Road Trip

What do the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City, a Frenchman with connections to an organic vineyard and the famous Chateauneuf du Pape wines, and a 'desert rat' from Arizona all have in common? Well, these three wildly diverse things led me on a merry road trip today! My quest was a case of wine from Domaine Rouge-Bleu. And you can see from the photo I took of the side of the carton that I was successful in my day's adventure. The 'desert rat' is Kristin Espinasse, author of my first and favorite blog, French-Word-A-Day. If you're a careful reader of my blog, you've seen that I have a 'word-a-day' widget along the left side. I've been reading Kristin since before my first trip to France in late 2005. The French guy with the connections is her husband, Jean-Marc, whose passion for wine led them to buy an organic vineyard a couple of years ago. I've followed the trials and tribulations of Domaine Rouge-Bleu and watched JM, Kristin, and their children, Max and Jackie build a new life in northern Provence. Through the wonder of blogs, e-newsletters and emails, I learned from JM that his wines would be sold in Iowa at the New Pioneer Food Co-0p. I contacted Robert Morey, the Co-op manager who was kind enough to email me this week that the wines had arrived and were on the shelf....yahoo! Not even the severe weather that rolled across Iowa this morning could keep me from my quest for JM's wine. I waited it out and as soon as the rain stopped and the thunder was a mere rumble in the distance, off I went. Robert Morey couldn't have been nicer and as he carried my mixed case to the car, we talked about France and our love of it. He and his family are headed to an area just north of where I'll spend all of September. They leave Wednesday for a month as well. I love it when I meet a kindred soul! Come back tomorrow....I'll be sharing my thoughts on the wine I plan to taste just as soon as I post this blog entry.