Wine-tasting event by Purefrancenow in Lyon.
By purefrancenow | November 7, 2011
Purefrancenow is organising another wine-tasting event in Lyon this November. A number of business delegates from the Lyon Congres will be enjoying a special event at the well-reputed, 5-star Cour des Loges hotel in the heart of Lyon’s ‘Old Town’.
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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Topics: Entertainment, Lyon, Wine, business, purefrancenow | 1 Comment »
Our Man from Dubai and Frederick Diart.
By purefrancenow | October 29, 2011
Dubai meets Diart!
Dale Thompson, good friend, and event management impresario in Dubai visited Frederick Diart’s remarkable studio during October.
Amazed by the scale, originality, creativity, and commitment which Diart demonstrates in his extraordinary art, Dale Thompson has now returned to Dubai on a mission in association with The Pure Art Gallery, to assess the potential for exhibition and art gallery opportunities in this vibrant metropolis in the Arabian desert.
The marvellous, and often bizarre, art creations of Frederick Diart. it is hoped will stimulate a positive reaction in Dubai’s international art world.
Frédéric Diart was born in 1966, and now has his home and studio near the Roannais in the Rhône-Alpes region.
He is a painter of extraordinary imagination, originality, and creativity.In his early years, between 1989 and 1991 he developed groups of paintings on paper, cardboard, sheets of lead or aluminium, and using industrial paints and watercolours. He also featured letters as motifs within the organized space of his canvasses.
Throughout the 1990’s he developed his style and approach, and experimented using small and medium formats and adopted vertical imaging rather than that of landscape.
He progressed after abandoning paints and industrial resins, using polyvinyl acetate, including increased application of solvents and paint strippers.
Systematic use of stencils and different alphabet sizes, and larger 2 metre- square productionsFrom the end of the 1990’s and into 2000 and the new millennium, he continues to create, using mixed pigments and abrasives. The effect is imagery of illegibility and liquidity.
He also experiments with fine unprepared fabrics and the reactions to different tensions. Incorporating organic glues (bone, sinew, skin), and for certain canvasses, cattle blood. Decay and mildew within the canvasses results in a natural organic retraction effect.
From 2003 to 2006 he also combines crumpled, undone, shapeless canvasses, which wind around a partial deposit of material. Still using solvents, colour is applied to the back of the canvas with the solvent penetrating the applied layers of the material on the canvas, bringing colour back to the surface.Frédérick Diart continues to be extremely prolific in the production of amazing artworks on a grand scale.
If you want to know more, or want to arrange a viewing of his works at first hand, let us know through our special Art section:
Or e-mail Brian Franklin direct at: info@purefrancenow.com
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Topics: Art, Design and Photography, Le Roannais, Pure Art Gallery, purefrancenow | No Comments »
Le Cuvage Story: A Dream Home in the Roannais by Brian Franklin
By purefrancenow | October 21, 2011
The last chapter about ‘Le Cuvage’, but certainly not the end of the story!
At last! The work is over, the spending has slowed down, and the results of all our efforts can be clearly seen and appreciated.
In some respects, there is an element of anti-climax about it all.
As we neared the final stages of completing the ‘Cuvage’ renovation we, of course, could see all the elements of both interior and exterior renovation and conversion becoming a reality, and all our design and previous project control decisions working together as a whole.
Le Cuvage had eventually become a sum greater than its parts.
It was wonderful to walk up to the building and enter its doors to reveal the magnificent interior, and be pretty pleased with all our efforts.
It was a delight to spend our first holiday break within its four walls – to test out the showers for the first time, to christen the kitchen, to wake up with the newness all around us, and the sound of the Roannais countryside surrounding us.
Our first family occupation took place at Easter 2006, after myself and my good friend, Dale, had moved all furniture and houshold items into Le Cuvage during a very wintry and snowy February, a month or so before.
We had, typically, done a ‘white van’ trip from England, and had also ‘stripped’ our previous holiday home (‘The Stables’) located in the original chateau grounds, and only a minutes walk away from our new residence.
