A delicious way to herald in the spring is Goût de France/Good France which will take place worldwide on Wednesday, March 21. It is a unique global event held on 5 continents in over 150 countries which, for this fourth consecutive year, will involve French embassies abroad and chefs from around the world.
This fourth year will see some 3,000 participating restaurants, including 1,500 chefs currently operating in France. And for the first time, there will be a regional focus with the Nouvelle Aquitaine region* selected as guest of honor. They will all offer “French menus” on that day and Goût de/Good France dinners will be based around French wines and spirits, the theme for this fourth edition. Participating restaurants can be found on www.goodfrance.com
The event is organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by celebrated chef Alain Ducasse.
Alain Ducasse also wanted this year’s event to be an opportunity to pay tribute to Paul Bocuse with the participating chefs having the opportunity to include one of Paul Bocuse’s dishes or a dish inspired by him in their menus. As Paul Bocuse said, “Traditional or modern, there is only one cuisine... good cuisine.”
This taste of France is meant of course to attract people to the world’s #1 tourist destination that welcomed 89 millions foreign guests in 2017.
This is what Guy Savoy—another culinary great—had to say about France, its people and French cuisine: “Do we have the best culinary heritage? That is not the point. What is undoubtedly true is that it is unique in its diversity, the quality of its products and the expertise of its artisans on land and sea who over the generations have woven the incredible web that is French gastronomy. There is no town or village in France that does not have its own specialty, ranging from chocolate to sweet pastries and including prepared meats, wine and more – and that is unique!”
André Ostertag of Domaine Ostertag in the Alsace wine region of France.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
EPFIG, France — The Muenchberg vineyard outside this small town is considered one of the best in Alsace. It’s among several dozen in the region that have earned the status of grand cru, vineyards from which the wines have the potential to transcend the qualities of the grapes to express the character of the place.
While the notion of grand cru in Alsace reaches back only a few decades, the individuality of Muenchberg has been recognized for centuries.
Cistercian monks first planted vines in a natural amphitheater in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains in the 12th century. Perhaps for them the potential greatness of Muenchberg was evident in its complexity: diverse exposures angled in all directions and wide-ranging soils including red sandstone with lots of iron and quartz, volcanic sediment and limestone.
From any angle, however, the vineyard is gorgeous. The light is pure, and the breeze fresh.
“Grand crus are always beautiful places where you feel the force and energy,” said André Ostertag, proprietor of Domaine Ostertag, which has holdings in Muenchberg as well as numerous other plots in the middle and northern parts of the Alsace growing region. “In any strong terroir, you have the feeling of the place.”
Olivier Humbrecht of Zind Humbrecht in his cellar.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
The Alsace wine region, from Mulhouse on the south to Strasbourg on the north, is full of beautiful places and great terroirs. This long, narrow slash of rolling hills and pretty half-timbered towns between the Vosges on the west and the Rhine to the east has its share of great growers and winemakers, both older masters and young up-and-comers.
Alsace also has an image problem. Or, to be more precise, in the United States it faces the absence of one. Ask a young person about the wines of Alsace, and chances are you will be met with a blank stare. The best wine lists in New York may have only a handful of Alsatian bottles, and the hipper lists none at all.
Yet no region in France has a higher percentage of organic or biodynamic growers than Alsace, which theoretically should attract the keepers of natural wine lists.
It is time for a deeper look at Alsace, where I spent a few days this year visiting a range of producers. I tasted many wonderful wines, like Mr. Ostertag’s 2015 riesling from the Muenchberg vineyard, savory and saline, full of power and finesse. And, for a wine of less grandeur, his 2015 sylvaner, a grape practically unknown in the United States, is floral and zesty.
Bottles of Domaine Ostertag wines before labeling.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
Alsace did not always draw a blank in America. In the 1980s, when I was first learning about wine, the slender bottles from Alsace were known as delicious high-quality values, dry contrasts to the generally sweet wines from Germany made from a similar set of grapes.
It helped that André Soltner, the superstar chef and owner of Lutèce, New York’s leading restaurant back then, was Alsatian. His list was full of the top names of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but the wines of Alsace were his favored selections with the cuisine.
In the ’90s, estates like Zind Humbrecht became critical darlings. But the wines also seemed to ebb from the general consciousness and slowly slip away.
The problem was that over time, too many of the historically dry wines of Alsace were sold with residual sugar in them. These wines were sweet, heavy and out of balance, with no indication of sweetness on the label. The problem is not new, and much has been done to rectify it. But the perception appears to linger.
