It Is Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.

The teddy bears are coming to town. More and more are starting to adorn the windows, balcony’s and shops of Sarlat, together with the lights and decorations which have been strung across the many medieval streets to create a wonderful Christmas wonderland.

Teddy bears are appearing in many windows in Sarlat.

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Our favourite shop in Sarlat, Maison Massoulier, is full of the most gorgeous Christmas treats. You can also buy pastries, cakes and chocolates. Or sit and enjoy a drink of hot chocolate, tea or coffee with your favourite pastry.

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One teddy is nearly on the balcony.

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Look up to the windows of the tourist office for more teddy’s and Christmas adornments.

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And more.

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But my favourite is the family of teddy bears enjoying people watching in the Place de la Liberte.

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The big event of course is the Christmas market which is to be found in the Parking Rigaudie car park in Sarlat. There are seventy chalets this year, full of gifts, food, mulled wine and Christmas treats for all..

Each year the Christmas market focuses on a country, this year it is Ireland.

Also at the Christmas market will be the traditional ice rink. Or you might want a carriage ride around the ancient streets of Sarlat, or see a concert or participate in one of the many workshops.

Click to enlarge.

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Château Montdoyen.

If you are looking for a wine tour which guides you through magnificent vistas of the Perigord Purple. A vineyard which stretchers as far has the eye can see, with an informative and excellent guide to the various wine process, culminating with a very pleasant tasting of the wines. This is the vineyard to go to.

Château Montdoyen was recommended by a friend of ours, Graham from Planches and Plonk, and Plonk and Plus in Belves and after tasting a bottle or two of the wines produced at the Château Montdoyen that Graham had recommended we just had to book a visit and go and see for ourselves.

Château Montdoyen is situated South West of Monbazillac in the heart of the Perigord Purple.

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The domane covers eighty three hectares, forty or which have vines being cultivated.

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Grape varieties are red grape Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The white grape varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle and Semillon.

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Grapes are harvested by hand, then maceration for about twenty four hours, pressed, rotated, strained and fermentation before the wine is aged on lees. The lees are regularly stirred and after months of attention they are ready for the next process of ageing.

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Imagine that you are taken to a dark room then the lights are switched on, oh my wow, this was the sight before us. All oak barrels labelled with the wine and date so they people know when it is ready to bottle. The very large barrel is quite special due to the fact that the grapes go straight into the barrel by a funnel at the top. When the oak barrels get too old they are sent to be used in the process of making Cognac.

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A mobile bottling plant is hired every year from a team that goes from vineyard to vineyard.

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Bottled and ready for labeling. By this time we where ready for the tasting of the various wines so onward to the tasting room.

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Here is a list and prices of the various wines they make at Château Montdoyen.

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The wine tasting room.

Check out their web site:-

Château Montdoyen.

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Antique Brocante At Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

How wonderful it is to walk around an antique market on a lovely sunny morning in the shadow of le château de  Castlenaud in the open air without face masks and social distancing.

We got one of the last parking spots due to the amount of people at the event, it was very well attended.

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Everything was there on display to buy. Antique farm equipment and tools, radiogrammes, bicycles, chairs and tables and my favorite, linen.

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However, this gentleman caught my eye wearing traditional South American Costume. He makes nearly everything that he sells from hats, jackets, bags, toys and more.

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I think that I am wearing most of what he sells but it was great fun meeting him.

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Keep an eye open for him at other markets in the Perigord over the Summer.

Ones to look out for are:-

Le Bugue 18^th and 19^th June

Le Eyzies 3^rd July

Saint-Cyprien 14^th July

Eymet 31^st July

Salignac 4^th August

Villefranche du Perigord 20^th and 21^st August

Saint-Cyprien 27^th August

La Roque Gageac 4^th September

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Belves Revisited.

Every Saturday in Belves is market day where you can buy fresh produce, clothes and craft wares. Belves is one of our favourite medieval towns to visit, on this particular day we headed first to the tourist office and secondly to the wine and beer store which is run by our two friends Graham and Damon.

13^th Century Belves on Market Day.

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At the Tourist Office.we were looking for information about the Medieval Festival which reopened once more last year after an absence because of Covid. It was a brilliant fun day last year, you are transported back in time to the Medieval Period to enjoy the costumes, musicians, dance and more, follow the parade through the streets of Belves and drink in the atmosphere. That is not all, there is also a Medieval Market where local and ancient crafts can be seen and bought.

This year the Medieval Festival will take place on Sunday 7^th August. Watch this pace for further information, but we can highly recommend a visit.

Our second call of the day was to Plonk and Plus which is owned by two friends of ours Graham and Damon who know everything that you will ever need to know about the wines and beers from the local area, it is always well worth a visit.

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And here we see a little Hobbit (me) standing along side Graham, who gave us a glimpse into his extensive knowledge of wines.

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On the left a Rosé and on the right is a dry White Wine We have not tasted these before but both are highly recommended so I shall let you know in a future blog.

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Graham and Damon also own Planches and Plonk which is a cheese and wine bar that can be found at 34 Rue Jacques Manchotte. All produce is made by local, independent producers. Again well worth a visit to enjoy a glass or two of excellent wine and a selection of their gorgeous cheeses. Or you can stay longer in their bed and breakfast accommodation where you can explore more of Belves and the Perigord region.

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Terre Sauvage.

This is the recently opened Terre Sauvage shop which is also situated on the main shopping street in Belves.

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It is where a local artist displays his work. I particularly like the skill which is evident in the animal and bird creations on display, made from recycled metal and you can buy at a reasonable price.

The artist has captured the birds brilliantly in these two works of art.

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Vintage Daglan.

We love France and of course our home in the village of Daglan. Steeped in history, nothing really major has changed in the village since our home was built. Due in part to the National System of Heritage Protection which means that any restoration work to the structure of an ancient property needs to pass through a variety of systems before approval.

To Paul and I this was not a problem we did not want to change anything but rather preserve the property in keeping with the period in which it was built, the 1820’s.

I love finding information from books and various people about the history of Daglan village and of course our home, here is a brief history of what I have discovered.

A postcard of Daglan in the early 1900’s.

The name Daglan has its origins in the Celtic for “Good Valley”. In the early 1300s the village became the seat of an Archpriest and continued until the Revolution. The church of Saint Martin dates from the 14th century although the apse and the choir date from the Romanesque period.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the economy of Daglan was based on wine production and thanks to the several local water mills along the river Ceou the village grew in prosperity. During that period there was an increase in properties being built in the village and surrounding hamlets.

An epidemic of phylloxera in the late nineteenth century caused a great exodus leaving the valley all but deserted.

In the last 100 years Daglan has again become a bustling and beautiful village.

In living memory our home has been a tax office for quite a long time, then it was the home of the Maire, followed by a family home which was inherited by the previous owner.

Across from our home are three properties which where originally one large property and a large stable with land. The stable was then turned into a fourth property at a later stage.

Two of the properties are truly fascinating with concealed connecting doors. These connecting doors were put to good use during the Second World War when resistance fighters would hide in one house and make their escape through the other.

Hopefully in the future we will find more information about the history and the former inhabitants of Daglan which we will document.

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Event– Daglan Truffle market open every Sunday from 11 o’clock.

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