2015 International Catering Cup - Team Shangri-La Represents France

by Paige Donner

At the International Catering Cup competition held earlier this month in Toulouse, the team from Paris's Shangri-La Hotel took home the top prize. This means they will be representing France in the International competition held in 2015.

Created in 2008 the International Catering Cup has since drawn some of the best caterers from around the world. This championship has become a token of fame and renown. Over the years this contest has become an invaluable motivator that drives the profession. This was the original intention of the creator, Joel Mauvigney, President of the CNCT, Confederation nationale des charcutiers-traiteurs et traiteurs.)

Shangri-La Winning Team

The Shangri-La Hotel's Catering team from Paris won first place at the International Catering Cup selections for 2015. This is the team that will represent France in the international competitions in 2015.

L'équipe Ile de France du Shangri-la remporte la première place de la Sélection France de l'International Catering Cup 2015.

Le 9 et 10 février 2014 s'est déroulée au Salon Smahrt à Toulouse la Sélection France de l'International Catering Cup 2015, organisée par la Confédération Nationale des Charcutiers-Traiteurs et Traiteurs.

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China Leads World In Red Wine Consumption

 ACCORDING TO THE MARKET SURVEY COMMISSIONED BY VINEXPO, THE INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS EXHIBITION, WHOSE ASIAN SHOW IS TO BE HELD FROM 27 TO 29 MAY THIS YEAR IN HONG KONG, CHINA HAS BECOME THE WORLD'S LARGEST RED WINE CONSUMING NATION AHEAD OF FRANCE AND ITALY.

 

Which countries are the biggest consumers of red wine? France, Italy and the US, right?

Wrong. Having downed more than 155 million 9-litre cases or 1.865 billion bottles of red wine in 2013, up 136% compared to 2008, China, including Hong Kong, is now the largest red wine market worldwide, followed by France, now in second place with nearly 150 million cases and Italy with 141 million. Chinese consumers have become increasingly attracted to red wine since 2005. Between 2007 and 2013, the Vinexpo/The Iwsr study reveals that red wine consumption was multiplied by 2.75 in China, while it decreased by 5.8% in Italy and 18% in France.

 The symbolic value of red

 

Apart from its virtues with regard to health, which have been widely lauded as an alternative to the impact of excessive consumption of rice-based spirits, the popularity of red wine is largely due to the symbolic importance of its colour. Red is a very positive hue in Chinese culture, associated with wealth, power and good luck. In business circles, these three values are fundamental. Red wine is therefore an obvious choice for business hospitality, where partners can drink to each others' health. Red is also the colour of China.

 

 Mainly wines Made in China, but more and more wines are imported

More than 80% of the wines consumed in China are made there, and the nation is currently the 5th largest producer in the world.

However, imported wines are rapidly gaining market share. Between 2007 and 2013, wine imports were multiplied by seven and account for 18.8% of all wine consumed in China today.

To meet this growing demand for imported wines, Asian buyers will obviously benefit from meeting the wide range of exhibitors present at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong on 27, 28 and 29 May this year, where they will be able to travel round the world of wine and spirits production in just three days!

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Lazare by Eric Frechon

By Paige Donner

As I sit here at my desk and write this blog post, my little doggy is sitting on my lap. It's her preferred spot when I'm writing at my desk. Yes, I am lucky, aren't I ?

I mention this because it feels so right to have such a comforting presence so close by while writing about Eric Frechon's newest restaurant, Lazare. Eric Frechon is one of France's star chefs. He has 3 Michelin Stars. The restaurants he oversees are at Le Bristol Hotel, the Paris Palace that is a stone's throw from the Elysée and favored by that sort of lofty and VIP crowd. And now, in addition to all that, he's opened up his own independent restaurant in Paris called Lazare.

Chef Eric Frechon at his new Paris restaurant Lazare photo by Paige Donner copyright '13

So it was with curiosity and no real pre-set expectations that I set out to discover Lazare. What I found was a chef who has remained connected to his kitchen and, more importantly, to the people he's preparing and serving his food for.

