Côtes du Rhône Summer 2007 - "La tournée des vins!"

[Candidcameraman]

This is how French people do it...

Our Mission:

In one day, get enough wine for the rest of the summer or...

How to get 280 liters of wine in a small car plus a few extra cases to tie us up just right...

I am the first one to wake up. I open the windows and take a peek outside... Darn, it is still dark and I am hung over... Time to go to the kitchen and start the coffee.

No one on the tennis court yet... well not until later this afternoon or early evening when the temperature starts going down.

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The sun is not even out of the clouds yet. Actually this was the first cloudy day of our stay. The only day we had cloud cover for most of the morning and afternoon.

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First stop. We begin to taste the wine, me more than anyone else since I will be doing absolutely no driving all day, as a matter of fact I requested the back seat so I could nap when needed. My significant other can drive and ride shotgun when not driving - spend the day talking with her father, I'll just enjoy the ride.

It's starting, 9:11 a.m. it seems like it is later but ... I say it is the perfect time of the day to start drinking, wine only knows two times, when to ferment and when to party!

This wine is way too good for me, goes down like syrup, a nectar of the Gods. I tell ya, this is an experience I'll repeat next year. I think I have found the cure for a hang over... Booze!

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Time to fill up a little... Self serve! Sweet, I could lie under that tap, I could bathe in that wine it is so sweet and soft. I can always dream can I?

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Well... A couple of "cubi" in the car and a few cases and we are almost off to the next place. I am starting to think I forgot to bring something with me this morning...

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Before we leave, a snap shot "Controle Routier"

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Next stop... They have a fancy wine pourer - Note to self, buy one next summer, heck buy a couple cause they'll make great gifts!

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They have a great selection here, lets try a couple... I was starting to get a buzz - and to say it was only our second stop of the day... By the way, you are suppose to taste one sip and pour it in that big silver thing on the right... I emptied all my glasses down my throat! (And some of my girlfriend, "Wait! You are not gonna finish that!?! Lemme have it..." Not enough water in the ocean I tell ya, my sponsor is gonna real proud of me when he sees this, kidding!)

It is so good... why let it go to waste is what I say.

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This time - we are at a full service station

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I am not sure she is old enough to buy alcohol in the states... Lemme re-phrase that, I am sure she is not 21. There you go.

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I am starting to have decorating ideas, I'll get rid of all the books in my bookcases at home and replace them with fine wine bottles! Brilliant! Only French people could have thought of that! We are so smart, must be all that wine... Were do you store it all?

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Before we go, le controle routier zee obligatory!

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Wine comes from these fantastic grapes, appelation controlé ... Great stuff we stopped to take a few pictures, not to be plucked and tasted until it pours out of a bottle.

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Third stop... Oh my... I`ve died and gone to heaven!

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Mr. B. drives, he smells and sip... I taste and gulp, pour it down my throat in large quantities! It is all free... so I am thinking, I WANNA TASTE ALL YOU'VE GOT! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT! I kid you not, no charge but then again we are buying a lot of the stuff on the way out, by the freaking gallon!

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Two for one! Nah they have two white wines

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And now it is time to taste the red

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Great they have three reds!

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Oooops ... Heaven, they actually have 4 reds the last one I tasted was better than the previous ones. 10:06 a.m. and I am starting to get loaded... This is the life.

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Fill it up plu-ease...

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Of course a few cases were added to the mix here as well, ya know for good measure.

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Zee obligatory Controle Routier... The suspension is starting to feel the weight me think.

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Still okay.

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One more stop before lunch

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I wish our car could run on wine, their cheapest wine is cheaper than gas by the liter... 1.25 Euro a liter, that`s a deal if you use it to run your car, I dunno how it would taste, I did not try that one... I should have, next year I will try them all, okay maybe not all, I'll skip the cheap one unless I am totally loaded.

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Controle Routier... Can`t escape it.

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What do we have at lunch, more wine of course!

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A fantastic salad, totally not kosher unless a Rabi blessed these bacon bits...

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Some lamb

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Crème Brulé!

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And coffee in a doll size cup... What is it with these people, they drink wine in normal size glasses but tiny coffee cups for their coffee? Can't wait to find a Starbucks! (NOT! just kidding)

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Okay I think she may be laughing at me since I am a bit tipsy, hey they only had one glass of wine I had to finish the Rosé all by myself, someone had to sacrifice their faculties... not to let any of that wine go to waste.

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Vines, vines, everywhere vines! I love this place.

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After lunch, chez Corrine - boy does she make a great wine! I kid you not, I finished every one's glass, well mine and my girlfriend's...

