Our trip to Mecca....

.... well, Mecca for Syrah lovers anyway!

It had been ages since we'd been in France, so we took advantage of a Bank holiday weekend and snuck off to Lyon. Lyon is reputedly France's second largest city - although it didn't feel like it. It is however a foodies' paradise, and snuggled between the bottom of Burgundy and the top of the Rhone Valley it's not a bad spot if you like your red wine. Bonus points were awarded by Michelle (1 per Airmile she racked up on her credit card) for the abundance of boutique designer clothes stores!

Best of all - there isn't actually that much to do in Lyon - so it was a perfect spot to relax and enjoy some time off.

The trip to Hermitage

Out of character for us we did some last minute research on the flight over. This was out of character for Michelle - because it was last minute and also for me, because I was the one doing the reading, something I usually don't get round to until the flight home. Anyway - we discovered that Hermitage - the home of Syrah was just to the south - a short train ride away.

So we jumped on the train one afternoon (with picnic bits fresh from the market) and headed south to Tain d'Hermitage. This small village sits at the base of the of a hill on the edge of the Rhone river - overlooked by the tiny appellation of Hermitage which covers a small steep hill. The hill gets its name from a religious hermit that lived at the top of the hill, hence the small chapel that stands there today. Locals maintain that vines have grown on this hill since 600BC - making the hill one of the oldest vineyards in France - and at just 320 acres - Hermitage must be one of the smallest appellations in France.

We had a fantastic wine tasting at M'Chapoutier (a large commercial estate who own a quarter of Hermitage) and then at a large local Co-op where independent growers on Hermitage and in the surrounding regions supply their grapes. Then... to the disbelief of locals.... with 10 bottles of wine in tow..... we set off for the top of Hermitage hill.....

The mission up the hill was successful and the views out across the Rhone were very cool. Well worth the walk - although the track confirmed that this was not exactly on the tourist route. To lighten the load we enjoyed view at dusk while enjoying a bottle of 2001 Hermitage Syrah from the Coop and the leftovers of our picnic. A random Aussie winemaker dropped by - he'd had also climbed the hill (in jandals - making him crazier than us) as it was his 'Mecca'. [We'll have to visit Geoff at some point... http://www.mcphersonwines.com.au/ ]

Bouchon

The other great thing about Lyon (leaving aside the shopping) is the food. There are great markets, delis and everything else food related. Best of all though are the local 'bouchon'. These great little local restaurants are a real experience - they seem to worship pigs and serve up all sorts of delicious treats - many of which are very tasty - but it pays not to think too hard about what you are eating - I think our entree may have included raw marinated veal... My main was pig's cheek in a casserrole and Michelle had fish pie with crayfish sauce - yum!

All in all - we had a great trip to Lyon. We left well rested, well feed, well watered and very relaxed.