At Lazare what you'll find are Mom's recipes, re-visited a bit with Frechon's flair. The whole restaurant, from the food to the ambiance has Comfort Food stamped on it. And within it. The dishes are hands down a delight. And I hate to say it, but that's sort of to be expected from a 3-Michelin Starred chef, isn't it ? I mean, right ?

So why would I choose Lazare on a Sunday morning for its €36 brunch over dozens and dozens of other venues in Paris, all outstanding ? Besides being a fan of the kind-hearted and gentle Frechon, his new restaurant speaks to me on several levels.

I like, for example, how the dishes are served tableside. My pumpkin soup, the lightest, creamiest, fluffiest pumpkin soup I've ever tasted, was served from its tureen at the table by my courteous and friendly server. As was my dining partners poached salmon with autumnal roasted vegetables. It made me feel like I was eating at a friend's house. And I could be sure that none of the dishes had been kept even for a moment under a heat lamp awaiting the server's return .

What else ? I liked how the big black chalkboards hung on the tops of the  walls that reach up to the high ceilings were written like a train schedule, with departure times and then the indicated destination, which in this case was a culinary one. Such as departure 15 :47 Aperitif and Snacking.

And of course I loved loved loved how Mr. Frechon explained to me that his signature Paris – Deauville dessert was one that he had poached first off his mom and then tweaked a bit to get it just right to serve in his new restaurant, located at the famous – and fully refurbished and renovated – Gare St. Lazare train station. If you haven't guessed it yet, the station is known for its departures to Deauville leaving from Paris.

Frechon has achieved here comfort food. Yes it's stylish but not so fancy that it's unapproachable. It's more like the comfort food that a 3-Star Michelin chef would imagine. It's a Paris Newest not to be missed and the restaurant's proximity to the Galeries Lafayette – Printemps shopping district makes it a perfect stop-in for lunch, dinner, and/or a snack at the bar. And of course Sunday Brunch. Tip : Call ahead for reservations.

Parvis de la Gare Saint-Lazare, Rue Intérieure

Lazare-paris.fr

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KRUG: The Art of Blending Pleasure

by Paige Donner

Can't think of a better Christmas present this year than a cellar tour
and tasting at Krug.

Isn't it too true that oftentimes « the best » is shrouded in mystery
? People tell you something is the best but unless you try it for
yourself and unless you have the same tastes as the tastemakers, how
do you ever really know if « the best » is the best in your estimation
?

See Full Photo SlideShow On Local Food And Wine
http://localfoodandwine.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/krug-the-art-of-blending-pleasure/


Krug Cellars Reims, photo c. Paige Donner

« Taste is subjective, » says Julie Murez, Krug's Hospitality Manager.
For a House that has a global reputation of being the best champagne,
at least, say, Top Ten, this was a refreshingly humble statement to
hear from someone representing a champagne house.

For my upcoming report for World Radio Paris – see my program World of
Wine http://www.worldradioparis.com/ – I will dive more into the
details of the house and its philosophy, but here I'd like to remain
within the comfort of first impressions. And these first impressions
were very comforting.

Pleasure. Their emphasis on the pleasure of the experience of drinking
a glass of Krug champagne feels so right. Nevermind why it tastes so
good and goes down so easily, let's just focus on how darned good it
makes your senses tingle and feel. That is, receive a glass of Krug
with your emotions, less with your intellect, and you will grasp
better its goodness.

Playfulness. I had not expected this underlying tone of playfulness
within such a dignified house, one of the most established in Reims.
But there it was : Playfulness. From hearing how the Tasting Committee
tastes each wine from each unique plot (nearly 250) as well as the 150
reserve wines kept in their cellars and how no hard and fast blending
rules are obeyed – rather a dance with nature is what is achieved.
What nature has given that year is what is respected, recognized and
then « mis en valeur » that fantastic French phrase that means cast in
the best possible of lights.

History. In many contexts the word history can feel stuffy and evokes
images and feelings of austere, untouchable, distant, encased in
something that makes it removed from life today. But there at Krug,
the new President, « Maggie » as this Argentinian woman is apparently
known to all the staff, mined the nuggets of the house's history when
she arrived in 2009. With these nuggets, they assembled a rich human
history of just how Joseph Krug, who once worked for Jacquesson
Champagnes, in its day the biggest champagne producer in the region,
married his boss's English wife's sister and then, for his love of and
loyalty to quality before all else, felt impelled to start his own
champagne house. And this is how Krug was born.