We had prepared our interior furnishings pretty well, and would of course add to these over time. To be fair, we needed to ‘live’ in the place for a while to get a good ‘feel’ of how everything worked, and how the layout suited us.
Generally, it was all that we we wanted from our French ‘Dream House’, and more!
Yes, of course, there are always improvements and changes that one realises could be made – a wall here, access here, electric points repositioned, additional or less lighting, extra storage, But generally, we were very happy with the two dwellings we had created out of this huge wine-making barn.
Having previously owned a holiday home in the same enclave for 12 years, we were, of course, very familiar with our surroundings, and the region.
Whenever we arrived for a holiday we immediately felt ‘at home’. So, although the newness of ‘Le Cuvage’ was a little strange, and we had to get to grips with a new home living experience, we did not have to contend with the need to discover a new locality, and relate to new people, and find new friends. All this was already there!
There was no doubt that the attention to detail we had maintained, and the quality of internal and external installation and fixturing had all paid off.
We, of course, still had plenty to occupy us, and although internally it was really a matter of moving and positioning furniture to maximum effect, outside was a totally different matter.
I was keen to get into the garden, and commence the ‘tidying up’ work prior to the planting of trees and shrubbery.
Our new pool, too, and along with its surrounding area, required more attention to bring it to a decent holiday standard.
So, all-in-all, we still had more work cut out, but we were determined to enjoy it, and breathe in all that fresh French air!
Le Cuvage is definitely not a ‘holiday home’ in the normal sense of the term, and was never really intended to be such. It was designed for purpose – a ‘principal’ home ready for our eventual, and intended permanent commitment to living in France.
I hope that this ‘renovation diary’ has been of of interest to the many readers who are looking to for a property in France, whether for a holiday home or permanent residence.
Each person’s project, of course, is individual to themselves, but seeing the results and hearing of the experience of others helps to see what can be achieved, and the potential benefits that the French way of life has to offer.
I also hope that the stage-by-stage images of our project, which have been featured in each issue during the last 7 months, have demonstrated to varying extent what is possible with a renovation project like this.
In our view, France is a brilliant place to buy and develop a property, and there are still many opportunities and bargains to be had in many regions.
The French way of life is a great experience for couples, families, and, particularly children learning a new language, and discovering another culture.
‘Le Cuvage’ has been an incredible experience for us, and it is still continuing in so many different ways.
We look forward to many years of appreciating all it has to offer, both as a home, and as a place that gives us access to a beautiful part of France.
Take a look at the full series of articles featured during the last few months at www.thisfrenchlife.com
The latest article can be seen at: Looking back and lessons learnt, of “Le Cuvage Project”
Brian and Lucy’s Roannais website: www.purefrancenow.com
TOP TIPS – When buying and renovating in France
1. Spend plenty of time planning your electrics. You will rarelyl ever get it perfect (certainly before you start living and using your new place!). This includes positioning of all electrical sockets, radiators, and particularly lighting. Economy and coverage of light is a delicate balance.
2. Plan all your rooms well, and try to avoid large areas of wasted, unuseable space. Make sure you maximise on bedrooms (you always need them when friends stay!).
3. Ensure your kitchen is a good size (the most important room in the house!). A good ‘Buanderie’ (storage/utility area) and you have plenty of other storage around the house (you’ll always need it!).
4. Externally, make sure you position your terrasse/patio areas in the best place for the sun, and access from the house. Ideally, if possible, ensure there is a covered area to get away from the heat of the day, and include a convenient barbeque space for all that outside entertaining!
5. If you are having a swimming pool, try and make sure it is as private and as wind-protected as possible. Follow the French legal and security requirements for private and rental use.
Topics: Côte Roannaise, France, Le Cuvage, Le Roannais, Property, Rhone-Alpes | No Comments »
Food Glorious Food at the Roanne Table Ouverte – October 2011
By purefrancenow | October 9, 2011
‘Roanne Table Ouverte’ – 9th Festival of Gastronomy in the Roannais region, during October 2011. (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.
