Chocolate and Champagne in Rutherglen

If you are going to be in North East Victoria this week-end come and check-out this event....

Renaissance Chocolates and DiscoverVin are teaming up to provide a Champagne and Chocolate tasting. 

We will be giving tastes of Champagne and some of our other wines. Champagne and wine will also be available by the glass and to take home. Come and try our brand new rosé Champagne from Achille Princier.

For the occasion Renaissance Chocolates has made some chocolates using some DiscoverVin wines! They certainly should be a perfect match!  

You will find Renaissance Chocolates about 15 minutes drive from Rutherglen at 507 Boorhaman East Road. 

You will be warmly welcomed by Robyn and Neil from Renaissance Chocolates and Helen from DiscoverVin.

Check out their website for details or call 02 6035 7216

The March of Organic Wine

The “Wine Planete” column of the April 2015 edition of The Revue du Vin de France (the Wine review of France) contained a piece called “The Long March of organic wine."

  

The production of organic wine in France has more than doubled in 7 years.

Just to be clear on the terminology here, organic (or “Bio” as it is called in France) refers to wines made with no chemical fertilisers or artificial pesticides and herbicides. Organic production has to be certified and there are several authorities that can certify a producer as complying with organic production. Biodynamic refers to additional steps taken by the producers who follow the methods of Rudolf Stein (burying a cows horn, producing according to the lunar cycle etc.) In this way biodynamic production is a subset of organic production.  We have previously blogged about the topic.

In 2014 only 8% of production was organic, but nevertheless a doubling in 7 years from a miniscule base .  If we include vineyards that are converting to organic production (and not yet earnt their certification) the area under organic production continues to grow rapidly. In comparison only a tiny proportion of vineyards in Australia follow organic production methods.

There is no sign of this trend slowing.  For example in Champagne up until recently, there were practically no organic producers. In 2014 there were 120.  Similarly Bordeaux, in the past had very few producers using organic methods, now Guiraud in Sauternes and Pontet-Canet in Paulliac are 2 well known proponents. Without much publicity the famous Chateau Latour and Chateau Margaux have converted some test plots to biodynamic production. It seems that the long march continues apace.

DiscoverVin stocks wine from a number of producers who are either organic or biodynamic….

Chateau de Saurs (Gaillac)- converted since 2012 vintage

Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure (Bergerac)- converted since 2012 vintage

Chateau Haut Peyrous (Graves)- in conversion

Domaine Bellegarde (Jurancon)-in conversion

Chateau Bouissel (Fronton)-in conversion

Chateau Semeillan Mazeau (Bordeaux/Listrac Medoc)-in conversion

Chateau Moulin Pey-Labrie (Fronsac)- in conversion

Domaine Roche-Audran (Cotes du Rhone)

Our biodynamic producers..

Tour des Gendres (Bergerac)- converted to organic since the 2005 vintage.

Opening Night French Party: Alliance Française Albury-Wodonga French Film Festival

Its on again!

 The Alliance Francaaise French Festival is coming to Albury-Wodonga. 

In previous years the opening night session has sold out . 

The ticket price for the opening session includes nibbles, a glass of French wine plus movie (comedy romance drama Gemma Bovery). 

Plus DiscoverVin will have a pop-up tasting table!  

Be quick see www.regentcinemas.com.au for ticket details.

A French Long Luncheon

We have events coming up thick and fast!

This one is going to be extra special……

In collaboration with Willowbank events and Café Victor we are pleased to be participating in an autumnal French Long Lunch. 

Sheltered by a marquee, Willowbank farm's event space is literally on the banks of the Murray River. 

We will be kept warm by some open fires and enjoy 5 courses of French Classics and matched wines. 

Take an afternoon off and be wined and dined in a stunning pop-up venue.

Call Vicki on 0416 436 966 or email office@willowbankevents.com.au

World Malbec Day celebration at Chophouse Sydney.

Malbec World Day in 2015 is Friday April 17th. To celebrate we will be going to a special Malbec wine tasting in Melbourne called Gauchita Gil , with food, dance and the wines of Argentina, Australia and France!

On the eve of Malbec World Day, Chophouse Sydney is putting on a special Malbec dinner celebrating the wonderful Malbecs of the Cahors region in France.

Malbec has been making a name for itself in recent years, thanks to the wines of Argentina. Many people are surprised to learn this grape variety comes from the Cahors region in south-west France where Malbec has been cultivated for hundreds of years. Argentina is certainly producing some great Malbecs and as a result many people have been looking again at Cahors to benchmark these wines. Cahors is considered an up and coming region in France with a great improvement in quality in recent years and increasing recognition world-wide that some great wines are still being produced there. 

"Cahors is that rarest of all wines: both a rising star and a timeless classic." --The Guardian (UK) April 2013.

5 courses and some wonderful matching wines from Cahors and south-west France for $99 on Thursday April 16 2015.

Call 1300 246 748 for reservations. This dinner was almost booked out at the time of this post. You can read more about the wines of Cahors here.