"Our unconventional approach, the way we make choices that are not the
easiest ones and go beyond the rules when needed illustrate our vision
– a constant since the very foundation of the House of Krug." -
Olivier Krug, Director of Krug, Sixth Generation

See Full Photo SlideShow On Local Food And Wine
http://localfoodandwine.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/krug-the-art-of-blending-pleasure/

There were many more surprises, all good, all enjoyable, that awaited
me that wintry morning on my Krug Cellar visit…That the cuvées,
regardless of their price, are not seen as better than the other. «
There's no hierarchy at Krug, » repeated Julie several times ; Their
oak barrels that they keep in a pyramid formation ; And their two wine
libraries, one of bottles that date back to 1880 and the other that
house tenderly cultivated grapes that have been gently pressed into
juice and then fermented into wines that will be the blends of their
champagne in the years and decades to come.

Enjoy the photos. And yes, be good to yourself, open up and enjoy a
bottle of Krug with yourself and someone who appreciates you a whole
lot. And then decide for yourself if a champagne that the world deems
« the best » is really the best for you.

And Good Heavens, don't forget that before all else there's a huge
dose of pleasure to be had in each bottle of Krug.

KrugLovers.com

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Dallet's Tropical Fruit Macaron

by Paige Donner

All photos and media c. Paige Donner, Local Food And Wine.

 Vincent Dallet is one of the not-to-miss patisseries and chocolatiers in the Champagne region. With shops in both Épernay and Reims his chocolate confections, his melt-in-your-mouth chocolate almond croissants, and, of course, his patisserie perfect cakes and macarons all sell out every Sunday morning and each day of the week he's open as well.

See Full Slideshow on Local Food And Wine 

 

Photo c. Paige Donner Local Food And Wine

 

His wife works the cash register and is always kind and welcoming. Mr. Dallet's gift to the region, and to gastronomes everywhere with a sweet tooth who happen to find out about his creations, is the « Maca'Bulle » which is a macaron made with an ivory champagne flavored ganache center sunk into a flute of champagne, a sort of macaron-champagne float.

See Full Slideshow on Local Food And Wine 

In these photos you'll see him demonstrating how to make a tropical fruit flavored macaron with a pineapple, mango, passion-fruit coulis. Two guiding priciples he says are to choose fruit at its perfectly ripe perfection – for pineapples this means using your nose and picking the one that smells like honey. And the other secret to perfect macarons is using the right finely ground almonds ; He sources his from a region in Spain that grows the best almonds in the world, he swears by it.

In Reims his shop is called Chocolaterie des Sacres and can be found at 47, cours Jean-Baptiste Langlet.  Chocolaterie-des-Sacres.com.

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Brulerie Daval - Paris's Best Coffee Roasters

by Paige Donner

Brulerie Daval

It's taken years but I've finally found the hands down, absolute best coffee shop in Paris. It's the Brulerie Daval, just off the Bastille in the idyllically pleasant and peaceful Passage Damoye. It translates to Daval Coffee Roasters.

When Madame's husband opened their shop here in 1947 the Passage was still home mainly to the vestiges of furniture craftsman who worked in the furniture shops that the neighborhood around the Bastille had come to be famous for. Real craftsman who turned out exceptional quality furniture, the kind that lasts generations.

She explained to me that all the flats in the buildings of the Passage were therefore cold water, workmen's flats with shared lavatories on the floor corridors. That was before Americans moved in a few years ago, starting in the early 2000s and with their swarm, apparently mostly young internet tycoons and techies from SF, they renovated the buildings and the flats and turned most of them into posh condos. Still, many of the buildings do not have elevators. Madame's is one of them.

Brulerie Daval

I've often thought that Paris would not be the easiest of cities to grow old in. Any big city really. Places like Paris and Manhattan and San Francisco where everyone is rushing to get somewhere, literally and figuratively, raising young families, dealing with bills, and stress and jobs and carrying heavy bags of groceries up stairwells and the daily commutes on and off of buses and subways and trams and commuter trains.

