It was Andre Tchernia, archaeologist and one of the best specialists in the wines of antiquity, who reported: ”The remains of a yellowish residue deposited on the wall of a Neolithic jar, 7,000 years old, found at Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran has proven to be a mixture of tartaric acid and resin.”

This technique was to mix the resin therebinthe wine to prevent it from going sour.  For Philippe Marinval, a research fellow at the Center of Anthropology Toulouse, the evidence suggested that Neolithic man drank VIN2.

King Solomon celebrated, but it is certainly the Greeks who have contributed to the development of viticulture on the edge of the Mediterranean.  Indeed, they have long done business in all Mediterranean countries.

It is the Phoenicians who first imported the wine in France, arriving in the port of Marseilles.  At that time, wine was made from grapes through fermentation which was added to seawater for preservation during transport, on arrival fresh water was added to remove the taste of salt.

In ancient Egypt, we know that the wine was very organized. Osiris in Egypt, in Greece Dionysus, Bacchus in Roman and Babylonian Gilgamesh represented the wine quest in mythology.  Wine also symbolizes the blood of Christ in the Christian religion. Wine has changed dramatically during the past millennia.

The Romans had very spicy wines that stretched to the sea water; they do not correspond at all to current tastes.  The culture of the vine was introduced in Gaul by Greek Phocea. Max Rives at INRA, verified on-site at Massilia, the first counter Phocaean, built six centuries before our era: ”I saw during the excavation of the Exchange District, Marseilles, seeds of grape from wine and thrown in jars, floating in the back of the Old Port where these amphorae were used.  The Greeks were obviously importing varieties from their countries.”

Under the Roman colonization, the Gallic vines grew around the two cities: Beziers and Narbonne. The city of Beziers has not forgotten her title of “wine capital” of the nineteenth century.  For nearly twenty years to regain its rank, it changed its methods, emphasizing quality winegrowing in mass production. In the nineteenth century, wine was considered an energy drink.

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Wine a great Corsican secret

A wine tasting event in central London will be hosting wines from seven different wine estates. The event is called Secret from Corsica and will be held at Baranis on October 17^th. There will be wines available from Domaine Canarelli, Domaine de Tanella, Domaine Sant’Armettu, Domaine Culombu, Domaine Santini, and Domaine Cordoliani.

The Corsican wine board is called CIVCORSE and is hosting the tasting events for professionals in the trade and journalists. The event is hosted by the British representative of the board, Guillaume Rodet.  The event will take place from 11am to 5pm.

Corsican wines are known for having a unique character and this is partly due to the diverse geological conditions in the country as well as the mix of modern and traditional methods that are used to create the wine. There are also a great many mesoclimates as well as a huge variety of soil types. This understandably leads to a wide variety of wine varieties.

The wines that the country have been producing has meant that the country has become known as one of the finest wine making countries in the Mediterranean. Many people who drink the wine from Corsica enjoy the fact that the wines are made with local grape types, rather than the typical wine making grapes that are used in the rest of the world.

Niellucciu is the dominant grape variety of the Patriminio region of northern Corsica. Although “Niellu” in Corsica’s local dialect means black, dark or hard, Niellucciu can produce very fine and elegant rosés.

The granitic region of western Corsica is home to Sciaccarellu, the main grape variety of this region. This grape produces wines that have a peppery bouquet of wild flowers, red fruit, spices and smoky wood.

The Vermentinu grape generates wines that are amongst the best whites from the Mediterranean area. Alcohol levels are quite high in these wines, and so there is a good depth and volume on the palate.

Corsica is situated 300 kilometres off the southern coast of France on the same latitude as Rome and Barcelona. Its climate is tempered, with hot, dry summers and mild winters. The local winds, which are varied, act as thermal regulators and ventilators for the island’s vineyards. This limits the need for fungal-disease treatments, which is particularly favourable to the balance and quality of the grapes.

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France is well known for its love of good food and wine. And getting the cheapest flights to the country is easy. Everybody knows about the more unusual foods the French eat – snails and frog’s legs – but those are not necessarily the best things about French cuisine. What about the more standard regional delicacies? Here is a loose by-region guide to French food (which does nonetheless include the snails) to help you discover more about how to eat your way around the country.

