Natural Wines in Paris

If you are in Paris and don’t have time for wine tours out amidst the vineyards and Chateaus, take heart as you have numerous options for sampling wines right in the city of lights and love.

The small, atmospheric La Cremerie between Boulevard St. Germain and the Luxembourg Gardens is a wine store and bar specializing in natural and local French wines. Housed in an old 1880 creamery - hence the name - it has been a wine store for sixty years. La Cremerie, 9, rue des Quatre Vents, 75006 Paris; Tel: 01 43 549 930; Web site: http://www.lacremerie.fr; Metro: Odeon; open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 am to 10:00 pm with special times for tastings.

More Than Organic, a site dedicated to information about natural wines from France including history, laws and distinctions, has links to what they consider to be the best Cavistes in Paris specializing in natural wines - so carry on in Paris with interesting natural wines at your fingertips.

Climate Change Even Impacts Wine

In one of their many campaigns highlighting the deleterious effects of climate change, Greenpeace France is bringing the message home to lovers of wine – by showing the effects of climate change on the precious French wine industry.

French winemakers have been observing warmer temperatures, translating to earlier harvest times, and sweeter, less acidic grapes, which all affect the final product. For a downloadable PDF version of the Greenpeace report on Climate Change Impacts on French Viticulture go to http://www.greenpeace.org/france/campagnes/energie-et-climat/documents and then choose: changementsclimatiquesimpactsviticulturefrance (please note: the report is in French).

The Greenpeace campaign was highlighted at the recent Paris Independent Winemakers Fair (Salon des Vignerons Independents) held twice a year in late November and March, where over 1000 French independent vintners display their wares – a mere 6 euros gains you entry to this wine extravaganza. If you can’t make it to Paris, but want to experience the wine fair there are also events in other cities during other months – Rennes end of January, Strasbourg mid February, Lyon early March, Bordeaux mid March, and then Paris again at the end of March. Website for the Vignerons Independents can be found at: http://www.vigneron-independant.com.

Some of the independent vintners work with conventional grapes, others with organic. France has a dedicated and growing organic viticulture movement, with currently over 68,000 acres in organic grape production and an additional almost 33,000 acres in transition to organic. Wine industry professionals can learn more about these organic vineyards and wines at the “world trade fair” for organic wines, Millésime Bio.

The seventeenth annual Millésime Bio will be held January 25-27, 2010 in Montpellier, France. This is where wine buyers from around the world can sample a variety of organic wines in one place. Most of the wines – about 75% - are from France, with the remaining 25% from around the world with the greatest representation from Spain and Italy, with one or two samplings each from South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Egypt, Romania Switzerland and the USA.
 

It would be a tragedy if France, or other countries, were no longer able to produce wonderful varieties of wines due to rising temperatures and other climate changes. Help keep the environmental impact of viticulture low by consuming and supporting organic vineyards and wineries - there are plenty and more available every day!

Biodynamic Chenin Blanc in the Pays de la Loire

Biodynamic farming is based on the agricultural philosophies of Rudolf Steiner, father of anthroposophy and Waldorf-Steiner education. While biodynamic farming includes organic farm management practices, i.e., not utilizing synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, it also uses specially prepared, natural treatments, incorporating natural rhythms and cycles of the moon and sun, light and warmth. See the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association Website for more detailed information about biodynamic agriculture.

As with the Denominacion de Origin in Spain, France has the Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), a French certification granted to wines and other agricultural products.

In Faye D’Anjou in the Pays de la Loire region of France you can find close to fifteen acres planted with vines of Chenin Blanc grapes tended organically and biodynamically at Domaine de Juchepie.

The vineyard was created in 1986 and is recognized under the Appellation Coteaux du Layon-Faye. The vines are forty years old on average with the oldest dating from 1911. Organic since 1994, harvesting is done by hand, and the wine is fermented without adding sugar or yeast.

They make mostly sweet wines, with the exception of "J" The Sec Juchepie Appellation Anjou dry, made from 100% Chenin Blanc. Their Quarter Juchepie, Churelles, and Quintessence are sweet wines. The Passion is a dessert wine. They do not enter their wines into competitions. The wines are available in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands where there is a good demand for biodynamic products. Otherwise the only way to buy them is to go to the vineyard, but call or email first to make an appointment.

Domaine de Juchepie, Les Quarts, 49380 Faye D’Anjou; Tel: 02 4154 3347; Email: contact@juchepie.com; Web: www.juchepie.com.

See the Green Earth Guides~Traveling Naturally post about a vegetarian bed & breakfast and other sites an hour or so from this vineyard.

Trois Terres - Award Winning Organic Wine from France

Trois Terres is a small organic vineyard in Octon, due west of Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. The vines are in nine different plots totaling almost ten acres.

Graeme and Alice Angus started the vineyard ten years ago to fulfill a dream of producing delicious wines. Graeme is a part-time doctor, Alice is an agricultural economist.

Trois Terres, produces two red wines employing Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault grapes. La Minérale is a wine made mostly with Syrah with up to twenty percent Grenache. Trois Terres is somewhat the opposite, being made predominantly with Grenache with up to thirty percent Syrah.

While they have a tractor for plowing weeds, most of the vineyard work is done by hand. The vineyard has practiced organic farming methods since its inception, but only started the process of becoming certified a year ago, so while organic, the wines do not yet carry the French AB - Agriculture Biologique certification logo on their labels. They will be fully certified in 2012.

The wines have won distinguished awards, the most recent being one of the gold medals at the International Wine Challenge 2009 for the Trois Terres Grenache.  This wine also won a gold medal in 2007. Both achievements are considered particularly notable as the Angus’ are British, but make French wine in France -- something the French are trying to adjust to.

All bottles regardless of vintage sell for 9 euros and magnums are 20 euros. Currently you can only buy the wine at the vineyard or at a few select stores and restaurants in the area including in Clermont L’Herault about a twenty-minute drive from Octon and due west of Montpellier. Repounchou, a shop in the village of Octon, sells the wine as well.

Trois Terres, Rue de la Vialle, 34800 Octon; Tel: 04 67 44 71 22; Mobile: 06 15 16 92 68; Email : contact@trois-terres.com; Web: http://www.trois-terres.com

Trois Terres is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Saturday from 3:00 to 6:00 pm or any other days by appointment.