Clairet Bordeaux AOC – Oscars de Bordeaux 2019 Summer

by Paige Donner Appellation Bordeaux Clairet Controllée Ni Rouge, Ni Rosé, mais toujours fruité et léger! – Château Penin, Clairet ‘Not red, not rosé, but always refreshingly light and fruity.’ Having tasted my way now through 12 AOC Bordeaux Clairets, I feel qualified to conclude that this is Bordeaux’s answer to the lighter reds of…

If Music Be The Food Of Love – Episode 52 podcast

by Paige Donner Welcome to the first Paris GOODfood+wine podcast of the new decade! 2020 has come in like a bolt of lightning, and riding on these vibrant waves we take a page from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for the theme of episode 52, dedicated to music. If music be the food of love…play on! Listen…

Time Is The Essence – Bordeaux

by Paige Donner On a recent wine tasting trip to Bordeaux, time was the essential essence of it all. It was time, and the immeasurable value of it, which truly stood out for me. Time – Here we were, journalists/media types, at best, acquaintances – asking the highly specialized and talented, unique-in-the-world, wine makers, technical…

Bordeaux River Wine Cruise on Luxury Barge, Le Tango

Originally posted on Local Food And Wine:
Bordeaux, France? by Paige Donner Barge cruising is a thing here in Europe. In France, it is a niche luxury market and caters to people who prize relaxation during their vacations, but who still want to explore small French villages, dine on extraordinary gourmet foods and sip the…

Veuillez dîner au Château d’Yquem à Sauternes?

by Paige Donner When the gold-enclosed invitation first arrived, my initial thought was, ‘I need to frame this.’ It’s a dreams-do-come-true moment when you find yourself sitting down to dinner at the mythic Château d’Yquem in Bordeaux’s Sauternes region in the company of about 400 other invited black-tie guests. photo by Paige Donner copyright 2019 …

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…

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…

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…

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…