Bottles of Domaine Ostertag wines before labeling.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
Alsace did not always draw a blank in America. In the 1980s, when I was first learning about wine, the slender bottles from Alsace were known as delicious high-quality values, dry contrasts to the generally sweet wines from Germany made from a similar set of grapes.
It helped that André Soltner, the superstar chef and owner of Lutèce, New York’s leading restaurant back then, was Alsatian. His list was full of the top names of Bordeaux and Burgundy, but the wines of Alsace were his favored selections with the cuisine.
In the ’90s, estates like Zind Humbrecht became critical darlings. But the wines also seemed to ebb from the general consciousness and slowly slip away.
The problem was that over time, too many of the historically dry wines of Alsace were sold with residual sugar in them. These wines were sweet, heavy and out of balance, with no indication of sweetness on the label. The problem is not new, and much has been done to rectify it. But the perception appears to linger.
A glass of Zind Humbrecht wine in the tasting cellar.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
Mr. Ostertag attributed the increasing sweetness to American critics who favorably rewarded those wines. “The sweeter the wine, the higher the score,” he said. “More and more wine appeared with sweetness and nothing more.”
Winemakers in Alsace have been working on solutions to the sweetness issue for years now. Partly, the problem was the result of idealism. Producers like Zind Humbrecht and Domaine Marcel Deiss, who work organically and biodynamically, were loath to pick grapes before they achieved absolute ripeness. They refused to add powerful store-bought yeast to complete fermentations that the indigenous yeast had not finished, which left residual sugar in the wine.
Over time, Olivier Humbrecht, whose family owns Zind Humbrecht, adjusted his viticulture so that ripeness could be achieved with less sugar in the grapes. You can taste the difference. Bottles that I used to find almost syrupy are now sharp and focused, even when they do have some residual sugar.
For years, Zind Humbrecht has put a code on its label to show the level of sweetness consumers can expect. The numbers, or indices, run from 1 (dry) to 5 (rich and sweet). I tasted a 2015 riesling from the Clos Häuserer vineyard, marked Indice 3, that was clearly sweet, yet it was vibrant and refreshing, with a balancing zing of acidity that I would not have found a decade ago.
The Zind Humbrecht estate in Turckheim, France.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
Zind Humbrecht’s dry 2015s are lovely, including a fragrant gentle muscat from the grand cru Goldert vineyard and a deeply mineral, concentrated riesling from the grand cru Brand vineyard. I was especially impressed with their pinot gris, a grape that seems particularly susceptible in Alsace to cloying heaviness.
“There’s a lot of work done in the vineyard getting the precision right in pinot gris,” said Jolene Hunter, Zind Humbrecht’s export manager. “If you hesitate for a day, the acidity drops massively and alcohol shoots up.”
The 2014 pinot gris from the Rotenberg vineyard was beautifully balanced, fruity and saline, deliciously refreshing.
At Domaine Marcel Deiss, Jean-Michel Deiss and his son, Mathieu, have also been working in the vineyard to achieve riper grapes with less sugar. Mathieu Deiss’s side project, Vignoble du Rêveur, allows him to experiment with techniques popularized in natural wines: macerating white wines with their skins in the manner used for making red wines, fermenting and aging in amphoras, and working without sulfur dioxide, the stabilizer used in most wines.
Photo
From left, Jean-Michel and Mathieu Deiss of Domaine Marcel Deiss.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
The 2015 Vignoble du Rêveur Singulier Sec is, like many of the Deiss wines, a blend of different grapes, in this case riesling, pinot gris, pinot blanc and pinot noir. It’s a beautiful amber, textured and tannic, bone-dry, fresh and energetic. It reminded me of the wines of Radikon, the great producer from Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Residual sugar does have an important place in Alsace, as long as the wines are balanced and consumers know what to expect. But Deiss leaves this responsibility to the wine trade and to consumers themselves rather than indicating on its bottles the characteristics of its various bottles.
For example, the Engelgarten wines — from a gravelly terroir where muscat, pinot gris, pinot noir and riesling grow together — are generally dry, earthy and savory. But wines from the limestone Grasberg vineyard — combining riesling, pinot gris and gewürztraminer — are invariably floral, spicy and sweet, though balanced by excellent acidity.
“The nature of this vineyard is the expression of residual sugar,” said Marie-Hélène Cristofaro, commercial director and enologist for Deiss. “The wine never completes fermentation. This balance comes from nature.”
Sampling a pinot noir at Domaine Valentin Zusslin.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
She said, though, that Mathieu Deiss’s experiments indicate that fermentation can go more smoothly with skin maceration, and suggested a future application in wines like the Grasberg.