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.
Topics: Côte Roannaise, Entertainment, Food, Le Roannais, Restaurant, Roanne, fun | No Comments »
The Magical Château du Bourg in Perreux.
By purefrancenow | September 27, 2011
The Château du Bourg is located 3km away from Roanne, and about 80km from Lyon. Situated in a 500 acre estate it has beautiful views of the 16th century medieval village of Perreux.
Based in a region famous for its gastronomy, the Château du Bourg has a large summer house (it’s original orangery), recently renovated with heating and air-conditioning. This beautiful building, full of ancient character, is ideal for weddings, receptions, or business seminars and events. It can accommodate up to 200 guests.
This magical Château and its stunning countryside location also has a recently restored 17th century house with 3 bedrooms, and 2 suites which can accommodate up to 12 persons for self-catering or special events.
Apart from the magnificent grounds around the chateau where you can relax in the gardens or stroll through the estate, there is also a 120 acre fishing lake where you can fish for pike, carp, and black bass. It is a perfect place for a fishing holiday or just for some holiday fun. Ideal for both family and business events, too.
Close by you can enjoy golf, horse-riding, and swimming, as well as a huge variety of country and water sports, including different types of flying opportunities at Renaison airport nearby.
An absolutely perfect place for a weekend or holiday break.
Topics: Le Roannais, Perreux, Rhone-Alpes, Roanne, Sport, business, purefrancenow | No Comments »
Discover the Beaujolais near the Roannais!
By purefrancenow | September 16, 2011
The Roannais may not be the most well known wine growing area around the world, but our neighboring department certainly is.
The Beaujolais is just 30 minutes drive from Roanne, in fact pre-19th century the Roannais was part of the Beaujolais region.
Here we recently had the opportunity to visit a small, family producer of wonderful red and white wines.
Roger Dumas cultivates a mere 5 hectares of vines and follows generations of his family in growing traditionally and esthetically.
Twice, each year, for a weekend, M. Dumas opens his doors and takes immense pleasure in explaining his methods and ethics to the public.
His is a story of tradition and quality, profit being a bonus when it happens, but certainly not Roger’s priority.
A producer of integrity and humility, who cares for his land with true passion and belief in quality, never willing to sacrifice the latter.
We visited with a good friend, who had joined the group of loyal ‘harvesters’ each year, (in his younger days!) to work hard in the fields, sleep rough in the huge barn and benefit from the fabulous family hospitality each evening. A ‘rites de passage’ for many a young man, (and woman of course!)
The Beaujolais region is notoriously beautiful. Rolling green hillsides dotted with tiny villages, golden in the sunshine.
Though not distracting from this beauty, as in many regions, a change has taken place over recent years. Sadly, you can see where odd fields have been stripped of their vines and turned to more profitable crops, a mark of the decline in France’s dominance of the world wine market, as new countries and big business in particular take over.
Never an option for M. Dumas, who almost takes great delight in describing the 2 years out of the last 10, when due to bad storms in the area, his whole crop was destroyed. Not willing to compromise, and produce an inferior vintage the harvest was abandoned until the following year- c’est la vie!
Back to the visit!
The very humble barn had been opened, and decked with trellis tables.
Along side the open bottles lined up for tasting, were various local delights- huge bowls of cherries from the garden, green olives and oil from a family friend in Spain, who shares M. Dumas’s beliefs in traditional and natural production. There were walnuts and almonds, from the same Spanish farm as well as cured ham, delicious!
The red wines varied in age, each with it’s own distinct character and along with the white, rose and sparkling, offered a variety fit for any occasion.
Also a delight was the locally made goats cheese and honey that was on offer to taste. With their artisan producers, proudly talking about their products, and farms.
We came away, as one does on these occasions, feeling content and at one with the world, happy that in this corner of France, like our own Roannais region, the respect for nature and traditional ways were being upheld against the flow of technology and mass production.
