Pierre opening an Avis de Vin Fort Domaine Catherine & Pierre Breton, Bourgeuil (Loire) Short january visit along the Loire at Domaine Breton, in Cabernet Franc country... Winter visits at vignerons help have an opinion about the current vintage whereabouts,... Bertrand Celce

Caption : Ah ! si je bois, c'est pour me saoûler, non pour boire."If I drink, this is to get drunk, not to drink" L'Assiette au Beurre (july 27 1907) : Les Poivrots When a whole issue of a satirical... Bertrand Celce

Nicolas Carmarans in his Le Mauvais Temps vineyard Campouriez (Aveyron) The Aveyron is an austere but beautiful mountainous region full of fortified villages, medieval castles and old stone bridges across rivers that you imagine abundant in fish population. You drive... Bertrand Celce

Bernard Plageoles in his veil-wines cask room Cahuzac-sur-Vère (Tarn, south west France) The rebirth of a wine Appellation can sometimes be triggered by the strong will of a lone grower, and that is certainly the case for the Gaillac wines... Bertrand Celce

Régis' mobile distillery, in the middlle of a village Somewhere in the Puysaye (northern Burgundy) The Puysaye is a region sitting at the limit of Burgundy (Yonne département), the Loire and the Nivernais. It's name has Celtic origins, meaning in... Bertrand Celce

Fred Cossard pouring This was on boulevard Haussmann in Paris, at the autumn Burgundy tasting organized by Caves Augé in november. Some 10 outstanding winemakers were pouring their wines for a free tasting outside the shop on the sidewalk. Great... Bertrand Celce

Press in Gevrey-Chambertin (Burgundy, circa 1930) Click & enlarge Here is the second part on this story on French wineries in the 1930s'. Images sometimes speak more than texts, and many of these pictures shot in or around wineries in... Bertrand Celce

Drink Wine and Be Happy Imagine an nation-wide advertising campaign saying Drink wine and live happily or to be short, drink wine and be happy, this sounds like a sci-fi movie set on another planet, or like some sort of... Bertrand Celce

Sébastien and Zoe Métro Anvers (line 2), Paris It's not that common for a genuine and casual wine venue to be found at a walking distance from a very touristic area in Paris. Usually you have to go to the... Bertrand Celce

Apple juice flowing from the press Somewhere near Joigny, Burgundy When the late-autumn season settles in, with its dark days and bone-freezing, humid temperatures, you can choose to cocoon indoors listening for example to vintage son-montuno music, it works well,... Bertrand Celce

Pouring the Gamay Primeur Martigné Briand, Anjou (Loire) After arriving at the farm of Claire and Olivier Cousin, I spent maybe an hour chatting with both of them in the kitchen, which is also a pleasant living room with a... Bertrand Celce

Olivier Cousin facing Romeo Martigné Briand, Anjou (Loire) Here is a report about a vigneron who had several French administrations scrambling for action because of several issues regarding table-wine labelling and unpaid fees to the Anjou Appellation body InterLoire. More... Bertrand Celce

The Beaujolais crowd at Le Garde Robe (rue de L'Arbre Sec) Paris, november 17 The weather had turned unexpectedly cold a few days before the 3rd thursday of november, which is Day One for the simultaneous release of Beaujolais Nouveau... Bertrand Celce

Guy Bussière in front of his house Bonnencontre, Burgundy The region of Bonnencontre, Broin and Auvillars in the Saone valley, east of Beaune, is usually not known by wine amateurs. Of course, it is at a distance from the famed... Bertrand Celce

Florent Ciccoli & Jean-Charles Buffet Passage Saint-Sébastien, Paris 11th arrondissement It's about a new place in Paris for good wine and healthy food to go with. I had heard about the venue some time ago and wanted to go there... Bertrand Celce

A quite old Alsace Riesling Summer & autumn 2011 This is a bottle of Riesling from Alsace with an undetermined age, I estimate it to date from the 1960s and possibly from the 1950s if I look at the state... Bertrand Celce

Getting ready for the fox A bit of fresh air now with some fox hunting in the Loire. Well, fresh air might not be the right wording, knowing that foxes are said to smell weird sometimes, and that might either... Bertrand Celce