Cellar entrance at Clos Roche BlanceMareuil, Touraine (Loire) The rain outside left these droplets on my lens, making this picture of the underground gallery look even better with this beautiful spider-web effect. When I set a foot in the entrance... Bertrand Celce

Alexandre Bain (right) answering questionsParis, La-Contre-Etiquette wine shop Many cavistes in Paris routinely organize tastings with vignerons in their wine shop. Tipped by their newsletter you can go taste (for free or for a fee) the wines of some of... Bertrand Celce

setting off a home-made affinageDo-it-yourself cheese affinage in the Loire This story begins by sad news : the farmer to whom I used to buy 5-month-old goat cheese (see story) on the market in Saint-Aignan is gone. She passed away... Bertrand Celce

A farmer spraying herbicides in 1969 (cover page)Winter. Cold outside. Good time to stay indoors and dig into material for a potential post, listening to Internet radio, say KEXP Seattle, a long-, longtime favorite with great music and DJs like... Bertrand Celce

Juvéniles, rue de RichelieuYou don't need to be a wine geek to feel at home at Juveniles. Here is one of the earliest wine bars in Paris, a place where you go and will come back not only for the... Bertrand Celce

Quoi D'Neuf, a beautiful Pinot Noir from the LoireThis bottle of Quoi D’Neuf by Hervé Villemade, a primeur from the Loire, was a real pleasure, a thirst wine that you sip without second thoughts and restriction to the last drop... Bertrand Celce

Tongue in action while mooingBeef-tongue cooking in the Loire Less than a year after a wine-pairing story featuring the other end of the cow, the tail, here is one about a very different type of meat : the beef tongue.... Bertrand Celce

An artisan distillery in BurgundyMorvan, Burgundy Traditional distillers or bouilleurs de cru are very difficult to find in France. Even though they work legally, their activity is strictly reglemented and as they don't sell alcohol but only provide the distillation... Bertrand Celce

Fred Cossard in the cask roomSaint Romain, Côte de Beaune (Burgundy) Fred Cossard is one of the new vintners of Burgundy. His wines have an appeal, they're alive and are an intense pleasure to drink, and I felt this trait... Bertrand Celce

Fanny Sabre in her Vatroom in BeauneBeaune, Burgundy Fanny Sabre runs by herself 4,5-hectare estate in the Côte de Beaune. Her winery is one of the two or three last to have their faciilty located in the old city center... Bertrand Celce

The Japanese whiskies in ParisThe Japanese whiskies have now their own shopwindow in Paris (6 Carrefour de l'Odéon 75006, along the street going up to the Luxembourg). The major whisky retailer La Maison du Whisky, which is for example the... Bertrand Celce

Lone apple hangingThe simplest ingredients make the most elegant dessert. The fruit on the pic above is not a kaki, these bright-colored fruits that dot the Japanese winter landscape. This is an unpicked apple which was nicely waving at us... Bertrand Celce

Florence Veilex in the chaiChateauvieux, Touraine (Loire) In another life, Florence Veilex, a trained mathematician, was living near Paris and working for a non-wine-related big company. From her child years she had the dream of having her own farm and... Bertrand Celce

On the hunt for roe deersReal-meat story This man on the left will be crucial for this wine-pairing story... I went out in the woods several weekends in a row recently with hunters I know in the Loire. Most of... Bertrand Celce

Philippe Pacalet with MonicaAnother great tasting day at Caves Augé That's another great tasting on the sidewalk, at Caves Augé again (Marc, can I get a case of something I like ?...). the weather was quite awful that day, except... Bertrand Celce

Marcel Richaud Michel Bettane (photos Bertrand Celce/Vinifera)There's been an interesting debate lately between two important currents of the wine world in Paris. This took place november 19th at a one-day public event named Autrement Vin which was organized by... Bertrand Celce

A visual hint as I try the wine as apéritif...December mushroom story December is there and with it winter, weekends in the Loire are being spaced although this is a beautiful season too : the light is rare but often... Bertrand Celce

Le Chassagne : Stéphane Léger Sommelier Bunpei SomeyaChassagne Montrachet, Burgundy We followed the itinerary of sommelier Bunpei Someya whom I pictured once sabraging a bottle of Champagne. This passionate Japanese sommelier was working at Guy Savoy but left this... Bertrand Celce

Let the feast begin !Cher valley (Loire) This event is taking place every year in mid-november in this particular village: during two or three days on a weekend, a former quarry [see its entry on the right] which is also... Bertrand Celce

L'Anglore's Eric Pfifferling bottling hi... Bertrand Celce