Villefranche-sur-Mer C'est Fini

Our time in Villefranche is over and we are home but there are still a few things I wanted to mention. Throughout our stay, we made a concerted effort to do what everyone else does when they come to the French Riviera....to lay on the beach and soak up the Mediterranean sun and swim in its amazing clear and very salty water. This is what a holiday is all about.

However, there is a remarkable array of very interesting tourist sites to see and we would remiss if we did not take in some of these spectacular sights. So, one day we found ourselves on the bus to Monte Carlo. And I will mention again that the bus costs only 1€. That’s $1.40cdn.

Monte Carlo is pretty impressive. It is quite a change from the laid back, village life of Villefranche. Everywhere you look you see money, from the massive $50-$100 million € yachts to the grandiose Monte Carlo Casino.

My preferred impression of Monte Carlo is the ancient fortress built on the hill overlooking the town, home of the royal family of Monaco, the Grimaldi’s. Previously unheard of in North America until 1956 when American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainer III, the family actually dates back to the early 10thC. However, it was in 1297 that Francesco Grimaldi (François, in French) who was called IL Malizia (the cunning) captured the Rock of Monaco.

In the book, "Monaco, its Origins and History", which is the indisputable authority on Monaco's history, author Gustave Saigne relates the details of this paramount event in the history of the Principality.

“During the night of January 8, 1297, a monk appeared at the gates of Monaco. Inconspicuously, Francois Grimaldi was let through. Barely having entered the enclosed grounds, the imposture monk threw himself over the guards, apparently few were holding watch, and a full pledged attack was launched as the large Guelf troops, which had been hiding closely behind concealed by the obscurity of the night, forced the gates before the guards could react.”

Because of his actions, Francois Grimaldi forever engraved the family name on the flanks of Monaco's rock.

On one of our last days, we returned to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Beaulieu-sur-Mer to visit two museums that were highly recommended to us, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and Villa Kerylos.

Villa Ephrussi was built between 1905 and 1912 by the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild. The Baroness was a great lover of antiques furniture, Old Master paintings, sculptures, objets d'art and an extensive collection of rare porcelain.

The Villa is surrounded by a series of nine gardens, each on a different theme: Florentine, Spanish and French, exotic, a stone garden, a Japanese garden, a rose garden and a garden de Sèvres, which is a garden with decorations of the famous Sèvres porcelain.

Different rooms in the Villa are dedicated to some spectacular pieces of art and antiques. One room was the Baroness bedroom and contained a costume collection dating from the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI.  One piece of furniture is a whist table from the late 18thC belonging to Marie Antoinette. Truly a memorable place to visit.

The Villa Kerylos was built in 1902 by Théodore Reinach, a noted archaeologist. He built the Villa because of his great love of all things Greek. His wife, Madame Fanny Reinach Rothschild’s was a cousin of Baron Maurice Ephrussi of the Villa Ephrussi.

Based one of the noble houses on the island of Delos, the Villa Kerylos is more than just a mere copy rather a reinvention of ancient Greece. Théodore Reinach did not want to build a simple pastiche or hodge-podge of an ancient Grecian villa but rather to create an original building “along Grecian lines”.

The tour of the Villa is self-guided using an interpretive, hand-held device much like a large cell phone from the ‘90’s. Different rooms throughout contain artifacts from the lives of the Reinach’s and reproductions of Grecian sculptures’ while the interpretive devices tell the story of Greek family life.

A fantastic place affording visitors a view of living history, not only of ancient Greece but also of the Belle Époque, Villa Kerylos is a unique tribute to the civilization of ancient Greece. The villa is also characteristic of the French Riviera at that time, the late 19th and early 20thC, when Beaulieu-sur-Mer was a fashionable place and much frequented by the elite.

The museums rapped up an unbelievable three weeks on the Cote d’Azur. While it is one of the most beautiful regions in the world, living the life of a French villager was something I am not soon to forget.

In Vino Veritas

Weekend Wine Picks:

Displaying a dark ruby colour with a garnet shade, the 2005 Setriolo Memores ($34 PWS) is a spectacular wine with an concentrated aroma of ripe black cherry jam, raspberries, blueberries and black currant, hints of violets, licorice, milk chocolate, smoke, tobacco, vanilla and peppery spices. A multi-dimensional wine in every sense of the word, the palate is very well balanced showing great concentration of fruit, good structure with crisp acidity, soft tannins with a long harmonious finish. Very flavourful and elegant, this can be cellared for another 5-8 years.

Incredibly dense with a ruby/purple colour, the 2008 Domaine Paul Autard Cotes du Rhone ($27 PWS) is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Intense black raspberry, cherry, cassis and kirsch liqueur-like fruit is followed by gorgeous aromas of licorice, smoke, incense, leather and a hint of new oak. The texture on the palate is pure hedonism with its full-bodied character of black and red fruit, herbs, incense, and spice. The finish is full-bodied, and opulent with soft, velvety acidity and very firm tannins, which is in keeping with this top-notch vintage. Cellar and drink this marvellous wine over the next decade.

A classic Rioja red, the 2008 Telmo Rodrigues ‘LZ’ ($24 PWS) is produced from 100% Tempranillo. A soft and pleasing red showcasing lovely, vibrant red and black fruit aromas and flavours, vanilla, chocolate, tobacco leaf and cedar, this is not a big, muscular wine but a supple, drinkable Rioja. Leave those big, muscular wines to Australia and Italy, Rioja’s are meant to be elegant and refined. Excellent served with roast lamb.

The 2007 Cantina di Negrar Amarone Classico ($45 PWS) is aged in small French oak barrels for 18 months then bottle aged for 6 months prior to release. A Venetian classic, the wine displays rich, raisiny black cherry, strawberry, blackberry jam aromas and flavours of licorice, leather, chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. Perfectly balanced between the alcohol (15%), the ripe fruit, acidity and tannin, this wine has the ability to age for another 10-15 years. An outstanding bargain for the price.

An excellent value for the money, the 2007 Canaletto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo ($19 PWS) is slow to open up but after 30 minutes look for rich, spicy black cherry, aromatic tobacco leaf, spicy smoky, plum, prune, licorice and graphite. Velvety soft acidity, medium tannins, it is absolutely perfect with homemade Chicken Cannelloni.

The 2008 Salmagina Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore ($18 PWS) is produced from 100% Verdicchio, which is an indigenous variety of the Marches region of central-east Italy. This has everything you would want in a great tasting Italian white. Loads of fresh green apple, white peach, zingy citrus fruit, lime, pear, a bit of slate-minerality with a hint of nuttiness, the palate is crisp, clean with citrussy fruit and mouth-puckering acidity that begs for the correct food to tame it. A perfect wine to serve with pan-fried calamari with garlic aioli or even a Caesar salad.

The 2008 Cardeto Rupestro Merlot-Sangiovese ($17 PWS) is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Sangiovese from a small 12 acre vineyard in Umbria. It has an intense purple/ruby colour with gobs of viscosity, an earthy, barnyard nose followed by loads of fine jammy black cherry fruit and spice along with hints of leather and iris it is full, soft and supple, with good concentration, soft acidity and firm tannins. This wine would be perfect with grilled lamb, a creamy pasta sauce or a slab of prime rib.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.