The Ultimate Parisian Wine and Food Salons

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Reibel AlsaceToo much of too much can be a  good thing now and then!   If the ultimate wine show wasn’t enough to take me on full blast, then comes the Foe Gras 2Rose GarlicChampagneArmagnacClos de SiguierKONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAItalian PorchetaViolets in every formParmesansMorriles et fig farci au foie grasMorriles driedMiddle Eastern PatriesItalian white trufflesCannelesEscargotsBlue Belle PotatoesSaveur’s ultimate gourmet food show.   Neck to neck weekends with these two monumental dazzlers is a guarantee to be either enthralled, broke or both!

My now you must have figured out, that I have a passion for gastronomy and wines! I know that I am obsessional in preparing and putting on my table the best I can find. My nightly meal is my artistic canvas that I enjoying creating!

The Salon des Vignerons Indépendants comes to Paris twice a year, in the late fall, always falling on Thanksgiving weekend, and in the Spring.  The fall salon is absolutely the hugest and It is my favourite in so far as knowing all my favourite vintners will be there.

The whole scene is absolutely mind blowing, in that there are literally about one thousand vintners, from all over France that set up their stands.  The samples flow freely and all in all , there is a genuiness with these wine makers, who hope that you will stop by and taste their wines.

I make out my list of what I want to taste or buy before I even set foot on the place, otherwise I would be lost in a literal sea of wines, far too numerable to know where to start.   Once I am there, with my tasting glass dangling from my neck, it is serious work and discipline! That means tasting the wines and not drinking them!  It is practically impossible to fully discern perfumes and flavours after a few glasses.                             

So that is where the discipline comes in, especially when you  come across some beautiful wines or fabulous armagnacs and cognacs.  I resort to taking minuscule micro sips or spitting it out, which I makes me feel so unfeminine!  Fortunately the spittoons are on the floor, so at lest I am partially obscured!

My plan of attack is to devote one day to tasting the white wines and cremants/champagnes, and then the following day the reds.  For me, that is essential in order to keep my palate from being mixed with conflicting flavours.

An indépendant winemaker is a vintner that grows his grapes on his own property, vintifies his own wine, and markets it himself. He has to be a successful farmer, chemist and artist, all rolled into one, along with knowing how to market his wines.

Just looking at their hands, all rough and scared,  says a lot.  Taking care of the  vines to ensure their health, is a full time job in itself.   Every season has its litany of chores,  such a tying, pruning, weeding, protecting, and of course harvesting.

They are at the total mercy of mother nature, where a hail storm or late spring freeze can destroy their harvest.  One of my favourite vintners in the Loire had a grim face in telling me that over half of his grapes buds froze this past spring, and he was without insurance to cover such losses.

Trying to make wine from grapes from the wiles of mother nature requires expertise winemaking skills and the ability to produce good wine every year, one must be an expert chemist and artisan wine maker.  Whereas in the past, most vintners learned the trade through apprenticeship, now days their children, destined to take over their families domaines are sent to oenology schools.

In talking to the younger vintners, most had also been  sent abroad at the end of their oenological studies to the US, Australia, or South Africa.  New world methods often clash with the traditional ones they prefer to go back to.

It is nice to see sons and daughters alongside their parents, ensuring that the legacy of their vineyard will persist in their family.  Although you can buy some vineyards in the south of France, it is a different story in Burgundy, Alsace, and Champagne, where almost all are passed down in families.                                                 If you are lucky enough to be born into a family of vintners from good domaines in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne: then you have inherited a potential gold mine! With those domaines commanding premium prices for their wines,  they are practically ensured of continuing success.

In the end, I could not buy all the wines I wanted.  There are limits to my time, energy, and budget. I ended up being too tired to scurry around for the perfect affordable champagne: that needle in the haystack that I have occasionally found before.

Though the major champagne houses produce wonderful champagnes, I prefer the smaller  independent ones from families.  Some can be jewels in the rough and sell less than the big name producers.

So, it was at the Saveurs gourmet food and wine show, that I ran across two families that pleased my palate and pocketbook.  One, Elizabeth Crochet, along with her two daughters  calls her champagne more feminine, and at least with my palate, I agree.  Why?  Because she makes hers with 90% pinot noir, which I prefer. Traditionally, champagne is made from three grape varieties.  Pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay are used, usually in equal proportions, but the wine maker can play around to get the taste they want their house to represent.

Saveurs is a gourmet food magazine sold in several languages, including in the US. They are known for gathering the best products under one roof for a demanding clientele. They are widely popular, and Sunday, after two hours of fighting the crowds, I resolved to return  Monday, knowing it would be less of a mad house.

With my budget greatly dented by the previous wine salon, I was mostly window shopping, except for my holiday champagne. Prices are for the most part deservedly high and merited for the quality.

The only real steal was purple spotted blue belle potatoes as seen in the photo for only a euro a kilo! I always like to get a strand of the rose garlic from Lautrec, some Bordier butter, and boudin noir and pork rillettes from a wonderful charcutier from Tours, called Hardouin. Then I treat myself to some coconut sherbet from Marie Galante, a Guadalupian treat.                                                                                                                                  Italian producers are well represented too, with their mounds of cheeses, sausages,dried tomatoes and such.  It was hard to resist buying those hugs slabs of parmesan, but with prices going 36 a kilo, a piece would easily been around 40 euros.                                        A lot of the French cheeses command astropheric prices as well, selling for up to 48 euros/kilo.  Ditto for some of the best olive oils from Castellane in France and Crete.

Foie gras heaven could be found there, with so many farmer producers offering their prised lumps of creamy jewels .   Fresh succulent morilles and figs stuffed with foie gras       are really delicious, but were selling way too expensive, especially since I can make those myself.

Trudging home with my champagnes, rose garlic, blue belle potatoes , boudin and rillettes , I felt amply satisfied.  Though worn out,  I certainly found enough energy to make a lovely lemon cream tart Sunday night.

As much as I enjoyed the salon, I guess I really prefer to go to the small  shops in Paris that sell the best of what just about any country has to offer.  Paris is really the ultimate gourmet food show, day in and day out!

Taking the best products and creating beautiful meals with love is one of my everyday joys. With my candles softly glowing, it is a wonderfully sensual way to end the day for this gastronome!

2 thoughts on “The Ultimate Parisian Wine and Food Salons”

    1. Thank you dear Pam for your comment on my passionate immersions! We all have so many gifts to share, and you for one are likewise as passionate with yoga, art and nature! I would love to be back under your gentle yoga tutelage, that I have never found in any other teacher. Those who have found you are blessed with your knowledge! Hugs!

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