Hirondelles taking flight...

Last night we said goodbye to two sets of neighbours here in Barrou, Norman & Margaret and Pauline & Denis who return to the UK today after their summer stay here in France.

The only 'plus' is we get the cheese they didn't finish!

A cheese that pleases - Sainte-Maure de Touraine

This weekend is the cheese fair at Sainte-Maure de Touraine

National fair of cheeses

On June, Saturday, 7th and Sunday, 8th, Sainte-Maure de Touraine

This year, the 'guest' region will be "Bourgogne - Charolais"

►Numerous exhibitors
►Tastings of local products
►Numerosous exhibitions
►Crafts under the Halle
►Fairground attractions
►Restoration on the site of the fair
►Musical groups on places and in streets
►Shows and public ball on Saturdays evenings

►Music, animations, cheerfulness!

Don't know if the cheerfulness is guaranteed!

You can check out 2012's event here

Sancerre road-trip part 4...now for some wine tasting

We woke up in Sancerre to another grey November day but were brightened by the prospect of some wine tasting. We decided not to have the over expensive breakfast in the hotel but chose instead to head up to the 'salon de the' in the square that we had spotted the night before.

Good choice!

In the cold light of day the village took on a rather different look  and you could imagine it on a busy summer's day.

We had a very educational wine tasting experience at L'Aronde Sancerroise where Madam let us know the important impact that the terroir (soil/earth) of the valleys around the village made to the different wines produced from their vines. Then we got to taste wines from the different areas - even one from an area with predominately silex - something we are very familiar with in Southern Touraine. The wine was actually called 'Silex' - we had to buy some.

We did a little more exploring of the village but were too late in the season to take advantage of the views village's highest point - the top of 'La Tour des Fiefs'

This is the road leading down to the tourist office and some great views down on to the Loire river..

After another tasting in the village we headed of to a favourite producer of Mike and Liz -'Henri Bourgeois' in the nearby village of Chavignol  - which is also famous for its goat's cheese.

They have a modern tasting room where you are looked after by a very charming hostess...

who has lots of wine to offer you.

Interestingly the company also have a vineyard in New Zealand which Mike and Liz sought out on a recent visit - though it did prove a little difficult to find.

There's that terroir again

Then it was of to the fromagerie to buy some of their  famous 'Crottins'...

 We were spoilt for choice!

A walk around Saint-Maure cheese fair...

As well as visiting Abilly's 'Jam Festival' on Sunday the 3rd we also headed up to Saint-Maure to their celebration of all things cheese,too much excitement for one day I hear you say. We only knew this was on after having met Nick & Jean who said they had been the previous year and recommended it. They were heading for the gardens at the place she asked you to name here. We did comment on why all these events were on on the same day - would it not be better to spread them out so as to get better visitor numbers? Anyway...

I'm glad we travelled north - if only to see the udder view of their giant goat!

There was of course loads of cheese but many other stalls...

 ... like this colourful spice stall.

We caught the band here in rather an indecisive mode..."If we are going to play an OMD song it has to be 'Enola Gay' "

There was an impressive array of wicker work on display near the church...

...with some innovative use of the ancient material - well new to us anyway.

We had 'lunch' here from one of the many eating options - there must have been at least twenty! - spread out around the fair. We also stopped for a coffee in the square which was bedecked in canvas for the day.

The display of 'crafts' was in the 'Salles des Fetes' - this coach party had just arrived from the past...

...perhaps on one of these!

 

Here is a photograph of the area's famous goat's cheese - which was really what the fair is celebrating - but it's actually from a very good American site on cheeses, that tells you how to make it - I actually don't remember seeing that much of it on display as we wandered around - or perhaps it was a case of 'cheese blindness'!! Had a touch of 'Jam blindness' at Abilly.

This still certainly had the freshest examples.

What our visit, which was enjoyable, did for us was to convince us to come back - we had come here to look at the older part of the town, when we were originally looking at the area with a view to finding our first house but because of its unattractive and now slightly bizarre (see tomorrow's post) main street, had forgotten it does have more to it than first meets the eye. Friday is market day here so we will probably return to try it one day soon.