Wine tasting… with a count.

Ever been to a wine tasting led by a Count? A French Count at that? Well, now’s your chance 😉 The French Embassy hosts a monthly series of wine tasting with the French American Cultural Foundation at La Maison Française. It’s actually part of a series of events called “Le Studio – defining French Savoir-Faire.”  I haven’t written about any of their prior events, but this one feels pretty special to me. Count Eric de Saint Victor, the winemaker who will lead the tasting this Friday, is visiting from Bandol, in Provence, where he owns the Château de Pibarnon vineyard. Bandol is where my grandmother lived for some 30 years before moving to Paris to be closer to her daughters and to three of her grandchildren. I spent many a happy summer at the rocky beach there (I liked it more than the sandy beach for some reason) and it’s just a town I will always remember fondly. Bandol is pretty small, but it produces some pretty big wines, especially dry rosés and earthy reds. The wines sampled on Friday will focus on the Mourvèdre grape (also known as the Red Pearl of the French Riviera):
– Château de Pibarnon Rosé 2011
– Château de Pibarnon Restanques 2009
– Château de Pibarnon Rouge 2007
– Château de Pibarnon Rouge 2005
– Château de Pibarnon Rouge 2001
– Château de Pibarnon Rouge 2008 Magnum

The vineyards have a pretty great view of the mediterranean! Photo courtesy of Avignon et provence . com

The $70 admission (yeah, it’s a little steap… but so are a lot of events at La Maison Française) includes the wines as well as a cheese and charcuterie buffet. The Embassy typically has access to some good French products and their buffets tend to be pretty good! The next wine event will be on April 11th and focus on Merlot and old Bordeux vintages. If you’re planning on attending both you can actually save $20 on a combined tickets. $20 gets you a decent bottle of wine though yeah, it’s still a little steap… but I guess that’s just the price of French savoir-faire.