I like to serve dishes, French or fusion, that our World Visitors can discover and appreciate. Travelers from Japan love sea food but I knew enough not to feed them shrimp tempura. I treated them to a Liz’s bouillabaisse. Here is the receipe: As for all my ingredients, the fish need to be very fresh! [...]

Saint Vincent Celebration in Carcassonne “We do good with very good,” was the motto of Prosper Montagne, master French chef and culinary writer, recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of French cuisine. Club Prosper Montagne is unique. It brings together all areas of Food and Drink: butchers, bakers, chefs, chocolatiers,  farmers, restaurateurs, caterers, [...]

Yesterday, we harvested the Chasan for our first ever white wine! We harvested by machine starting around 4 AM so that we could bring the grapes in extra cold. We also used dry ice in the harvester and intake trailer to keep the grapes cool on the short journey to the winery. Intake was very [...]

This is part of my guide to ViniSud 2012 For lists of winemakers at Vinisud that I know very well, try 7 wines that tell a story or 8 Outsiders at Vinisud. There has been a big response to the Vinisud guide so far but I can imagine that people would like a list that isn’t [...]

This is part of my guide to ViniSud 2012 Like all the great music and art festivals, Vinisud draws a lot of talent to the area where it’s held (Montpellier).  So every day, after the fair ends, the party is just beginning for other people. The French refer to afterhours parties and tastings as “OFF’ events. [...]

This is part of my guide to ViniSud 2012 The 2012 edition of Vinisud includes a space devoted to the web called Pavilion 2.0 I’ll be spending a lot of time there.  Additionally, I’ll be doing a presentation with some of my buddies from the Outsiders on Monday afternoon at 16h and on Tuesday morning at [...]

Every two years, I meet lots and lots of people at ViniSud who are there for their first time.  If you’re not a part of the trade specialized in Mediterranean wines, it can be an overwhelming experience.  Even professionals who are native to this region organize their salon far ahead of time and have meetings [...]

This is part of my guide to ViniSud 2012. Vinisud is a massive wine trade fair in Montpellier.  It’s easy to get lost in the sea of mediterranean winemakers, so I’ve compiled a list of southern French wines that I think are genuinely interesting. If you ever feel overwhelmed, just take a deep breath, pick [...]

This post is part of my guide to ViniSud 2012.  It is specifically about my vineyard’s activities at Vinisud. If you’re looking for a list of all the winemakers at Vinisud, consult the official list on the vinisud website. If you’re in Montpellier on February 20-22, there are many ways to interact with O’Vineyards while [...]

The land and vines that we refer to as O’Vineyards have been around for a very long time and they’ve had many names and many farmers. I’m always picking up little bits about the vineyard’s history, and a friend just loaned a book to me that might help shed some light on the vineyard’s origins. [...]