North-west France

Alsace is on the border with Germany and its food is similar to the German food and beer of its neighbour. You’ve probably sampled a Quiche Lorraine even if you’ve never set foot in the region of Lorraine itself.  It is known for its sumptuous fruit as well as the preserves made from them.

North-east

You will find lots of seafood on the North-east coast. Scallops, monkfish, sole herring, seabass are among the fish here and in Britanny, lobster, crayfish and mussels are popular. Britanny also has many apple dishes due to the numerous orchards of apple trees, as well as cider that recently a large French beer company brought over to the UK. It is not clear whether or not they actually use the apples grown in the region.

Central France

An abundance of fruit grows in central France including cherries, melons and strawberries. The cherry liqueur Guignolet is made from the cherries.  Lamb, veal and game are eaten here, as they are in the interior of many European countries. Some people from the UK (particularly those from the British countryside) will feel right at home enjoying the food here. The area of Limosin also enjoys, beef and lamb. It produces great mushrooms too.

Burgundy

The region from where the colour gets its name. Burgundy is situated in France and Switzerland. It is well known for its wine. Fish from the river as well as meats and snails are eaten here. Chaource and Epoisses cheeses are produced in the area. Burgundy is also where Dijon is situated, and thus where Dijon mustard comes from.

South-west

Bordeaux is well known for its wine, which many French people the country over will recommend you take a bottle of back with you if you can (which is possible if you’re not travelling home by plane). Wonderful truffles can be found in the Cahors region and foie gras, the pate made with the liver of a fattened duck, is produced in Gascony.

South-east

Provence has lots of lovely lemons and oranges as well as vegetables and herbs. In Lyon and Savoy you will find delectable sausages. Dombes, which was originally part of Burgundy, is where frogs legs have been eaten for hundreds of years. It is only in the past couple of centuries that the rest of the country has enjoyed the delicacy. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number consumed every year, not all the frogs are locally sourced or even French anymore, and there is some debate over the sustainability of the cuisine.

John Hutchinson has enjoyed travelling since he was a young boy when his parents first took him to visit family overseas. Since leaving home, John has tracked down family all over the world and regularly jets off to faraway lands to see distant relatives.

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By spending 5 nights on the splendid vessel the Ms Camargue, the Wine Lovers’ Cruise will take you through undulating scenery, picture postcard villages, the spectacular gorges which are a feature of the Ardeche and also to a fabulous wine museum.

A Meilleur Sommelier de France will accompany you throughout to ensure that the whole process of wine production is brought to life. To round things off on the last day, there will be a cruise in the morning which incorporates a quiz, with a blind tasting as the tie breaker. The winner of this quiz will receive the grand prize of a 4 day gastronomy cruise down the Rhine, or Rhône.

Departing 14 October, the Wine Lovers’ Cruise costs from £871 pp (two sharing) – with a free upgrade to an Upper Deck cabin* – including return travel by Eurostar, transfers, five nights’ B&B aboard the MS Camargue, five dinners and four lunches, shore excursions and the services of a VFB Tour Manager abroad.

*Subject to availability and must be booked by 12 August.

For further information or to book, please call Travelzest’s VFB Holidays on 0800 171 2160 or visit www.travelzest.com.

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There are seven areas in France that have been designated as Cognac producing with the majority being produced in Borderies, Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne but there is also Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaries, Fins Bois and Bois Communs and they will squeeze out at least a drop or three. Each area has their own unique creation but all of the highest quality which is not surprising since they all have a knack from Cognac.

The grapes used in the production of Cognac are highly exclusive with only certain ones being picked. Cognac to start needs to be 90% Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc or Colombard grapes.

Ugni have the most weight, with some Cognac made exclusively with this grape only. Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes are represented minimally. The other 10%, by law, may include other different varieties of grape. These other varieties are typically eccentric and specific.

Cognac is dissimilar to many other brandies because it must be distilled twice in pot stills made of copper. After its second distillation, the eau-de-vie or heart of the cognac, is placed in oak barrels from trees located in the Limousin and Troncais forests.

