"The Jerk" joins a wine buyers journey through France with Bruce Neyers of Kermit Lynch Imports.
The Jerk takes a Kermit Lynch wine buying trip through France with Bruce Neyers.
What's it like to travel France with a group of wine buying professionals led by Bruce Neyers of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant?
You can expect to taste some of the best wines from nearly every important wine region in France.
Or that comes out of bottles like this.
We were particularly fond of establishments that offered an open bar.
And there is the renowned French cuisine. It is not commonly known, but the French make some of the world's best Spam and Vienna sausage.
We ate at only the best 3 star pizza restaurants. (If you are looking for Bruce, just follow the trail of wine bottles.)
Accommodations were top-notch.
However, when you are on the road for 11 days with 15 people in 3 vans, it is a good idea to schedule a couple of Roman baths along the way. By the second one, people are willing to wash each others backs. NOTE: This picture would have been A LOT more interesting, but I was expressly forbidden to shoot while we were in the baths.
Speaking of three vans, sometimes that is all it takes to create a traffic jam in a small, French village.
It took awhile to untangle this one. (I think Bruce has done this before.)
Meanwhile, some of us were particularly enamored by the fine art that France has to offer.
Too much of a good thing? Especially, first thing in the morning.
The French are notorious for trying to pawn off their old, unsold wines. Here is an example of what was once a white wine dating back to the 1950's!
Sometimes they will try and push out-of-date, super-market-sized wines like this 1.5 liter bottle of wine from 1986!
So before you buy, there are some precautions you should take. First, take a good look at the wine to make sure there isn't anything floating in it (you saw those containers). The French will try and taste you on their wines in their dark, damp cellars. The shrewd buyer brings the wine out into the light.
Next, smelling the wine is necessary to determine if there is an objectionable odor that might make the wine difficult to sell. And then, if nothing is too off-putting, you must taste the wine, BUT FOR HEAVENS SAKE, DON'T SWALLOW! This is the hardest part. It is essential that you spit the wine out. Because--- ??!!! -
Spitting is an important symbol that you are a wine professional. Although the origins of this custom is not clear, it is believed to have dated back to when wine spitting for distance was part of the original olympics. The current modern record is held by Jacques Lardiere, winemaker for Louis Jadot. I was there when he spit half way across the room into a small barrel opening just as I was about to lean over and spit myself. Fortunately for me, his aim was very good.
An example of a wine professional spitting. And you thought wine was all about glamour and sophistication.
Keeping good wine notes of what you have tasted is important in case you have a delayed, adverse reaction, or if the wine you ordered is not the wine you received. It is not commonly known, but wine notes are admissible as legal evidence in a court of law.
This is the summer home of Kermit Lynch. Apparently, the criteria on these trips for getting to stop by and say hello is dependent on how much wine has been purchased. This shot was taken from the car as we drove by.
Speaking of buying wine, this is how Bruce Neyers looks when you are buying wine.
This is how Bruce looks when you are not buying wine.
And this is where you might end up if you receive too many of the latter looks from Bruce Neyers. Now I have to go. I hear a vehicle approaching and I can't type with my thumb out.
Lunch in Bandol at Domaine Tempeir.
Bandol.
Domaine Tempier.
Bandol countryside.
Daniel Ravier, Domaine Tempier's estate manager.
From The KLWM Tour Group
Lunch at Domaine Tempier. Lulu Tempier with Lulu Peyraud.
From The KLWM Tour Group
Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier in Bandol, France. Ms. Peyraud (née Tempier), was an iconic figure in the world of wine. She died shortly before her 103rd birthday in 2020. She was 90 in this photo. More information about her is in this link: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/lucie-lulu-peyraud-matriarch-of-france-s-domaine-tempier-dies-at-102
From The KLWM Tour Group
Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier in Bandol, France.
From The KLWM Tour Group
Bruce Neyers at Domaine Tempier luncheon.
From The KLWM Tour Group
Out door lunch at Domaine Tempier in the Bandol region of France.
From The KLWM Tour Group
