Bastille Day, French Wine and Whole Foods Market

 

July 14th the annual La Fête Nationale celebration in France or Bastille Day as it is mostly known in English-speaking countries is upon us once again and we have another holiday to drink wine to. To quote myself from Bastille Day 2012:   let’s drink some French wine!

 

Ventoux Soleil des Garrigues

Today’s choice, the Ventoux Soleil des Garrigues 2012, comes to us via Whole Foods Market Summer Top 10 program.  On-line information from Wiki tells us:

Ventoux AOC (formerly Côtes du Ventoux AOC) is a wine-growing AOC in the southeastern region of the Rhône wine region of France, where the wines are produced in 51 communes of the Vaucluse département along the lower slopes of the Ventoux mountain and at the foot of the Vaucluse Mountains. Archeological discoveries of wine making equipment have dated that wine has been produced in the area at least since around 30 AD.

This Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault  blend is what I would describe and recommend as a perfect Summer red: light bodied and fruity. Also great for fans of Pinot Noirs and even Beaujolais.

Whole Foods describes it as; aromatic with black fruit, spices and sweet cherry. Minerality and sweet anise show in this easy-to-sip Red blend. Soft tannins gently round out the finish.

This well-balanced blend of fruit, spice and pepper is a great way to not only celebrate Bastille Day and the warm days ahead but dare I say also a match for upcoming turkey holiday meals.

The year is flying by and hopefully the Ventoux Soleil des Garrigues, priced at $9.99 will not be “gobbled” up by November. Sorry I couldn’t resist 🙂

¡SALUD!

 

May 3rd Languedoc Day – My search is on!

Vinyard nr Perpignan, Languedoc region, France 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ll be celebrating this weekend! Salud!

From YAHOO newswire;

Whole Foods Market & Forkly host a gift certificate giveaway in celebration of wines from Southern France’s Languedoc region
Denver, CO (PRWEB) April 30, 2012  During the month of May, Whole Foods Market and Forkly are joining wine aficionados across the US to celebrate Languedoc Day (May 3) and Chardonnay Day (May 24). The two companies are encouraging their customers and users to participate in the virtual celebrations with a giveaway of over fifteen Whole Foods gift certificates–and an even bigger gift to Forkly users (blog.forkly.com and 21+ only) who post and rate Languedoc wine on May 3 and Chardonnay wine on May 24.

These virtual holidays aim to build awareness of the incredible range of wines from Languedoc region of Southern France with tastings, social media interaction (being tracked on twitter with hash tags #LanguedocDay and #ChardDay), and this year, through Forkly.

Whole Foods Market and 1000corks.com both retail Languedoc wines and will make them easy to find on May 3—but even easier for Forkly users. Forkly, a free and popular iPhone app for global food and drink lovers, captures personal tastes—including wine tastes—and generates interaction around those tastes.

Bay Area sommelier Rick Bakas says: “The Languedoc (pronounced “long-dock”) produces many of the grape varieties you already know, including Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, and Mourvedre to name a few, as well as some you may not know like Piquepoul, Carignan, and Mauzac.”

He says of the celebration, “The appellations we’ll taste on May 3 blend these grapes into some of the most exciting wines coming out of France today. And many of the wines are very affordable with an average retail price of about $15.”

To participate, the public can: download the free Forkly app from the Apple store to learn about the Forkly and Whole Foods celebrations; register on the Languedoc Day eventbrite page (http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2350368014); and follow Whole Foods Market on Forkly to be entered for a gift certificate.

Here’s a description of the Languedoc region from LanguedocAdventure.com:

“The Languedoc, South of France, is France’s most dynamic wine region, where adventurous producers are redefining traditions and producing some of the country’s most exciting wines today. As the largest wine region in France, the Languedoc, South of France is blessed with some of the best terroir for winemaking in the country.  An auspicious blend of soil, wind, sun and the Mediterranean Sea produce naturally healthy vineyards and result in wines which wrap an enticing character in a voluptuously smooth mouthful. This is an area which has seen tremendous innovation, but which recognizes the gift of tradition and spirit of adventure. Languedoc produces a wealth of grape varieties, both indigenous and international, that flourish here along the Mediterranean coast.  The Languedoc includes over 20 AOCs and it is these wines which show Languedoc at its best. Join the adventure today and explore these wines!”