Posts Tagged ‘midi pyrnes’

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that youll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Syrah.

Among the eleven wine-growing regions of France, Languedoc-Roussillon ranks fourth in total vineyard acreage. This area, which includes the Midi, (the home of the wine reviewed below) was traditionally known for producing ton after ton of mediocre table wine called vin ordinaire. But times change and in spite of global warming Languedoc-Roussillon has started to produce fine wine. Some say that visiting Australian winemakers are largely responsible for this improvement.

Languedoc-Roussillon is home to about three dozen grape varieties ranging from the widely known such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah to the quite obscure such as Aspiran Noir, Aspiran Gris, and Lladoner Pelot. If I ever get my hands on one of those rare grape varieties, I promise to review the wine. But I wont be holding my breath.

The wine reviewed below comes from the Carcassonne area. But a previous article (I Love French Wine and Food A Midi Viognier) already reviewed this beautiful old city. So I thought why not examine the relatively nearby city of Toulouse, which strictly speaking is not part of Languedoc-Roussillon but is the capital of the neighboring Midi-Pyrnes region. Will that stop you from visiting it?

Toulouse, Frances fifth largest city and the fastest growing metropolis in Europe, was once the capital of the Languedoc province of France before the French Revolution abolished provinces. It is the capital of the French aerospace industry. The University of Toulouse is the second largest University in France. In many ways this lovely city seems more Spanish than French.

Toulouse is known as a pink city for its redbrick buildings. Among the many sights to see are the Capitole/Htel de Ville (Capitol/Town Hall) which, unlike most city halls, is decorated with beautiful paintings. The glise des Jacobins (Jacobin Church) which was built almost eight hundred years ago also displays many art masterpieces and is the site of several music concerts in the summer. The city is home to quite a few beautiful mansions called Htels.

The Muse des Augustins (Augustinian Museum) was once a convent. You should see its collection of religious paintings and Romanesque sculpture. The Muse du Vieux Toulouse (Museum of Old Toulouse) lives up to its name. Fanciers of archaeology wont be disappointed with Muse St-Raymond (Saint-Raymonds Museum). As you can well imagine historic churches abound. Toulouses best-known landmark is St-Sernin, the largest Romanesque church in the world. The list goes on and on. You may get an idea of the time scale in the older areas of town when you realize that the Pont Neuf (New Bridge) was built in 1632.

Before reviewing the Languedoc-Roussillon wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring beautiful Toulouse.
Start with Garbure (Cabbage Soup with Poultry).
For your second course savor Cassoulet Toulousain (Bean and Pork Stew).
And as dessert indulge yourself with Violette de Toulouse (Violet Flower Crystallized in Sugar).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Domaine de Salices Syrah 2004 12.5% about $13.50

Lets start by quoting the marketing materials. Grown on the vineyards around the gorgeous medieval town of Carcassonne, this Syrah is rich, ripe and very fruity. Aged for 11 months in oak barrels, the wine shows superb balance between the oak and fruit. Enjoy this delicious quaffer with grilled steaks, hamburgers, pasta with meat sauce or gourmet sausages.

My first meal consisted of slow cooked meat balls in a tomato sauce with potatoes. The wine was spicy, powerful, and mouth filling. It was tannic, but in a pleasant sense.

The next meal was whole wheat pasta with spicy meat sauce. The wine was round and powerful. I tasted pepper and black fruit.

The final meal involved store bought cold barbecued spare ribs with potato salad and roasted red pepper in garlic and oil. (I cant help it; thats the kind of food I savor, even more so with wines like this one.) The meats congealed fat and thick tomato sauce made it very tasty. The wine did a great job of cutting the fat. It was very round and full, brimming with black cherries. The roasted red pepper brought out a tobacco taste in the wine.

My first cheese pairing was with a French Camembert. I had the feeling that the Syrah was diluted by this cheese. It was still good, but not as good as on its own. The second cheese was a nutty tasting Swiss Gruyere that flattened the wine, reducing its flavor peaks. The final cheese was a soft German Edam. This last combination was the best of the lot. The wine was almost as good with the buttery Edam as it was on its own.

Final verdict. I like this wine and intend to purchase it again. But I wont bother much with cheese pairing.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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You people often love taking break, away from civilization, spending a few days camping alfresco, enjoying nature. If thats true, what do you think of having camping holidays in France? Its a wonderful idea, isnt it? Camping certainly is the activity full of fun & adventure. It really lets you enjoy local cuisine, architecture, dialects, customs, and festivals. Its a popular summer activity, mainly associated with the months of July and August, but the idea of the already active low season camping shouldnt be neglected.

France is a fantastically perfect camping vacation destination offering a wide range of climates and landscapes, such as the hotter sunny regions of Mediterranean, cooler regions of Normandy and Brittany, the wooded valleys of the Dordogne, the volcanic uplands of the Massif Central, the lavender covered hills of Provence, and the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. However, you are not allowed to camp anywhere such as in the woods, but only in authorized locations.

Still, France has plenty of camping sites for campers. You can find over 2000 camping sites in various regions of France including Alsace (41), Aquitaine (276), Auvergne (95), Basse-Normandie (70), Bourgogne (85), Brittany (151), Centre (86), Champagne-Ardenne (46), Corsica (53), Franche-Comt (50), Haute-Normandie (31), le-de-France (32), Languedoc-Roussillon (242), Limousin (51), Lorraine (54), Midi-Pyrnes (215), Nord-Pas-de-Calais (22), Pays de la Loire (155), Picardie (33), Poitou-Charentes (94), Provence-Alpes-Cte d’Azur (191), and Rhne-Alpes (251). If youre planning your camping holidays in France, here are some popular camping sites for you.

