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By Joan Hardy
Jim and I recently embarked on our second barge trip, a two week long adventure organised by Trevor and Maggie Joyce and the marvelous team at Mariner Boating, which commenced and ended in the beautiful city of Paris. Our team of ten was met at the lovely Hotel Castille in Paris by our personal guide Veronique. The following morning we boarded our bus for the region of Burgundy. We stopped en-route for the first of many additions to the package – this one in the form of a delicious lunch in the kitchen of the Chateau of Marguerite de Bourgogne, after which we were back on the bus and headed for St Leger sur Dheune to board our home for the next week, a “penichette” or canal barge.
After receiving instructions on boat management we set off to travel in convoy along the Canal de Centre negotiating four locks on our first day before tying up for the evening at Chagny with new skills under our belts. Here we dined at a three star Michelin rated restaurant Lameloise. The meal included bacon crème brulee, fresh pea sorbet, Fois Gras with gingerbread, lamb encrusted in salt accompanied by superb wines from Savigny and Santenay – simply sublime!!
The next few days were spent barging peacefully along the Canal de Centre past fields of sunflowers and wheat and occasionally a herd of Charolais beef cattle or contented dairy cows quietly grazing in the long grass. A bicycle path ran beside the canal for anyone who wanted a little extra exercise. Each morning croissants and bread were delivered fresh to the “penichettes” although we could easily have cycled or strolled into the villages. Any extra breads were tossed overboard to the waiting swans and ducks. As the team got to know each other we migrated to each others boats for drinks and occasionally dinner or just a social exchange. One lasting memory is of Jim and Brian Openshaw relaxing on deck around midnight. They were no doubt telling a few tall stories with cognac in one hand and a cigar in the other, no streetlights, no noise – just pure unadulterated stillness. In the course of the week on board we were entertained by a thunder storm, we had rain and sunshine while the last couple of days were absolutely beautiful, a typical European summer.
Our overnight stays were at the delightful towns of Fragnes, Chalon sur Saone, Tournos and Loisy. During the days Veronique, our tour guide for the entire event, escorted us to wine tastings, historical excursions including cathedrals and castles, some of which dated back to the 9th Century and are not normally open to tourists.
We were even delivered to one of our wine tastings by horse drawn carriage. The wine tastings were interesting and covered a broad spectrum of locally produced wines. Most interesting for us was our introduction to “Cremant” – a sparkling wine particular to the Burgundy area. The varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the same as in the Champagne district. The limestone soil gives the local product a slightly creamier mouth feel.
We drank quite a lot of it.Our program included a cooking class in Marie-Euginie’s beautifully restored farmhouse where our boys assisted in the kitchen and where we all enjoyed the product of their labour in the garden, followed by a game of Boulles. Very French!Over the week we negotiated 19 locks on the Canal de Centre and later the River Saone. One lock had a 10 metre drop. Our best cruising was the last day with perfect weather and only 2 locks. By now we were experts and very relaxed as we passed beside lush green fields with trees and branches reflecting in the water.We disembarked on Saturday morning and were met by our driver Thierry who was there to greet us and take us to one of the classic Grand Cru regions, Poilly Montrachet, for a wine tasting and lunch. Amazing.After lunch we proceeded to Beaune where we arrived around 4.00pm at the Hotel Cep. This hotel is a meticulously restored old property and was formerly several grand 16th century family homes, which have been purchased and integrated to form this unique boutique hotel, centrally located in the charming and historical city, which we spent the remainder of the afternoon The city is famous for the Hotel-Dieu Hospice de Beaune and the wine which is still produced here. The next day was an absolute trip highlight as we were guided through the establishment before enjoying a wine tasting in the historic cellars. The area has so many places of interest you could spend the entire summer exploring but next day we managed to fit in a visit to a berry farm and a few hours in Dijon where we were surprised to learn that the famous mustard seeds are now imported from Canada! Is nothing sacred? The final day we had a brief stop at the famous Romanee-Conti Vineyard and visited Clos de Vougeot castle which was originally established by monks in the 12th century. Jim was most impressed with the restoration of the ancient timber wine presses here.Then on to our last stop for the day in Gevrey Chambertin where we were warmly welcomed by Marie and Pierre at their cellar. Pierre, a fifth generation Burgundian winemaker, gave an excellent presentation and explanation of the four classifications of Burgundy. Some of the wines from the “Grand Cru” fetch an astronomical $2000.00 per bottle. And Marie wowed us with her tastings to accompany the wines. Pierre is also involved in wine making in Australia and he met Marie in Australia on one of his annual pilgrimages for our Pinot Noir vintage. Our last evening was spent at Hostellerie de Levernois, (one star rated and five star enjoyment), situated in the grounds of a grand mansion on the outskirts of Beaune. What a way to finish – it was absolutely gorgeous!! All in all a memorable trip and thanks go to our travelling companions, guides and organisers Mariner Boating Holidays.
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