Some french wine facts....

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French wine facts

· The French consume 60 litres of wine per person a year which is more than any other country in the world.

· France produces more wine than any other country (550 million cases produced per annum which is five times more than Australia at 110 million cases pa).

· A third of all French wine produced is exported.

· France has 10 principal wine producing regions and has its own identity including grape types. Appelation controlée laws guarantee a wine's origins and style.

More events October - December 2009

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Italian Dinner - Saturday, October 10th
Dancing dinner animated by Americo and organised bythe twinning commitee "Tours e Castelli". Tariff: 20€. Reservation before October, 5th. Information: Maïté Gemme, 05.53.23.88.45

Grape harvest hiking - Sunday, October 11th
Grape harvest hiking in St Julien d'Eymet.
Departure at 4pm from St Julien market. 2 hours walk followed by a visit of the chai and tasting in the Clos le Joncal.
Dinner in the salle des fêtes of St Julien, 11€.Information: Tourist Office, 05.53.23.74.95

Choral "Chantemonde" - Sunday, October 18th
The Choral "Chantemonde" of Villamblard will suggest a musical discovery evening from 4pm.
1st part: Homage to Joseph Haydn for the bicentenary of his death
2nd part: "World songs" program in original languages
Tariffs: 7€(before the concert) in the Tourist Office (05.53.23.74.95) and the Library (0553.22.55.48), 10€ on the site, free for less than 15.
Further information: 06.43.10.63.52

Concert of Caroline Jomphe - Wednesday, November 25th
Salle des fêtes d'Eymet. Concert of the singer Quebecoise Caroline Jomphe. as part of a cultural exchanges of our committee Eymet / north-Hatley.

"De Bric et de Broc" - Saturday, December 5th
The Ademir association and the Municipal commission will suggest "de Bric et de Broc", sale in aid of Téléthon.
You can help bringing varied objects (knick-knacks, books, dishes, toys, plants...)
Salle des Marguerites: on Tuesdays from 2pm to 4pm.
Salle du château d'Eymet: on Thursdays from 9am to 11:30am and from 5pm to 6:30pm.

Christmas market - Sunday, December 20th
All the day, Place de la Bastide.Informations : 05.53.23.74.95.

Christmas markets

A date for your diary..........

Sat 21st November 2009 Marche de Noel Monteton 10-4 pm

Christmas Shopping at its Best........
High quality handmade crafts ,books, cards etc. Food Hall will be well stocked with local Christmas goodies and wine.

Feast on Turkey sandwiches, mince pies and cakes washed down with a glass of local wine.

Bring the children to meet Father Christmas and receive a little gift.

FREE raffle ticket on entry.
IN AID OF CANCER SUPPORT FRANCE

Details of other christmas markets/events will be published here shortly.

Christmas 2009 at Maison No. 20

As Christmas is only a few months away, I thought that I would let you know that Maison No. 20 will be open over the Christmas/New Year period.

This year we are especially looking to Christmas as it will be our first Christmas in Eymet, so you can rest assured that you will have a fabulous time and the house will be looking extra special in all her Christmas finery.

From mid October "la boutique" will be open on the ground floor of Maison No. 20. Here you will find anything that is french and fabulous together with local items perfect for christmas gifts.

For further information, please contact leeann on stay@maison20.com

Take a fabulous chateau and some grapes..

The very fabulous Chateau de Monbazillac

.....and what do you get? A fabulous place to visit that makes some of the best sweet wines in France. Or as it is called in Australia " sticky wine". The locals tend to pair it with foie gras and the end result is magic, one of my favourite meals.

The Chateau is called Chateau de Monbazillac and she sits high on the hill overlooking the fabulous vineyards of Monbazillac.

It is about a 15 minute drive from Maison No. 20 and we adore going there for picnics and also to buy wine as they have a fabulous wine centre where you can taste and purchase wine and the prices are very reasonable.

Another reason for going is the fabulous michelin starrred restaurant La Tour des Vents which sits high on a hill surrounded by vineyards and has an amazing panoramic view over the Dordogne Valley.

The views are spectacular and Marie Rougier (fabulous french woman chef) has a reputation for creating some of the best food in France with an emphasis on fresh local produce.

Enough about food, lets get back to the wine. As promised I am going to share some of the photos that Kees Terberg took of the Monbazillac vineyards, over the course of a year.

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Harvest

The final product

If you liked the photos, please click here to see many more beautiful photos, reflecting a year in the life of a vineyard.

Santé

L x

October 2009 Events

Photo: Kees Terberg

Autumn is my favourite time of the year in SW France as the colours remind me of the fall in the US. It is an important time of the year as the grape harvest takes place this month and is a fabulous sight to behold.

There are many events taking place to commemorate the harvest and another favourite event is the pumpkin festival in Issigeac at the end of the month.

Some events taking place in October 2009:

Fri 2nd Oct Fête des Vendanges Sigoules

Sat 10th Oct Festival Grain d’Automne : Musique du Monde Cunèges, à l’église, à 20h30

Sun 11th Oct Semi-Marathon de Cyrano -Bergerac USB Athlétisme

Sun 11th Oct Morning Prayer Monteton 1030

Mon 12th Oct Vide Grenier Monempron Libos

Fri 23rd Oct Fête de la Bière avec l’orchestre Bavarois Bergerac
Le Music Hall à 20h30
Réservations : 05 53 22 58 11 ou 05 53 73 95 38 ou 06 08 49 60 47

Sun 25th Oct Foire aux Potirons Issigeac
Expo-vente de cucurbitacées, concours du plus gros potiron et des plus belles créations, ventes de soupe et de millas. Organisée par le Comice Agricole : 05.53.58.09.92

Sat 31st Oct Soirée spéciale Music Hall Cabaret
le "Music Hall" de Bergerac
Revue à grand spectacle "Cosmopolitan Company" et soirée dansante.
Dîner spectacle 49 euros.
Cocktail spectacle 20 euros.
Réservations : 05 53 22 58 11 ou 05 53 73 95 38 ou 06 08 49 60 47

Jet2.com offer Leeds Bradford to Bergerac link

A new service between Leeds Bradford and Bergerac airports is to be operated by Jet2.com next summer.

Flights will depart every Saturday from May 17, 2010, with an additional Tuesday service available between June 28 and September 12.

One-way tickets start from £29.99 inclusive of fees and charges, and are on sale now.

Jet2.com offers a number of routes between the UK and France, operating flights to:

Avignon from Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford
Chambery from Belfast, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle
Paris from Leeds Bradford
Nice from Leeds Bradford and Manchester
La Rochelle from Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford
Toulouse from Belfast, Edinburgh and Leeds Bradford

Flight times
Leeds Bradford to Bergerac
Saturday, departs 8am, arrives 11am
Tuesday, departs 11.30am, arrives 2.30pm

Bergerac to Leeds Bradford
Saturday, departs 11.30am, arrives 12.30pm
Tuesday, departs 3pm, arrives 4pm