Philip Kerr and war-time Berlin

I have recently read the so-called Berlin Noir trilogy, in which the author, Philip Kerr, conducts his hero/anti-hero, Bernie Gunther, through and around the war years in Berlin. Kerr actually skips directly talking about the war period itself, although much reference is made to it in the third novel of the trilogy. In these three books, and in a fourth one that I also read called The One from the Other, which takes place mostly in Vienna, and follows on from the third book the Berlin trilogy, Kerr shows a main character, Bernie Gunther, who oscillates between jobs as a policeman/detective and that of a private eye. He shows, perhaps above all, considerable insight into the place and the period. I had not read anything by Philip Kerr before, and was very impressed by the sense of reality and detail that give these books so much substance, making them so instructive to anyone who is just a little it curious about this very strange part of recent European history that has been, to a large extent, swept under the carpet of past shame and infamy. And yet, as we all should know, if we are not able to understand recent history, we will be far less likely to avoid making the same mistakes as those who went before us.

These novels by Philip Kerr appear in fact almost like historical novels, with the mysteries solved (or not) taking a back seat to the reconstitution of what Berlin was like, for this kind of man anyway, immediately before the second world war, and so under the rising nazi regime, and then afterwards during the allied occupation and the struggle for power in a wasted Europe between Soviets and Americans. And, as an aside on this third novel, Kerr is totally realistic, as the English and the French occupiers are almost totally absent from the contest! 

Scottish author Philip Kerr

What is particularly interesting, and unusual, in Kerr's novels, which I suppose one would have to classify under the "crime" tag (horribly simplistic, I know), is that Bernie Gunther, his character, is a little ambiguous and cannot be given a clear-cut "good guy" role. Gunther is clearly anti-nazi however and takes constant risks by regularly making fun of the nasties and their stupidity, but he is neither a suicidal resistant nor a total hero in any sense of the word. He encounters both Heidrich and Himmler and, to some extent, compromises his thoughts by lying low (morally speaking) during these encounters. Bernie is a survivor, and tries to make the best decisions in order to survive, without totally betraying his ethos or going under to those he despises. In other words, Bernie Gunther is very human, fallible and yet endearing, partially by his weaknesses.

The sheer detail of places, political and police organisation, and the events that set the framework for these novels makes me think that Kerr might have a training as a historian. Maybe. In any case I have not learnt as much about this period of German history since reading the wonderful  and utterly revealing "Diary of a German" by Sebastien Haffner, which was published postumously.


The three novels have been republished in a single volume:
Berlin Noir" "Bernie Gunther" trilogy, republished 1993 by Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-023170-0.


In order of appearance, and in their time sequence, their titles are:
March Violets. London: Viking, 1989. ISBN 0-670-82431-3

The Pale Criminal. London: Viking, 1990. ISBN 0-670-82433-X

A German Requiem. London: Viking, 1991. ISBN 0-670-83516-1

Read on.....

In praise of older Champagnes

I have always thought that the advice occasionally offered to wine lovers (usually, it has to be said, by Champagne salesmen, and even more usually by salesmen of poor quality Champagne) to drink Champagne when it is young and "fresh" is a load of bollocks. First of all the wines of Champagne, coming from a very cool climate, have so much natural acidity that a few years (and, by few, I mean about ten or more) cellaring will do them a power of good, that is if they are good wines to begin with. And there lies quite a big "if" of course. In fact Champagnes should be regarded just as any wine. If it is good and well-built to start with, it should age gracefully if properly stored.

I was once again reminded, forcefully and most pleasurably, of this today when sharing with a few friends my last (help!) magnum of Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve 1995. This wine showed such heady and refined aromas, such depth of flavour, such plenitude of textures, such burnished and tapering acidity, that it simply enchated us all in the amazingly hot late October sun as we sat and contemplated the colours of rising autumn around us. Champagne, at least when it is as good as this, just has to be one of the world's marvels.

I must go out and get some more of this kind of stuff.... and then try to be patient for ten years or so.

Château l'Hospitalet, Grand Vin 2002, La Clape, Languedoc

It has been quite a while since I posted on the subject of a specific wine, so I dare not call it "wine of the week" or any other title like that. Times have been busy (wine is my work), and then there seem to have been so many other topics that have urged me to attend to them in some little way.