Holiday seasons drive this point home. Wintry and lonely sometimes I observe the elderly of Paris and wonder where they find any comfort, if they do at all ? France is probably a bit better than, say, Manhattan, as the sense of family is still so strong here in this country. Family ties are solid. But you can never use that as a blanket statement. Because then we risk desensitizing ourselves to the exceptions, and there are always exceptions.

Chatting with Madame about her shop and the history of the quarter, while buying some Christmas Blend Tea from one of the hundreds of canisters of teas that line her shelves, just behind the stacks and stacks (oh, I'd say at least about 50) of whole roasted coffee beans in burlap sacks, I asked how often her children are able to help out in the shop. She told me she had none. Given the era she's from, already married in 1947 and her sort of Southern dark looks,  it would have been altogether too easy to assume, indeed I did assume, that she would have several progeny. And even progeny of those progeny. But this widow has not one.

That's when she got to telling me about her trip a few years back to California – to Hollywood, to Beverly Hills and then even over to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. We mutually agreed that the Eiffel Tower in Vegas is nothing in comparison to the one here in Paris. She told me she loved driving past all the stars' homes in her tour bus with the 50 or so other elderly she'd taken the trip with. Of course I didn't ask her age but jusging from appearances she had to have been past 80 already when she did that trip.

This brief conversation, during which we each chattered away, a sure hint of two kindred city souls, has kept turning in my mind. And it's gotten me to resolve to be particularly kind and generous and thoughtful to the elderly this holiday season whose paths I cross. Lord knows the lives they've had and the struggles they face daily. Madame, for example, hurt her hip a couple years ago so now rather than going up the stairs to her kitchen for lunch each day – the stairs being too much to navigate more than once in a day – she relies on someone to bring her her lunch which she eats in the shop. That's a long day for anybody, 10 – 7 :30. And no comfy chairs to recline on, just a little old wooden table and a couple of rickety stools.

So this is my wish this Holiday Season (Santa are you listening ?) that all elderly people living alone and without family in big cities this Christmas and Hannukah and Kwanzaa, feel the warmth, joy and love of people's, young and old's, appreciation for who they are and the contribution they've made to our world during their years so far spent here on this Earth.

Peace Joy Love and Blessings to All. And don't forget to pick up your Christmas Blend coffee and tea at Brulerie Daval in Passage Damoye, Metro Bastille. In fact, pick up two or three packs and give them as gifts ! People will surely appreciate you for it.

12 rue Daval (Passage Damoye) 75011 Paris   + 33 (0) 1 48 05 29 46

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Champagne Travel At Harvest Time

by Paige Donner

All photos copyright Paige Donner 2013 All Rights Reserved

Paige is the host of World of Wine radio program on WorldRadioParis.

Planning a trip through Champagne during harvest time might at first feel like mission impossible, but if you use a few basic principles by which to plan your itinerary it can be more gratifying than imagined being at the center of all the harvest action. Certainly it's guaranteed to be visually and sensorially rewarding.

                                                                                                                                   

              First thing to do is check to see when floraison, or flowering of the buds, were for the year. That information is easy to come by in any of the wine journals or online. From that reference point, count about 100 days out and these are your dates for harvest time, give or take a couple of days. So with a solid three months in advance to plan your exact days of arrival and departure to coincide with the actual 10 days to 2 weeks of harvest, plenty of options will still be available for you when it comes to booking hotels and harvest time excursions.

This year's Champagne harvest had a relatively late flowering, in parts it was the end of June, in others it was the beginning of July. Which putvendanges this year into the first two weeks of October. A remarkable contrast with, say, the harvest of 2011 one of the earliest Champagne harvests in recorded history. That year put harvest time, a date of official decree by the CIVC, Comité Interprofessionel du vin de Champagne, late August /early September.

In the strictly managed appellation of Champagne, the grapegrowers do not have the right to harvest when they will.  "We are obliged to wait for the dates given to us by the official CIVC decree," explains Anouk Westeel, Champagne Bollinger's communications person. With 164 hectares owned by this venerable house, they wait with bated breath every harvest season for the CIVC announcement. Hence, the diverse region sees a staggered harvest with some areas beginning sooner than others.

