There’s Always Hope! Thanksgiving Wishes (and a recipe) from Carol & Steve

 

2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year, including the recent reinstatement of Covid restrictions here in France and elsewhere in the world. And yet, in some ways these challenges have served to remind us of the things we hold most dear – community, caring, family, and friends. Taking care of each other.

And as Carol and Steve reflect in this video, amidst the vines of late autumn, there's always hope!

 

In this spirit of hope, gratitude, and celebration, we thought we’d share a Thanksgiving recipe. Although we are meat eaters (and the red wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon are spectacular with meat dishes), we have several family members and many friends who are vegetarian or vegan. For these folks we offer this delicious Thanksgiving alternative to turkey—Vegetarian or Vegan Sage Butternut Squash. 

 

 

For our friends who’ll be serving traditional Thanksgiving turkey, please enjoy this recipe for The Best Sage-Cornbread Stuffing, courtesy of Carol's grandmother, Lela Carr Eads. 

 

 

Also in the spirit of celebration, we’d like to congratulate Diane Losfelt, one of our winemakers, who was recently designated Winemaker of the Year by Guide Hachette! Diane has been the owner and winemaker at Chateau de l'Engarran for more than 30 years. Her guiding principles for creating her wines are authentic terroirs, elegance, and, above all, personality. Her wines embody strong character and high style — like the winemaker herself. 

Congratulations Diane! We look forward to continuing to share the wines of Chateau de l'Engarran with our Princess and Bear community. 

 

 

We’ll leave you with Carol’s ongoing photo journal which offers a glimpse into why we’ve fallen in love with the wine, landscape, and culture of the Languedoc-Roussillon. Enjoy!

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In the wake of the wine harvest, late fall continues to ignite the countryside and vineyards in shades of fiery orange, majestic gold, and deep crimson. 

Here we catch the sunset…

 

...even as the moon rises.

 

Autumn comes to a Languedoc vineyard in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Unlike the monoculture of large commercial operations, this vineyard is surrounded the native scrubland and herbal plants of the wild garrigue.

 

Named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, the village of Minerve was a Cathar stronghold as they were under seige from the Pope's army.