I also have the great good fortune to taste quite a few really good wines, and yet seemingly not always the time to mention them. But then something comes along that takes you by surprise, going far beyond your expectations. Yesterday evening, to welcome a guest, I walked into my cellar with no special intention, and my eyes lit upon a Languedoc wine that I had been keeping for a few years. Time to try it, I thought. 

Back in the house I pulled the cork and what I smelled and tasted just made my senses light up, instantly, ringing all kinds of bells that sounded notes of incredibly perfumed fruit, slightly sweetened, softened and yet somehow, magically, intensified and refined by close on ten years ageing, most of it in my cellar. It also gave equal and instant pleasure to the people with whom I shared it, who are not wine professionals. Hence I do not think that I can be accused of being in any way elistist in my taste.

Château l'Hospitalet, Grand Vin 2002, La Clape (Languedoc, France)

producer : Gérard Bertrand

As a first comment on the label designations of this bottle, I should say that the term "Grand Vin", often to be seen on bottles of French wines, translates loosely as "Great Wine". It has no legal or other significance, and can be placed by the producer on truly great wines or on very ordinary plonk. But in this particular case, I would say that the expression is justified.

Gérard Bertrand is a well-known and enterprising producer who specialises in wines from the Languedoc region of Southern France, from which he hails. He also used to be a very good rugby player. Those who read enough of my blog to follow some of my various centres of interest should realise that this could well be enough to endear him to me. But beware: I am capable of separating things enough to make my impressions of this wine quite free from bias, although I did not taste it blind. It simply tasted very good, and clearly showed that some wines from the Languedoc can age very gracefully, becoming more refined yet retaining the quintessential fruit flavours that make them so attractive in their youth. And yet it had clearly moved on from the infant stage, gaining in complexity, patina and softness. It lingered beautifully on the palate too. You simply wanted another glass of it!

This is not the first excellent top-of-the-range wine that I have tried from Bertrand, but I was curious as to the blend so I tried to glean some information from the producer's web site. Unhappily this is so badly designed that it was impossible to find any particular wine on the site's so-called search box. I should also add that the English translation is quite appallingly bad!

I have visited the estate of l'Hospitalet, just south of the town of Narbonne on the rocky limestone outcrop called La Clape, which used to be an island during Roman times and which overlooks the Mediterranean (see above photograph). The estate also harbours a hotel and a restaurant, several shops, including a wine shop for the producer's wares, and once a year holds a good jazz festival. In other words, here is a modern, go-ahead producer who has understood that tourism and wine go hand-in-hand and who is making the most of his assets.The company should pay a little more attention to their web site however!

Since he took it over, Bertrand's enterprise has been very successful, moving from a single estate in the Corbières region, inherited from his father, to a current vineyard holding of 325 hectares (some 800 acres), divided between 5 estates in different Languedoc appellations. The company also sells wines that they trade from other parts of the region. They have been pioneers in many respects, and I have rarely (never?) had a poor wine from them, each wine showing good to very good value at its specifc price point.

I dearly wish there were more producers in France of this scale and with this quality emphasis. Some wine snobs (and I am sadly tempted to include some journalist colleagues in this group) seem to curiously despise success and think along the sectarian lines of "only small is beautiful". If they had shared this bottle with me last night, they would definitely be rethinking this particularly silly piece of dogma.

AC Cobra: one of the few cars I would like to own

427 AC Shelby Cobra

A few weeks ago I was in the Loire valley for the 2011 edition of a fun event, whose edition of last year actually incited me to start this blog about a year ago. I will say some more about it, and especially the place that generated this event, the magical Café de la Promenade in the small town of Bourgueil, quite soon.


The car above drove up to the Café de la Promenade during a Sunday afternoon early in October, when I came back there for a break between wine tastings. When I heard it and saw it, an improbable desire came back to me.
This is the first time in this blog (in over a year) that I have talked about a four-wheeled vehicle. It will probably happen again, but the first time is always a bit special (usually, at any rate).

Yes, I would love to drive, and maybe own (at least for a while), an AC Cobra. This car has always seemed to me to be a kind of essence of the minimalistic sports car, rather like a Lotus but with that extra grunt that can only come from a big engine.

Here are a couple of extracts from the Wikipedia entry on the Shelby Cobra:

"The AC Cobra, also known colloquially as the Shelby Cobra in North America, is an Anglo-American sports car that was produced during the 1960s."
"The Cobra was perhaps too successful as a performance car and reputedly contributed to the implementation of national speed limits in the United Kingdom. An AC Cobra Coupe was calculated to have done 186 mph (299 km/h) on the M1 motorway in 1964, driven by Jack Sears and Peter Bolton during shakedown tests prior to that year's Le Mans 24h race."

