Category Archives: Outside Paris – Travel to other Cities

Fine Dining in Dijon

Posted by Weekend In Paris in Dijon, Food, France, Outside Paris - Travel to other Cities, Wine and tagged with , , , , ,
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Under a glass roof facing the garden in a simply elegant space, Chef Loïc Rapart of Les Jardins de la Cloche creates traditional French favorites that look as amazing as they taste. Since Gal Pal Lisa and I stuck to our budget and ate the breakfast included with our room at the hotel and grabbed a casual extremely cheap lunch, we felt comfortable splurging on some fine dining in Dijon.

Every component of our meal was sheer perfection. From the wait staff to the cheese sommelier, everyone we encountered was efficient, but friendly. Each delicious and gorgeous course arrived on time; we were neither rushed nor ignored. Very few restaurants seem to be able to get the timing exact. It was the type of meal where you savored each step, anticipated a fantastic next course only to have your expectations exceeded with every new plate on the table.

For those of you who are regular readers of Weekend In Paris, I bet you are wondering, “Where’s the wine? She’s in Burgundy for God’s sake.” Well, the truth of the matter is that the night before in Paris was all about the Bordeaux. Beaucoup Bordeaux, not enough de l’eau. We skipped wine and sipped Perrier in preparation for our Burgundy wine tasting tour scheduled for the next afternoon. At least that was a good decision.

I’m pleased to share with you photos from the best meal of our trip in Dijon. Les Jardins de la Cloche deserves the highest accolades. Save your pennies, skip a few meals and treat yourself!

No compensation was given for this review. All photos property of Weekend In Paris. Must obtain permission before use.

 

Hotel SOFITEL Dijon La Cloche - 14 place Darcy – 21000 Dijon
Tél : +33 (0)3 80 30 12 32 - Fax : +33 (0)3 80 30 04 15

 

 

 

 

Winter Wine Tasting… Good or Bad Idea?

Posted by Weekend In Paris in Dijon, France, Outside Paris - Travel to other Cities, Wine and tagged with , , , , , ,
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Second part in a series about Burgundy wine tasting outside Dijon.

Winter time can be the best kept secret to wine tasting. No fighting crowds or lines at popular vineyards is appealing. So is the fact that the centuries old narrow streets are free from traffic and wineries are not in a rush to shove you out the door for the next tour group.

So the photo opportunities aren’t as interesting as when there are grapes on the vines, but I think the vines are still beautiful clipped to the nubs. The promise of what is to come is apparent and you get a much better feel for how the terrain varies from vineyard to vineyard. You focus on what the French call “the terroir” - the minerals, rocks, grade of the soil and climate of the land that feeds the grapes which in turn affects the quality of the grapes. Grand Cru sections of grapes stand side by side, above or below lesser quality rows. The terroir determines which is table wine, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. The price for the rows of grapes grown in Grand Cru certified areas is staggering!

Grapevines while in bloom are the star of the show, but in winter one becomes aware of the amazing old buildings flanking the vines. These gems can be overlooked when the greenery is in full bloom. It was interesting to focus on the areas where the grapes are crushed, not grown and where they are stored until they reach the pinnacle of their rich lives – in the barrels transforming from mere grape juice to nectar of the Gods.

Dating back to the 10th Century, the Abbey shown here still remains part of the backdrop in the Burgundy region. Monks and Nuns worked the vineyards separately for multiple centuries as part of their quiet meditative lives. God bless them!

Winter wine tasting…c’est manifique!