"All the vineyards you see spread out before you, they're a patchwork of parcels owned by different houses; Not all of this belongs to Bollinger," further explains Westeel, looking out from atop her preferred vantage point, the pinnacle of the very select Côte des Enfants, a steeply perched plot of Pinot Noir just up and behind the village of Aÿ that is used for their prestige cuvées. "Other of our vineyards are in the Côte des Blancs, for example, which already started harvesting a few days ago" she points out.

With a bit of astute planning, then, a harvest time trip through Champagne can be timed to be at the center of the action for the duration.The key to getting the richest experiences out of harvest season in Champagne is to skirt the bigger cities of Reims and Épernay and hug the smaller towns and villages such as Avize, Aÿ, Hautvillers and Rilly-la-Montagne. To do this, your own transportation is essential.

From Paris there's a fast train to Reims (45 minutes) or a slow train to Épernay (1hour 15 minutes). Either are good starting off points and both cities offer car rental options. You can also hire a car and driver or take taxis to various destinations, options you can tailor to your budget and spirit for adventure.

If you hire your own rental car, the Route Touristique du Champagne offers marked roads through some of the prettiest of the Champagne countryside, such as the ambling hills covered with Pinot Noir vineyards extending between Reims and Épernay, the Montagne de Reims region; Another area, the famous Côte des Blancs, revered for its much-sought-after Chardonnay grapes, extends just south of Épernay and its relatively flat roads and expansive terrain through hectares upon hectares of vineyards are also marked by the Route Touristique du Champagne.

Montagne de Reims

In the Montagne de Reims, Rilly-la-Montagne offers a choice of restaurants from the Michelin-starred Le Grand Cerf to local favorites such as Le Mont Joly which serves big, thick steaks on cutting boards and at reasonable prices. The prestigious L'Assiette Champenoise (two Michelin stars) is in neighboring Tinquieux - reservations imperative - and Rilly-la-Montagne even has its own Châteaux et Hotels luxury accommodations, the Château de Rilly (lechateauderilly.com). This little enclave butts right up against theParc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims, a designated national park reserve. In the early Autumn the Château in Rilly offers weekly jazzsoirées, well-attended by locals.

The great advantage to travel in Champagne during  harvest time is not just the spectacular visual backdrop of ripe bunches of grapes hanging from exquisitely tended vineyards that surround quaint little historical French villages, but also the wave of high-energy and activity that is evident everywhere you look when you are in the smaller villages. Even if you are not a Champenois, it's unavoidable not to get caught up in the activity, the high spirits, the frenetic enthusiasm that is vendanges.

Aÿ

A Champagne village that can offer these rich experiences is Aÿ, home to Bollinger Champagne and one of the original historical Pinot Noir growing villages of Champagne. Wine enthusiasts will particularly appreciate Aÿ with its champagne houses, such as Ayala, Deutz and Collet, seemingly on every corner, punctuated only by the requisite boulangeries, crêperies and pharmacies.

One of the loveliest and least known hotels of the region is to be found here in Aÿ. Hotel Castel Jeanson (casteljeanson.fr) is the lovingly restored work of Madame and Monsieur Goutorbe whose champagne house is just a few doors down from the hotel. Deceptively simple when seen from its exterior, the hotel offers a large enclosed courtyard graced with stained glass windows on the buildings that surround the spacious courtyard which house its 17 rooms and indoor swimming pool.

When I casually commented to Madame Goutorbe that one would never expect such exquisite luxury from her modest website, her response was that she prefers not to boast about her hotel's charms, either in picture or in word, "I'd rather that my guests be delightfully surprised when they discover it for themselves," she confided. I told her that in English we have a phrase for this: "Underpromise and overdeliver."

For the Goutorbes, who are originally nursery managers and vine cultivators and now vineyard owners themselves, the 5 year restoration process for the dilapidated and abandoned building that their gorgeous hotel once was, was a much bigger labor of love than they had ever anticipated. And it shows. Busy seasons are May, June and September, October.

