A great Easter weekend - pt 2: Sunday and Monday

The bridge at Chinon

Lots of people in Chinon on Sunday. In part because of the Easter holidays, but there was also the monthly brocante, which is set-up along the river bank on the Château side of the river. This weekend was also the beginning of the portes-ouvertes - the open-house events that are increasingly part of the spring/summer season, when wine producers open up their domaines to the public, offering tastings their wines but quite often, different regional produce as well.

Dolls at Chinon brocante

We went into Chinon first thing, to have a look round the  market. Had a cup of coffee. Bumped into some friends and just enjoyed walked around for a short time. The things people sell and the things people want to buy is quite fascinating. Gorgeous day again. Not too hot and at  around 11am, not too crowded. By the time we left it was heaving. Drove through Chinon, over the bridge and then headed left towards La Rivière, where we were going to Domaine François Médard, for a porte-ouverte. There isn't a website, so no direct links available.

Always great fun at the Médard's. A marquee is erected at the back with little tables and chairs under cover. There's a wine list on each table and you simply sit down and order the wines you like to taste. The family and their friends make sure everything runs smoothly. Little fouées are cooked on site to have with the tastings. You help yourself to the various fillings of rillettes, patés and cheeses. A very good cheese man was also there this year and a potter. Both seemed to be doing reasonable trade. We tried the Médard white, rosé and a couple of reds. Eventually we left with a couple of 5 litres Bibs (Bag in Box) of red and rosé. The family have been producing wine on the same site for at least 30 years. But just recently they have acquired some land over at Ligré which is just a bit further on. Obviously they are developing their range. François and his wife Corinne are lovely people, and very generous when it comes to supplying wine to other events and private views in the local community.

Easter Monday we had another porte-ouverte to go to, only this was a rather different affair. We were visiting Domaine de l'Épinay over at Pouançay for the first time. It's about a 40 minute drive away. Their porte-ouverte runs for three days - Sat, Sun and the Monday. 
We went with some neighbours and also some of their friends whose son is a traiteur and had been preparing the rather lovely lunches and dinners on site over the three days, and their daughter who has married into the Domaine family. The whole event was brilliantly managed, but felt totally relaxed. Different producers were there selling fresh asparagus, fresh oysters, breads, goats cheeses. There was also a traditional basket maker who spent a lot of time demonstrating. The domaine itself has been winning awards all over the place. They produce white, rosé and red wines, pétillant, fruit juices and one of the most delicious dessert wines we've ever tasted. 

Lunch was being served around 1pm, so in the meantime fouées were being prepared and cooked in one of the most efficient ovens we've come across. Really kept a steady temperature/heat.  What was special about all this was that the domaine has had 4 generations working it. Some of the spaces which are now used for storage or display, were originally lived in by the earlier generations. So the history of the family can be traced as much through the buildings as the vines.  A large marquee had been erected on the other side of the road and laid up for lunch. Not sure how many of us, but at a rough guess around 150. It was just delicious. Beautifully done. The four-course lunch including wines came to €20 per person. Lunch finished around 3pm.  A bus ride had been organised to drive us in and around the vines. A lovely period delivery van which could take about about 12 people at a time. The sides had been rolled up so as we could see out easily. A twenty minute round trip, which included stopping off at a ruined windmill. Once back we went to pick up the goat's cheese we'd bought just after we arrived -one of the best we've tasted anywhere - and we also picked up a case of the dessert wine. How could we resist?

After that, we drove back to Cravant with our neighbours and collapsed in a heap.
What a great experience and what a marvellous day.