On a recent online-shopping raid I stumbled upon the fancy-looking wines of Patrick Piuze, a Canadian who incidently found his way into winemaking after an inspiring encounter with Marc Chapoutier. As a young man he then took a chance and worked in several chais around the world before coming back to Canada for opening a wine bar. After 2 years of that he finally joined Olivier Leflaive in Burgundy for whom he would soon oversee Chablis-making. A few winemaking-jobs later he finally decides to settle as an independent négociant, a buyer of grapes. Read the rest of this entry »
Exogyra Virgula! What sounds like an exceptional name also is an exceptional wine. And what could be bigger of an exception than Sauvignon Blanc from Chablis? Well, technically speaking it isn’t Chablis, but rather the small appelation Saint-Bris which lies just next to Chablis and has probably been created for the sole purpose to allow Sauvignon Blanc within this Chardonnay reigned area. Read the rest of this entry »
I still remember my military service times where I was employed in a mixed French and German unit, part of the Eurocorps. The main raison d’être of this unit was of course to intensify cooperation and friendship between France and Germany and as a part of this truly European spirit our small company once headed to Chablis in France. Officialy, to visit and inspect an equipment depot of ours which was located in the area; but in reality, we concentrated on indulging some French savoir-vivre, feasting on French Baguette and Pâté while trying some Chablis. Needless to say, this was more a carousal rather than a sophisticated wine tasting and on our way back, the slide door of our military VW bus had to be opened a few times.
But still, this was probably my first real encounter with Chablis and also with the notion of Terroir: a winemaker showed us the fossilized shells for which the soils are famous. Read the rest of this entry »
Gästehaus Klaus Erfort is maybe not located in the middle of the most fantastic neighbourhood of Saarbrücken. But, stuck in between a tenement and a gas station one finds a beautiful white mansion with a modern extension on the side accomodating the kitchen. From the street, one can observe the chefs through a glass window. Once we passed the entrance, we were directed to the back of the mansion where a quite unique terrasse is located. There you have the most beautiful view on a huge garden with endless lawn and a tiny pavilion on the side. Quite a contrast to the street side of the house and a perfect setting for apéritifs. Read the rest of this entry »
