I realized after posting yesterday that I hadn't given the names of any wineries in the Cour-Cheverny appellation, where wines from the Romorantin grape are made. Romorantin is not grown anywhere else.
It was one of those coincidences, but Walt was looking at the TV schedule last week, just a couple of days after we had visited the the cave cooperative in Mont-près-Chambord, and he noticed that one program we like to watch, called Echappées Belles, was doing an episode about the Sologne region. We watched it Saturday night.
By the way, the grapes in the photos accompanying my post today are not, I repeat not, Romorantin grapes.
Besides a report about happenings in the zoo at Saint-Aignan (le ZooParc de Beauval) and at the Château de Chambord, the host, Jérôme Pitorin, also did a segment on the Cour-Cheverny wine district and the Romorantin grape. He feature a woman named Laura Semeria who is a vigneron near Cheverny and who owns and operates the Domaine de Montcy.
You can watch the Echappées Belles video about Sologne here (at least if you are in France; I don't know if you can watch it in other countries). The segment about the grapes and wines starts around minute 55, and the show lasts 90 minutes in all. You can get the Domaine de Montcy web site here.
The other producer I'm aware of is a grape-grower and wine-maker near the village of Soings-en-Sologne named Henry Marionnet. His Domaine de la Charmoise is where "the oldest vines in France" — pre-dating the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century — are planted. Marionnet is getting older, and his son Jean-Sébastien will take over the operation from him.
The Marionnets' web site is full of information about the grapes they grow and the wines they make. Their vineyards and winery are located only 20 miles from Saint-Aignan, and less than 20 miles south of the Château de Chambord.
Note: The photos in this post are ones I took out in the Renaudière vineyard last week. They are just decorative here. I'm not even sure why these grapes were still on the vines so late in the season.
They wouldn't let me see the video, but they had no problem showing the f**king commercials!
ReplyDeleteQuite by chance we were given a bottle of Cour-Cheverny Romorantin on Saturday. We haven't drunk it yet, but it came from someone who knows the area and the wineries reasonably well, but I didn't realise until your post yesterday that we had been given something unusual. The wine maker is Benoît Daridan and the wine is from old vines harvest by hand, 2010 vintage. I think we'll keep it for Christmas and have with salmon.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post Ken...lots to learn and you explain everything so well.
ReplyDeleteStarman, I sure hope you enjoyed those commercials. I was afraid that with an American IP address you wouldn't be able to watch the video.
ReplyDeleteSusan, another coincidence. Hope you enjoy the Romorantin. I've read that the Romorantin wine benefits from 4 to 6 years in the bottle.
Virgina, you are too kind.
Yes, Ken, these were interesting and informative posts (as always) :) I really know much more about wine after following your blog all these years.
ReplyDeleteI wish that we could access that video... I'd love that show!
p.s. In French I, the kids are learning the polite phrases to use at a café or food stand, and the little video includes them stopping at a stand and ordering a uht-duhhg :) So, I showed your hot dog post to my two classes... they were quite impressed with your home-made hot dog rolls and relish!
Hi Judy, I see a lot of the Echappées Belles episodes on YouTube, so the one about la Sologne will probably show up there soon. I'll try to keep an eye out for it.
ReplyDeleteWould enjoy seeing that show on You Tube, please keep me posted when it appears there.
ReplyDeleteIf I see the Sologne video on YouTube, E., I'll let you know by e-mail or on the blog...
ReplyDeleteOh, great about the possible YouTube source, Ken!
ReplyDeleteI see they point foreigners towards
ReplyDeletehttp://pluzz.francetv.fr/depuis-l-etranger
which has an awful lot of "Plus belle la vie" and not a lot else. Though it might be an experience to watch Dr. Who in French, if only to find out how they pronounce it.