"AC Cobras had an extensive racing career. Carroll Shelby (the US partner) wanted it to be a "Corvette-Beater" and at nearly 500 lb (227 kg) less than the Chevrolet Corvette, the lightweight car did just that. It was February 2, 1963 at Riverside International Raceway that driver Dave MacDonald beat an impressive field of Corvettes, Jaguars, Porsches, and Maseratis to give the Cobra its first-ever victory. Later, Shelby offered a drag package, known as the Dragonsnake, which won several NHRA National events with Bruce Larson or Ed Hedrick at the wheel of CSX2093.""Although successful in racing, the AC Cobra was a financial failure, which led Ford and Carroll Shelby to discontinue importing cars from England in 1967. AC Cars kept producing the coil spring AC Roadster with narrow fenders, a small block Ford 289 and called the car the AC 289. It was built and sold in Europe until late 1969. AC also produced the AC 428 until 1973. The AC Frua was built on a stretched Cobra 427 MK III coil spring chassis using a very angular handsome steel body designed and built by Pietro Frua. With the demise of the 428 and succeeding 3000ME, AC shut their doors in 1984 and sold the AC name to a Scottish company. The company's tooling, and eventually the right to use the name, were licensed by Autokraft, a Cobra parts reseller and replica car manufacturer owned by Brian A. Angliss."

 

So much for its technical and racing history, albeit greatly abbreviated. I suppose that the thing that turns me on with this car is that is is so close to a bike in spirit, except for the fact that it has 4 wheels under its body.

Enjoy the ride....

New Zealand scrape to the title that they were promised

Nobody would have bet much on France winning this Rugby World Cup final. In fact they were very lucky to get that far in the competition (the odds for this final game were 7-1 against them). But their performance in today's decisive game (8-7 for New Zealand, in what was by far the lowest scoring final of all seven Rugby World cups so far) was quite remarkable, and I say that despite not being a French supporter.

France fought every part of the game and every inch of the field in what was a sterling battle that showed all the qualities of combat, sacrifice and solidaridity that fill the often over-emphatic prose of rugby coaches and sports writers.

The All Blacks won, but only just. They could have won by a higher margin has they not lost their goal-kicker and playmaster, Dan Carter. But then that is the law of this kind of team game: the issue cannot just depend on just one player. New Zealand were out and out favourites for this contest, playing at home and, it has to be said, with a refereree who was, to put it mildly, often quite lenient with them in some criticial phases of the game. Yet nobody can possibly contest their victory. They have totally merited becoming the current world champions, not only on account of their overall perfomances during this competition, but indeed over the sum of their games in the past ten or more years in international games of all kinds

The All Blacks just had to win at home, but my goodness they had to fight hard to make the final slot and take the little gold cup. All credit to the French team for their performance and for making this a fantastic game of rugby that moved me deeply. I had thought, along with many, that France would lose by 20 or 30 ponts. Not at all, and so much the better for rugby, as this game has shown, once again, that every team has its chance if it has willpower and a certain level of skills (the latter being a a given at this level). All the players on the field today can be entirely proud of their performance, and this game has probably left its mark on many, and not just on the wounded of the day. It is also very good news for rugby, even if there were not 10 "hoorah" tries in the game.

(And all shame on the pathetic New Zealand gutter press for their miserable perfomance over recent weeks! They can join their English equivalants in whatever abject hole anyone cares to dig for them).

David Hockney sees

I recently read a fascinating book that has taught me more about the way a visual artist operates and thinks than any other that I can remember in a long time. The book is called A Bigger Message, Conversations with David Hockney, and the author (who engendered and transcribed the conversations) is Martin Gayford. I strongly recommend anyone interested in painting or any form of graphic art, and not only those who enjoy the work of Hockney, to get hold of this book and read it.

The conversations between Hockney and Gayford, in their various forms, spread over a decade and concern all the periods and multiple aspects of Hockney's work and career, from his work as a student in the 1960's to his current work on landscapes in Yorkshire, via his long spell spent in Los Angeles, and including his work for theatre and opera, his graphic and photographic work and his "paintings" on contemporary Apple supports (i-phone and i-pad), Hockney has been consistently eclectic as to his media, whilst constantly sticking to his insatiable curiosity about how we (he) see(s), and then how this can be transcribed by gestures and marks into something coherent and perceptible by others. He also has investigated the work of other great artists with considerable perspicacity (you can therefore deduct from this comment that I happen to think very highly of Hockney as an artist).

