Faugères wine

If I had to choose one favourite kind of wine it would be red Faugères - so it's lucky that the Faugères appellation controlée region starts just one kilometre from where I live. The village itself is only a few kilometres away but it seems more of a mountain village, with a lot of slate and hard rock, and the schiste, the rocky terrain which makes the wine so good.

Today was the annual Fête vigneronne there, with the narrow streets full of stalls and a system which is quite common here - you buy a wine glass for 3 euros and then use it to tour the producers' stalls tasting as you go. A good way to spend Sunday morning, followed by a very good lunch with another glass of the local wine.

There were some new discoveries on the other stalls too, including saffron syrup which can be mixed with white wine to make saffron kir. A new aperitif for our summer!

I was distracted from the stalls at ground level by the views along the streets - balconies, of course, umbrellas, flags and bunting, and these slate beams coming out of the wall and casting wonderful shadows.