France

A Visit to Cristal and Roederer Champagne in France

Wines Served at Lunch at Cristal Champagne Press House in Ay, France It was such a treat to receive an invitation to visit the Cristal Champagne Press House and Champagne Louis Roederer Maison in France this September. My friend and colleague, Xaviar Barlier, who is SVP of Marketing & Communications with Maison, Marques and Domaines, extended the invitation. So I flew to Paris for one week, inviting my friend, Lupe Leon, as companion. One of the very fascinating aspects of the trip was being seated next to Frédéric Rouzaud at lunch. He is the 7th generation family member and current [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2024-11-10T12:24:32-08:00November 10, 2024|

Albert Bichot Winery in Burgundy Focuses on Organic Farming And Reducing Bottle Weight

Château-Gris in Nuits-Saint-Georges, France - Organic Wine Estate Owned by Albert Bichot. ALBERT BICHOT When I was doing my 4 month sabbatical abroad in Burgundy, Albert-Bichot was one of the wineries I was able to visit. They have a tasting room in downtown Beaune, but also own many individual wineries throughout Burgundy. As a large producer making 6 to 7 million bottles per year, they actually produce a lot of regional Burgundy wines that are affordable for everyday. At the same time, they also craft some very exceptional Premiere and Grand Cru wines, with price tags soaring in the the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-06-15T12:24:43-07:00June 15, 2023|

Why French Millennials Don’t Drink Wine

Why French Millennials Don't Drink Wine. Photo Credit: Pexels.com When I was traveling in France for a month in 2008, I did some research on why younger French consumers were not adopting wine as much as French people did in previous generations. The results were rather surprising so I published them in an article in WineBusiness.com, with my co-researcher, Dr. Francois d'Hauteville, who was teaching at the University of Montpellier in Southern France. Recently I was contacted by a French student who is studying the same topic, because -- alas -- the issue is still current. Young people in France [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-20T12:30:01-07:00March 20, 2023|

Olivier Krug Describes How Champagne Can Be Paired with Music

Experience a Champagne and Music Pairing GETTY I first visited Krug Champagne House in Reims, France with my wine business students in 2014 (post at this link). While there, we had the most amazing tasting in the garden, as well as a tour of the cellars. Towards the end of the tasting, we were all honored and impressed with Olivier Krug came to speak with us, and reminded us that champagne is all about the enjoyment of life. Now in 2023, I had the honor of interviewing Olivier for this Forbes article, and once again I was entranced with his message. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2023-03-07T15:57:51-08:00March 7, 2023|

A Conversation with a Champagne CEO – Mathieu Roland-Billecart

Mathieu Roland-Billecart never planned to be CEO of a Champagne House. His life was in London where he worked as a financial analyst. But after 14 years of doing mergers and acquisitions for Ernst & Young and other firms, his family requested he return to Epernay, France. “I wasn’t groomed from birth to take over the family Champagne business, like other wine families,” he says. “Instead, I was encouraged to pursue my career goals. Then several years ago, I was invited to come back and work with my family. For me, it is a great honor. We are one of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-12-30T17:47:15-08:00December 30, 2021|

Five Famous Wineries to Visit in Roussillon

In May of 2019, I was fortunate enough to tour the Roussillon wine region for five days and taste more than 100 different wine brands. Though Roussillon is most famous for its Grenache grapes (see below), it is also well-known for Muscat, Syrah, Carignan, and produces at least 20 other varietals. Altogether Roussillon has over 420 wineries and 29 cooperatives. Beautiful Hillside Vineyards by the Sea in Roussillon The Four Colors of Roussillon Grenache It is worth taking a minute to describe the four different colors/flavors of Grenache in Roussillon, because this is their signature grape. These descriptions [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-22T22:22:18-08:00July 25, 2019|

The “Terroir Whisperer” at Domaine de Villaine in Bouzeron, Burgundy

(May 27, 2019) It was only a 45 minute drive from my hotel in Vougeot to the small village of Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise where I had a 10am appointment at Domaine de Villaine. I was greeted by winemaker, Pierre de Villaine, a slim man with a goatee and calm grey eyes. Even since tasting his Aligote several years ago in Beaune, I have been wanting to meet him, because he has an intriguing reputation of being a “terroir whisperer,” with strong beliefs in the benefits of organic and biodynamic farming, as well as the use of numerology to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-22T22:24:00-08:00June 1, 2019|

Cattin Winery in Alsace – Creating Captivating Cremants & Great Wine Tourism Experiences

