Lot and Quercy Life Autumn is upon us here in the Quercy. The vendage is over, the walnuts have been harvested and serious cracking is underway. In the markets elderly ladies, whose lack of formal dentistry means they can no longer cope with their produce, sit on canvas camp stools with bags of laboriously shelled walnuts before them. The larger producers sell them whole, either by the kilo or by the sack load. Of course anyone with half an eye to the main chance - me included - will send a child out with a bag and the lure of a gooey slice of Tarte aux Noix. I have a large bowl in my kitchen that currently contains six kilos of the beloved nut. It's even more fun than chestnuting. Back in the vineyards the vines have turned golden and crimson with a surprising touch of lime green. They look like never-ending lines of Indian dancing girls, silks a swirl in the late sunshine. A heady aroma of fermenting grapes hangs in the air giving promise of the vintage to come. The work's done for the year, it's time to relax and celebrate, time for the Quercy's answer to a harvest festival, a fete des vendages. The French never need much of an excuse for a good village fete and tasting the new wines seems like as good a reason as any. So, throughout late October and November that's exactly what they do. You may have thought Beaujolais nouveau was the be all and end all of new French wine, but you'd be wrong, it's merely the best advertised. Go to the little places, the villages and towns in lesser-known areas and you'll be surprised and delighted. I love the atmosphere of November, it's beginning to turn just a little chilly, roaring log fires will soon be with us and the bois de chauffage men rattle up and down the country lanes with precarious loads of logs on their ancient trailers. Time to dig out one or two of the older vintages. Roast a few chestnuts, crack a few walnuts and slip something delicious into the wood fired oven. Bon appetit! A bientot.. Amanda and Colin Lawrence mailto:editor@frenchentree-lotandquercy.com http://www.frenchentree-lotandquercy.com Tel: +33(0)565 31 39 57 WHAT'S NEW ON FRENCHENTREE-LOTANDQUERCY? Sheep Farming in the Lot Well this was quite a summer, our elder son left us to go to university in England, our flock has, at long last, started to produce lambs and our magical holiday home is for sale ... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-living/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=9538 Roti de Porc avec Pommes et Noix This is my own autumn version of a French classic. After the children of the Quercy have returned from their weekend walnuting expeditions this is a delicious way to use them... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-restaurants- shops/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=9549 Cahors Red Wine - Powerful and elegant The vineyards of Cahors have twenty centuries of history behind them: the Renaissance poet Clement Marot, Pope John XXII, Francois I and Henry IV have all been its ambassadors... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-cahors- wine/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=9548 Cookery Courses In France with Jim Fisher. Gemma Driver, creator and editor of the FrenchEntrée Gastrozone pays a visit to Jim Fisher (Masterchef finalist and former Rick Stein chef) to participate in one of his popular cookery courses... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-restaurants- shops/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=9578 The Region and The Wine! This month we have launched two new sections of the site: The Region - a collection of introductory articles to give those unfamiliar with the Lot and Quercy region a brief degustation of what can be found here... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-news/ Cahors Wine - One of the least known and most underrated of French wines. Older than neighbouring Bordeaux and, dare we say, not as pretentious? In older times the wine was so strong and dark it became known as the Black Wine. "The wine is like the region itself, a hidden region, a little lost, the Lot. But once you've known it, you want to come back. It hides its charms but once glimpsed, you want to discover more of it. So it is a wine for a public perhaps more refined, discriminating, not an easy wine to sell, but a wine which people become very faithful to." - extract from Families of the Vine by Michael S. Sanders. http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-cahors-wine/ Properties Galore in the Lot and Quercy Looking for a dream home in the Lot and Quercy? Start your search here for properties in the Lot, Lot et Garonne and Tarn et Garonne regions of France. In addition to the new property database we have a rapidly growing number of property related advertisers who have recognised the value of promoting their business to our site visitors. http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-property-sales/ Quercy Stone Cottage for Rent Sleeping up to 4 people, this charming 200 year old stone cottage has it's own pigeonnier with a bedroom in the top. Ideal base for a walking holiday or for property seeking. Long term let available... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-holiday- accommodation/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=4214 SPONSORED LINK - Cahors Gourmet Wine Tours with Michael Sanders So close to Bordeaux, but so far in spirit...Cahors...the undiscovered French wine region. Join us for a spectacular week, a luxurious off-the-beaten path experience to learn hands-on about great wine and food, meeting the families of the vine and their terroir. Sumptuous Cahors wines, local foie gras and other specialties. An intimate week in France's last undiscovered wine region located near Bordeaux in southwest France... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy-cahors-wine-tours/ SPONSORED LINK - HomesSWFrance - Property for sale Looking for property in the South West of France? Look no further, HomesSWFrance.com offers a highly personalised service to help you find your dream home. We will guide you through every step of the process and even help you after the sale with little details like setting up bank accounts and re- registering your car ... http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy- property/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=7723 SPONSORED LINK - Quercy Gascogne Looking for that perfect property in the beautiful Quercy Blanc? A little stone holiday house perhaps, or a lovely Maison de Maitre? Perhaps a fabulous barn conversion? Agence Immobilier Quercy Gascogne (founded in 1963) are at your service. http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy- property/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=6676 If you wish to unsubscribe then please use the link below: http://www.frenchentree.com/france-lot-quercy/home.asp?status=unsubscribe