Of particular interest to the wine geek will be the discovery of the Villa Bissinger, the Institut International des Vins de Champagne. With a name like that it's easy to imagine that this is a year-round school for serious sommeliers studying for their Master of Wine certification. In fact, it is a facility, unique of its kind in Champagne, where champagnes in all their diversity and all their terroirs are presented, tasted, explained and discussed.

It welcomes groups of, "A minimum of 6-8 people, and up to 50," says Villa Director Etienne Monet. The modern classroom interiors and theater-like seating are in sharp contrast to the 19th c. mansion in which it is housed.  Groups traveling to the region can enjoy participating in a morning or afternoon or even full day of "courses" about champagne at Villa Bissinger and you needn't be professional or in the trade to qualify, but advance booking is required (villabissinger.com).

Another excursion Aÿ offers is a guided pedestrian trail that leads you past historical and cultural landmarks in the village. One thing you'll find about the tourist offices in the region is that when you know what to ask for, they will provide the information. It all hangs on knowing what to ask for. So if you ask for Les Musardises Agéennes, you will be given a brochure that marks a trail to follow through the village where plaques and signposts mark your way. The starting point is at Villa Bissinger. From there the footpath follows the small streets up along the vineyards which are just behind the village and eventually down past the former ancestral home of Jacques and Lily Bollinger at 16 rue Jules Lobet. The whole walking excursion lasts no more than an hour, not counting bakery stops and café pauses along the way.

Hautvillers

Just a few kilometers past Aÿ is the celebrated and touristy Hautvillers. Famous as the village of Dom Perignon, the 17th c; monk and "inventor" of champagne, this charming little hilltop village gets its fair share of tour buses. But this hasn't diminished its charm and the church, L'Eglise Abbatiale d'Hautvillers, is a breathtaking gem which houses the grave of Dom Pierre Perignon marked by an inscripted stone.  The Abbey where the monk lived is just behind but is not open to the public, only to guests of the private corporation which owns it.

A local favorite hang in Hautvillers is Le 36 which offers a solid selection of grower champagnes by the flute with small-plate snacks to accompany. (Le 36 is not to be confused with Épernay's Le 26, hands down theCapitale du Champagne's friendliest place to order pizza and a bottle of champagne while you kick back and watch the rugby match on the big-screen TV with local vineyard managers and workers).

Just past Hautvillers is Fleury-la-Riviere, what many say is one of the prettiest little villages in Champagne. La Cave Aux Coquillages is the must-see here. It is a cellar-museum housing fossilized seashells from  Champagne's Kimmeridgean soils. Champagne connoisseurs will appreciate this as it's these seashells and the ancient seabed that the region of Champagne once was, that lends itself to the particular evolution and finesse of its chalky soils and elegant terroir.

The Côte des Blancs

Switching directions now and heading into Chardonnay territory still requires a vehicle. The Côte des Blancs boasts the most expensive grapes in Champagne. Its Chardonnay vineyards yield the grapes that give the most celebrated champagnes their elegance and finesse, say the experts. The majority of champagnes are a blend of the three AOC approved grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier. The exception to this are the Blanc de Blancs, blended completely from Chardonnay grapes and the Blanc de Noirs, blended from either or both of the red varietals.

Among the many, many excellent producers to be found in the Côte des Blancs, in the celebrated villages of Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, and Vertus to name several, few enjoy the cult status of Anselme Selosse and his Selosse champagnes. Champagne connoisseurs travel to the region just to find some of this sought-after champagne which sells out in Japanese, English and Belgian markets in record time after its release.

Even if you're not on a mission to buy rare champagnes, you can still enjoy a bit of this rarefied air by stopping in at the hotel and restaurant opened by Corinne and Anselme Selosse a few seasons ago. The Hôtel Les Avisésis in Avize, one of the bigger little villages in the Côte des Blancs, home to the viticultural trade school of the region and also to the champagne house Selosse. The refined luxury of the hotel is the fruit of a meticulous restoration process of a building dating to the 1820's that "always had its history steeped in wine production." It's best to call to make reservations for one of the ten rooms as you may send 3 or even 4 emails to the contact address on the website before getting a response, or not (selosse-lesavises.com).

