The Great Grape Failure

Let me tell you about the "interesting" experience enjoyed by our advance party, Don and Mary-Lou from North Maleny, now merrily ensconced in Le Petit Maine.  They arrived on a Friday several weeks ago to meet our exchange partners, Kerry and Brian. 

Now, you will of course recall I did mention Jerome’s grape harvest in my first postcard and the winter plonk (opps, fine local vintage) we were so looking forward to.

Well, come early Saturday, Mary-Lou and Don were hauled out of bed, into old clothes and joined the local work gang to harvest Jerome’s grapes. Unfortunately, the weather was atrocious, cold and rainy. BUT Jerome had once already (in that French rural way) postponed the great day. So, the harvest must go on, today! Monsieur le Vigneron supervises the work gang cutting and carrying and so the grapes come in, the crush is done and the wine making process lovingly begun.  

However, most distressing news has just come in!

Kerry, who is now in Don and ML’s home here in Maleny, tells us that the vintage is kaput. Now I’m thinking that she is referring to the 2012 vintage, yes sir, the 2013 vintage is only five weeks old, for goodness sake!

“Non monsieur! Non…c’est le vintage 2013!” 

Apparently this usually OK local wine is ready to sample just weeks into its life, but this time the word is “Yuk”. That extra week’s delay was just a week too long. The grapes were past their best, wet and going mouldy I’m told. 

I’m distraught…no local plonk for the long year ahead and no bar within 6 km! 

"Take heart! Don’t worry," says Kerry, "the local supermarche carries some fine wines and one does not have to pay anything over 3 euros."  Vive la France!!!

PS: Don and ML, as hard working harvesters, were very happy guests at the post harvest “fete” on the Saturday afternoon; lots of local village people,  fun, food and wine. But the pics were rubbish, can’t publish them.

Last year's harvest...nice grapes,eh ..and this is Kerry our exchangee

Cheers…next postcard when we too get to the beautiful Charente. We depart this Sunday....getting nervy!

Going native in the Charente, France

Well, we are shortly to go native in the Charente in France.

Kerry and Brian, then total strangers but fellow members of a house exchange website, popped an email invitation to us about 12 months ago. Would we care for a long term exchange in the Dordonge/Charente part of France?...the sales spiel was very alluring and attractive...and it was the best (and only) offer on offer. After very careful consideration and thought lasting all of 5 minutes we shot back an email "Oui, oui,oui".

So now we have (what we fervently hope will be) a grand 11 month home exchange coming up very shortly, in fact commencing in just four weeks.

The ideal we had in mind, of course, was a cute/stone/old/weather-beaten but comfortable French home, just a short friendly stroll through the village to a charming bar and cafe, aka "Allo,Allo". We would become regulars for the apres-midi aperos then stroll home to a slow cooked boeuf bourguignon taken with a good red in front of the open fire. Oh la la!

Time for a reality check! Our new "mini-chateau" is actually in the hamlet (four/five houses) of Le Petit Maine which is just a little way from the very petit village of Juignac, which itself is 6k from the nearest bar and cafe!!! which itself is 120k from Bordeaux. Sacre Bleu!!!

So you can see that we are taking up residence in the sticks. "C'est la vie". 

A view of Le Petit Maine...our home for 2014

We do get the old lovely farmhouse. Val does a very passable boeuf bourguignon and there is a cosy fire place. As for the bar/cafe, we are reliably informed that there is a ready supply of the good red stuff in Jerome's barn. And Jerome's farm is right next door to our new home, in fact just 10 paces across the driveway. Kerry does insist that it's a quite quaffable drop...and at the right price.

"What's the price?" I hear you ask, thinking of the cost of living in rural France. The price is helping to bring in the grape harvest and (Val) dishing up the after-harvest village feast.....well someone has to do it. But more of that in another postcard.

We also get excellent introductions to the village people, courtesy of Kerry's and Brian's good standing in the area. From one of Kerry's emails "Both Jerome & Yvon (his / our mate, a chap about your age) mentioned if it would be nice if they took you under their wings & took you to the festivals we go to". What more can you ask,eh.

For now, it's back to the French lessons.

Cheers to all
Bryan and Val

PS Feedback, questions and conversation most welcome.

The "vindange" 2012...that's Brian in the blue shirt