Barging Through Burgundy
Date: 04/23/2007
Last weekend, as I explored another part of France for you, I read several reports about health in Europe. One was cheering, with findings that Irish pub staff are doing well three years after the no-smoking ban was introduced—going from 40-hour-a week exposure to cigarette fumes to less than half an hour.
As I sipped some Santenay and piled more creamy Epoisses on to my baguette, I was surprised to learn that school trousers in the U.K. are now made in adult sizes up to 42 (U.S. size 10). Seems the school kids were a little ahead of those other British researchers who, just last week, published their findings on how chocolate creates more of a buzz than kissing…
In the meantime, I’ve been straining my own waistband to research the hidden delights of Burgundy for you—I hope you’ll enjoy this week’s reports on wine tasting in France and Italy.
Santé!
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Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European
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A slow boat through Burgundy
by Leigh Fergus
Wine-tasting trips are tough in any vine-growing country when it comes to deciding who’s going to drink and who’s going to drive. Last week, I found the perfect solution: a gourmet barge cruise in the Bourgogne. Sailing down the Yonne river and the Nivernais canal, letting other people take care of directions, driving, cooking, and accommodation, must be the best way to explore some of France’s gentlest, greenest countryside—and the wines produced here.
Starting from the market town of Auxerre, just two hours’ drive southeast of Paris, I enjoyed a week of slow food and wine and effortless sightseeing. Mornings we cruised through dandelion-dotted pastures where Charolais cattle grazed, admiring the orchards in blossom, watching the swoop of the first swallows of the season, and negotiating a number of locks—more or less difficult according to the water levels, the angle of approach, the force of the current...and whether the lock-keepers were having lunch or not.
Afternoons were reserved for excursions. We survived some serious white wine tasting in the prestigious cellars of Laroche, Chablis; visited the vineyards in Irancy and inspected the terroir; and sipped local versions of champagne, or crémant, in the immense quarried caves of Monsieur Bersan’s 12th-century cellar in the village of Bailly. As conscientious students, we also worked our way through our boat’s considerable private collection of good bottles between side tours to historic châteaux, medieval villages, ancient churches, wash-houses, and other sites of interest—with the chance to walk or cycle off any excess calories alongside the barge.
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Low-flying aircraft
The cellars of Bailly weren’t always used to store wine. With a surface area of several acres, the caves provided a huge hiding place, and the Germans kept a number of their fighter planes here during their occupation of this part of France, folding the wings back so that they would fit through the main entrance. |
Unlike other tours you may find, this one was almost private: Our ship, the Belle Époque, is fitted out to welcome a maximum of 12 gourmand passengers in six en-suite cabins—but there’s nothing to stop you from hiring her for your own charter cruise and sailing slowly off into a Burgundy sunset.
Barging around in Burgundy
If you want to go back in time and live in the Belle Époque—if only for six days—contact Go Barging with European Waterways, 35 Wharf Road, Wraysbury, Staines, Middlesex TW19 5JQ, UK; tel. (U.S. toll free) 1-800-394-8630, or +44 (0) 1784-482439; e-mail: sales@gobarging.com . A fully crewed chartered cruise for a group of 10 family members or friends starts at $33,000.
Watch out for the full details of my trip in an upcoming issue of our new-look International Living magazine—subscribe now.
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Discovering the discreet charm of Hamburg
by Sven Lorenz
Despite being a city of 1.5 million, Hamburg doesn’t have a dedicated English-language guide in print. In terms of attractions, however, it’s on a par with some of its more famous counterparts in Europe.
Internationally minded
Come for a weekend and you’ll find yourself in a bustling place that, for its architecture and weather, can best be compared with London. Hamburg is the most internationally minded of German cities, due to its century-long position as a port city, where influences from all over the world meet.
A tour of the Speicherstadt (the old harbor warehouse area) is recommended—rows of historic, red-brick warehouses line a number of canals connected to the rest of the port. In the old days, tea, coffee, and spices from colonial outposts were loaded onto smaller ships that maneuvered the precious wares to the owners’ warehouses, where they were then hoisted up.
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Hamburg: raw facts Hamburg is the seventh largest city in the European Union and the largest city that is not a capital. Hamburg sits in a strategic spot where two smaller rivers flow into the much larger Elbe river, which in turns then flows into the North Sea, making Hamburg a city built on water. Its most exciting feature is its bridges: Thanks to its many canals, Hamburg’s 2,500 bridges by far out-number the combined total of bridges of Amsterdam (1,200) and Venice (400). |
While not a political capital, Hamburg is certainly a financial one. With the sole exception of London, it has more millionaires than any other European city. The local purchasing power has helped to create a diverse selection of restaurants, bars, and hotels.
You can get a grip on Hamburg’s future by strolling past the Hafencity visitor center (see "Hamburg of the future" sidebar). Or, you can simply indulge in the endless temptations that this vastly underappreciated European city has to offer.
Fresh coffee in the oldest café
For a sense of history, visit the café Die Rösterei ( Mönckebergstrasse 7, tel. +49 (0) 40- 3039-3735) in Hamburg’s main shopping street. Opened in 1676, it’s probably one of Europe’s oldest cafés. Courtesy of an old Hamburg coffee dynasty, you can taste coffees from around the world here, freshly roasted on a daily basis, and certainly as good as those in France.
A stunning interior is what sets the café in Literaturhaus apart ( Schwanenwik 38, tel. +49 (0) 40-220-1300). Nestled right next to the inner city Alster lake that gives Hamburg such a unique feel, this is where the local bourgeoisie meet on Sunday mornings for extensive brunching. Think stucco decorations, marble columns, and ceiling paintings. The café is actually located in what used to be a ballroom. Be sure to reserve your table here in advance.
