Seductive Sarlat

               Sarlat is located in the Dordogne river valley only 100 miles inland from Bordeaux

France's medieval village of Sarlat, a tangle of pedestrian-only cobblestoned lanes, secret squares and beautiful honey-colored stone buildings, is sure to seduce.  It’s no wonder why this enchanting town is a favorite location for film directors (>20 movies have been made here including Chocolat).   Sarlat is just the right size for travelers in that there are a host of services available for visitors, but small enough that it still offers the feel of a romantic getaway, especially after day trippers return home and twinkling lights appear in this Hollywood-set city.

                                 Sarlat is France's epicenter for goose & duck products

Although I have visited Sarlat at least 10 times, it’s the kind of place that one never tires of returning.   Located a few hours inland from Bordeaux in the area of the Cro Magnon caves, Sarlat is the perfect spot to unwind from jet lag.  The town is a stroller’s dream with all kinds of nooks and crannies---ancient alleyways wind throughout town and beg for exploration.  While the beautiful main street is usually filled with visitors, the equally charming back streets are often empty.   

          Sausages come in every flavor (L to R): pheasant, nuts, mushrooms, & duck

Sarlat is a gourmand’s paradise.  The region surrounding Sarlat (Perigord) is one of the epicurean centers for French gastronomy:   foie gras farms, walnut orchards, and forests filled with truffles & wild mushrooms.  The area’s many culinary treasures are palpable during the city’s outdoor markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Local cheeses, honey, a cornucopia of fresh produce, sausages, foie gras of both ducks and geese in every conceivable preparation, endless walnut confections, and bottles of earthy walnut oil all compete for hungry shoppers’ attention.

             Rotisserie chickens are accompanied by potatoes cooked in duck fat with onions & fresh herbs

I've timed by upcoming September visit to Sarlat so that my stay includes Saturday, their largest outdoor market.  I intend to fill my suitcase with Perigord's tantalizing delicacies.  But, I'm equally looking forward to Sarlat's mid-week nights when the village feels its most alluring.

 

 

 

Alsace: France’s Best Kept Wine & Food Secret

                                   Alsace is an architectural as well as wine & food treasure*                    

Ask well-traveled Francophiles if they have visited Alsace and the answer from many will be, “non.”    Serious wine-lovers will frequently add that it’s on their bucket list, and knowledgeable French foodies will remark similarly.  Alsace’s far northeastern location (bordering Germany) requires a significant trek from popular destinations such as Paris, Provence, the French Riviera and Bordeaux, but it’s a journey that should be made by all wine and food aficianados.

                                         Captivating Hansel & Gretel wine villages abound

Alsace is one of France’s hidden gems on many levels.  First, the wine is stunning.  However, because of the area’s close proximity to Germany, Alsatian wines are often mistakenly thought to be sweet.   Most of Alsace’s wines are dry.  Alsace is mainly a white wine region, on the other hand, dry reds are also produced.

                             Alsace has the largest number of Michelin star restaurants 

In addition, the Alsace area is a gastronomic powerhouse.   Alsace has more Michelin star restaurants per square kilometer than any other area in Europe.   One of France’s major foie gras producers, Alsace also entices the gourmet traveler with a cornucopia of ethereal specialty products such as truffle-studded foie gras, foie gras with cognac, terrine of foie gras, foie gras en croute and foie gras mousse.

     Artisanal boulangeries turn out out products not seen elsewhere in France such as Kugelhof (R) 

Also, Alsace is a food-lovers dream for cheese.  The year-around green Vosges mountains of the district create a perfect milieu for frommage from cows and goats. Alsatian cheese is one of the oldest cheeses in France.   Some historians believe cheese in Alsace can be traced back to the era of Charlemagne in the 9^th century, however, others say cheese-making began in the 7^th century in an Alsatian monastery.

                Wine-Knows will be taking a group this year Dec 6-16 for the Christmas Markets

The Alsatian region is also an enchanting architectural jewel.  A unique combination of French and German influences, Alsace’s villages are right out of Hansel & Gretel with brightly painted half-timbered houses, elaborate rot iron balconies filled with cascading flowers, and leaded-glass windows.  The entire region is a treasure trove of picturesque.

