The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur in France
June 1 - Pommard

These are the grounds of the Chateau de Pommard. The first shot is looking back toward the Chateau itself. The next two are of the winery area, several centuries older than the chateau. They have been making wine here for over 600 years.

The first shot is part of the private cellar of the owners. These are several dozen fungus-covered bottles of their 1962 vintage. (They clean them up before they open them!) The fungus is a good thing as it protects the wine and contributes to the aging process. The cellars themselves go on and on although the wine only stays on oak for about 18 months, it is aged in the bottles for another ten years or so before labeling. The oldest vintage still in storage now is from 1989. The caves are populated with white spiders that keep down the flies that can eat the corks.

Hey, you want fungus? I got your fungus right here! This is what a stack of bottles from 1989 looks like after ten years in the cellar. They are cleaned up nicely before labeling, however. On the right is a wine press from the 1600's. You can get some idea of the scale from the bottles sitting on the lower plate, but this thing is carved from wood and is about 12 feet high! Pretty impressive!

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