Other than this emphasis on the need for your own transportation, things don't have to be difficult when touring the charming Champagne countryside. Hautvillers and the Côte des Blancs require a vehicle. But if you're without one, Rilly-la-Montagne and Aÿ can be accessed by the little commuter train that runs between Reims and Épernay every few hours from morning until early evening and makes stops in both villages. Roundtrip ticket fare is under 20 euros.

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Burgundy Preview Harvest 2013

by Paige Donner

(translated from French)

Roland Masse : « For both reds and the whites, the balance between sugar/acid is excellent. There's a relative consistency among the whites, with good maturity and an aromatic freshness thanks to the natural acid. The reds are less consistent, and some suffered from the grail storm in July. We have, nonetheless, great hope for the quality of our cuvees from Côte de Nuits, the Colline de Corton and also Monthélie, all of which are exhibiting a marked potential for aging. »

-  Press Conference, Hospices de Beaune, Christie's Auction House, Paris Oct. 29th 2013

Burgundy Wines 2013 – In The Eyes of Roland Masse, Director of the Hospices de Beaune Vineyards and Cellars

Burgundy's 2013 pinot noirs will have the distinction of a rare wine.  The Autumn-like weather we had in the Spring and the grail we saw in July served to ravage many of the vineyards in the Côte de Beaune.

The Côte de Nuit and the Colline de Corton escaped much of this climactic perturbation and will offer us their elegant ruby gems this year as is customary for Bourgogne Grand Crus even in difficult years.

The late harvest, started at the beginning of October, will give us reds that are both tannic and « tonic ». In general, 2013 is a year that varied significantly throughout Burgundy, weather-wise and this will be evidenced in the respective harvests from each of the Climats.

For the whites, the harvest was still a light one (30hl/ha) even though these vineyards were less affected by the capriciousness of the weather.

The one constant for the 2013 whites is their freshness, a taste profile that is associated with a solid maturity for Chardonnays.

In sum :  2013 is a rare and precious vintage.

Burgundy Wines 2013 

As Seen By Anthony Hanson, Master of Wine, Senior Consultant to Christie's

2013 is as promising a vintage for the Burgundy reds as for the whites.

The growing season for the vines this year played out delicately, as if in a stage play, but the vineyard managers and cellar masters of the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune superbly defied the forces of nature.

April and May were wet months with little sun which put floraison late into the end of June.  Great care was taken to prevent the setting in of mildew. In July, the sun appeared unabashedly, bringing with it warm temperatures and hours of sunlight that exceeded averages in recent years.  Rain was limited to four storms, one of which, that of July 23rd, when it hailed, damaged some of the vines. Vineyards that were affected were those of Beaune and Pommard as well as some of the neighboring villages to the north and south. By July, the vines had recovered to their normal growing cycles. In August and September the sun exposure stayed average and rain was only occasional which allowed for favorable maturation of the grapes.

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For 2013, 43 Cuvées will be sold at the Hospices de Beaune auction. 30 Cuvées of red and 13 Cuvées of white wines. Of the 443 items for auction, 333 are of red wines and 110 are of white wines.

About 85% of the Hospices vineyards are classed as Premier Cru and Grand Cru which is an exceptionally high proportion.  At the time of this writing, fermentation is still underway and so it is too early to comment on the style of the 2013 vintage. Nonetheless, after seeing the quality of the harvest on the sorting tables, it is sure that we will have excellent wines this year, intensely fresh and fruity, and a silky texture.

- Christie's Auction House, Beverly Bueninck, Communications Attaché

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Halloween In Paris and Salon du Chocolat Fashion

All Photos copyright 2013 Paige Donner

Every year, right around Halloween, Paris hosts the Salon du Chocolat. It's a four day extravaganza of the best chocolate makers scoured and gathered from across the globe.

MORE PHOTOS HERE 

For a city who, technically, doesn't really celebrate Halloween, the Salon du Chocolat makes up for it in spades, or, rather in chocolate... and all forms of choco treats all of which are edible and some of which are even wearable (see the photos snapped from the choco-couture runway show, a repeat signature event at the Salon).

Some photos from Halloween weekend in Paris and the Salon du Chocolat. Yes, the PUMPKINS ARE PURE CHOCOLATE!!!! Taken at the shop window on Place Madeleine.

©All photos Paige Donner 2013.

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