Brett Jones – A record of his life in wine and personal stories
A walk in the Savoie vineyards
For the last six years Vins de Savoie, this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of becoming an AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée), have organised the annual La Balade Gourmandedans les Vignes in a different wine region within Savoie. We were invited to join a group of journalists to accompany more than 2000 other participants on a very hot Sunday in July.
We walked through the vineyards of Abymes in the lee of the dramatic Mont Granier which, in 1248, split asunder killing about many people as landslides and huge rocks cascaded down the mountain, dramatically changing the geology and landscape.
The nine kilometre walk started by the pretty Lac St André, one of many small lakes caused by the disaster. We were bussed up into the heart of the vineyards so that we could walk down, for most of the way, back to the lake through the vines and small villages.
The special treat on this walk were the seven stages where we could pause and enjoy delicious food prepared by Michael Arnoult, two-star chef of the restaurant Les Morainières, accompanied by the wines of Abymes.
Here are some photos of our day in the vineyards together with my very personal video of the walk in the vines!
Collecting our glass, and spoon!Sometimes there was some shade…
First stop – snails and Abymes!Graciously served by one the many volunteersEscargot du pays, petits pois et ail des oursThere were lots of informative signs along the way
loos in the vinesExplanations too – here the geologyTime for another stopa glass of wineGirolles, noisettes, sablé croquant et bouillon beurré – with rosé d’Abymes, of course!Mont Granier is always thereThe landscape is littered with huge rocks from the 1248 landslide
An old schoolDancing girls too!Another refreshing pauseLavaret du Lac du Bourget, quinoa et sabayon d’écrevissesBeehives amongst the vinesFortunately, the grim reaper took a day off…Wink had time to posewhilst the cat-like pylons bestrode some of the vinesLe trou savoyard – sorbet et eau de vie de poire – by la distillerie ambulanteSarto – small buildings housing a wine press and cellar in the heart of the vines
And there was music…
Time for the main courseQuasi de veau, jus de Mondeuse, parfum de thym sauvageLa Pierre hachée – a huge rock that split in half when landedOn the homeward stretchVery young grapesWink tried to drive this old Renault tractor…whilst I considered a bath with Ricard…A monument to the vine?We bypassed the cheese stop as the queue was too longbut admired the views over to another Savoie region, ChigninAll too soon we were back by the lake
Crème légère miel de sapin, fraise du pays et crumble with Abymes sparklingCharm in the heart of the vines!Planet Abymes
Brett, The Wine Maestro 
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