Thursday, April 9, Tounon &Tain l'Hermitage, Viviers

We sailed overnight and awoke in Tournon, Provance.  That is something I love about river cruising and Viking’s tag line was spot on today; “Spend less time getting there and more time being there.” We awoke to see relatively large or medium sized town.  While we had breakfast the buses arrived to take us quickly through the town to the opposite side of the river, Tain l’Hermitage.  We are deep into wine country and that is the main ‘industry’ here.  That and chocolate!  We were to experience both this morning.

The very small, narrow town backs onto the Cote de Rhone.  Cote means ‘slope.’  The signs high on the hills designate the vineyard growing there.  A tiny, South West mission style church crowned one of the slopes.  The town gets its name because an explorer / soldier retired there in bad graces with the King.  He became a hermit.  Soon he discovered that the climate was perfect for viniculture and he was making wine for his own use.  Occasionally he would gift some to someone, he even sent it to the Court to try to regain status, but that never happened.  Once you insult a Louie you cannot recover! 

Before long others came to spend their last days on the sunny hillside, they all grew wine and some even became hermits.  The Rhone Valley was once the bottom of the river and the alluvial soil is perfect for grapes.  The sun ripens them to a unique sweetness and the season is the correct length for successful wine making.  We learned at our second stop, the D M Winery, that because it is the main money maker for this part of the valley that there are many rules and even laws about the production and selling of wine. 

At D M they do not press the wine until after it has begun to ferment in the large stainless steel tanks.  After ten days of picking, they put in the tanks grapes, peels, seeds, stems and maybe an insect or two from their organically grown crop.  There are only certain varieties of grapes that can be used to make wine in any reason in France, at least.  D M makes one white and two reds.  Because the climate and vines are the same, it is only the vintner, who creates the blend of new and old wines, which determines the taste and quality of any wine.  Here also, the laws determine the date that you can begin to sell your wine.  On their approximately 40 acres, D M produces only about 80,000 bottles a year and sells only to commercial accounts. 

We sampled all three varieties and the white wasn’t bad to me but I did not care for the reds.  They did not make a Shiraz which was originated in the wineries of this tiny village.  I did really like the orange pound cake that Kathleen served as a palate cleanser.  Jake was not home on Thursday so we did not meet him.  But if ever you are in a restaurant with D M on the menu, try it, as I am no judge of wine.

At our first stop we had tried chocolate at Valhrona, a chocolatier begun in 1947. The chocolate tasting was really good.  Those who enjoy the sweet were delighted as every counter top and table had bowl after bowl filled with full sized samples.  I row of dispensers allowed a handful of named chocolate varieties.  Everything from deep, dark, bitter chocolate through bitter sweet to milk, to white to a caramelized white called Dulce.  It had happened quite by accident.  The person who first left the white to cook too long was fired but they tried to sell it anyway.  When it turned out that it tasted good and was so popular, they were rehired.

Our third and last stop was back from the winery and into town.  It was a museum run by the daughter of a painter.  The art was interesting and seemed like a blend of Monet and Van Gogh because of the softness and the colors.  Lots of yellow.  Most were of landscapes and especially of boats and harbors.  The building itself sat at the riverside and was an old stone structure with narrow winding stone staircase that overlook a tiny walled garden set with climbing vines and blue chairs.   At the top of the stairs, hung against the stark rough wall, was a large square scarf that was painted by Picasso.  Just hanging there.

At lunch we set sail for an afternoon of scenic cruising.  We ate on the terrace again and enjoyed the locks.  They put up the sun shades to keep the water from pouring down on us as we went through after the gate was raised.  Thirty eight of us came all together from the Pride in Paris.  We have sort of clung together because of our common experience.  But we have met so many new people and because we are all interested the sights and the history we can easily fall into conversations about a wide variety of topics.  Most of the passengers are American but there are some Canadians and Aussies as well.

We listened to the talk about the Viking big ships and then went to the cabin to get a little organized.  I wrote for awhile and Ruth, I think, napped.  Dinner, was as always, delicious.  I asked Adam to make it a little faster than usual so that I could join the Romantic Evening Stroll through the ancient village of Viviers.  Most did not go as it was dark and flashlight was the main means to see the rough cobbled streets.  The sides of the narrow lanes were river rock laid flat whereas the centers were composed of river rocks standing on their narrow sides.   This was done so that in the past the horses and oxen had a better footholds while the cart wagons had a ‘smoother’ ride.   Either space was rough walking! 

The sand colored buildings were pinkish in the evening light.  Streets were named for what business was held there.   A butcher’s lane, baker’s passageway, and drover’s alley were especially interesting as the doorways and windows were clearly intended for just that.   It was a taxing climb to the heights above the river below.  So well worth it.  Beneath us the lights of the larger city across the Rhone gleamed in yellow light.  Our boat was easily distinguished on this side.  The light reflected off the ripples of the water.  But the best thing of all was the constellations that sparkled in the black velvet sky above! 

Back at the ship we were served a light snack of Quiche Lorraine. Oddly it was not served with forks!  When I returned to the cabin I made my way around in the pitch dark as Ruth was soundly asleep.  I knew light would disturb her.  So it took me awhile but I got to be and used the little reading light for about an hour.  I don’t really have a good book with me other than my D K Eyewitness Guides but chose wine from the ship library about murder in wine country.