Category: Culture

Mourning in Paris

Paris is a good place to mourn. It takes itself very seriously in a way that is sometimes tedious when you are young and full of the future, but is perfect when you are entering middle age and walking down cobblestone streets and missing someone you loved very much, particularly if that someone lived there. Paris is tonally at its most appropriate when you realize that somehow that someone, who was so intricately woven into the city — someone who, for you, was Paris — is no longer there and yet the city remains itself. The city somehow survives. But Paris absorbs your sadness like it has absorbed hundreds of years of sadness. [ . . . ] Read at NYTimes

Southwest France wins 2017 Wine Region of the Year Award

Southwest France wins 2017 Wine Region of the Year Award

Wines of Southwest France is delighted to announce it has been named 2017 Wine Region of the Year by the Wine Enthusiast Magazine. This outstanding distinction is given each year as part of the Wine Star Awards to the region that has made an exemplary contribution to the wine industry by adopting an innovative vision and committing to sustainable excellence.

Southwest France, a lush and hilly region with a temperate oceanic climate, has received global praise over the last few years for its wines of superior value and finesse, yet highly affordable and easy to pair. With its exceptional array of 120 native grape varieties and inspiring bouquet of aromas, Southwest France is fast becoming the preferred region for both sommeliers and consumers who are looking for high-quality wines that won’t break the bank.

“Southwest France is truly honored to be internationally recognized as 2017’s top wine region,” said Paul Fabre, Managing Director of the Interprofession des Vins du Sud-Ouest. “This award not only honors over 2,000 years of hard work selecting the region’s best grapes, but also acknowledges the passion of today’s winemakers who are creating crowd-pleasing wines that are versatile and approachable.” | Read More: Southwest France wins 2017 Wine Region of the Year Award

Chagall’s Romantic Love Story Leads Sotheby’s Impressionist Sale

 

There was an unmistakable disconnect at Sotheby’s auction Tuesday evening that reinforced the results at Christie’s the night before: despite a low-energy salesroom and few bidders on each lot, some people spent a lot of money on art.

Marc Chagall was the man of the night, with his “Les Amoureux” — depicting the artist in a loving embrace with his first wife, Bella Rosenfeld — which sold for $28.4 million with fees, a high for the artist, over a top estimate of $18 million. It went to a client bidding on the telephone represented by Irina Stepanova, head of Sotheby’s Moscow office [ . . . ] More at NYTimes

The world is eating more Italian cheese than ever before

 

Italy’s cheese exports hit a record high this year, driven by growing global appetite for Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Perhaps surprisingly, the biggest market for Italian cheese is a nation with its own proud tradition of cheese-mongering: France.

The French buy 23 percent of all of Italy’s cheese exports, a figure that has practically doubled in the past ten years.

Italian appetites for Camembert, Brie and other French cheeses, meanwhile, have remained almost unchanged over the same period – which means that Italy exports twice the amount of cheese that it imports from its French neighbours [ . . . ] More: The world is eating more Italian cheese than ever before