Our elegant town of Beaune happens to be the wine capital of La Bourgogne. Some would call it the wine capital of France, or even the world. So it’s no surprise that everything here—the shops, the domaines, the dinner table discussion— seems to be about wine.
I say it “happens” to be the wine capital, because it’s not the reason we came here. We love the beauty, the history, the ambiance of Beaune. We are not “amateurs du vin”, as the French would say (beware this faux ami! Un amateur in French is not a beginner—that’s un débutant—but an impassioned hobbyist, usually highly knowledgeable about their subject). But we do love wine, and learning all about it has been fascinating.
But no screw-on caps for me—I love the rituals, the mystique, and the artistry that goes into every glowing glass. Let’s take a look at some vintage accoutrements, from the brocante markets here in Burgundy.
Corkscrews! Baskets of them!
There are plenty of specialty ones, for lovers, for boaters...
The French are not afraid of a little political incorrectness. At least they don't discriminate by gender.
It's common to see corkscrews like these, made from the wood of old grapevines.
Then there are the wine stoppers. Here they range from the vitner's wife (or maybe she's the winemaker?), de Gaulle, and un moine, a monk from Beaune.
Now on to the tastevins. These wine-tasting cups actually originated in Burgundy and were used widely in the 19th and 20th century. Both the material (silver, or silver plate) and the design are made to reflect the color of the wine, so the taster can evaluate it. They were and are often worn on a ribbon around the neck; no sommelier worth his grapes would be without this emblematic necklace.
You will see lots of them in Burgundy markets, which can be bought for a song.
The older, finer tastevins will be pricier.
You have probably come across these large beautiful glass bottles, called bonbonnes in Burgundy. They are not for wine but are used in the distillation of eau de vie, which is a light fruit brandy (usually homemade).
I decided to walk around my house, to share some "accoutrments du vin" I've picked up over the years. I was surprised at how many I found!
First and foremost, a very special antique wine bottle opener, given to us by our châtelins, Nicole and Pierre.
This is a wine bottle dryer. You stand the bottles on end on these hooks, if you want to refill them. I use mine for glasses.
My favorite platter, grape-themed
Does anyone have ideas for what to do with a zillion old corks? (ok we polish off a lot of bottles). I throw mine in my old confit jars, and periodically empty them out to put in the bottom of large flower pots, as fillers and to absorb the water.
I love pretty vintage corkscrews
A bonbonne on our dining room table
And then--in the end, it's all about the drinking! My sister gave Ron this custom "bobblehead" doll for his birthday--wine glass in hand!
RECIPE: A Quick Summer Lunch, to go with your Wine
Wine for lunch is practically a summer necessity. Here is a light salad to go with it. I mixed white tuna (packed in olive oil) with a can of drained white beans. Season it with lemon juice, red onions or scallions, and a handful of fresh herbs. You can mix in some raw veggies you have on hand--celery, peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes--then drizzle it all with French Dressing #1, or just with olive oil and lemon juice. I served mine on a bed of arugula. Pour a crisp, cold glass of Chardonnay, from Burgundy or wherever, and you are good to go!
In the COMMENTS: a word about leaving comments. Often folks tell me they couldn't leave a comment so they did it again. Then I get BOTH of them. I don't know why the software program isn't clear when one goes through. But the general rule is, even though you think it didn't go, it probably did. Sorry about that.
Debbie has some new TV shows for us. Anne, I have a husband who not so secretly plots against traveling (he says he's given it up), but loves it when we do. Husbands! Julie, I feel your pain, so many places I want to visit. And one wonderful one is Dijon, where I was last week. We must get a coffee sometime, when we are both there! Vicky, if you like to hike, this would be THE place to go. Chris, have fun in England! Monty, great travelers think alike, évidemment. Anthea, I didn't realize this was in your coin. Monsieur Oldman, it sounds like we will have to go back. And if you go to the Cotswolds, Libby has a recommendation for a great tour guide.
And a big shout-out to my new friend Laurie, who has been a loyal reader of the blog for years. She decided too spend some time in Beaune as a result. Laurie, it was great to get to know you, we hope to see more of you!
Favorite READS: We may have recommended this one before, but my friend Nancy gave us a book called Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Provence, by Ann Mah. Required reading for francophiles. Natalia, I checked out The Paris Novel, on your suggestion, but Ron got to it first. He read so many passages out loud to me, I may not need to read it!