It is here the heart of the cognac gets aged for no less than two years, while much is aged longer. But Cognac is not allowed to get too aged. It usually is not barreled up for longer than five or six decades, it does have things it needs to do, after all.

Cognac age can be a confusing issue. There is a system that exists in order to help understand what is the youngest heart of cognac in the bunch. A VS, very superior or three star label represents the youngest, meaning all the heart is a minimum of two and half years of age.

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And in each region there is the typical way in which the ingredients are chosen and how the food is cooked. A good example is tomatoes, olive oil and herbs are a must in Provence cuisine.

The lifestyle, culture and economic conditions of a region have formed traditions for the local food. In the mountain regions are firm cheeses because of being able to preserve them through the long difficult winters. In areas where the economy is limited the main means families support themselves are from these firm cheeses since they can be produced from livestock in the mountains.

For example for centuries the Burgundy region prospered because of the excellent cattle that were raised helping them created some of the best rich creamy sauces and meat dishes.

Having ingredients available locally that do not need transporting make them of higher quality and make up the basics for the best food. The community of areas where fruit and herbs are grown can easily use the same in their local cuisine. Also inland areas that do not use a great deal of seafood but those on the northwest coastal areas like Brittany and Normandy offer so many different seafood specialties.

The cuisine of France’s neighbors is also ingrained into the areas of France that border other countries. Close to the border with Italy for example it is common to find Italian dishes and because of North African people living in southern France many in France can enjoy original African dishes.

Because of the changes of borders through the wars with Germany the area of Alsace has the sauerkraut and wine that were popular in those areas. Also in both restaurants and homes in France you will find a range of dishes that extend further beyond than just regional specialties. But the local influences, ingredients and ways of cooking will always be incorporated in the finished product. So what you want to eat, may just decide where you want to visit.

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Comté cows

They can’t be fed any kind of silage so instead, through the summer, they graze on beautiful pastures that are an array of different grasses and flowers; this creates a complexity and diversity in both tastes and aromas. A study that was held found 576 different varieties of plants growing in the pastures of 60 dairies that produced Comté cheese, and there was an average of 130 per dairy.

In the winter months, the cows are brought indoors where they are fed with hay that has been harvested on their farm. This diverse diet has an amazing effect on the quality of their milk, which then goes into the taste and colour of the cheese. When tasting Comté, there is a staggering 83 different flavours, but people often discover more.

The cows are milked mornings and evenings, and the milk has to be brought to the cheese dairy every day. In order to express the diversity of the soil and the types of grazing as best as possible, the foraging zone for each cheese dairy is limited to an area with a diameter of 15.5 miles.

It takes 450 litres to make a whole wheel of Comté, which can weigh up to 40kgs. A Montbéliarde cow produces about 20 litres at two milkings, and so 23 cows are necessary to produce just one round of Comté.

Farmer Jean-François Marmier, whose farm in the Jura mountains supplies milk that produces Comté, has already named each of his cows. His favourite is Celestine, who has her own special cow bell.

He also keeps his herd relaxed with hugs and massages to make them feel extra special. Jean-François added: “It’s very important that we keep each cow happy. A hug and a smile are simple little things that make a big difference to the herd. But we found that giving each cow a name has made them even more content, relaxed and productive. It’s quite remarkable.”

The cheese, which comes from the same Franche-Comté region as world-renowned chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc, is one of France’s most popular cheeses. And it’s starting to get a reputation over here, with Blanc and Queen of Shops Mary Portas some of its favourite fans.

Nutty, creamy, fruity, peppery and toasty are just some of the notes you will come to love. It’s perfect on any cheeseboard, on its own or as part of other dishes like sandwiches, salads and fondue. It’s also one of the few cheeses that work well when accompanying both red and white wine. These factors make Comté a fantastically versatile cheese.

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During times of trouble the town was protected by three gates that helped guard the village. They were uses to stop invaders and proved quite efficient when the Plague hit and decimated many other villages. Houses that are still standing are usually tall since the tradition was to store things on top of them like supplies and food.

Located high in Provence, northwest of Fayence and northeast of Grasse, St Cezaire de Siagne is a very remote place. The location is extraordinary with the river Siagne rushing over rocks and waterfalls providing a cacophony of magical proportion.