“It raises new questions,” she said.
At Domaine Valentin Zusslin, where Marie Zusslin and her brother, Jean-Paul, have managed the estate since 2008, there is no question about which wines are dry and which is not.
“In Alsace, heavier, sweeter wines were understood,” she said, noting that that is not the case internationally. To eliminate confusion, the Zusslin wines are dry unless clearly indicated.
From the Clos Liebenberg, a southeast-facing vineyard outside Orschwihr in the southern part of the region, you can see the Swiss Alps on a clear day. Riesling is planted in rows and on terraces. Beehives are nearby for honey and pear trees for making eau de vie. Like all of the Zusslin estate, it has been farmed biodynamically for almost 20 years. Each element of the undulating terrain is different, with varying microclimates, exposures and soils.
Marie and Jean-Paul Zusslin of Domaine Valentin Zusslin in Orschwihr, France.CreditPascal Bastien for The New York Times
“To observe is paramount,” Ms. Zusslin said, a key tenet of biodynamic viticulture.
The Zusslin wines reflect this precision. They are characterized by acidity, energy and a savory quality that I can only describe as saltiness. I especially liked the lively 2014 sylvaner and the gentle 2014 riesling, both from the Bollenberg vineyard, along with the mineral 2013 riesling from the grand cru Pfingstberg vineyard and the linear 2013 riesling from Clos Liebenberg.
Alone among the estates that I visited, the venerable Maison Trimbach did not acknowledge any confusion in the marketplace about its wines.
The United States is its biggest market, said Pierre Trimbach, who oversees the winemaking, and Trimbach continues to do well there.
Perhaps that is because Trimbach has never deviated from its policy of clarity in its labeling. Consumers know that its wines, like the great riesling Clos Ste.-Hune and the more affordable Cuvée Frédéric Émile, are going to be dry. But when I said this to Mr. Trimbach, he grimaced.
Already done Versailles and Monet's Gardens? Then look into these five excursions about an hour from the City of Light.
Taking a day trip from Paris
is as easy as hopping a train in any direction. If you've already
visited Versailles or Monet's gardens at Giverny, consider these
less-traveled castles, medieval towns, affordable Michelin dining, and
stunning cathedrals. Here are our top five picks, just around an hour
away from Paris.
Head north of Paris, taking the train from Gare du Nord, to get to Chantilly.
The town's chateau dates to the Middle Ages, even though the present
structure was mostly the result of 19th century construction by the son
of France's last king.
The chateau houses France's largest collection of Renaissance
paintings after the Louvre, though in a much more intimate setting. The
outdoor 18th century hamlet is the spot to get a bowl of strawberries
and whipped cream—called, appropriately, Chantilly—when the weather
permits. The most striking feature of the chateau, however, is actually
the stable, which many mistake for the castle. It contains the Horse
Museum and also sports an arena for dressage demonstrations featuring
well-trained ponies, dogs, and horses.
One of the best ways to discover the area is to take a bike tour. Consider booking a personalized one with French Mystique to explore the domain more thoroughly.
Chartres
A short train ride from Gare Montparnasse leads to the tiny town of Chartres, known for its UNESCO listed cathedral.
Begun in the 12th century, the church continues to be a site for
pilgrims, with its mismatched spires and largely original stained glass
windows adding to its unique appearance. Ask about any English-speaking
tours at the gift shop inside the cathedral before wandering on your
own. And if possible, visit between April and October, when the light
show illuminates the cathedral each night.
The main focus of Chartres is the gothic cathedral, but there is also
an art museum within the former bishop's residence, as well as the
Maison Picasiette, an early 20th century house covered in glass mosaics.
The streets around the cathedral host small shops and bakeries selling
local specialties like the Cochelin, a chocolate-filled pastry in the
shape of a man.
Despite its tiny size, Chartres also can be a culinary destination.
The Grand Monarque Hotel, dating to the 17th century, is home to Chez
Georges, another Michelin-starred restaurant that's worth the trek. The
discovery menu, at just $87, is driven by seasonal market produce, while
the exhaustive wine list features more than 2,000 bottles. Your best
bet? Ask the waiter for a suggestion.
Lille
Take the train from Gare du Nord to the town of Lille,
an under-appreciated industrial part of France that contrasts nicely
from Paris—at least for a day. With its distinctive Flemish influences
in the architecture and with numerous beers on tap at each bar, Lille
feels more Belgian than French. Stroll the Grand Place before heading to
the tangle of streets north of the train station, called Vieux Lille.
