Author Archives: gillianallen17

Life lessons I learned from the French (part 1)

Has there always been this obsession with the French? Their style, their cuisine, how the heck they stay so thin? Of course the French have taught us many things over the course of time, probably without necessarily trying to (which makes it all the more frustrating). When adopting some of the French savoir-faire we oftenContinueContinue reading “Life lessons I learned from the French (part 1)”

A chef’s table at a private Champagne château

They say that around the world, a bottle of Moët & Chandon is opened every second.  If what they say is true, the 282-year old house has got to be one of the most popular Champagne brands in history. In addition to being the official Champagne of the Golden Globes and partnering with stars suchContinueContinue reading “A chef’s table at a private Champagne château”

Highlights from the Salon Première Coudée in Paris

Two of my favorites from November 6, 2023 I’ve written about my experience visiting a few different wine salons in Paris, but this week I had the opportunity to visit a more intimate wine tasting event with select, artisan producers thanks to the suggestion of a good friend, colleague and fellow Aggie. The salon tookContinueContinue reading “Highlights from the Salon Première Coudée in Paris”

How an underwater treasure developed into a 40-year experiment and a luxury voyage of a lifetime 

In 2010, a Nordic diver discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Finland in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The shipwreck had an incredible treasure: over 100 well-preserved bottles of champagne from the 1840s, and 47 of them were Veuve Clicquot cuvées from the time of Madame Clicquot herself. After several teams of œnologistsContinueContinue reading “How an underwater treasure developed into a 40-year experiment and a luxury voyage of a lifetime “

How to spend a day in the 11th arrondissement of Paris

Every arrondissement, or district, of Paris has its charm. In the 7th you can find the Eiffel Tower and chic shopping streets. In the 18th, the culturally historic Montmartre and its famous Moulin Rouge. And of course, the arrondissements are infamously numbered in a spiral formation, as if to purposefully confuse us. courtesy of https://snippetsofparis.com/eleventh-arrondissement-paris/ContinueContinue reading “How to spend a day in the 11th arrondissement of Paris”

What I’m Drinking – LES LUMIÈRES

How a solo trip to Marseille lead to a serendipitous wine discovery that I will never forget The South of France is a state of mind – the rolling lavender fields, the Cypress trees looming over the villages, and of course the wine. It’s a mindset, an almost mystical ideal. With an unusually rainy andContinueContinue reading “What I’m Drinking – LES LUMIÈRES”

Is Swiss wine a thing?

We all think of the Alps, the cheese, the beautiful rolling hills, the cute little villages within hiking distance of one another, the chocolate and of course the watches. What we don’t often think of is the wine. Does Switzerland make wine? Yes! And it’s quite tasty at that. Grapevines in Switzerland are recorded toContinueContinue reading “Is Swiss wine a thing?”

Let’s go wine tasting on the world’s most active volcano

It’s a widely known fact that Italy is one of the world’s oldest wine growing regions. We often think of Piemonte, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, the list goes on. However, there is a very important part of Italy that has often been overlooked, until recently, and that is Sicily. Wine is grown in many regions of Sicily,ContinueContinue reading “Let’s go wine tasting on the world’s most active volcano”

Wine in France & What I’m Drinking

One of the reasons I’ve long-dreamt of moving to France was the sheer abundance of wine. Wine is truly part of everyday life here and inherent in the culture. Many French people grow up having little tastes of wine here and there at family dinners well before they reach the legal drinking age of 18ContinueContinue reading “Wine in France & What I’m Drinking”