Try our Purefrancenow Gourmet Week-ends with visit to a vineyard in the marvellous Cote Roannais, complete with wine-tasting, and a sumptious ‘Menu Gourmand’ at the amazing Chateau de Champlong in the Roannais.
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Topics: Wine, purefrancenow | No Comments »
Bernard Ceysson Gallery and Claude Viallat, Saint Etienne
By purefrancenow | September 11, 2011
Special 3-month exhibition of the amazing contemporary art of Claude Viallat starting this month at the Bernard Ceysson Gallery in Saint Etienne.
CLAUDE VIALLAT – PEINTURES ET OBJETS
September 29, 2011 – January 07, 2012
Claude Viallat (born 1936) is a French contemporary painter.
Born in Nîmes, he grew up in Aubais, a French village with a strong bull tradition. In 1955, he joined the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) in Montpellier, where he met André-Pierre Arnal, Vincent Bioulès, Daniel Dezeuze, Toni Grand, François Rouan, and Henriette Pous, whom he married in 1962.
After doing his military service in Algeria from 1958 to 1961, he joined the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (the National Fine Arts School) of Paris, where he met fellow students Joël Kermarrec, Pierre Buraglio, and Michel Parmentier. He discovered American art in Paris, notably the works of Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, Sam Francis, and Mark Rothko. As soon as 1963, he was attracted to abstraction. He was appointed as a teacher in the École des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts School) of Nice in 1964 and decided to create a new formal language questioning the conventions of classical painting. He then started working systematically with one shape affixed on canvas without stretchers. His first personal exhibition took place at Nice’s Galerie A in 1966. He also participated in several collective exhibitions that year.
In 1967, he was appointed as a teacher in the École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Limoges, where he met Raoul Hausmann. In 1968, in Paris, Viallat had his first personal exhibition at the gallery led by Jean Fournier – who remained his gallerist for nearly thirty years. He then participated in an exhibition that arguably originated the “Support/Surfaces” movement at the ARC, in the Modern Art Museum of Paris. His works were in most of the exhibitions of the movement from 1969 to 1971. Although he initiated this group and influenced it aesthetically through his pictorial works, he resigned on May 3, 1971 as he disagreed with the political and theoretical orientations imposed by Louis Cane and Marc Devade.
In 1972, during his first trip to the United States, he discovered Jackson Pollock’s paintings and the art of Native Americans. The same year, he participated in the “Amsterdam-Düsseldorf-Paris” exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York, and the “Douze Ans d’Art Contemporain en France” exhibition (Twelve Years of Contemporary Art in France) at the Grand Palais in Paris.
In 1973, he was appointed as an instructor at the École des Beaux-Arts (the Fine Arts School) of Luminy (located at avenue de Luminy, in Marseille), and moved to Marseille. In 1974, the first ever Viallat exhibition in a museum was organised in Saint-Étienne’s Musée d’Art et d’Industrie (Museum of Art and Industry). In 1979, Claude Viallat became director of the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) of Nîmes. He started collecting objects related to bulls. His collection was the starting point of the Musée des Cultures Taurines (Museum of Bull Tradition) of Nîmes, opened in 1986.
The Centre National d’Art et de Culture George Pompidou (the National Modern Art Museum of Paris) hosted a Viallat retrospective in 1982. He represented France at the Venice Biennial in 1988. The same year, he made the stained-glass windows of the Gothic Choir in Nevers Cathedral. In 1991, he became a teacher at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (National Fine Arts School) of Paris and participated in the Supports/Surfaces historical and retrospective exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne (Modern Art Museum) of Saint-Étienne. In 2006, he was awarded with the Fine Arts Academy’s Fondation Simone et Cino del Duca (Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation) prize for painting .