 

                                              Strasbourg is Alsace's wine & food capital

Wine-Knows has taken several groups to Alsace and has another tour planned in early December this year to the most famous Christmas market in all of France, Strasbourg.  The capital of Alsace, Strasbourg is a ground zero for gastronomy and Alsatian wine. While all of our tours for next year (2023) are sold out, we do have some openings on this year's pre-Christmas trip.  During the tour we’ll cross the border to visit Germany’s most famous Christmas markets (e.g. Nuremberg & Heidelberg).  Both Alsatian & German Christmas markets provide rich culinary experiences---foods from historic labor-intensive recipes, only made during the yuletide holidays, are very special delicacies.

www.WineKnowsTravel.com

 

 * This photo of Colmar is courtesy of Tripadvisor

France's Christmas Markets for Foodies

 

               France's Alsace region features Hansel & Gretel villages reflecting its Germanic past 

Last week Wine-Knows' 2022 trip to the Christmas Markets of Germany was featured on this Blog.  But, on the 2022 tour Wine-Knows will also be visiting two French Marchés de Noël in Alsace, France.  Alsace is a small district in eastern France which borders Germany, as well as Switzerland.  This unique region has passed back and forth between France and Germany many times over the last several centuries, and the Alsatian Christmas markets reflect this duality.  In many ways, the marchés represent the best of both countries in a prettily packaged German yuletide gift with an exquisite French culinary bow.

                                         Wine-Knows will dine at a Michelin star restaurant

Alsace is an often overlooked area of France, but foodies-in-the-know flock to this  gastronomic powerhouse.  Other than the center of Paris, Alsace has more Michelin star restaurants per square kilometer than any other country in Europe.  This northeast corner of France is a capital for foie gras.  Moreover, Alsace is a treasure trove for beautifully crafted wines.  Its Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Pinot Gris are dry, unlike their German neighbors (although styles in Germany are shifting to drier wines).

                             Christmas markets in France have charmed locals for nearly 500 years           

Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace, is the site of one of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets.  Operating since 1570, Strasbourg’s market is regarded as one of the very best in Europe.  It’s not just one big market but eleven different smaller markets spread out over the entire historical center of this extraordinary town.  (One of these markets is just for children.)  The Christmas tree in front of city hall is >100 feet tall and all ten stories of it are decked out in full regalia.  There’s a mind-boggling assortment of handcrafted items for the holiday season including everything one could ever dream of to decorate a Christmas tree or to deck the halls.  For the food-lover, however, it’s nirvana.

                         Why not splurge with a decadent slice of foie gras from this vendor at the market?

Santa’s elves could seriously eat their way across Strasbourg through the Christmas markets.  No doubt they would begin their culinary journey with foie gras, one of the culinary treasures of Alsace.  The Christmas marchés of Strasbourg are filled with beaucoup vendors selling foie gras.  Truly decadent elves might want to indulge in truffle studded foie gras, or purchase a magnificently wrapped basket containing both goose and duck foie gras, caviar, and a bottle of a luscious Alsatian wine.

                 Light-as-air Kougelhofts come in varying sizes, but all are made in the same shape

All of the Christmas markets in Strasbourg sell Alsace’s iconic Kougelhoft, an ethereal yeast-based cake baked in a tall decorative bundt-type mold.  A traditional Germanic recipe, Kougelhoft is featured in miniature single servings, as well as gigantic ones that could feed a family of 20 for Christmas dinner.  The markets also feature vendors selling brightly colored Kougelhoft molds that are hand-painted.

                 Bring an extra suitcase to take home some of these one of a kind decorations

The second Marché de Noël Wine-Knows will visit in 2022 is located in the charming Hansel and Gretel village of Colmar.   While Strasbourg is a huge city, Alsace's Colmar is just the right size for strolling.  Its six small marches, spread out over a half of a mile walk along a meandering river, are like a Christmas dream. 

