September 20, 2024 | le vin, c'est la vie!

Le Vin, C'est La Vie!
~ join our backpacking trip through France ~

With a winemaking tradition that encapsulates a period of roughly 2,600 years (many thanks to the ancient Greeks), France is steeped in a rich history of wine production that is filled with great tragedy and even greater triumph. Despite the devastation of phylloxera, the French Revolution, and two world wars, French winemaking has endured, with the country now bottling 7-8 million bottles of wine each year. Cheers to that!

Today, we’re backpacking all over the country in this tasting featuring all organic - and even some biodynamic - delights spanning a dizzying display of terroir and micro-climates. From Alsace, all the way north and just bordering Germany, we have the silver-tongued sylvaner from Domaine Étienne Simonis, an estate dating all the way back to the 17th century. Pivoting south, we arrive in the Languedoc, with a grenache blend from La Grange du Nord, a cheeky light-bodied wine bursting with red fruit and zesty tang. Finally, settling west, we find ourselves in the famed Bordeaux, sipping on Château Ampélia’s 2018 Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux, a wine that proves to us that striking a balance between power and poise is indeed a worthwhile pursuit.

As Louis Pasteur reminds us, “a bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.” Study up, folks, it’s back-to-school season after all.

Domaine Étienne Simonis Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes Alsace AOC 2022

La Grange du Nord 'Cercle' Vin de France 2021

Château Ampélia Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux AOC 2018