Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the housework. Gillian and Glynis, Sean's sister, took me aside and explained in the nicest
possible way that they felt our house needed attention. It was time to clean it from top to
bottom, sort through the kids' toys and generally get the place organised.
I pictured them and my dad shaking their heads in disappointment over the corridor of
crisis. It was only two months since Chandra left and I could see they were right. I had
been flat out developing French Wine Adventures. Getting our heads above water was my
priority, not a tidy house. Perhaps it was a character flaw: I could concentrate regardless of
my surroundings.
GillianandGlyniswentthroughthetoys,cleanedeverythingandreorganisedthefurniture
into an arrangement that was welcoming and appropriate for the new exit onto the terrace.
In retribution for their words that, despite being true, were hard to swallow, I forced them
to sit through the first edition of my 'Introduction to French Wine'. The two-hour class
covered the history of wine, the main wine regions and varietals of France, the basics of
winegrowing and how to taste wine using five samples of our own wines. It was a bit rough
being my first edition and the new tasting room was too cold but I enjoyed it and resolved
to buy a heater for the room before my first 'real' guests arrived.
'
Très bien
, Madame Feely,' said Bruce, Glynis' husband.
'I learnt a lot,' said Glynis.
'It's good,' said Gillian. 'But you need to work on your presentation. I don't think you
shouldusePowerPoint: just talk freely with themap.Youknowwhat youaretalking about.
Get rid of the slides and do a little booklet, a pocket guide that you only give to people at
the end.'
'Great idea. I want to develop vineyard walks as well. We must do some family walks to
research routes.'
'I think you should focus on one thing and do it well. I don't know if you should try to
offer other things. You need to make sure the place is tidy if you are going to have guests
visiting. People want to find the French vineyard dream. It needs to look like that and not
like a place where you haven't got enough time to water the plants.' The corridor of crisis
had left a lasting impression on Gillian. 'Washing needs to be folded and put away. It needs
to look French chic even if it is shabby chic.'
I wanted to develop the whole range despite Gillian's misgivings. To me it would be hard
to beat doing a wine tour on foot.
The next day, a quiet afternoon offered the ideal opportunity for Sean and me to investig-
ate the walking route. There was a path that would connect us to the Bordeaux vineyards.
Neal offered to provide point-to-point cover, staying in constant contact via mobile phone
since we were heading off where no man had gone before. I thought it unnecessary as we
were sticking to paths marked on the IGN walking map but he insisted.
We started our walk through Elysian fields. Rolling valleys, pastures and forests gave way
to vineyards, golden in the winter sunlight. It was the perfect route to follow for a vineyard