In France he is represented by Bernard Ceysson, galerie Jean Fournier in Paris since 1968, and wiki:fr:Daniel Templon (from 1998), in Montpellier galerie Hélène Trintignan. Claude Viallat is also représented internationally in Tokyo by Gallery Itsutsuji and in New-York by Leo Castelli.
(Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_viallat)
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Topics: Art, News, Pure Art Gallery, Rhone-Alpes | No Comments »
The Ancient Magic of Château Drée in Burgundy
By purefrancenow | August 13, 2011
The Roannais is conveniently situated between several different regions of France – Auvergne, Allier, Saône et Loire, Burgundy, and with very easy access to many others.
Just a pleasant countryside drive up the road for 30/40 minutes you are well into Burgundy (Bourgogne). As in all regions of France there are some amazing historical sites to visit, including many remarkable chateaux. One of these we have recently discovered on a weekend outing is Chateau Drée, just 5 minutes from La Clayette.
It is a wonderful place!
Often described, regionally, as a ‘Petite Versailles’ (a small version of the famous one near Paris)
Dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the gardens and furnishings are living examples of life during the period.
Visit the Rocaille and Louis XVI drawing rooms as well as other state apartments, shown off to advantage by a collection of 18th century furniture and objects d’art. Discover the mundane side of 18th century life by visiting the kitchen, butchery, ice-house, stables, dovecote, and even a prison.
Take a walk in the extensive and fabulous gardens – it is a pure delight!
Topics: France, News, fun, purefrancenow | No Comments »
Vulcania: Blacksmith of the Gods, near the Roannais
By purefrancenow | August 7, 2011
Under 2 hours drive from the Roannais is the amazing world of ‘Vulcania’. In the heart of the Puy de Dôme, the historical volcanic region of France.
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!
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Topics: Entertainment, Rhone-Alpes, fun, purefrancenow | No Comments »
The Roannais to the Italian city of Siena by Brian Franklin
By purefrancenow | July 29, 2011
Within a day’s steady drive away from our base in the Roannais, Rhône-Alpes you can be walking through the Piazzo de Campo in the wonderful, medieval city of Siena (spelt Sienna in English) in the heart of the Chianti region of Italy.
Stunning and beautiful with medieval and ancient history oozing out of its fascinating architectural landscape, Siena is simply a ‘dream’ of a place to visit for a few days.
The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Italy, with almost 200,000 international visitors per year.
Siena is particularly famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the historical ‘Palio’, a horse race held twice yearly.
The Palio di Siena is a traditional medieval horse race run around the Piazza del Campo twice each year, on 2 July and 16 August.
The event is attended by large crowds, and is widely televised. Seventeen Contrade (which are city neighbourhoods originally formed as battalions for the city’s defence) vie for the trophy: a painted banner, or Palio bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For each race a new Palio is commissioned by well-known artists and Palios won over many years can often be seen in the local Contrade museum. During each Palio period, the city is decked out in lamps and flags bearing the Contrade colours.
Siena’s cathedral (Duomo), begun in the 12th century, is one of the great examples of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture.
Its main façade was completed in 1380. It is unusual for a cathedral in that its axis runs north-south. This is because it was originally intended to be the largest cathedral in the world, with a north-south transept and an east-west nave, as is usual.
After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall (which still exists and may be climbed by the public via an internal staircase) the money ran out and the rest of the cathedral was abandoned.
Inside is the famous Gothic octagonal pulpit by Nicola Pisano (1266–1268) supported on lions, and the labyrinth inlaid in the flooring, traversed by penitents on their knees. Within the Sacristy are some perfectly preserved renaissance frescos by Domenico Ghirlandaio, and, beneath the Duomo, in the baptistry is the baptismal font with bas-reliefs by Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Jacopo della Quercia and other 15th century sculptors.
The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the town square, which houses the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, is another architectural treasure, and is famous for hosting the Palio horse race.
Fantastic architecture, history, culture, plus the Italian sunshine and conviviality of the locals, and a myriad of excellent restaurants serving wonderful food – what more do you want!!
Topics: Italy | No Comments »