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Let's get some more wine!

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The view is great from Corinne's place. If that would be my backyard, filled with vines, I'd be a wine maker as well.

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And the car is starting to get loaded (I am already loaded, I have been since before lunch...)

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"Zee Controle Routier Monsieur!"

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Mooore grapes!

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They grow everywhere, I kid you not you can taste the rocks in some wine as well as the earth... They are so good.

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It is god`s plan for us to enjoy wine.

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So we stop at one more place... This time we buy it before we even try it... Mr. B. (My significant other father's) Has been coming to these places since 1987, he knows the best places and ...

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...afterall we made a great purchase, it is so good. Well I think it is, when tipsy and under a good buzz all wine taste good I wouldn't trust my faculties at this time.

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Zee control routier obligatoire! No wonder the ride is starting to feel stiffer...

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Now I know what I forgot this morning, look at what`s sitting next to me in the back seat, I should have brought a straw!

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You probably thought we were done for the day didn't you? Well actually we were not quite done yet, there was still room in the car.

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Shoot let's try this one before we buy it! Looks like they have a fantastic mini bar. Whoa! Would you look at that selection!

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Je crois que quelqu'un aurait abusé un chouillat du mini-bar... !

Can you blame me? I will not be back until next summer.

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Er... Fill her up plu-ease.

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Hummmm where am I going to sit now? ...?

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I know... I'll strap myself to the roof like a deer if need be, nah there is still room, I was just kidding. No worry.

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Zee wonderfull controle routier... That much wine in the car... can't be good for the suspension but it is gonna be good for us.

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Next place... This looks like a self serve station to me.... "Pardon pourrais-je avoir un gros verre s.v.p." Huh-oh I think they are on to me...

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Still, it taste good in a small glass as well... I'll just have to have more servings.

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Control routier!

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Now I think we are at the last place of the Summer Wine Run... Good cause the car looks as loaded as I was at that time.

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"Beaume de Venise" now, that my friends ... was worth all that trouble, this is the stuff dreams are made of. Now... I can die in peace knowing I drank the best sweet wine which can be made with grapes.

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Good thing it was our last stop cause now I am not the only one who thinks the car looks a bit tipsy...

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Last "controle routier" of the day before heading back to Oraison.

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I took a nap on the way back, the Laguna is such a comfortable car.

This is what it looks like empty of its precious cargo. Big difference heh!

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So after a day like this and all the work emptying the car what do French people do to celebrate another successful vacation day? Drink some more while playing "pétanque" before dinner. That's my first "Petit Ricard" of many more before dinner with a "chouillat" (smidget) of water in it right on top of the AX... That cream colored drink, my precious.

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I could get used to a life like that... And get confused if I drank that much everyday... Oh, by the way Mission Accomplished.... :biggrin:

 

[Kiwi Geoff]

Brilliant story Dude, the pictures seem a bit fuzzy towards the end or maybe from early on !!

 

[Pa]

Wow - what a day! I envy you the tour, but I couldn't possibly taste all that wine. Even starting before 4pm wipes me out.

Hey - it's 5:05 pm! time to go taste the bottle I chilled for dinner! :biggrin:

 

[snownow]

Great set, made me smile! hmm send some over?

 

[Candidcameraman]

Brilliant story Dude, the pictures seem a bit fuzzy towards the end or maybe from early on !!

Geoff, thank you - the pictures were fuzzy all day, taking pictures was not my priority that day. Next year I may have to do it twice, once for the house in Provence and the other for wine to bring back to Canada unless we get a SUV and do it all in one day :biggrin:

Wow - what a day! I envy you the tour, but I couldn't possibly taste all that wine. Even starting before 4pm wipes me out.

Hey - it's 5:05 pm! time to go taste the bottle I chilled for dinner! :biggrin:

Jim,

That wine went down smooter than a glass of warm milk... What you need is a 24 time zone watch - I assure you it is always 5 p.m. somewhere in the world (I would not start drinking that early too often...) Hope you enjoyed your bottle!

Great set, made me smile! hmm send some over?

Robert,

Thank you. I'd send some over but we only bought 4 cases for our personnal use the rest was for the house in Provence, meaning it was for everyone. Not counting the individual cases we bought we managed to bottle more than 314 bottles the next day :biggrin:

Oh, and we are only bringing back those cases after our Christmas Holiday which we will spend in Paris.

 

[bestfromnw]

mmmm wine!

