by Paige Donner LISTEN TO EPISODE 41 of Paris GOODfood+wine HERE Standard Definition: Natural wine is wine made with minimal chemical and technological intervention, both in growing grapes and making them into wine. The term is used to distinguish such wine from organic wine and biodynamic wine because of differences in cellar practices. This…
Soupçon de Graman – Crémant de Bordeaux
by Paige Donner Harvested by hand this dry rosé, full of bubbles which exhibit finesse and fine acumen, makes a good showing for the rising star of Crémant de Bordeaux. The vines are cultivated in Landerrouat, an appellation bordering on the Southwest of France that is authorized to make AOC Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Crémant de Bordeaux….
Episode 36: 2017 Bordeaux, Chef Sylvestre Wahid & Boneshaker Doughnuts Paris
by Paige Donner Episode 36 Paris GOODfood+wine For our April in Paris Goodfood+wine show, we take you this month to the city’s first freshmade doughnut shop, Boneshaker Doughnuts; we bring you with us on a tête-a-tête with a 3rd generation Bordeaux château wine expert who tells us about her 2017s just in time for En…
French Wines With Soul Château Coutet AOC Barsac and Deux Sauternes
by Paige Donner Christmastime is the perfect time to enjoy a bottle of AOC Barsac, a French appellation devoted to the production of sweet wine, with a distinguishing accent of freshness. Château Coutet is one of the region’s outstanding wine producers and what’s more, this French wine has soul. Mind you, many French wines do. Have…
a flask of Chateau Haut-Brion wine
by Paige Donner (all photos copyright 2017 Paige Donner) As Bordeaux’s very first wine château, is it any wonder that Haut-Brion still ranks with such stature in the world’s profile of wines and wine estates? Well, a measured answer would be both yes, and no. It’s not a given that a wine or a wine estate with…
La Mission Haut-Brion, A Château With True Soul
by Paige Donner (all photos copyright 2017) Château La Mission Haut-Brion’s chapel for me sums up the essence of the property. It has been for centuries, and still is, a family home. A home where people have worshipped, where they have begun their lives and taken their last breaths, where meals have been shared, verses…
Dinner At Château Latour Bordeaux Grand Cru Classé en 1855
Bordeaux, June 18, 2017 by Paige Donner (all photos copyright 2017) On a hot summer evening in the Médoc’s Pauillac, Bordeaux guests arriving for the 1855 Grands Crus Classés dinner held this year at Château Latour were greeted with a marching Scottish-sounding band and flutes of Roederer champagne (who happens to own the closest neighboring…
2016 Right Bank Bordeaux’s + Margaux Silky Tannins
by Paige Donner The first question I asked Oenoteam’s Stephane Toutoundji after tasting some 40 of his 2016’s- primarily from Pomerol and St. Emilion – was, Are these silky tannins yours and your enologists’ influence or is it the signature of the 2016’s? His quick answer to me was that it’s 2016 for Right Bank…
Cap Ferret-Sand Dunes, Oyster Beds And The Untamed Atlantic Ocean
Far from the snooty reputation it has garnered in the past decade, since celebrities like Marion Cotillard and Philippe Starck have snapped up houses in this sequestered and chic enclave on the French Atlantic Coast, Cap Ferret is natural, rugged and oozing with a shabby chic unpretentiousness. ALL photos by Paige Donner ©2016 If…
Ha(a)itza, Pyla-sur-Mer (Bassin d’Arcachon)
THE place to be in Bordeaux this summer is at Ha(a)itza, just by the beach in the Bassin d’Arcachon. More than just a brand new 5* Star, Starck-designed hotel, this is a full-blown by-the-beach resort that transforms the exclusive upscale enclave that is Pyla-sur-Mer into a destination getaway ranked in the category of world-class. Bordeaux…
Marché des Capucins Bordeaux
Summer is of course the best time for fresh stone fruits, melons and vegetables. But any time of year is a great time to visit this covered fresh market, a Bordelais institution. If you go at mealtime or during the afternoon when an afternoon snack is in order, be sure to find the stalls serving…
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT 2015 BORDEAUX?
I’ll tell you what the big deal is – this is clearly a vintage to rival the already-legendary 2010. The Association de Grand Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion held its annual wine tasting yesterday at Paris’s Shangri-La Hotel. Nearly all of the 63 producers present were pouring their 2010’s side-by-side with their 2015’s. That’s how bright…
Download Bordeaux Food & Wine App – Available Now!
Get the best of Bordeaux at your fingertips.
From Bordeaux to Château Margaux
All photos by Paige Donner copyright 2015 I’ll close with a quote from Oscar Wilde, that great lover of our wines, who remarked quite rightly: “The French are so proud of their wine that they have even named some cities after their great growths.” From Bordeaux to Margaux, he couldn’t have put it better… –…
Episode 16 GOOD food+wine
by Paige Donner This episode 16 of Paris GOOD food+wine focuses on Wine Tourism in two of France’s most famous wine regions: Burgundy and Bordeaux. To round out our show this month, Episode 16 of Paris GOOD food + wine, I was able to catch up with Wine Spectator’s sr. Editor, James Molesworth, as he…
Episode 11 GOOD food + wine
posted by Paige Donner In this episode of Paris GOODfood+wine for November 2015 we’ll be hearing all about ways in which the centuries’ strong Franco-American relations are deepening. The golden nugget of this episode is an interview with members of the 1855 Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés organization telling us about their participation in supporting the…
Episode 9 – Paris GOODfood+wine Season 2
posted by Paige Donner Paris GOODfood+wine 9 – Season 2 / 2015 September For season Two’s kick off of Paris GOODfood+wine we’ll be hearing from Sylvie Cazes, the civic-minded Bordealaise who is now the proud owner of her very own wine estate. She purchased Chateau Chauvin, a beautiful 15 hectares piece of St. Émilion terroir,…
Tasting The Unexpected at Bordeaux’s Vinexpo 2015
by Paige Donner Vinexpo Bordeaux is (nearly) all work and (little or) no play. These photos and video from the four days spent there earlier this week give a good strong visual indication of exactly what I mean. I suppose it’s really simply a question of, yes, it’s hard work, but somebody’s gotta do it……
Bordeaux Food & Wine 