On the eastern border of France, on the west bank of the Upper Rhine, adjacent to Germany and Switzerland, ALSACE is the area quite popular for camping. It is the area extremely rich in natural beauty. Cit de l’automobile – National Motor Museum – Collection Schlumpf and Cit du Train are two of the major attractions of the region. You can find about 41camping sites at Bas-Rhin (13) and Haut-Rhin (28) in Alsace. You can also find camping sites at Doubs (10), Haute-Sane (9), Jura (30), and Territoire-de-Belfort (1) in FRANCHE-COMT, in the eastern France. LORRAINE is another eastern French camping destination that offers you some 54 camping sites at Meurthe-et-Moselle (5), Meuse (4), Moselle (11), and Vosges (34).

In the northeast of France, bordering Belgium, CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE is your camping destination, if you want to enjoy camping in the region widely known for Champagne and vineyards. The fantastic region offers you some 46 camping sites at Ardennes (16), Aube (7), Haute-Marne (12), and Marne (11). Situated on the English Channel at the point closest to the English coast, NORD-PAS DE CALAIS is you camping destination in the northern France, located north of the French capital Paris. Bordering Belgium in the north, NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS has 22 camping sites including 10 at Nord and 12 at Strait of Dover. You can also find a number of fine camping sites at Aisne (12), Oise (3), and Somme (18) in PICARDIE, located immediately north of the French capital Paris and the Ile de France in the northern France.

HAUTE-NORMANDIE is another fantastic camping destination in the northern France. Rouen, Dieppe, and Le Havre are the important cities of the region. Located between the capital city Paris and the English Channel, Haute-Normandie offers you can some 31 lovely camping sites including 8 at Eure and 23 at Seine-Maritime. BASSE-NORMANDIE, the region lying west of the Seine and part of the Perche, in the northern France, gives you about 70 wonderful camping sites including 28 camping sites at Calvados, 34 at Manche, and 8 at Orne. Bayeux, Caen, Deauville, Falaise, Honfleur, and Lisieux are important cities of the region.

LE-DE-FRANCE is the region of the French capital, Paris. The region is also known for its natural beauties, in the form of parks, forests and river lands. It offers camping sites at Essonne (7), Paris (2), Seine-et-Marne (18), Val-d’Oise (1), and Yvelines (4). You can find two camping sites in Paris Camp site Paris-Est le Tremblay, and Camp site Du Bois de Boulogne.

CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE, simply referred to as Centre, is the region embracing the famous valley of the river Loire. The region is known for its fine historical towns, for its vineyards and agricultural produce and for its many beautiful castles (chateaux). Centre offers you some 85 nice camping sites at Cher (6), Eure-et-Loir (14), Indre (12), Indre-et-Loire (24), Loir-et-Cher (19), and Loiret (11).

In northwestern France, BRITTANY, one of the six Celtic Nations, offers you over 150 camping sites at Ctes-d’Armor (40), Finistre (61), Ille-et-Vilaine (18), and Morbihan (32). Important cities of Brittany are Brest, Lorient, Quimper, Rennes, Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Malo, Vannes, and Vitr. PAYS DE LA LOIRE, an extensive region of north-western France, located broadly to the west and south-west of the French capital Paris, offers you some 155 at Loire-Atlantique (20), Maine-et-Loire (20), Mayenne (6), Sarthe (23), and Vende (86).

POITOU-CHARENTES, in the western France, is the region known for The Island of Oleron, Oradour-sur-Glans, and Futuroscope, a science and technology theme park. It is your camping destination offering some 94 lovely camping sites at Charente (6), Charente-Maritime (64), Deux-Svres (6), and Vienne (18).

AQUITAINE is an extensive region of south-west France with a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) and a mountainous border with Spain along the Pyrenees Mountains. The region is known for its beaches, sand dunes and pine forests. You can find over 276 camping sites at Dordogne (90), Gironde (75), Landes (59), Lot-et-Garonne (15), and Pyrnes-Atlantiques (37). Bordering Aquitaine, LIMOUSIN has some 51 camping sites at Corrze (24), Creuse (9), and Haute-Vienne (18).

AUVERGNE, in the central France, is home to two Regional Natural Parks – the Livradois-Forez Park and the Auvergne Volcanoes Park, more than 500 Romanesque churches, over 50 chteaux to visit along the ‘Route des Chteaux d’Auvergne’ and 10 spa towns. It offers you some 95 camping sites at Allier (17), Cantal (20), Haute-Loire (18), and Puy-de-Dme (40). Just next to the region in central eastern France, BOURGOGNE region offers some 85 camping sites at Cte-d’Or (20), Nivre (20), Sane-et-Loire (31), and Yonne (14).

You can find over 240 camping sites at Aude (24), Gard (45), Hrault (88), Lozre (25), and Pyrnes-Orientales (60) in LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON, a large region of southern France with a long Mediterranean coastline. MIDI-PYRNES, in the Southern France, offers some 215 at Arige (28), Aveyron (47), Gers (18), Haute-Garonne (12), Hautes-Pyrnes (45), Lot (31), Tarn (19), and Tarn-et-Garonne (15). In south-eastern France, PROVENCE-ALPES-CTE D’AZUR has some 191 camping sites at Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (31), Alpes-Maritimes (19), Bouches-du-Rhne (23), Hautes-Alpes (42), Var (48), and Vaucluse (28). On the eastern border of the country, towards the south, RHNE-ALPES region has 251 camping sites at Ain (21), Ardche (46), Drme (42), Haute-Savoie (55), Isre (39), Loire (14), Rhne (9), and Savoie (25).

CORSICA, an island and region of France in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of France and west of Italy, north of the island of Sardinia, offers you some 53 fantastic camping sites.

Author: James Burrows
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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