The local institution is Meert, a confectionery shop that sells pricey yet delicious gauffres,
flavored cream sandwiched between paper-thin waffles. For lunch, don't
expect anything light and dainty. Head to A Taaable for a welsch, bread covered in ham and melted cheese served with a massive bowl of fries. Wash it all down with a local or seasonal beer.
Afterwards, grab a coffee at Tamper! Espresso Bar,
proof that the hipster-driven Paris coffee scene isn't alone in France.
If words on the menu like "siphon" and "Hario V60" don't mean anything
to you, then just keep it simple and order a filtered coffee. The
caffeine will fuel a few more hours of wandering the shops and boutiques
of Vieux Lille before heading back to Paris.
Orleans
Take the train from Gare d'Austerlitz and arrive in the tiny city of
Orleans in just over an hour. Just south of Paris, the city was a home
and battleground for France's most famous leading lady, Joan of Arc. She
led the French army to victory over occupying English forces in 1429.
In Orleans, visit a reconstruction of her house before strolling the
medieval streets and stunning cathedral where Joan herself would have
prayed. The stained glass windows inside retrace her life. Nearby, enter
the 16th century Hotel Groslot, which once housed royalty like
Catherine de Medici, and today hosts local weddings.
While sightseeing options and museums are limited, consider spending a few hours overlooking the Loire River while dining at Le Lièvre Gourmand.
This Michelin-starred restaurant offers a culinary adventure led by
head chef Tristan Robreau. The seven course tasting menu, with dessert
and cheese, only costs $80—a steal compared with anything similar in
Paris. It's worth the day trip just to experience whatever Chef Robreau
has to offer.
Rouen
From Gare Saint Lazare, most people will take the train and get off
to go to Monet's Gardens at the station called Vernon. Instead, stay in
your seat and continue on to Rouen. This medieval town, the capital of
Normandy, is another spot associated with Joan of Arc: it's where she
was burned to death.
Wander the streets lined with colorful half-timbered houses for a taste of medieval France, when the astrological clock, or gros horloge,
was one of the town's claims to fame. The iconic cathedral is
immortalized in a series of paintings by Claude Monet, some of which are
on display back in Paris at the Musée d'Orsay. With botanical gardens,
museums, and countless other churches to explore, be sure to plan some
time to experience local cuisine.
For dining, La Couronne
is a local institution since 1345, serving up gourmet French fare. For a
more relaxed meal, head across the Place du Vieux Marché (where Joan
was burned) and pop into the Poissonnerie des Halles for fresh seafood.
PARIS (AP) — Two of Paris' ritziest dining establishments received the ultimate consecration Monday when they joined the select list of three-star restaurants in the 2016 Michelin Guide, the little red guide to the great and the good of French gastronomy.
Chef Alain Ducasse regained a third star for his restaurant inside the Plaza Athenee hotel, while Christian Le Squer gained a coveted triple star for Le Cinq, his restaurant in the George V hotel.
The awards ceremony on Paris' chic Place Vendome began with a minute of silence for three-star chef Benoit Violier, who was found dead Sunday in his Swiss home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.
The guide's international director, Michael Ellis, said Ducasse's cuisine "offers an unprecedented marriage of flavors and shakes up the codes of haute gastronomy."
Unrelenting rain and an April chill greeted us as we navigated the cobbled streets and narrow roads in the hamlet of Gattigues, a petite village in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon. Several twists, turns and reverses later, we discovered our inn. Huddling under a coat, we dashed through the pastel blue door of Les Sardines aux Yeux Bleus (www.les-sardines.com) to its foyer, where the smell of just-cooked strawberry jam and cinnamon muffins immediately erased memories of the rain. Charming, rustic, intimate and authentic, Les Sardines aux Yeux Bleus captures the essence of Languedoc-Roussillon.
The tiled rooftops of Uzès. Image by Dave Mitchell / Flickr Open / Getty Images.
Like its famous neighbour Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon boasts lyrical landscapes and rich scenery, from the western Mediterranean coastline to its sun-soaked valleys, peaks and vineyards. Its tucked-away villages and small hilltop towns are still largely untouched by tourists; the charm of French country life is alive and well. Off-the-beaten-path inns sit beside rustic restaurants frequented by locals, seducing travellers with a peek into the France of 20 years ago.
