Purefrancenow was asked to organise this wine-tasting event by Meeting Protocol Worldwide for one of their international clients during a major exhibition at the Lyon Congress Centre.

The wines chosen by our award winning sommelier were also specially selected for each course of the evening dinner at the Cour des Loges.

Beautiful surroundings, elegant atmosphere, superb food, top quality wines, and good company – an absolute recipe for success for any company wanting to treat and impress their clients at any time of the year.

Visit our recent pre-editorial on this event at:  Wine Tasting Event by Purefrancenow in Lyon

Purefrancenow specialises in the organisation and arrangement of tailor-made wine and gastronomic events in Lyon and the surrounding region, including the Roannais and the Beaujolais. We will organise unique events for both private and business occasions.

Provide the brief and Purefrancenow will provide a successful solution!

We will also arrange all accommodation and transportation according to your detailed requirements, and we are here to help with creative suggestions, including themes for any event. All fully detailed and very competitively costed in a ‘Purefrancenow Proposal’ document for your assessment and agreement.

Purefrancenow has an office base in the Rhône-Alpes region, near Lyon, so we are on the spot to service any event requirement. We have both English and French-speaking personnel on the ground to assist in all arrangements and project control throughout.

We also have reliable, ‘tried and tested’ event service companies within our ‘service’ portfolio who we use for different aspects of any event, such as transportation (eg coaches and limousines, even planes and helicopters!), variety of entertainment options, design and decoration, accommodation, venues, specialist catering and menu preparation, including, of course, the best French wine sommeliers/oenologists, and more!

Wine-tasting Event by Purefrancenow in Lyon

Sélection John Euvrard

If you wish to discuss an event idea with us, and would like us to provide an initial proposal, please contact us direct:  info@purefrancenow.com

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Cour des Loges, Lyon

Purefrancenow has recruited one of the best sommeliers in France to select all the wines and perform the wine-tasting ‘degustation’ and presentation during the evening.

John Euvrard was elected Sommelier of the Year in 2007, and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, after 15 years as head Sommelier for Paul Bocuse;

John Euvrard has been a Sommelier since 1990.

He started his training at the Lycée Professionnel Jacques de Romas in Nérac, and finished at the Relais de la Poste in Magascq on the west coast of France.

Then he joined Paul Bocuse and his team in Collonges au Mont D’Or as a sommelier in 1993, and went on to become his head Sommelier in 1998.

In 2007, after a year long competition, John receives the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in the categorie of Sommelier, from the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicolas Sarkosy. During this year, John is also elected Sommelier of the Year by the magazine Le Chef.

In 2008, John launches his own wine tasting company, and organises wine tasting, training sessions and informative events.

In 2010, John launches his brand new enterprise in Lyon : John Euvrard Selection , a meeting place for individuals and professionals, to taste, select and purchase a great variety of different wines.

John’s choice selection of wines for our November Wine-Tasting Event are:

MONDEUSE DE MONTAGNIEU 07 R

ST JOSEPH COURBIS 08 R

BEAUJOLAIS LES GRIOTTES 2011 R

BEAUJOLAIS NUGUES 10 B

ALTESSE DE MONTAGNIEU 09 B

CONDRIEU A. PERRET 2010 B

POUILLY FUISSE VV 09 B

COTE ROTIE BONNEFOND 09 R

John Euvrard- Sommelier Extraordinaire!

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The gastronomic jewel of Roanne and the Roannais!

It is an opportunity and a pleasure for all the restaurants, producers, and suppliers to open their doors to the public.

To demonstrate their gastronomic talents and artistic presentation.

This highly successful festival harmonises the art of good food with the fun of theatre, music, and entertainment.  These festivities carry on throughout the month of October in the varied and various establishments in the Roannais.

A celebration of good food, wine, successful business partnerships, conviviality and friendship.

It brings the whole community together with one purpose, at least for one whole month!

If you happen to be in the Roannais region during this October, just try one or two of the local restaurants that are supporting this event, and have fun while you enjoy excellent regional cuisine!

Visit www.roannetableouverte.com or telephone for more information on 0033 (0) 477 23 20 57

The quality of gastronomy in the Roannais region is renowned for its excellence – experience it for yourselves this October, or visit the region for your holiday, or for your next business or club event.

Visit www.purefrancenow.com for more information on all aspects of Roanne, the Roannais, in the Rhône-Alpes.

A great place to visit for all the family, and the drive there is full of stunning, panoramic views of ancient volcanoes, and mountainous ridges.

Vulcania, the “European Park of Volcanism”, is a park with a Volcano theme situated in Saint-Ours-les-Roches, Auvergne, France.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former President of France, pushed for the foundation of the park while he was president of the regional council of Auvergne. The museum was inaugurated in 2002.
The main architect of the park was Austrian Hans Hollein.
“Vulcania” is the mythical smithy of the Roman gods, described in Virgil’s ‘Aeneid’

One of the attractions is the 4-D film ‘The Awakening of the Auvergne Giants’. Another attraction is the Volcanbul, which is a GPS driven robot, which gives tours of the area around Vulcania. To quote from the Vulcania website “VolcanBul Eco-friendly and innovating the VolcanBul is an electric vehicle guided by GPS.”

There are some brilliant, informative interactive displays about the geology of the earth, including the planets. The various rides are imaginative and great fun.

Absolutely well worth a visit!

Vulcania

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It retains its fin-de-siècle charm in spite of the knock its reputation took during WWII when Pétain’s puppet government was based here, and its ageing population.

Currently there is a move to attracting a younger audience by encouraging fitness enthusiasts to spend their vacations here, but as yet the spas and sulphurous springs attract an older audience of curistes who comes in droves to be dowsed in and drink the water.