                An Alsatian specialty called Flammekeuche marries the best of France & Germany

Flammekeuche is sold by several vendors at Colmar's Christmas market.  An Alsatian version of pizza without the tomatoes, this one has a paper thin crust.  The top reflects the French DNA and France’s love affair with cheese.  In this case it’s topped with the area’s famous Muenster cheese (in another world from the insipid  mass-produced muenster cheese sold in the USA).   For the other chromosome of its German past, flammekeuche is topped with ham or bacon.

                              Gingerbread cookies feature a multitude of yummy spices

One can find plenty of Christmas stalls in Colmar selling homemade pain d’epices, spice bread.  A classical dessert of Germanic culinary roots, pain d’epices is Alsace’s rendition of gingerbread.  At the Christmas market this bread is also made as a cookie in all shapes of the yuletide season.  The cookies pair perfectly with Alsace’s Christmas market hot spiced wine drink, vin chaud.

                  Colmar's Christmas markets meander through the historic town center

For more information on Wine-Knows’ 2022 trip to the Christmas markets of France and Germany, the trip is showcased on our website:

http://www.wineknowstravel.com/christmas-market-itinerary/

 Joyeux Noël

Alsace for Foodies

Foie gras is Alsace’s greatest gift to gastronomy

Strasbourg, the capitol of Alsace, has been the site of Europe’s oldest outdoor Christmas market for nearly 500 years.  While there are many Christmas markets in Europe, the one in Strasbourg is regarded as one of the very best.   I’ve been to Strasbourg, as well as the surrounding idyllic Hansel and Gretel Alsatian villages many times, but I have never visited this Eastern part of France during the holidays.  The reason for my entire journey is this Marché de Noel---it’s been on my bucket list for some years.  

                                  

The Christmas market in Strasbourg is spread out over the heart of this riverside town in eleven different squares.  There’s a mind-boggling assortment of hand-crafted items for the yuletide season, including everything one could ever dream of in which to decorate a Christmas tree, or to deck the halls.  For the food-lover, however, it’s a gastronomic Disneyland;  Santa’s elves could seriously eat their way across Strasbourg. 

Alsace has been passed back and forth between France and Germany several times during the last hundreds of years.  The Strasbourg Christmas market is reflective of this duality.  In many ways it’s the best of the two countries prettily packaged into a festively wrapped yuletide gift featuring a large culinary bow.  

Paying homage to its French roots, the market is replete with vendors selling foie gras.  This outrageously decadent delicacy is gorgeously coiffed in regal packaging that would even impress Coco Chanel.  Foie gras in this region is serious business. While Perigord in southwest France produces more foie gras today, during the 18^th century Alsace was the epicenter for this delicacy.  

                                     Kougelhoft comes in multiple shapes for the Holidays

There are beaucoup stands at the market selling Alsace’s iconic Kougelhoft, an ethereal yeast-based cake baked in a tall decorative bundt pans.  A traditional Germanic recipe, Kougelhofts are featured in miniature single servings, as well as gigantic ones that could serve a family of 20 for Christmas dinner.  There are even stalls selling the brightly-colored Kougelhoft ceramic pans which are hand-painted.

                             This thin-crusted regional specialty is cooked in wood-fired ovens

Flammekueche is sublime snack in Stasbourg’s market extraordinaire.  An Alsatian version of pizza, this one has a paper-thin crust.  The French DNA of the dish reflects France’s love affair with cheese.  In this case, it’s topped with the area’s famous Munster cheese and/or crème fraiche.  And for the other chromosome from Germany, the traditional version includes small pieces of ham or bacon. 

                                          Pain de'epices is served in festive shapes 

The market serves up several possibilities of the pain d’epices. “Spice bread,” a classical dessert that is Germanic in its culinary roots, is Alsace’s rendition of gingerbread.  Although it has no ginger in it, it is chocked full of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and other spices.  At the Christmas market, spice bread is also made as a cookie in all of the shapes of the yuletide season.  These spicy sweet delights pair perfectly with Alsace’s warm yuletide drink, vin chaud, a concoction similar to hot-mulled wine.

