Eugenia Keegan

The weather has taken a turn here and winter has arrived. Although it is not cold out it is wet and windy. Really a day to sit by the fire but that is not my day. First, I don’t have a fireplace, but more importantly friends from Oregon are here today and we will be enjoying a leisurely French Friday lunch. Knowing that the afternoon will be very quiet (euphemism for nap) I thought I should get some work done early.

Hunting for mushrooms is serious fall endeavor for the southern French. Families spend weekends in the mountains gathering champignon and picnicking in the woods. And as the saying goes, “When in Rome….”.

Friends Carrie and Marcel had had a successful day hunting and gathering the week prior and as we had consumed the final catch in our pumpkin soup it was time to fill the cupboards.

We made an early start. The day could not have been more beautiful. The sky was a crystalline blue with one or two fluffy clouds. The wind was still sleeping off yesterday’s hangover. Almost two hours later we arrived at the most beautiful side of a mountain with the babbling brook and the forest floor sporting a copper and gold carpet of leaves.

It is amazing as you first look about and see just the forest and then slowly the magic presents itself.

Carrie packed a delicious lunch enjoyed after a full morning of gathering. We brought along a frying pan and olive oil for an added lunchtime treat.

We were joined on this outing by the great interns this harvest at Domaine des Enfants, Davide from Sardinia (yes, great coincidence since David and I were just there. Learned more about the treasured old vines of the island).

And Pascal from Switzerland.

The ‘shrooming bug has also bit Marcel and Carrie. As we drove the longer scenic route home we made many quick roadside stops when we spotted those little caps winking at us from the side of the road. And indeed, we were not alone in the hunt. This was a typical “look” as we drove homeward.

Final stop was at a small roadside cafe where we quenched our thirst and watched the sun slipping behind the mountains.

As one can imagine everything that I am doing now is on a steep learning curve. Certainly general winemaking practices apply particularly those about good housekeeping as sanitation is the backbone to the cellar. But otherwise the grape variety itself, the age and layout of the vineyard, the growing issues specific to southern France and the Roussillon, and the techniques employed in the winery are all new. This of course is the excitement but can also be frustrating.

So, imagine my delight when my friend Carrie Sumner told me that she was going to make a pinot noir. She and her husband Marcel have a small winery in Maury, Domaine des Enfants www.domaine-des-enfants.com. Of course they make the wines that are known from this area, grenache gris/blanc, grenache noir and carignan. But Carrie is from Oregon and has wanted a small project of her own so pinot noir was a natural. She and Marcel found the fruit in Limoux. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically which is in keeping with their philosophy of farming here in Maury.

I took the morning off to hang out and provide moral support. It was also fun in that I could share all that I had learned on the specifics of pinot noir such as no crushing, whole berries only, a three to five day cold soak, punch down protocol, etc. Of course they attacked this project in the same meticulous way that they handle their other grapes. They literally review EVERY cluster and by hand remove any unwanted berries (this is after severe triage in the vineyard). For 1/2 a day I felt completely at home. Thanks Carrie and Marcel!