Where would you go?
- Wine region [must have reds, so Alsace etc is out]. Preference is for natural wines, fun-experimental styles, reasonably priced. i.e. we aren't going to be buying Hermitage or Grand Cru Burgundy.
- Small town/village with a few places to eat/drink.
- AirBnBs available, we need 6 or more bedrooms.
- Stuff to do besides just wine tour: beautiful countryside, hiking, swimming, walking in cities, etc.
- Not super hard to get to from the continental US.
My now-fiance and I are planning for our wedding. Small -- 10-14 total guests. We'd like to get a cook/chef for a couple of days and the night of. No big ceremony, just a great dinner at our rented home. A week of riding bikes, drinking wine, and being with our families.
Currently investigating: Bordeaux, Southern Rhone, Jura, Porto/Doa/Duoro Valley, Puglia. Obviously, preference is for Europe as we will likely take a week to ourselves after.
View attachment 80634
I found a sauvignon blanc I really like. It is not a typical SB, though-- tart and tasty but NO grapefruit!
Went great with lobsters in Rockport this afternoon .
Not gonna lie ... I find this amusing:
View attachment 80728
Drink your wine!
I lost track -- had no idea it was that old until I actually pulled it out of the rack.Yeah, the chances of a 13yo California chard still being good are pretty tiny.
Where would you go?
- Wine region [must have reds, so Alsace etc is out]. Preference is for natural wines, fun-experimental styles, reasonably priced. i.e. we aren't going to be buying Hermitage or Grand Cru Burgundy.
- Small town/village with a few places to eat/drink.
- AirBnBs available, we need 6 or more bedrooms.
- Stuff to do besides just wine tour: beautiful countryside, hiking, swimming, walking in cities, etc.
- Not super hard to get to from the continental US.
My now-fiance and I are planning for our wedding. Small -- 10-14 total guests. We'd like to get a cook/chef for a couple of days and the night of. No big ceremony, just a great dinner at our rented home. A week of riding bikes, drinking wine, and being with our families.
Currently investigating: Bordeaux, Southern Rhone, Jura, Porto/Doa/Duoro Valley, Puglia. Obviously, preference is for Europe as we will likely take a week to ourselves after.
Loire is the place for natural wines (also very pretty). Can't point you to any specific village or producer (tbh I'm more of a Burgundy Grand Cru guy ), but most of the good ones I've had has come from the Loire Valley. Not that many good natural reds though ... more white, but they're there. Just a little more rare inme.
Chateaux Neuf de Pape something completely different ... Côtes du Rhône but very good. See if you can find 2010:s.
I really wonder ... if you find a small producer in CduP, can you find a good value, locally? I love CdP but they tend to be pricey. Generic Rhones are ok and affordable but i have never had a really taste one, let alone memorable (in contrast, I have had memorable Riojas for next to nothing).
Actually, of that area, I had really good Gigondas and Vaqueyras. The latter particular are very special for some reason. Anyways, good stuff. @jmeb