine has a very earthy nose. This wine has a very bold taste, at first sip, not sure I loved it.  It had all the right grapes, Carignan, Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah. Stir it up and give me a great blend.  I get more of the Syrah than the other grapes. The nose isn't the only thing that is earthy, the taste is as well.  For 3.9 Euro not a bad one, but not a great one either.  I might try another Minervois to see if it is the type of wine or just this one. 

Today was spent at Giverny, home of Claude Monet. I can appreciate his muse, the beautiful flowers, gardens and countryside. I look forward to seeing his Water Lilly paintings with a new eye now that I have seen his inspiration.

Bonjour fellow wine lovers.

It has been a while I admit.  Have cheated on France with other countries (Italy) and am back in my beloved land of cheap wine. Anyone who has read my previous blogs know that I have had an unquenchable desire for Provence Rose.  First stop after train from Amsterdam today was lunch in a café with a bottle of said Rose.  I technically can't talk about it, since it was above my 5 Euro limit, but delicious either way.  We checked the hours of our local Carefore market on the way to lunch and found they were open late on a Sunday and proceeded to lunch before a little shopping.  After a delightful lunch we went to the market. CLOSED.  Mon Dieu, I started to panic at the thought of no coffee, cream, cheese, and cheap French wine.  We started walking like we were stranded in a desert in search of water.  Thankfully we ran into a nice French woman who pointed us to a market still open on a Sunday.  Disaster averted, we now have coffee, cream, yoghurt and cheap French wine. Again I can't technically talk about my Rose, it was 5.5 Euro, above the limit of this blog.  Lets just say I had a nice evening.  I did pick up a nice bottle (I hope) of Corbieres for 3.95 Euro. Will let you know how that is. Bon Soir, until tomorrow.