If you are in France in August and missed our wonderful International Malbec Days, you have a chance to catch up: the Cahors Wine Fetsival is happening in Puy-L'Eveque on August 9.

Read all the details in frenchduck.com blog!

Zette, the wine launched by the famous Château de Lagrezette, is strongly recommended on a wine blog for its qualities:

"JUICY, FULLER-BODIED REDS

Zette 2003 Malbec, Cahors | $11

The ground-floor wine from Domaine de Lagrezette, which is looking to put the once-famous “black wines” of Cahors, in the southwest of France, back on the map. A stone bargain, with lush depths of wonderful sappy, ripe blueberry/blackberry fruit. (Frederick Wildman)"

It is very interesting to note that, when A.D. Perrin creates the "Pourpre" brand to counter the black wine strategy, his own wine is considered as one of the best representatives of this category.

Juel M. Darkly is the author of a great blog on wine and music. It's funny, young and trendy as well as well documented on wine and music. I tremendously enjoyed it and I strongly recommend it to anybody in love with wine and music.

Anyway - I'm out of subject, as my English teacher would tell me. Let's go back to Nick Cave and the Black Wine of Cahors. This is the dark and romantic side of the wine that suggested to Juel to recommend the Cahors wines to the artist: "Some wines aspire to ring-tones, these wines are epic ballads. They take some time to yield in the glass, they are not instant and fun, you could say they are gruff and unfriendly; but once the story in the glass unfolds, it’s worth the wait."

This post reads as a poem. Enjoy!

The long established vineyard Clos Montmartre in Paris, just behind Sacre Coeur, must now face new competition. It is the Bretonneau hospital in the 18th arrondisment that has launched its first vintage of Clos Bretonneau. Three years ago they planted 125 Malbec vines and at the end of May the first vintage, the 2007 were presented. A very decent, fruity and unpretentious wine, in particular considering the vines are only three years old.

The wine is vinified at the hospital in its own wine cellar equipped with stainless steel tanks and all! Veronique Desjardins, the hospital director, sees the new vineyard as an important part of the therapy for the patients (old-age people needing constant hospital treatment): "It revives old memories – who has not harvested grapes once when young? It becomes a discussion subject and the patients can even help with the harvest." To serve wine at the meals at the hospital is self evident in this place.

Consulting winemaker is Fabrice Duron from Chateau de Gaudou in Cahors. "Clos Bretonneau is a micro-cuvée", he says, "but it's made just like the wines I make at home and I'm very proud of this vintage. But the vines are young and it will only get better!"