Sexual confusion in the vineyards

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This is a short video about how the grape farmers stop the rot caused by two particular butterflies.  They attach small brown plastic pods to the wires which support the vines, inside of which is the sexual hormones of the female butterflies.  The emission of the hormones confuses the male butterflies and so they can’t find the eggs to fertilise!  I thought that was so clever when it was explained to me by Isabelle Corbeaux of Champagne Pierre Deville and Veronique Lallement of Champagne Lallement, two lovely French ladies who are part of my English class here in Verzy. 

You can see what I’m talking about in this video below.

Enjoy!

Out and about in Reims

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Today was such a glorious day again, I decided to shoot some video of Reims.  The new Tramway is now operational, and transporting people around this historic city, easily and smoothly.  The cathedral looks fantastic having just been cleaned (well some of it, at least) and so I wanted to showcase the city here.  

Reims is the only place in the world to have three UNESCO World Heritage sites, the magnificent gothic cathedral, the Palais du Tau and the Basilique St. Remi.  

The cathedral was first constructed in 1097 and was used to crown the Kings of France, before they did away with all that during the French Revolution! 

It was originally a Roman town, and when they began excavations for the tramway, the work was considerably delayed due to archeologists having to be informed whenever an artefact was discovered, and there were many! 

If you’ve been to Reims in the last few years, you’ll know how disruptive the works were, but now it’s all done, I hope you’ll agree that it was worth it.  The city looks lovely now and well worth a visit.   

I hope you enjoy these videos.  Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think of Reims.

Do you have a (vino) passion?

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The first ever Vino Passion exhibition  dedicated to wine tourism is happening in Epernay on the 20th, 21st and 22nd May and it promises to be a great event. 

Unfortunately the website is only in French (big mistake in my view) but nevertheless, the town of Epernay with its wonderful new exhibition hall is rivalling Reims as the centre of wine tourism for the Champagne-Ardennes region. 

This exhibition promises food and wine matching, workshops, capsules exchange, guided tours of the vineyards and tastings with small producers, plus other exciting events, inside and outside, to entice the wine and champagne loving tourist with all that France has to offer.

Could be a rival for the Reims Wine Festival in November?  Both would be worth visiting in my view if only to experience the atmosphere and ambiance of the French indulging in their favourite pastime – eating and drinking.

Enjoy!

Springtime at the Perching Bar

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With the sun shining today, and the forest looking so gorgeous, I decided to take a stroll with Pepper up to the new Perching Bar which opened today for the 2011 season.  The birds were singing and the wind was soft, so I took a short video to show you what you can expect when you come yourself.

The Perching Bar is a concept created by Olivier Couteau, and is built high up in the trees, about 10m off the ground, literally in and around the trees, and the view from the balcony over the plains is stunning.

You can sip a glass of locally produced champagne inside the bar itself or outside on the terrace in the sunshine.  I took mine on the terrace today, as the weather was so good!

More reasons to visit Champagne

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Since returning to Champagne just over a year ago, I have been surprised at the amount of development that’s been going on in the region.  Reims is expanding, growing and bringing itself into the 21st century with style and elegance, and it’s a joy to watch. 

First the arrival of the high speed train TGV in 2007, then a new southern bypass around the city, and then lots of new businesses springing up and the opening of  IKEA.  Next is the official inauguration of the smart new tramway in the city centre on the 16th April.

It’s buzzing, thriving and upbeat.  A refreshing change from other recession-hit areas. 

Take a look at this great article in the Guardian, then come on down and see for yourself.

Enjoy!

February Friends

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Just spent the last couple of days with Jiles’ new team, Nick and Edmond.  They’re working on a new project which helps small to medium-sized champagne producers tell their stories and share their passion with the world.  More about that when the website’s ready soon. 

We did manage to take a break and stroll through the wonderful forest.  The weather is starting to brighten up now with clear, blue skies and cold nights.  Pepper doesn’t mind what the weather’s like though.  He just loves going for walks.

Learning something new

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While out walking my dog Pepper yesterday, I met one of my English students, Virginie.  She was out walking her dog, Vasco (de Gama) and we talked while the dogs sniffed each other’s behinds as dogs do, and chased around following the smells of the forest.  She is the only beginner in our English group, and sometimes struggles to keep up with the class.  I try to vary the levels each week so there is always something for everyone.  So Virginie persists and comes along every week to learn.  She said she found it hard to learn English, and I remembered my first dancing class here in the village not many months ago. 

I joined the class because I love dancing but hadn’t indulged in it for many years and so I felt a little out of place.  Everyone else seemed younger, and to know the moves, but I didn’t.  In the beginning I sometimes came home after class feeling a little despondent, thinking to myself that there was no way I could do this.  But I persisted and eventually I managed to follow the rather complicated (in my opinion only) moves.

Learning something new can be difficult at first and we are inclined to give up when we tell ourselves that we’re just not capable, or that we’re too old or too fat, or too thin, or don’t have a good enough memory, etc. etc.   We give ourselves excuses not to show up in case we think we look foolish. In reality we’re giving up on ourselves, which is a great shame. 

Just off now to rest my twisted ankle!