Post by Eric Trules

As some of you wine connoisseurs know, Vouvray is well known for its vineyards and finely fermented wines. These treasured bottles, culinary enhancements, and ribald intoxicants were once known as the mythological and Dionysian nectars of the Gods, traced back to before ancient Egyptian times, with mosaic cave-dwelling images still intact. Although I’m afraid to disappoint you, I admit that I’m far from a wine connoisseur. Indeed, the only time I seem to enjoy a glass of good white or red is while I’m overseas here in France or Italy, because whenever I drink one (or two) back in the U.S, even the fine California wines of Napa and Sonoma, I usually, and quickly, fall asleep. There are endless vineyards and vintners in the Loire Valley, but as far as I can see, none of them use the traditional “foot stomping” technique of crushing the harvested grapes. Although… Sandrine does tell me that the cave part of her house was originally built for - exactly that communal ritual.