Day 19 – Savigny-les-Beaunes

The weather forecast for Beaune was not good.  Rain in the afternoon with the temperatures dropping to 3 degrees.  When we woke the sun was shining but it was very cold outside.  It meant putting on many layers of clothing.

Whilst getting my breakfast, I had managed break the breakfast bowl and in the process cut myself rather badly on the tip of my finger.  We put a plaster on it but it kept bleeding, so a  trip to the chemist later was required to get  proper bandages  to staunch it.  

Each year during the first weekend of May there is a Fetes du Vins in the village.  There are about thirteen wineries who open their doors and you get to taste their wines.

We went to it last time we stayed here (three years ago), so as we were passing through at the same time of year, it seemed a shame not to experience the event again.

We went along at about midday expecting a crowd to be there but I think the cold weather had kept them away. For 4€ we each got a glass and for a further 2€ a holder. The only additional cost was food.  They had escargots for sale and I could not resist them.   I had half a dozen of the delights done in parsley, garlic and butter – delicious!

We visited a number of wineries and got to taste some superb chardonnay and premier cru Pinot Noir.  These wines are a third to a quarter of the price of equivalent wines that are made three kilometres up the road towards Dijon, sometimes a tenth of the price.  It meant that by the time we had been to three or four wineries, we were laden down with several bottles.  Somehow, I have to get them back in my case without breaking them this time.

Just as we were about to go back to our apartment, the heavens opened and we had to trudge back to our car in the heavy and very cold rain.  The temperature in the car said it was 5 degrees, but by the time we got back to the apartment, the temperature was down to 3 degrees and the rain was almost sleet.  We had intended to go out for dinner, but it was so miserable we decided my cooking would suffice.  Unfortunately, it meant a return to the hypermarché to get some easy to cook food.