Wine and fuel

What with the fuel shortages and gas station closings, we wonder whether two of the people we invited for dinner today will even be able to get here. They were planning to drive down from Paris. We're waiting to hear from them. The other two friends live just five miles up the road, so they shouldn't have any trouble making the trip.

We found these wines from the region to have with our dinner:

• a Touraine Cabernet Franc from Valérie Forgues at Domaine de la Méchinière, a winery just a mile down the road from us in Mareuil-sur-Cher;
• a bottle of Touraine-Mesland from Domaine de Lusqueneau, which I think is a a blend of Gamay, Malbec/Côt, and Cabernet Franc— Mesland is a village about 25 miles north of Saint-Aignan that has a good reputation for its red wines;
• a Côt/Malbec from Guy Allion at Domaine du Haut Perron, across the river from us in Thésée-la-Romaine;
• a Saumur-Champigny from Nicolas Verdier in Montreuil-Bellay, over on the west side of Tours, made from Cabernet Franc grapes;
• a Touraine Gamay bottled by Justin Monmousseau in Montrichard.
  

I think we overdid it on the reds. I can't imagine we'll open more than a couple of them this afternoon. There will be six of us, as I've said.

Just to be sure, however, we also bought some whites and rosés:

• a Perle de Rosée ("pearls of dew") Pineau d'Aunis rosé from the Domaine de la Renaudie, the winery that owns the vines around our hamlet, La Renaudière;
• a Domaine de la Renne rosé from up the road in Saint-Romain-sur-Cher, which is also made from Pineau d'Aunis grapes;
• a Valentin Ledys (Domaine de la Chôtinière) Touraine Sauvignon white from the new winery just a few hundred meters up the hill from our house;
• a local Chardonnay white from the Domaine de la Pounière in Saint-Aignan.

And did I mention the bottle of bubbly Vouvray we plan to have as our apéritif, with some tomates confites on toast with fresh goat cheese?

We seldom buy much wine in bottles, because it is cheaper to buy it in bulk and bottle it ourselves, without labels. But for a special occasion... well, we got carried away. We'll save some for the visitors who are coming to spend three or four days in early November. Too bad we can't burn wine in the Peugeot.