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Hamburg of the future What will most likely catapult Hamburg into the media during the years to come is the ongoing revival of the old harbor area. The Hafencity project ( Am Sandtorkai 30, tel. +49 (0) 40-3690-1799) is one that few even within Germany have heard of, but it’s one of the most remarkable property projects in all of Europe. A 155-hectare area in Hamburg’s historic harbor is to be transformed into a modern, mixed area with residential property, retail space, offices, public spaces, and cultural locations. The construction project will increase the size of Hamburg’s city center by 40%. It can best be compared to London’s Docklands project. Having been started in earnest in 2001, the area will see ongoing construction until 2025. Although parts of it are actually already finished, the late 2009 opening of the waterfront opera building will certainly attract the most international attention. |
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The wines of Le Marche
by John Szabo, master sommelier
Le Marche, pronounced “lay MARkay,” is in the heart of central Italy, sandwiched between the peaks of the Apennines and the warm, shallow waters of the Adriatic coast to the east of Umbria. This is the region to explore for rustic country wines that offer full-on, no-holds-barred flavor at farmers’ market prices, without the hype and consequent price inflation of regions like Tuscany. Le Marche is one of the most active in Italy in terms of vineyard development, and what was once a bulk wine industry supplying much of northern Europe with robust southern reds is now firmly focused on bottling its own distinctive blends.
Full-bodied lusty reds
The focus is on indigenous grape varieties like the red Montepulciano, Lacrima, and Vernaccia, and whites such as Verdicchio, pecorino, and passerina. You can take a leisurely drive or cycle down Italy’s first strada del vino (wine tourist route), established in 1975, that runs through the heart of wine country in the southern part of the region, around the town of Ascoli Piceno. Here you’ll taste intense full-bodied, lusty reds with aromas ranging from crushed blackberries to more earthy elements including black pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and wood spice. These are dense and concentrated wines with firm chewy tannins that beautifully match the hearty inland meat-based fare.
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Tasting tips The easiest way to get a full handle on the wines is to stop at one of two regional wine centers. The Enoteca Regionale di Jesi, in Jesi, has a full selection of wines from central-north Marche for tasting by the glass, including the world’s best selection of Verdicchios. The Enoteca in Offida has a comprehensive selection of Rosso picenos alongside most of the other wines of Le Marche. |
Despite the outstanding quality of its red wine, it was a white wine that originally put Le Marche on the map—I suspect more for marketing savvy than any enological triumph. For many, the familiar amphora-shaped bottle of Verdicchio will bring back memories of cheap, serviceably crisp––if unexciting––white.
Today the Verdicchio variety is being given full attention as the region’s best and most planted white grape. It features in two appellations: DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, from hillside vineyards around the town of Jesi, and DOC Verdicchio di Matellica, from further inland and higher up in the foothills of the Apennines. The wines vary in style from vibrantly green-tinged, delicately floral, wild flower honey, citrus, pear, and chamomile-scented wines, that partner well with the local seafood, to more deeply golden wines with ripe melon, tropical fruit, and wet-hay aromas when the grapes are allowed to hang until slightly overripe.
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Your luxury vacation home in Paris
by Miranda Bothe
Owning a quality apartment in Paris may seem like a pipe dream—especially if you have a small budget or are unsure about the rental market and how to cover your mortgage and expenses. But, an alternative to sole ownership of vacation homes is now gaining popularity here—fractional, or shared, ownership.
This form of co-ownership brings together a small group of investors, typically four to six per property. Each investor buys a share of the property with a down payment of 50% of the share price. Unlike a time-share, the periods of use are flexible, and fractional ownership incorporates an exit strategy through which the property is ultimately sold—and the owners enjoy their share of the capital gains. As a small group of investors, owners are able to make decisions quickly about the management and ultimate sale of the property.
Defray the costs
The fractional ownership apartments coming on to the market in Paris are selected for their luxurious amenities and star location. When not in use by the owners, the properties are rented out to generate income. This income helps defray the ongoing costs of ownership: An owner who uses three weeks per year or less will most likely have no mortgage or upkeep payments, and may instead enjoy a small income for that year.
A luxury three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom apartment in the Saint Germain district was recently put on the market for this kind of ownership. In a century-old building in the sixth arrondissement, it features a master bedroom with en-suite marble bath, open kitchen (with granite countertops) and living area, two fireplaces, air conditioning, wireless Internet, and satellite television. The cost of this apartment for a sole purchaser? Over $2,000,000. The cost of a fractional share? Only $230,000 down.
No shortage of demand
The management company remains a partner to oversee the property, including renting out unused weeks for owners if they wish. It can also provide personal concierge services.
This co-ownership model makes it possible for one to maintain a foothold in an ever-popular destination, for a comparatively small cost and minimal hassle. Property prices have climbed steadily, yet Paris still lags behind other European capitals such as London, Dublin, Madrid, and Zurich. In the most coveted areas of the city, like Saint Germain des Près, there is no shortage of demand for good properties, and prices are bound to continue their rise. In addition, for many savvy investors, owning a great property in Paris has the added benefit of diversifying assets into a strong currency.
[ Editor’s note: Miranda Bothe works for Paris Property Finders and will help you find the right property in Paris (and financing, should you need it)—whether for fractional or sole ownership. You can contact her by telephone at +33 (0)1.72.77.00.39 (in France) 917-779-9950 (in the U.S.) or fill out this form.]
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