Here are just a few examples of his work, all of which happen to be on the theme of pools and water, with or without swimmers, to whet (or wet) your appetite for more, hopefully. I have deliberately played about with the relative sizes of these images, compared to the originals.

A Bigger Splash, 1967

I will return to some of the many subjects touched upon in this fascinating book very shortly. In the mean time, please read on....

Happy birthday blog

I am not a great one for birthdays myself, and anyway this blog was actually started on October 6th 2010, but I forgot to do this article then as I was too busy.

In just over a year's existence, I have posted 235 articles and 150,000 pages have been visited. How much has been read, I cannot tell. Neither can I tell how many people have just taken a quick look or stayed for a longer while, or been encouraged to return and/or read other things than whatever first attracted their curiosity.

The highest number of visitors so far has been from India (thanks to cricket), followed by the USA, France and the UK. People from many other countries also regularly visit.

For all these visitors, very few leave comments and only 25 of you have become members so far. Maybe I should think about this, but then again, I am doing this blog for fun, so maybe it is not so important.

If one looks at the most popular posts, below is the hit parade, with cricket (in connection with India) clearly leading the field for the moment. After that there is a good diversity of themes involved: painting, travel, bikes, music etc. As no single article about wine appears in the top 20 most popular subjects, I have to conclude that my title for this blog, More then just wine, is a suitable one!

Sachin Tendulkar, a very great cricket player and ... 14 avr. 2011, 2 commentaires 40 275 Pages seen

2011 Cricket World Cup: a total victory for the In... 4 avr. 2011, 4 commentaires    12 406 Pages vues

Lucien Freud and painting 7 janv. 2011, 2 commentaires 5 795 Pages vues

Bordeaux the magnificent 4 déc. 2010                              3 865 Pages vues

Down the Loire to Nantes 11 janv. 2011, 7 commentaires 3 754 Pages vues

Isle of Man TT circuit with Guy Martin anybody? 6 avr. 2011, 2 commentaires     3 441 Pages vues

Why I prefer cats to dogs 12 juil. 2011, 7 commentaires   3 366 Pages vues

Taj Mahal, the singer 22 juil. 2011, 2 commentaires    2 711 Pages vues

The painting of Eric Fischl 12 févr. 2011, 8 commentaires   1 977 Pages vues

Moto Guzzi specials 16 févr. 2011, 7 commentaires 1 888 Pages

Rugby World Cup Final: who can doubt the issue?

Perhaps some of you readers are wondering why I have not published any recent articles on the Rugby World Cup, now nearing its ultimate stage. Am I totally depressed following the fairly mediocre performance of England (the country in which I was born)? Or the equally, and in some cases even more so, mediocre performances of France (the country in which I live)?

France quite easily beat England in the quarter finals, playing by far their best game so far (and England their worst). All the top teams, with the sole exception of New Zealand, have played poorly in at least one game so far. And even New Zealand have occasionally had the odd hiccup, mainly because of having to adjust to losing their fly-half Dan Carter.

Having watched both semi-finals this weekend, I have no doubt as to the issue of the final that will take place this coming weekend. (I know, there is no such thing as certainty in rugby!)

In the first semi-final, France only beat Wales by the tiniest of margins (9-8) having played for about 60 minutes with 15 players against 14 for Wales, following the expulsion of the Welsh captain, Warburton, for a dangerous tackle. Wales clearly deserved to win this match. Their courage and their calm were both admirable. They simply lacked one player, and a key one at that. They missed essential points in the kicking departement, with Hook not being regular. This was a clear moral victory for Wales, which will not console them I fear. France proposed virtually nothing in terms of play, turning this into a purely defensive game of wait and see. The suspense was total (and at times stifling), but the beauty of the game was at the lowest level of any world cup final stage game that I can remember watching.

Many people in France are saying now that only victory counts. I find this attitude miserable! How can anyone be proud of such a timid perfomance? The only image I will retain of this game is that of the excellent Vincent Clerc, the French winger, comforting Shane Williams, his Welsh alter-ego, after the game. This is one of the things that I like most about this strange game of rugby, when adversaries totally respect and feel empathy for each other, having fought a fierce battle for 80 minutes.

