Q & A

Subject: Wedding anniversary in France.

Question: Our 5th Wedding anniversary is Oct. 21st this year. We would like to celebrate it in Paris, but we hear Oct. can be cold and rainy. Is this True?? We also are very much into wine and want to spend half the trip in Burgundy. We hear that Sept. is harvest time and not a great time to visit the wine areas. We are thinking of spending 4 days in Sept. (last 4 days)in Paris and then the first few days of Oct. in Burgundy. Can you tell me if that timing is good weather wise. I want to be able to sit outside at the sidewalk bistros. Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Answer: The weather in Paris in September or October could be anything, rainy, overcast, foggy or if you’re lucky, sunny. Remember no one goes to Paris for the weather. This last fall was very rainy in France, in Strasbourg where I live, we had two weeks of nothing but rain. That said, you should be able to sit outside and watch the Parisians walk by, but maybe not as much as you like. The rain in France tends to come and go, and not stay and rain all day. When you see the rain stop, get out there and bistro it! Late September and October are wine harvest times in France, but that should not stop you from visiting Burgundy. This last wine harvest, I went to my brother-in-law’s winery, Domaine de l'Echelette and saw how wine is made. Do the same thing., Yes some wineries will be closed to the public, but not all and the ones that are open might let you see how they make wine. The area of Burgundy that I know is centered around Tournus, my suggestions as to what to see are the following, châteaux de Cormatin, town of Cluny(had at one time the largest church in the world.), Route du Vin and Châteaux de Brancon. If you need a B & B my sister in law has one in the town of Bissy-sous-Uxelles. When you are driving to do wine tasting, look for signs with the word “Dégustation”, your being invited in to taste wine. Also look for “Caves”, they are wine stores that will have lots of different local wines with a good selection. Also there is another good winery in the town of Plottes, Domaine d’ Âne, if I remember it right. My wife and I had their wine at our wedding. Also in Plottes, there is a memorial to an American flight crew that was killed during WWII, in the forest next to Plottes.