The area around the banks of the river and the river itself is a haven for wildlife and excellent to catch trout provided of course you are not beaten to the punch by the owls, peregrines and other birds. Activities very popular in the area include walking and hiking with stunning vistas of the sea at Frejus, Cannes and more visible in the distance.

Species are found here that cannot be found in other parts of the region due to its altitude. Like beech and elm trees and on the slopes below fig and olive trees which are common in Provence. In 1906 the first hydroelectric plant was constructed here. Only a short drive away is Grasse known as the Perfume capital and the town still produces perfumes today. There are tours you can take to learn about the production and processing of perfumes.

The main ingredient is the oil that comes from the flowers of a type of orange with over 1000 kilos of blossom to have one kilo of oil. You can see orange blossom all over the hillside along the coast. They also use other flowers for the process so the area is always full of wonderful colours and aromas.

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A chef’s favourite are the whole black winter ones made from the fresh Italian black truffles, when in season. They give a wonderful aroma to meat and poultry dishes as well as pasta. Fresh winter truffles season runs from the end of November to March. This perishable, because of limited availability can cost as much as £70 per ounce.

With the finest cheese from the Parmesan region you can fuse Italian truffles to make a creamy and buttery sauce. Another great delicacy is using 5% white truffle juice, water and white beans to make Cannelini Beans with Summer, White Truffles. By using only truffle juice it is a more cost effective way to flavour your dishes including appetizers and main courses. The juice changes the flavour of any dish in just seconds.

Even though truffles are seasonal and expensive and sometimes difficult to find, the truffle paste is intense, pungent and earthy making it a great match to blend with bases such as pastes, butters and creams.

This allows the chefs to give their cuisine the distinct taste of truffles at a more cost effective price. The greatest truffles in the world are considered to be the black perigord truffles of France. The rich butter that can be made from French truffles fuses the complex and intense flavours of the truffles to perfection.

You can add this butter to any variety of foods to make an average dish into an extraordinary one. There is very little needed since the taste is so intense and should be added at the end of the cooking. Chocolate truffles, even though they do not have any actual truffles in them, are aptly named by their appearance.

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Based upon some of history’s most famous Last Suppers a French cookery school has launched a new course. Jim Fisher, British chef, is the brains behind the new course and is a former finalist for the BBC’s Masterchef and since has worked with the likes of Alistair Little, Tony Tobin and Rick Stein.

Now running his own school in the Dordogne, Jim will be offering people a choice of Famous Last Suppers including:

- The Titanic’s Final Banquet
- Pompeii’s Last Meal Moments
- The Last Supper
- Elvis Presley’s Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich
- King Edward V111 & Wallis Simpson’s Abdication Dinner
- French gourmand, Julia Child’s, last wish menu
- Will & Kate’s Royal Wedding canapes

With the rise in popularity of dinner parties, people are looking for something original to serve to their guests. Famous Last Suppers offers a truly unique experience to impress friends and also provides a great opening gambit for dinner-party conversation. Jim Fisher takes up the story:

“We’ve had great success with our courses as everyone loves to learn ‘cheffy’ techniques that they can recreate at home. People also enjoy finding out about the science of cookery – why do eggs curdle and what can you do when this happens to salvage, for example, mayonnaise?

Our Famous Last Suppers Course offers something for everyone, whatever level of ability and experience. There’s the challenging Titanic menu which is a five-day course in itself. Then there’s a simple, Elvis Presley-style snack which, together with a couple of other celebrity favourites, can be learnt in a day.

Whilst not quite a last supper, we’ve added the Royal Wedding canapé menu as everyone would love to be able to share a taste of the event of the decade with their friends.

As with all of our courses, a range of techniques will be incorporated including knife skills and bread making. We’ve already had lots of interest in our Famous Last Supper courses and, if they prove a success, we’ll look at a host of other, themed courses”.

The Famous Last Suppers Courses will begin in Autumn 2011 and more information on this and Jim’s other courses can be found on www.cookinfrance.com

Cost for the courses are €220.00 EUR for a day course (per day for 1 or 2 days excludes accommodation) and €995.00 EUR for the full, all-inclusive five nights.

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