This means that a refined and affluent crowd of tourists flock here in the summer, and have done so since Napoléon III first put Vichy on the map in the 19th century.

Vichy is a great place to visit for a day out with quality shops, and particularly excellent art, antique, and objet d’art boutiques and galleries. There are some excellent restaurants, too.

Victorian period ‘bourgeois’ mansions, beautiful public gardens, riverside views, and tree-lined avenues.

Go and take a look and taste the reinvigorating waters if you dare !!

Thermal Spa Vichy ‘les Célestins’

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Roanne Table Ouverte’ – 8th Festival of gastronomy in the Roannais region, during October 2010. (Literally ‘open table’ – a welcome to all the public to enjoy some of the best restaurants in the region)
The gastronomic jewel of Roanne and the Roannais!
It is an opportunity and a pleasure for all the restaurants, producers, and suppliers to open their doors to the public, and to demonstrate their gastronomic talents and artistic presentation.

This highly successful festival harmonises the art of good food with the fun of theatre, music, and entertainment.  These festivities carry on throughout the month of October in the varied and various establishments in the Roannais.
A celebration of good food, wine, successful business partnerships, conviviality and friendship.
It brings the whole community together with one purpose, at least for one whole month!

If you happen to be in the Roannais region during this October, just try one or two of the local restaurants that are supporting this event, and have fun while you enjoy excellent regional cuisine!

Visit www.roannetableouverte.com or telephone for more information on 0033 (0) 477 23 20 57

The quality of gastronomy in the Roannais region is renowned for its excellence – experience it for yourselves this October, or visit the region for your holiday, or for your next business or club event. Visit www.purefrancenow.com for more information on all aspects of Roanne, the Roannais, and the Rhône-Alpes.

Also visit: Fun and Gastronomy in the Roannais !

The Gastronomic Magic of the Roannais

www.purefrancenow.com

This September the 19th meeting of the ‘Aérien International Roanne’ was staged, and dedicated to female aviators throughout the world, from the first women to fly to the present day.

It was a magnificent day with a huge variety of  planes and displays.

The event was opened by the French display team equivalent to the Red Arrows, and  led by a woman captain.

Planes from both world wars were in the sky – American, Russian, Japanese, British.

There was also an astounding display featuring the Breitling Wingwalkers. A team of women doing ballet on top of planes speeding around the skies at all sorts of angles, including upside down !

Once again, the skies of the Côte Roannaise were clear blue, and it was an extremely hot and sunny day.

Thousands of people attended, as always – great family day out !

Also have a look at our previous blog, covering the 18th Roanne Airshow event in the Roannais region of the Rhône-Alpes – ” The Red Arrows in the Roannais”

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Especially with the yearly ‘Fun Car’ event in Perreux. ‘Petrol head’ excitement amongst the roaring engines, grating gears, diesel fumes and smoke!

All part of the spectacular day on a farm in the countryside near the medieval village of Perruex in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes. The battered and basic ‘fun’ or ‘stock’ cars, as they are called, came in all colours, shapes, and sizes. There was certainly plenty of action and drama!

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Developed over the years from the 19th century when on one particular night people commemorated the Virgin Mary by lighting candles in their windows.

The modern four-day event sees millions throng the streets to see marvellously illuminated buildings and an array of multi-media effects. Simply, awesome!

Visit the superb picture show of Lyon’s Féte des Lumiéres featured on the BBC’s dedicated website now. It’s not like being there, but the photos are amazing.

Also visit Purefrancenow’s visual coverage of last year’s event The Bright Lights of Lyon

Lyon’s Festival of Lights

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Some of the world’s top Michelin-starred chefs were invited onto the programme to test and comment on the  3 finalist’s food preparation’s at a special evening at the famous Brown’s Hotel in London.

These top chef’s included Raymond Blanc,  Anton Mosimann, and Albert Roux, and including 3 former Michelin Guide inspectors.

Steve Groves who eventually won the competition was particularly praised for his broad knowledge of cooking techniques, and excellently prepared dishes.

‘In the final the three remaining chefs faced the toughest challenge of their careers – preparing a three-course menu designed by Michel Roux Jr (legendary 2 Michelin-starred chef) for 30 of the world’s leading Michelin chefs.

Then they had one final cook-off at the Masterchef kitchen studios to decide who would be the 2009 champion.

They had to cook the best three courses of their lives for the judges – Michel Roux Jr  and Gregg Wallace.
Londoner Steve Groves was crowned the champion of BBC Two competition MasterChef: The Professionals.

The 28-year-old, originally from Essex, called his win “amazing” and vowed to “become the best chef”, with his own restaurant serving British food.

Over a week of challenges, Groves edged ahead of fellow finalists Marianne Lumb and Daniel Graham.
Competition judge Michel Roux Jr said: “Steve has all the talents required to make it to the top.”
‘Exceptional’
Fellow judge Gregg Wallace agreed, saying: “I have absolutely no doubt that Steve is going to go on and have a very glittering career and will be a serious player in the culinary world.”
He added that Groves possessed the perfect foundations to be an “exceptional chef”.
The finalists’ ultimate challenge was to create and prepare a three-course meal for the judges.
Groves’ winning menu consisted of a starter of roast quail with scotch egg, morels and asparagus, a main of venison loin with potato rosti, watercress puree and roasted beetroot.
He finished off with a dessert of millefeuille of raspberries and bitter chocolate with lavender and honey ice cream.
He said his late father – who motivated him to carry on cooking – would have thought his success was “unbelievable”.’
(courtesy of the BBC). Visit the BBC website:  Masterchef and Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair, London

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