• Home
  • About
  • My Paris Flat
  • Purchase My Book
  • Wine Tastings
  • French Wine Tours
  • Contact

The Paris Experiment

Excerpt Eight

Le Petit Dejeuner

21 Feb
Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown – Anthony Bourdain

I arrived at the train station, feeling anxious as we were departing to Bordeaux, and my vineyard stint was about to ensue. It would have been one thing to go stay on a vineyard in Napa, California… but this was France. This was the countryside of France, not the metropolitan city of Paris. This seemed absurd. I did not speak the language, and I didn’t know a soul outside of Paris. I boarded the train and said a little prayer. Good-bye Paris… for now. I stared out the window on the train thinking about the rather gloomy discussion Eddie and I had endured the previous night. Eddie vocalized that he was feeling depressed, and this was really becoming hard on him. The distance between us. I understood, but there was nothing I could do. Short of him coming here, to Paris, I could not offer him any comfort. The sad part was, I was so busy and had been living such a full life in Paris that I doubted I would even have the time to enjoy Paris with him if he were to visit. I knew the inevitable was approaching. We would grow apart, and eventually things would end. My mind flashed back to three weeks before, to my last night with Eddie and the pain, the pain of the last hug, the thought of the last time his strong muscular arms would be wrapped around me. My eyes were beginning to swell, and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I turned my head abruptly not wanting my classmates to notice. 

“Here ya go, a whole lotta cheapness.” Pia, one of my classmates, set down a mini plastic bottle holding 6 oz. of red wine and a plastic cup. 

“Cheers!” Everyone twisted the screw caps of their plastic wine bottles. 

Apparently we were drinking our last mediocre wine on the 4-hour train ride to Bordeaux. I instantly snapped out of my racing thoughts of Eddie, and participated in the cheap wine drinking. 

Four hours later, we had arrived in Bordeaux. The weather was rainy and damp, and I was feeling relaxed and a bit sleepy from the red wine. My vineyard was called Chateau Gaillard, and it was located five miles near the town of Saint Emilion in the Bordeaux region. We all departed the train and gave hugs wishing each other luck. I met Catherine, the woman who owned the vineyard. Her and I immediately got to talking and I buckled up in the front seat of her car. Catherine spoke a little English and on the car ride over she started to explain to me that she runs not only Chateau Gaillard, but two other vineyards as well. All of her vineyards and land are located in the Saint Emilion region labeled “Grand Cru” by French appellation control standards. In France, most of Europe and the Old World of wine there is a classification system built to mark quality. Saint Emilion is a region known for having great terroir and producing wonderful wines. However, also important is the wine maker’s skill and ability to produce a great wine. Catherine had been awarded Grand Cru. 

To learn more about Grand Cru check out my latest champagne review here!

2 Comments

« Excerpt Seven
Excerpt Nine »

Comments

  1. Mom says

    February 21, 2021 at 8:21 am

    Love this! Can’t wait to read more !

    Reply
  2. Tierney says

    February 21, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    I am so eagerly awaiting with joyful anticipation your next exciting excerpt !!! Beautifully written , Krista !!
    Merci ! XO Tierney

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Charles Heidsieck Visit – Reims, France + Small Excerpt
  • Le Cordon Bleu Paris Past – Professor Ramage
  • Excerpt Fifty One
  • 48 Hours ~ Lyon, France
  • Daily Life à Paris

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Jan 11

Open
Goûter Paris Events 🥂

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Sep 14

Open
It’s PUBLISHED 📚🙌
My book. 

Available NOW! Amazon, Barnes&Noble plus many other major retailers. 
Worldwide ✨JUST released! 
You can also order it through my website link in bio ⬆️ it will take you directly to the order button (preorder!) 
Kindle Version also available 

My favorite chapter is 20… Dad don’t read Chapter 16 ⚠️❗️ 

A long journey and more than worth it.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. 🙏 
a special shout out to:
my editor @jessicanhatch 
my literary manager @zoequinton_ 
& Amy Thomas @godiloveparis your knowledge and wisdom was the icing and inspired the final touches…
Never. Give. Up. #mydream 

I wrote this manuscript sitting in cafés in Paris (well and many mornings in my apartment candles burning at 6 am) and my hope is that it transports you there no matter where you are in this 🌎 

I took great pleasure in writing this, and have attempted to make it full of entertainment (real life in Paris) and hope you will find that you want to turn the page to see what happens next … highs and lows - it’s all in there. Intensity, passionate, thrilling. 
(plus very cool graphics throughout)

Let’s pull back the curtain shall we?! 

Sequel in the works 🇫🇷📚💛

#author #writer #paris #book #published #travelmemoirs #literary #france #inspiration #writing #cinematic #vision #passion #wine #love #travel #memoir #nonfiction #bookstagram #parisfrance #parisinspo #parisscenes #francophile #writers #firstbook 
#europe #expatlife #parislifestyle

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Jul 17

Open
Bourgogne 🇫🇷 🍷

Aloxe-Corton 
I’m staring into the single vineyard producing the only Grand Cru terroir in Pinot Noir in all of Côte de Beaune

1,000 bottles a year produced only & also tasting this here 

“The plot around the castle” Le Clos du Château 

#grandcru #burgundy #bourgogne #wine #winetasting #winetours #france #frenchwine #pinotnoir #aloxecorton #vineyard #vigneron #vin #beaune #winetrips #ootd #burgundywine #summer

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

May 18

Open
Paris Perfect 🌷

#lematin #paris #parisfrance #france🇫🇷 #mornings #leweekend #piedaterre #petitdejeuner #peonies #spring #wildstrawberries #lavieenrose #chezmoi

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Apr 12

Open
A flute or a coupe 🥂🖤

Last week I had the pleasure of a quintessential impressive French meal shared with the lovely Director of Maison Belle Époque Hèléne Caluch 
The food was exquisite and the perfect pairing for a vertical tasting of Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs 2012,  Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut 2013, and Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Rosè 2012
 
The art and floral elements brought an undesirable beauty to this Maison that was captivating. Selecting my own champagne glass from the historic vintage collection of the House for “Aperitif Hour” well … 💕🥂

A huge Merci 🇫🇷

#private #exclusive #champagne #champagnelifestyle #perrierjouet #belleépoque #fizz #art #beauty #exquisite #france🇫🇷 #lifestyle #lunch #champagnetasting #champagnefrance 
#artnouveau #french #feminine #belle #inspired

the_parisian_wine_girl

View

Apr 10

Open
Champagne Week has begun 🥂

Printemps des Champagnes 

#tasting #business #importing #spring #growers #winemakers #vigneron #champagne #france #worklife #reimsfrance #meunier #wine #cheers #fizz #industry #printempsdeschampagnes #champagneweek
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Paris Flat
  • Wine Tastings
  • French Wine Tours
  • Purchase My Book

Copyright © Lilac and Fourth
Website Design | Autumn Lane Paperie