Speaking of wine, this region is a treasure for gorgeous white wines.  Yesterday we visited one of my favorite producers, Albert Mann.  The wines from Domaine Weinbach and Trimbach are also noteworthy.

Alsace, an often overlooked area of France, is a special culinary gem.  Other than the center of Paris, Alsace has more Michelin star restaurants per square mile than any other place on the plant.  Regardless of the time of year, it’s a gastronomic treasure- trove and a wonder-filled wine experience you don’t want to miss.

Joyeux Noël & FrÖhliche Weihnacten!  

Have a Sweet 16 New Year

        Wine-Knows will visit Chateau Yquem, one of the world's greatest sweet wines, 

on the Bordeaux tour in September 2016 

Sweet wines are not just for dessert.  I was reminded on Christmas Eve how versatile a sweet wine can be.  I paired a 20 year old Grand Cru Alsatian Gewurztraminer with a salad of Stilton cheese.  Salads are one of the most difficult foods to work with wine because of the acid in their vinaigrette.  Further complicating matters was the strong blue cheese, but it all worked beautifully.  Here are some guiding principles for pairing sweet wines in 2016 with courses other than desserts. 

Salt loves sweet.  Sweet wines can be a great match for certain cheeses. Salty cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, Feta, Manchego, or a blue such as Stilton pair well with a late harvest wine, Port, Sherry, or Sauternes.

Spicy begs for sweet.  Spicy foods are a match made in heaven for slightly sweet wine such as a Moscato or a German Riesling.  The cool temperature, as well as the sweetness of the wine, helps mitigate the effect of the capsicum heat of the food.

High alcohol pairs with high fat.   Sweet wines have higher alcohol levels than table wines.  That’s why a Sauternes or Tokaj is often served with foie gras, even as an appetizer.  (That’s also why highly marbled beef works best with a high alcohol red such as a Zinfandel.) The principle is the same.  Rich with rich.  Heaven with heaven.

Wishing you a sweet 2016.

Decandent Foie Gras

There’s no other word for this over-the-top, cholesterol-laden, piece-of- paradise-in-a-bite other than decadent.  Often times credited to the French, this delicacy interestingly was known to the Egyptians millenniums ago---they were the first to learn that certain fowl could be fattened through forced over-feeding to create a gastronomic indulgence.

France currently produces almost 80% of the world’s foie gras (pronounced fwa – graw).  Ducks and geese are force fed by the process called “gavage” (a French word which means to feed with an inserted tube).  Like many birds, ducks and geese have expansive throats which allow them to store large amounts of food in their esophagus (In the wild, this feature allows birds to swallow large foods such as whole fish.)

Gavage feeding for foie gras production has become controversial.  Some countries, including the US, have laws against doing so as it is thought to be inhumane.  I have witnessed the procedure in France and did not observe any type of angst by geese during the 2-3 second procedure.  If you are coming on our Bordeaux tour this fall you can witness the procedure for yourself as we will be visiting a farm where foie gras is produced.  This, however, isn’t just any farm----it’s been visited by some of France’s most famous Michelin star chefs.

Don’t like liver? (I don’t).  Don’t worry…foie gras bares absolutely no resemblance to ordinary liver.  Don’t eat foie gras?  No problem---on the tour we’ll make sure there is always another fabulous alternative for you.

Foie Gras is NOT French

Last week I broke the sad news that the croissant is not French.  I’ve got more troubling news for all of you Francophiles who love foie gras, a popular delicacy in France:  it is not of French origin!  Au contraire, foie gras actually originated in ancient Egypt.   In 2500 BC the Egyptians began deliberately fattening birds for culinary purposes through force-feeding.  This process then spread to Greece in the 5^th century BC, and then later to the Roman Empire.  It was actually the Romans who brought the process to France.

Today, France is the leading producer and consumer of foie gras in the world.  If you’re one of the lucky folks who have secured a seat on the SOLD OUT  September 2012 harvest tour to Bordeaux, you will visit a famous farm where foie gras is produced.  You’ll be able to view the process of force-feeding (controversial for some in the US but not so in most other parts of the world), and judge for yourself how you feel.