Who does not risk, he does not drink olive
When they say "South France", Usually imagination rests on the Cote d’Azur. Of course, each of the towns of French Riviera, who is not enough at least 300 days a year, is well known to those who have never been there: Nice is the secret capital of the region, Cannes – the city of all sorts of festivals and architectural monuments, the center of the secular life of Saint- The trail, the most ancient city of the coast of Antibes – Ancient Roman antipolis, which today has become the most "young" – Here is the world center of yacht sports.
But there is also the South Atlantic Biarritz with his beautiful history, and fragrant Provence, and the difficult landscapes of Gascona, where the mountain ridges are cut by rivers and covered with the ocean wind. In the south of the small country of France so thickly a variety of national, natural and exotic miracles, that it is not for the very hardworking French patriot. The main thing from miracles is definitely local wine. Hospitable Southerners, who are familiar to the invasions of tourists, they say this: I praise your land with words – it’s empty, go on it – and everyone will see himself. Especially if you drink wine.
Gascon always Gascon
Sometimes there is a feeling that in the south of France all year round – a holiday of winemaking. It costs somewhere to finish the winery season, how to pick it up in another region. Valorous Gasons generally embarks on the cleaning of their grape wealth for the New Year.
Decorating proud Gasconian heads with famous black berets, turning down dense blue aprons, residents of the Zhers Department in the south-west of France goes to a nationwide labor watch in honor of the first day of cleaning.
– We, Gasconsev, everything is not like people, – with undisguised pride says the largest wine authority of Zersh Andre Dubosk. He is headed "Tabels of the trunk" – Cooperative farm uniting Gasconian winemakers.
The late collection of berries Duboskon explains the fact that the wine of them is performed completely special: golden, thick, high content of natural sugar. His name is Pashrenk – comes from the Gasconian expression meaning "Lose-tied to high jelias".
Local vineyards really look unusual: high – up to two meters – rows of vines. Pashrenk is cleaned three times: first at the end of October, then in mid-November and, finally, if the weather is allowed, – at the end of December. The task is to bring berries to maximum ripeness. Therefore, cleaning occurs at the time when the vineyards are already losing golden leaves and make themselves knowing the night frosts. Berries are sure to be removed manually to not disturb the fragile skin.
Any weather failures – rain, snowball, hoarfrost – can break cleaning. Sakharist clouds are wet away, and to clean the berries, swelling from the water, means put the cross on the quality of wine. Have to do a pause in a few days before the bunches are dried. Andre Dubosk believes that such a risky winemaking adds adrenaline not only in blood, but also in wine. It acquires a particularly male, persistent character and therefore, probably, women like that. What kind of gasconet does not like risk? Who does not risk – the one, as they say, does not drink a pashren.
Cleaning the grapes here always turns into a holiday, open for everyone – including low-disgraced passage tourists. By noon, in the place of Saint-Mons, the people clearly hung in the morning. On the grille of the mangals in a flow of beef ham, which is then put on thick slices of bread. All this is abundantly powered by local wine from huge six-liter bottles.
An hour after a sort of impressive warm-up is given a common team on "Eskubasso" – Traditional grape collectors dinner. Despite the very difficult feeling in the stomach, no one deserts. There is an impression that the same Pashrenka, for whom everyone gathered, – only a reason to once again demonstrate, how abundant and grateful Gasconian land. Patty of duck and goose liver, minced meat, duck in the most incredible kinds, wine ten varieties. Even the most slender ladies cannot refuse air sweet puff cake.
As for the pashren itself, he is still early to the table, – he will fall into glasses no earlier than 2008: it will have to go to new oak barrels for a year and a half, and then a year to sleep in bottles before giving away to thirsty.
Pastis for all times
Anise aperitif French, especially southerners, consider an excellent tool from the midday heat. A little strong passis, a couple of ice pieces and water – the most popular prescription of a French aperitif in hot summer days.
Pastisa is a reliable tagged friend, although he will remind someone to the taste of the famous cough tincture. "Ricar, Sil Wu Ple!" – Daily by these words not one hundred thousand French people start their dinner in a cafe and bistro. Popular aperitif Ricar, made on the basis of the anise vodka common in the Mediterranean, is not a smaller symbol of France than the Eiffel Tower or Edith Piaf.
Now few people remember that the French had to lead a long and difficult struggle for pastis. At the beginning of the last century, anise vodka fell under a ruthless rink of occurrence on absinthe – a popular greenish alcoholic drink, which caused a serious violation of the functions of the nervous system. Pastis was banned – so, just in case. Southerners – People are unknown, and Pastis was still produced and sold from under the floors. Grandfather recipes were collected in the alcoholic underground for crumbs, therefore, the removal of the ban on the anise trade in 1932 was met in fuluggrance. True, then I had to go through another period of persecution of Pastis – with Nazi mode. Alcoholic factories renewed on the production of fuel for invaders. However, freedom-loving French twisted the ban: first, Pastis was still made, and secondly, part of gasoline went to partisans. Today, each Frenchman, including infants, accounts for at least three liters of anise vodka of different species annually.
Life in pink light
In the south of France, Pastisa has only one competitor – Pink Wine. The higher the summer sun over the horizon, the more tormented by the residents of Provence dizzying thirst for chilled pink wine. If Pastis is a drink rather for a thoughtful conversation with himself, then the Solon Bottle of Provensky, Côte du-Ron with an apricot tide or delicate shades of pink petals requires an indispensable company and good mood.
Meanwhile, outside of France, few people are able to appreciate the taste and refreshing quality of pink wine. It is undeservedly accused of causeing a headache, which is something like a stepper in the wine gamma, finally, that pink wine is simply unworthy of both a true professional and a genuine amateur. Many even believe that rose wine is prepared by vulgar mixing of white and red – and this, of course, is completely wrong.
Pink wine, which is produced mainly on the southern Vineyards of France – in Provence, Côte du-Ron, at Corsica, as well as in the Loire Valley, is preparing for very sophisticated technology. Winemakers need to accurately catch the moment when the insisting of a worried juice on the skin of red grapes must be stopped so that the wine does not work too dark. Of course, among pink wines, you can find a lot of those who do not deserve high marks, but among the white and red wines there are also unsuccessful. And the headache occurs not from the color of wine, but from the amount of drunk.
Good Pink Wine – Artwork. It absorbs the sun’s rays is prepared from pure ripe berries, it is distinguished by a pronounced fruit aroma, livestock, tenderness, freshness. The feeling such as if you had a fresh fruit, – Light tingling in the mouth. Pink Wine should be drinking young, for it is in his junior support – charm and charm. So when buying a rose wine, do not seek to look like an expert preferring.
Cooling to 11-13 degrees Tavel made of low-level Rhines, Bandel or Palatte from Provence, made from different grape varieties, have undoubted common quality – they are not only abolished thirst, but also give clarity of the heads heated by sunlight.
However, the dispute is better – the Pastis or Pink Wine – akin to the famous dispute of stupid and pointers. Especially since the choice is not exhausted by: in the summer aperitif generally turns into a national sport in France. Each region is ready to offer its own original recipe. The famous Cyrus from Burgundy, who is preparing from a sweet currant tincture and white aligot. Pinot from charenits – a weathered mixture of grape juice and brandy. Similar to him Gasconian Flock, using instead of Cognac Armagnac. Alpine Suman – Tincture. Not to mention apple sidire from Normandy or about champagne from naturally champags. All these drinks are fucked by chilled, which is especially nice for a tough clerk or excited vacationing experiences of the resort train. The main thing in aperitif, according to the French, is a glass in hand, nuts on a saucer and friends around.