In the other semi-fianl, New Zealand played a very impressive game against a valorous Australian team, totally dominating them in virtually every aspect of play: scrum, touch, offensive and defensive organisation, inspiration, individual skills and speed. The All Blacks, at least for the first 25 minutes, turned this game into a demonstration of how to play rugby. Then they controlled the situation, showing also that their courage in defending was total as well. All they needed was somebody to succeed in the goal kicking and their victory would have shown a margin of 30 points, rather than the 20-6 of the final scorecard.

Can anyone now doubt the issue of the final against France? The only question worth betting on is the margin of the NZ victory. I think I will go for 30 points or so. In any case, let's hope at least for a game of some beauty, where both teams try to play the game of passing the ball and creating space, and not some kind of rugby ping-pong. New Zealand deserve to win this World Cup, on account of their record over the past few years, but also on the strength of the play they have shown during all their games in this competition. Let's hope that they achieve it in style as well. Good luck to the French, as they will indeed need it!

Casey Stoner champion

This blog is not about what is hot in the news, in any field, and I am usually pretty late in commenting sporting events anyway, these being just about the only part of what is called "news" with which I have decided to deal in any form. But I was very pleased to learn that Casy Stoner (the motorcycle GP rider, for those not into bikes) yesterday won the Australian GP bike race. Yesterday also happened to be his birthday, and the race took place on his home circuit of Philip Island, thus also making him world champion before the end of the current season. His rival, Jorge Lorenzo, who was the only other rider that looked capable of beating him this year, crashed in the race, thus losing his last chances of retaining his title.

Although Stoner has at times seemed fragilised, both in body and in mind, when riding for Ducati in past seasons, he brilliantly won the championship in 2007 for them and has clearly dominated this season for Honda, coming from behind to lead the championship table after only the fifth race, and having been sent to the floor by Rossi in one of the early races.

Although Valentino Rossi has been the dominant rider over recent years, for some reason I do not like the persona I perceive of this man. Too much the star for me. Stoner on the other hand appears more modest, and his victory with Ducati in 2007 was a hell of a performance as most people said that the bike was virtually unrideable. Not for Stoner apparently!

He is clearly a brilliant rider. His best win this year was probably at the Californian circuit of Laguna Seca. I was out riding my own everyday Ducati then, so I missed the race on TV. Here is an official video clip of it. To help you spot the guy, Stoner wears the red, yellow and and black kit (pretty nasty colours) of the Repsol Honda team, and his number is 27. Anyway he is the one doing the victory wheelie at the end, so it is not that hard to pick him out after watching this one time.

And here is his fastest lap, seen from on-board his bike.

Bikes over water

Accidents, in the sense of coming across things accidentally and enjoying the surprise and the discovery of them, can be good. This is one of the serendipitous joys of the web I suppose. I was researching recently for a future article on the painter David Hockney when, by plugging in a search request for an image of one of his paintings celled "A bigger splash", I came across a whole range of stuff about motorcycles and water.

Now I have always disliked riding a bike in the rain. I do not go fast under these conditions (I lack confidence when cornering on wet roads) and I hate getting wet when I have not chosen to do so. One puts up with it, to a point. But the idea of riding a bike across water I find quite exciting. And of course people have tried it.

So here are a few still images and videos of bikes in, over and through water...

This is my favourite.

It is by the Hungarian photographer/journalist, Martin Munkacsi, who died in the USA having fled the nazis and becoming also a photographer of Hollywood stars. He inspired, amongst others, Henri Cartier Bresson. This was taken in the 1920's or early 1930's. Impossible to recognise the bike, but I am surprised that the rider hasn't slipped his goggles over his eyes. I expect that is why he has closed them.

This is the weirdest. It looks like it has been rigged, but who knows these days? People can do the funniset things. Bit of a waste of a Bonnie if the picture is for real.

This one is clearly rigged, but the idea is nice...

But to see what a sports bike can really do through a bit less water, try this one ...

http://youtu.be/EE-K10BeXtg



Below is  a shot of a stunt man doing his stuff on a lake. Not sure how this one ended, but it looks like he is wearing his lifejacket so he was prepared.

