Reading Time: 3 minutes

L’École Française de Melbourne is holding an online auction which is perfect if you want to buy French for Christmas, support artisans and local shops and schools.

Melbourne is very proud of its schools, partnerships and its culturally rich heritage and community. The EFM’s purpose is to create, promote and develop accessible French bi-lingual educational programs.

 

In this unusual year, it has not had the opportunity to fundraise and bring the parent school community together as they normally would, so have curated a French themed Christmas online auction to finish 2020!

 

The aim is to raise funds to provide additional resources to support the programs in EFM partner schools, promote French based commerce and organizations in the community and assist with your holiday shopping!

The auction is already open and will close on Friday 4 December!

 

They have a wonderful line up of more than 40 lots including beauty vouchers, experiences, wellbeing offers, gastronomy, fashion but also educational with books and lessons etc. offered with kindness by the francophone and local Melbourne community

 

Businesses who have offered their products and vouchers for the auction include: Franck Provost, Avenue Advanced Skin Care, Trees Adventures, France at Home, Cacao, Bellite, Pot de Moutarde, Dominique Portet, Frenchilicious and many more so sign up now!

 

 

To take part in this auction and participate in the fundraising benefitting the community and the programmes of CJC and Kinders at l’École Française de Melbourne, register now on https://app.galabid.com/efm and place your bids

You can also send an SMS with efm followed by your full name to 0458 678 678
Eg. efm John Smith

 

Please share the details with family and friends. The auction closes on December 4th.

 

L’École Française de Melbourne thanks you in advance for your support.

 

—

WHAT: Online auction and fundraising benefitting communities and the CJC and Kinders programs at l’École Française de Melbourne

WHEN: Now through until Friday 4 December 2020

WHERE: Access the online auction and place your bids at https://app.galabid.com/efm

 

—

Speaking of Christmas, you may also like to read our article about French advent calendars

Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s Carménère Day. A wine you’ve most likely never heard of. Plus, you will be hard pressed to find French wines of this varietal in Australia. Find out about the grape, why it was thought to be extinct and some Australian winemakers making Carménère.

Why Carménère was thought to be extinct 

In fact, the grape was thought to be extinct after France’s phylloxera outbreak in 1867. It wasn’t until DNA testing on grapes in Chile found that what they were under the impression was merlot was in fact Carménère imported from France before the phylloxera outbreak that they discovered the grape had not become extinct at all!

 

New Zealand was in a similar situation to Chile, where it was growing what it thought to be Cabernet Franc but it turned out to be Carménère.

 

That said, even though plantings were taken from Chile and replanted in France there is very little if the grape to be found in France. Chile has the world’s most significant plantings with 21800 acres in comparison to France’s 70 acres. 

 

What does Carménère look like?

As you may have guessed from its mistaken identity in Chile and New Zealand, the grape is similar in appearance to Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

What does Carménère taste like?

Fine wines of this varietal are said to have dense, ripe, and powerful flavours of plums, berries, and cocoa notes, along with a creamy mid-palate and fine-grained tannins. 

 

When the grapes are ripe, the varietal brings spicy, red fruit, herbal and smoky qualities to a wine.

 

According to Oz Clarke’s Encyclopedia of Grapes when Merlot grapes are picked when Carménère is fully ripe, they will be overripe and impart a “jammy” character. If the grapes are picked earlier when only the Merlot grapes have reached ripeness, the Carménère will have an aggressive green pepper flavour.

 

Other names for Carménère?

The name of the grape depends on where you find it.

In Médoc it is also known as: Grande Vidure, carméneyre, carmenelle, cabernelle, bouton blanc. In Graves it is carbouet, and carbonet.

 

Where is Carménère grown today?

The grape with its origins in Medoc in Bordeaux is still grown in Bordeaux but in far smaller amounts than before it was thought to be extinct. 

 

Notable regions for the wine are: Chile, Italy, California, North Carolina, Washington. 

 

Australia has small plantings of the varietal in Geelong, King Valley, Murray Darling, Clare Valley, Western Plains and Adelaide Hills. 

 

What are some Australian Carménère wines?

While it’s proven impossible to find any French wine of this varietal in Australia, there are a bunch of Australian winemakers who make Carménère. 

 

Alejandro Riverland

Born and Raised Heathcote

Chateau Mildura Murray Darling

Dell’uva Wines Barossa Valley

Humis Heathcote 

Preston Peak Granite Belt

Red Earth Estate Western Plains

Santolin Yarra Valley

St Ignatius Vineyard Pyrenees

Ten Miles East Adelaide Hills

 

Balancing Rock Wines from Wyberba in Queensland’s cool climate Granite Belt is growing the varietal but has not yet made a wine from it – keep them in mind.

 

Brown Brothers in Heathcote produced its 2015 ‘Cellar Door Release’ Carménère, which was its second release of the varietal.  

Have you heard of or tried Carménère before?

If you like French wine you may like to check out our other articles about French wine varietals:

Drink Merlot today because it’s International Merlot Day!

Happy International Carignan Day

International Grenache Day 2020: how to celebrate today

It’s International Cabernet Sauvignon Day today!

Today is International Pinot Noir Day!

It’s International Rosé Day today!

Which chardonnays to drink for International Chardonnay Day 2020!