On the mountainside
With its cluster of Renaissance architecture bounded by countryside dotted with renovated 16th-century farmhouses – like the notable L'Artémise (www.chambresdelartemise.com) – Uzès is one of Languedoc-Roussillon’s most charming towns. Wine shops, chic boutiques and inventive restaurants have sprouted along its medieval streets, though Uzès has maintained an authentic and low-key vibe. Its celebrated Saturday market, flanked by the vaulted archways at the Place aux Herbes, is not to be missed. For dinner, make a beeline for the smart Les Trois Salons, where Swedish-born chef Petter Nilsson developed a devoted following. Though Nilsson now sits at the helm of a Parisian bistro, Les Trois Salons remains one of Uzès’ finest culinary experiences.
For a taste of Uzès’ grapes, travel 10 minutes by car to the north where the artisanal estate of La Gramière (www.lagramiere.com) occupies just five hectares of vineyards. Founded in 2005, La Gramière is one of the region’s most interesting garage wineries, producing less than 10,000 bottles a year of grenache-based wines. These organic wines are all farmed by hand, from the planting to the picking, by a two-person team. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, La Gramière recently restored an old Citroën van that serves as a roving wine bar. Check out their summer events in the vineyards, or look out for La Gramière’s green camion around Uzès. Be sure to taste their blend of syrah and rose, sold exclusively in France.
Vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon. Image by Danita Delimont / Gallo Images / Getty Images.
North of Uzès by 30km, La-Roque-sur-Cèze (www.laroquesurceze.fr/index.php) dramatically juts out of a rock peak above the Cèze. This petite gem is officially one of France’s most beautiful villages – a quick stroll through its winding streets to the former castle and its chapel shows why. Grey residences and creamy alleyways lead to the village’s summit where expansive views of the river valley below will steal your breath. Less than an hour is all you need to explore the village, including copious time for oohing, aahing and taking pictures.
Walk towards the bottom of the village and across the Cèze River to the striking waterfall Cascades du Sautadet. Limestone cliffs, dips and edges in a variety of peculiar shapes are saturated with rushing water and pools of bubbling river. Tread carefully on the limestone’s flat, dry surfaces to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the river whooshing through in a scene that looks more like Iceland than France.
Head to the east to find St Siffret – another minuscule medieval village with stone walls, vaulted archways and beige steps. Here, two chateaux take centre stage, including one that was a Commanderie of the Knights Templars. Sadly, neither is open for visits and there are scarce spots for lingering with a coffee and croissants. There is, however, a worthwhile restaurant, L’Authentic (Place de L’Ecole, 30700 Uzès, St Siffret), housed in the village’s old school. A changing weekly menu inspired by local and seasonal ingredients is all that is offered, but the quality will not leave you wanting. Tourists are scarce, especially in the off-season.
The picturesque port city of Banyuls-sur-Mer. Image by Gerard Labriet / Photononstop / Getty Images.
Far to the south, past Montpellier and Perpignan and just 14km from Spain, sits Banyuls-sur-Mer. Tucked away on a rocky coast, this small Mediterranean town is a mélange of Catalan and French culture, influenced heavily by the sea. Swimming coves and ports evoke the Riviera towns to the east, sans the traffic, the scene and the glitz. Banyuls-sur-Mer’s old town boasts palm tree-lined, whitewashed streets.
Dine on fresh mussels, oysters and monkfish stew, cooked seaside where dramatic views drop to turquoise waters. Seafood is best paired with Languedoc’s crisp white wine, picpoul de pinet, made with the region’s oldest grapes, piquepoul. Further inland the vineyards in Banyuls-sur-Mer produce a sweet dessert wine called Banyuls.
Still on the coast, heading east roughly 150km, sits Domaine Sainte Rose (www.sainterose.com/index.php). This family-run boutique winery is focused on promoting Languedoc’s vineyards through producing exceptional wines that challenge the status quo. Employing New World techniques to South of France vineyards, its wines are clean and minimalist and are making an impact on Languedoc’s traditions. Visit the stunning estate for tastings and tours (by appointment only).
Three of Aubrac's celebrated cows. Image by GFC Collection / age fotostock / Getty Images.
At the other extreme of Languedoc-Roussillon is Aubrac, an immense plateau with fog-laden forests and wildflower-sprinkled pastures. Visiting the region on horseback (www.equitation-aubrac-lozere.fr), trotting cautiously past herds of Aubrac’s celebrated cows, is an absolute revelation, offering a unique perspective into the region.
The world-famous Michel Bras (www.bras.fr) restaurant and hotel resides in an uber-contemporary space, tucked into the landscape of Aubrac’s plateau. Whether at Bras or elsewhere, dine on Aubrac’s traditional dish, aligot, made of mashed potatoes, tome de Laguiole and crème fraîche, which gives the dish a creamy taste and smooth texture, unique to this place.