Then I discovered that some people do actually manage to ride over water with a bike. Jesus riders maybe ? They call it aqua-planing and we try to avoid this on the road. Here is one shot and then a couple of videos

Feel like having a go? Better choose your spot carefully... and your bike as well

Bad service and attitude lets Bordeaux down

We all know how important is good and friendly service in any service industry, and especially in the field of food and wine. And when a restaurant, wine bar, winery or shop lets customers down in this respect, it is not only the place itself but the whole region that suffers in terms of image. When this place also happens to be the "official" showcase for the wines of the most famous wine-producing region in the world, I feel that the fall-out from such a bad experience is multiplied by at least 10!

Here is a true story that I experienced last week in the Bar à Vin (Wine Bar) attached to the BIVB (Bordeaux Wine Council) offices, right in the centre of Bordeaux, a city I love and admire (see other posts on this blog listed at the bottom of this article).

Last week I was teaching, for 2 days, a group of students from several countries at the Bordeaux Ecole de Management (BEM). At the end of the first day of my seminar, I suggested to them that we meet up in the evening in the centre of Bordeaux to share a glass of wine: wine just happened to be the subject of my teaching! Quite a few of them accepted my suggestion and so I selected the Bar à Vins of the BIVB as the site, since it is both central and reasonably priced. In addition, I thought that it was only fitting to introduce them to some more of the wines of the region where they were studying.




I got to the place first, at about 8 pm, since my hotel was right next door. I sat at a small table for 4 and mentioned to the waiter that I was expecting quite a few people to join me, although I couldn't be sure at what precise time they would arrive as they lived some way out. He warned me that the place was quite full (which I could see), so I said that I quite understood and that we would adapt to the situation. Four students arrived shortly afterwards, then 2 or 3 more. So, as a small second table next door had become free, we asked if we could join the two together. This was no probelm and we ordered a round of different wines by the glass that I selected. All were good and well served in excellent quality glassware. Then another group of 4 or 5 students arrived, and I asked if we could either bring up more chairs or add on another table. This was met first with silence, then by a clear refusal as the head waiter brought me the bill and slapped it down on the table in front of me with no explantion (I had not asked for it). I asked him if this signified that he was throwing us out.

I should empahsize that all the students were well dressed and well behaved. I believe that I was too, although quite surprised and annoyed by the waiters' attitude. The waiter did not reply, so I asked to order another series of wines by the glass. I had in fact previously asked a girl server whether I could order a bottle, given the number of guests. She has very curtly replied "we do not serve bottles" (why ????). Anyway, as there were no free chairs, but a vacant space around some low tables just next to us, we attempted to move these low stool-like tables into our area so that the freshly arrived guests in our group could sit down. The staff then intervened and moved them back. So I suggested to our new group of guests that they sat themselves down in this vacant area, next to three people who were not members of our party, but who seemed very happy with this arrangement as there was plenty of room (we naturally asked them first). From then on, not a single waiter came to take our orders and I had to go to the bar and place these.The girl waiter previously mentioned continued to do the opposite to smiling, and the others clearly considered that we were just annoyances, although we were perfectly well behaved and polite, although somewhat surpised and disappointed by their attitude.

When I went to pay at the end (they were switching the lights on and off rather than coming and explaining that it was closing time) nobody thanked us for our custom or (fat chance!) apologised for their behaviour, lack of space or lack of amenities (and willingness) to look after customers. I should emphasize that the place was half empty by the time all our party had arrived and when we left, since there was a danse performance going on just outside the bar. In other words, we were not taking anyone else's places, just marginally adapting what is anyway a modular space to our needs as customers.

The wines were all good, by the way, and the prices, I can confirm, are quite reasonable, although with a curious gap (apparently) between 3 and 8 euros per glass within the range.

Bordeaux (the city) has done a great deal to make itself attractive and welcoming to the visitor. But the wines of Bordeaux, and especially their official promotional body, still have a lot to learn about how to make visitors welcome and wanting to try their wines. Proper staff training does not appear to exist, or does not include any notion that the customer is the most important person in any business.

These  photographs, with very low definition I fear, are all from the web site of the Bordeaux Wine Bar
http://baravin.bordeaux.com

Other articles and photo essays on Bordeaux and its region are to be found here on this blog:

http://morethanjustwine.blogspot.com/2011/05/gironde-estuary-near-bordeaux.html

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6219646897587177986#editor/target=post;postID=2608636613852971855

http://morethanjustwine.blogspot.com/2010/12/bordeaux-magnificent.html

Ladies night

Thought this might amuse some of you. I saw it in a rugby bar in Paris, about which I will speak more soon (Le Comptoir, in the 15th). I am quite sure that the person who designed it was entirely without any second thoughts...