While in this charming town, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, I ate at a local neighborhood café for lunch and at a more upscale restaurant for dinner: good food and excellent service at both (just in case you venture this way, but bring your GPS!) See why HERE
1. Le Café Bleu (lunch):
Menu
Gambas flambees a l’Armagnac
Salade au poulet et roquefort
2. La Patio Catalan (dinner):
Interior
Lobster soup
Salade frisee
Salad and sardines
Fruit crumble and ice cream
Wine is to be served in cans like beers and colas as a French company aims “to become the Nespresso of wine and popularise it”.
Cédric Segal, co-founder of canned wine company Winestar, said at present it was not possible to get quality wine in small-format packs and he was aiming for the young market which had turned to beer, colas and spirits instead.
His first Winestar wines are a range of AOC Corbières red, white and rosé from the Château de l’Ille in Languedoc-Roussillon. The 187 ml cans sell at €2.50 each or €59 for a case of 24 (equivalent to six bottles).
He is targeting young people as they have stopped taking wine on picnics and went for medal-winning winemaker Pol Flandroy at Château de l’Ille as he wants to get away from the bad reputation of wine boxes or bag-in-box.
Some poorer-quality wines are already sold in cans but Segal believes there will be €1.3million a year of business with the new format. Winestar cans will soon be available nationwide in Carrefour City stores.
In Germany, the market for canned wines has hit 60 million cans a year.
The cans, developed by Ball Packaging Europe, exclude all light and air and prevent the wine from oxidising – and are 100% recyclable.
Get more details (in English) HERE
Source/credit: Connexion
The Pont du Gard is a 2,000 year old aqueduct, located in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France (near Montpellier). Each summer it is lit up with video, light, flame and fireworks during a popular evening sound-and-light show called “Les Féeries du Pont’’ (Fairies of the Bridge).
This year’s show is called Ulysses in Wonderland. It will be presented four times in June, on Friday and Saturday evenings: June 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2013. Showtime is 10:30 p.m or at dusk. But definitely arrive early as there are some “animations” before the main event, probably starting around 7 p.m.
The Pont du Gard site will be open all day, as usual, but separate tickets are required. Seating will be on the right bank of the river so if you arrive on the left bank, you must be in by 9:30 pm in order to cross the bridge; the gates to the Pont du Gard park will close at 9:30. Bring cushions, chairs and blankets or you’ll be sitting on the ground; the shops on site also sell seats if you forget. My best advice is sit as close to the bridge itself as possible. ”And don’t forget to bring also warm wears,” my contact at the Pont du Gard sweetly tells me.
Tickets for the Les Féeries show range from €14 to €20. You can buy them online here or at the Pont du Gard box office at any time. They’re also available at FNAC, Virgin, Carrefour, Cultura and France Billet. Children under six are free and group rates are available (for group rates call 04 66 37 51 10). If you have an annual pass to the Pont du Gard, you get a discount. Parking is free.
To contact the Pont du Gard directly: contact@pontdugard.fr or 04 66 37 50 99….and yes, they speak English.
WATCH AMAZING FIREWORKS VIDEO HERE
Reblogged from “The Provence Post”
On my way from Perpignan to Thuir in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, I stopped at “Moulin Saint Pierre,” (link in English) an olive oil production mill, with 30,000 trees in their grove, and a beautiful reception area and shop. The young lady there was very welcoming and explained the entire process, as the owner stood in the glass-enclosed, modern factory area (not open to visitors for security reasons). He had just been to New York City to introduce his line of olive oils to restaurants and their chefs and to importers and waved to us through the large, glass window!
After tasting some of the delicious olive oil, I purchased some and browsed the shop area full of soaps and other regional goodies containing olive oil!
Huile d’olive vierge extra, douce et fruitée. Non filtrée. Caractéristiques : Estagnon métal doré, excellente protection à la lumière. Capacité : 200ml
Bouchon : Bouchon verseur à tirette rétractable.
Below is a video in French showing how to make ice cream with olive oil and figs – Bon Appetit!
Mercredi 22 : Glace à l’huile d’olive, figues au vin et aux épices.
Pour voir la vidéo, cliquez ICI then scroll down on page
(prounounced “to-ear” and “beear”)
I recently visited the town of Thuir, not far from Perpignan and in the most southern area of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The sidewalks in this town are marble; the town was full of charm.
Thuir is home to “les Caves Byrrh” that houses the largest oak vat in the world (1,000,200 liters) in its production of “Byrrh,” an aperitif wine since 1873. I took a guided tour and learned it was first used medicinally as a tonic, as it contained quinine, and was sold only in pharmacies. The mixture of a variety of spices and zest (orange, cinnamon, coriander, cocoa, and coffee) gives each type of wine its unique flavor; the company also produce Dubonnet, a dry vermouth.
Of course, I did a wine tasting after the tour, and ended up buying a bottle of “SOHO” liquor, flavored with cherries and ginger, which could be added to champagne – sounded delicious and definitely ‘sold’ me!
Test your knowledge of “Byrrh” in this quiz (in French with answers provided)
Wikipedia map
I recently traveled to the Pyrénées-Orientales departmentof France, which is the most southeast department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, bordering Spain.
The weather was nice and sunny, but cool in the evenings. One morning, I was surprised to suddenly see snow on the Pyrénées – what mesmerizing beauty!
24/7 in FRANCE 