(March 2018) On my most recent trip to Alsace, my friend Coralee took me to visit Cattin Winery. Established in 1720, the winery is now operated by the 12th generation of the family – husband and wife team Jacques and Anais Cattin. What makes Cattin distinctive is their line-up of captivating cremants, as well as their unique wine tourism experiences. Modern Tasting Room at Cattin Winery Cattin’s Modern Tasting Room in the Village of Voegtlinshoffen After a delicious lunch in Colmar at Restaurant Maison de Tetes, we drove about 20 minutes to Voegtlinshoffen - one of the many [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-22T22:38:20-08:00April 8, 2018|

Attending the Hospices de Beaune Auction and La Paulee

(November 2016) During the third week of November, Burgundy breaks into a non-stop party mood as visitors from around the world flock to the small town of Beaune to participate in a 4 day wine-tasting feast. This is all centered on the oldest wine auction in the world – the Hospices de Beaune Auction where the proceeds go to medical charities. The Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy, France I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to attend the auction as a member of the press. See article I published HERE, and was very impressed with the magnificence [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T12:37:23-08:00May 24, 2017|

3 Days in Burgundy

Originally published in the Huffington Post as A New Reason to Visit Burgundy. After several days in Paris, when you begin to long for the beauty of the French countryside, head south to Burgundy. In addition to legendary wine and gourmet food, there is a new reason to visit – the recent UNESCO classification of the ancient vineyards laid out by the monks, called “climats”. This is unique because the climats and tiny wine villages that link them are considered to be a “living cultural landscape.” Visitors can experience this by walking through the vineyards, tasting the wines, and visiting [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T12:51:05-08:00May 23, 2017|

Working Harvest in Burgundy

Originally published in the Huffington Post as How Harvest in Burgundy is Different. (Fall 2016) Even with ten years of harvest experience under my belt from stints in Napa, Australia, and my own small vineyard in Sonoma, I was still not prepared for how different harvest time is in Burgundy. While working there this past autumn, I encountered some very unique differences, with Polish pickers, pick-up truck parties, and hovering helicopters, as just a few of the unusual occurrences. WORKERS HARVESTING GRAPES IN BURGUNDY. PHOTO CREDIT: L. THACH Since I moved to Burgundy at the beginning of September, it was [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:01:18-08:00May 19, 2017|

How to go Winetasting in Burgundy – 6 Tips for Wine Tourists

Due to its long history as a top growing wine region for chardonnay and pinot noir, Burgundy is obviously a place where many tourists want to go winetasting. However, unlike many New World wine locations, such as Napa and Sonoma, it is not always possible to drop by a winery to taste wine without an appointment. There are some exceptions, with more domains opening cellar door operations in the past several years, but in general, it is necessary to do some advance planning. Wine Tasting at Chateau Mersault According to the Burgundy Wine Board (BIVB), there are 3890 [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:01:52-08:00May 1, 2017|

Hiking and Yoga in the Vineyards of Burgundy: My Favorite Trails in Vosne Romanee

(Autumn 2016) Probably one of the best things about living in the tiny village of Vosne Romanee in Burgundy was the opportunity to hike through the famous vineyards. Instead of going to the gym, as I would have in California, I took time each day to do some yoga in my small rental house (gite) and hike through the vineyards just outside my door. Sometimes, I also did yoga poses in the vineyards, and took the time to meditate in such beautiful surroundings. Roading Leading to Romanee Conti Vineyard and Hillside Trails Leaving my house, I would turn [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:02:17-08:00April 26, 2017|

Visiting the Unique Cellars of Philippe LeClerc in Gevrey-Chambertin

(Sept. 2016) Hidden off a narrow road in the tiny wine village of Gevrey-Chambertin is the entrance to a Burgundian winery called Domaine Philippe LeClerc. Located in a 13th century building with yellow limestone walls covered with flowing baskets of colorful flowers, the domain is not only the home to some very excellent pinot noir wines, but also houses a cellar crammed with antique winemaking equipment and a bizarre collection of taxidermy animals. Entrance to Philippe LeClerc Winery in Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy I visited here twice with relatives during my three months in Burgundy, and both times we were [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:04:54-08:00April 18, 2017|

Three Months in Burgundy

(Autumn 2016) The opportunity to live in France for three months was a dream come true – part of a bucket list item I’ve had for years as something I would do “someday”. However someday came much sooner than expected after a doctor told me I only had one year left to live. Five days later another doctor told me it was a misdiagnosis, but during those five days – which were some of the longest of my life – my husband and I had deep talks about how we would spend that last year together. Beautiful Vineyards of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:05:19-08:00April 9, 2017|