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Enjoy thePfirst chapter of my historical novel In Pursuit of Abraham and send me your comments. The decision Georges takes in the 2nd chapter will change his life. He will go to the Middle East where he will encounter espionnage, danger, betrayal and love.

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French Champagne, All you want to know. French Champagne is the most famous wine in France, and the most imitated. Champagne gets its name from the Champagne region of France where it is produced. Champagne existed before Don Perignon to whom its invention is attributed in the 16th century. At that time, it was believed that its sparkle was a defect. Don Perignon decided to keep its sparkling quality and enhance it further. This method is called Methode Champenoise. Champagne is made with black Pinot grapes (75% Pinot, 25% Chardonnay.) The Pinot grapevines cover the largest part of the vineyards of Champagne. Only Champagne called Blanc de Blancs is made from white grapes. Chardonnay grows, in Champagne, exclusively on the ‘Cote de Blancs,’ south of Epernay. The champenoise method follows: The grapes ferment in barrels, as do other wines, for at least one year. Then they are fermented again, this time in bottles. This explains the special corks, held by metal wires. To accelera

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Wine growing and harvesting: A grapevine produces for 30 years. It takes three years for a young grapevine to begin producing and six years to reach its normal production. Pruning takes place in winter and the vines are sprayed several times a year in order to eradicate the grapevines' enemies: mildew, phylloxera, oidium and vicoses. Artificial clouds protect against frost. Winegrowing methods vary from one region to another. In Burgundy harvesting the stems begins without delay. In the Bordeaux region, however, harvesting takes place over three weeks, especially for the sweet white wines, and the grapes are harvested as soon as the grape reaches absolute maturity, and not before. The workers go from grapevine to grapevine each day picking only the fully ripe bunches to ensure the sweetness of the grapes. They are called "rotis" (roasted by the sun.) In Champagne, the grapes are carefully cut off the vine with scissors and any grape that isn't perfect is removed. The grapes are then tr

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Looking for families of World War 1 US soldiers. Found their notes on a barn's walls in France, with their names, units, etc. I believe their families would love photos of these notes, and I would love knowing that they made it safely back to America. They stayed in my great-grandparents home in Esnom-au-val, Burgundy in the last year of the war

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The History of French Wine – Part One. Please join me in the dicovery of French wines from the beginning of time (almost.) In the immense anthology of wine, I have selected this note from the French poet and diplomat, Paul Claudel: “A great wine is not the work of a man; it is the result of a constant and refined tradition. Wine is the liberator of the mind and the illuminator of intelligence.” Wine is mentioned 521 times in the Bible (of course, it is a very large book!). The oldest known winemaker is Noah. After the deluge it is said that his first act was to plant a grapevine, and then he drank some wine and got inebriated . . . (he probably had his fill of water.) All the people of antiquity knew wine, but the Greeks were the uncontested specialists of viticulture. They transplanted grapevines in Marseille (south of France) when they founded that town in the 6th century B.C. This is a widely accepted theory, but Mr. De Kerdeland in his book “The History of French

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History of French Cooking, Part 2, starts with the Renaissance. The Renaissance period saw a refinement of cuisine and tableware introduced by Catherine de Medicis and her Florentine cooks. That is how creams and zabagliones appeared, as well as spinach. Contrary to popular belief (no doubt brought about by the story of a "chicken in every pot", Henry IV was not a gourmet, but a voracious eater. Under his reign appeared the classic French sauces: Bearnaise, Mornay and Florentines, due to the influence of Catherine de Medicis and her Florentine chefs.The 17th century saw the blossoming of the court of the King Sun (Louis XIV); it is then that gastronomy, as we know it today, took its roots. It must be said, however, that, like his grandfather Henry IV, Louis XIV was more a gluton than a gourmet. It is in the 17th century that Don Perignom invented champagne. Ice cream, as we know it, appeared on tables. It is then than cooking began to be considered an art in France and that th

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The History of French cooking will take you back to B.C, when France was called Gaule. The first of several articles. This one takes you up to the Middle Ages.

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I am looking for Families of World War I Soldiers. My family in France recently wrote to tell me that they have made an exciting discovery while renovating the old family homestead. They discovered some graffiti left on the walls by American G.I.s almost one hundreds ago. Can you help me locate their families?