 

[Palouse]

Makes me thirsty--ah heck, it's 4:30 on a Saturday-------cheers mate:biggrin:

I've had many a day like that tasting around the wine country in Washington state--lucky me, I even have a research project (no kidding) in wine country not 2 hours from home :smile:.
Lovely pictures too!

 

[racefan]

Wonderful fun Dude! Just passed the laptop to my Bride (the wino) (that's probably not the PC term is it?) and she loved it. Reminds us of our tours of the Napa Valley except we had to have the purchases shipped back home rather than punishing the rental car suspension.

Thanks!

 

[Philippe Roger]

Ah! Wine testing around France: the best way to spend time there... :biggrin:

You sure did very well and the story and pictures are great! I am glad you enjoyed yourself that much. Santé! :biggrin::biggrin: Next time, try a little further north, in Burgundy (around Beaunes)

Btw, having done this myself a few times, I know how taxing it can be on the car suspension... and on me! I once counted about 30 samples... and then I stopped counting altogether!! :redface::wink::biggrin:

 

[Palouse]

... and then I stopped counting altogether!! :redface::wink::biggrin:

One hundred bottles of wine on the wall.......

What comes after that?

 

[DABO]

Reading this Sunday morning with my pancakes and coffee. Can't imagine drinking that much right now. Very fun series! I got the full "flavor" of your amazing day!

DAB

 

[fireman]

Dude !!!

Pas trop mal aux cheveux mon vieux ???

I'm not a big wine lover but if you ever need a chauffeur, pleeeeaaaase call me man. I'll be there in a jiffy.

 

[Rosa Chinensis]

What a trip Dude! Sounds like you had a blast. I'm not into wine at all (maybe I haven't been properly exposed?) but your journey made it seem delicious.

Thanks for sharing,
Richard

 

[Frits]

Hic.......:tongue:

 

[Candidcameraman]

mmmm wine!

Yea, you and me both :smile:

Makes me thirsty--ah heck, it's 4:30 on a Saturday-------cheers mate:biggrin:

I've had many a day like that tasting around the wine country in Washington state--lucky me, I even have a research project (no kidding) in wine country not 2 hours from home :smile:.
Lovely pictures too!

Thank you... I'd love to have a research project like yours, but... thinking of it I need no excuse to go wine tasting, just an invitation :smile:

Wonderful fun Dude! Just passed the laptop to my Bride (the wino) (that's probably not the PC term is it?) and she loved it. Reminds us of our tours of the Napa Valley except we had to have the purchases shipped back home rather than punishing the rental car suspension.

Thanks!

Thank you, and it was not a rental - next time we'll use rental instead of killing the family car - brilliant idea! :wink:

Ah! Wine testing around France: the best way to spend time there... :biggrin:

You sure did very well and the story and pictures are great! I am glad you enjoyed yourself that much. Santé! :biggrin::biggrin: Next time, try a little further north, in Burgundy (around Beaunes)

Btw, having done this myself a few times, I know how taxing it can be on the car suspension... and on me! I once counted about 30 samples... and then I stopped counting altogether!! :redface::wink::biggrin:

Thank you, I agree that it is one of the best ways to kill a day in France. The wine I tasted were all better than the previous one, nothing compares to it. I'll have to do the Burgundy region one summer :smile:

One hundred bottles of wine on the wall.......

What comes after that?

I don't recall but where is the bottle opener?

Reading this Sunday morning with my pancakes and coffee. Can't imagine drinking that much right now. Very fun series! I got the full "flavor" of your amazing day!

DAB

I did not actually drink that much - I wasn't wasted but I did have a good low buzz pretty much all day and I did sleep in the car on the way back to the house :redface:

Dude !!!

Pas trop mal aux cheveux mon vieux ???

I'm not a big wine lover but if you ever need a chauffeur, pleeeeaaaase call me man. I'll be there in a jiffy.

He he he no, no headache - I just had more alcohol the next day, albeit I did not start as early... Chauffeuer, sure but I do not provibe airfare or accomodations, but I now know the best places in that region, if I can remember them all!

What a trip Dude! Sounds like you had a blast. I'm not into wine at all (maybe I haven't been properly exposed?) but your journey made it seem delicious.

Thanks for sharing,
Richard

Thank you Richard, I am far from being a "connaisseur" however my significant other is, she is from a family who had a couple of wineries, one of her uncle still has one.

Hic.......:tongue:

I did not get that drunk but I made it sound like I did to make it more entertaining. I will be bringing back a couple of cases from France after my Christmas holidays if that invitation to dinner still stand - I'll bring the wine in the new year... :smile: