15.09 - French Magic Worldwide: Village Celebrations, Wine Tours, and Film Festivals Down Under
In this FREE le Bulletin you'll discover French village charm, wine regions, and the French Film Festival lighting up Australia.
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes amis !
I’m so thrilled to have you back here with me today! Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, recently published articles take us from Saint-Émilion's vineyards to Provence for a village New Year's Eve. Then we’re off to the cinema in Australia for the world’s largest French Film Festival outside of France. As we know, French culture knows no borders!
We'll meet new contributor Sacha Cohen and enjoy her first article about Saint-Émilion.
Watch out for the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin this weekend: 15.09.a - De la tristesse à la joie—February's emotional tapestry of family, art, and Parisian discoveries. It’s not too late to subscribe←
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À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 1.3.2025
1. Let’s explore & read the new articles in My FrenchLife Magazine
Did you know there are many articles in MyFrenchLife Magazine where savvy francophiles love to immerse themselves and indulge in all things French beyond the cliché? You can join them…
→ Here you’ll find the most recently published articles:
Thank you to all the talented Contributors to MyFrenchLife magazine. I love that your articles take us from one end of France to another and constantly remind us of the rich culture of this wonderful and diverse country.
Merci.
Judy.
a) → Bonne Année ! But Not Until Midnight
by Mark Jespersen←
A wonderful story from Mark Jespersen about his New Year’s Eve experience early in his life in the superb village of Seillans in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Seillans is a ville perché (perched hill-top village) overlooking the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel, which borders the sea between Cannes and Saint-Raphaël. It has been recognized by Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.
Let’s hear Mark’s story…
“Kim held up the little black bolero jacket, white blouse, and brocade pants she’d brought to France especially for tonight’s New Year’s Eve party.
What do you think?”
I’d already told her about a dozen times that it was the perfect outfit, but that was back home in Maine. Now that we were in France, she wanted to make sure they hadn’t changed somehow while they were in her suitcase.
And then she looked at me…”
“…In general, we’re not party people, but our good friends, Patrick and Jocelyne, had urged us to go with them to the local Le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. They thought it would be a good way for us to learn more about France and meet some people from the village…”
b) →Australia: French films! French language! French culture! It’s all happening again: Alliance Française French Film Festival—4 March-27 April
by Cynthia Karena←
“The program as always is diverse, with everything from the swashbuckling Count of Monte Cristo/Le Comte de Mont Cristo starring the fabulous Pierre Niney, to biopics Monsieur Aznavour, Saint-Ex/Saint-Exupéry looking at the true adventure story of the man who wrote The Little Prince, and The Divine Sarah Bernhardt/Sarah Bernhardt, La Divine starring the divine Sandrine Kiberlain.
Read the entire article and check out the films to see←
2.→Intruducing Sacha Cohen, new Contributor to MyFrenchLife Magazine
I have the pleasure of introducing you to Sacha Cohen, who has joined our MyFrenchLife Magazine team as a Contributor. She introduces herself this way:
I’m a professional writer (SachaCohen.com), former editor, and entrepreneur. My articles have appeared in The Washington Post, AARP, Fodor’s, Slate, and many others. I share my love of all things French at ‘Good Vintage’ on Substack’.
Here we have her first article, a lovely story about her visit to Saint-Émilion:
→Saint-Émilion: Beauty in the Off-Season
by Sacha Cohen←
Bundled up in our coats and hats, Jason and I took the tram to Gare Saint Jean and then hopped the regional train to Saint-Émilion, an easy 30-minute ride from Bordeaux for only 10 euros. From the Saint-Émilion train stop, we walked the 15 or so minutes into town along fields of dormant grape vines, past old churches and stately chateaus, and up steep cobblestone streets to the Office de Tourisme Saint-Émilion.
Saint-Émilion, a medieval village in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southwestern France, is renowned for its red wine (typically Cabernet Sauvignon for the tannins and complexity and Merlot for its fruit and roundness) thanks to its terroir of limestone and calcium-rich plateau. During the winter, it’s quiet, with only around 1,800 residents, but during the wine harvest and summer, Saint-Émilion attracts more than one million tourists and visitors.
We were happy to be there during quiet December, and although many shops and restaurants were closed, there was plenty to keep us entertained and well-fed. For visitors who want to visit a nearby chateau, a stop at the Tourism office is a must. Every day, there are two to four wine estates open to the public, but reservations are required.
Since we didn’t have a car and had limited time, we decided against visiting a chateau and instead had a delightful lunch à La Table 38, a darling woman-owned bistro. We had chicken stuffed with a truffle mixture and bathed in delicate cream sauce over creamy polenta and cauliflower risotto with grilled vegetables. Both were excellent, as was our starter, salmon tartare with steamed black bread and a citrus cream sauce. Of course, we had wine, a Chateau Rozier Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2018 that I gulped down before the main course was served.
After lunch, we strolled around town and contemplated getting a Saint-Émilion macaron at this little shop. Saint-Émilion macarons are different than the pastel-colored macarons you see all over France. This type is a thin sweet almond wafer originally made by nuns in 17th-century France.
Too full from lunch, we instead decided to do a quick tasting at Chateau Petit-Gravet’s wine shop on our way out of the village. The man working there enthusiastically told us that the winery had been around since the mid-1900s but had recently become biodynamic. We chatted about the difference between U.S. wines and French wines, Jason explaining that we don’t have appellations, but regions instead. We bought a bottle and headed to the station for the trip back to Bordeaux.
While we didn’t have a chance to stay overnight, if we return, I’d love to stay at the gorgeous Hôtel de Pavie, a five-star hotel in the heart of Saint-Emilion with 16 rooms and 3 suites designed by Alberto Pinto. It looks like the perfect stay for a special occasion or romantic getaway. As a guest of the hotel, you can visit Château Pavie, where they make Premier Grand Cru Classé “A” of Saint-Emilion, or enjoy the the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, La Table de Pavie, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno.
À bientôt !
Sacha
Read Sacha’s article in MyFrenchLife Magazine←
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’ newsletter” Judy MacMahon
C'est magnifique, n'est-ce pas ? (It's magnificent, isn't it?) The way France offers us so many different experiences—midnight celebrations in perched villages, winter wine tastings among dormant vines, or even French cinematic adventures in Australian theaters! I wonder which of these stories resonated most with you? Perhaps you've celebrated your own Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre in a French village? Or maybe you've discovered the joy of visiting wine regions in their quiet season?
Partagez vos souvenirs (share your memories)—our community grows richer with every story shared.
À bientôt mes amis (see you soon my friends),
Judy
P.S. I'm already planning our next special newsletters… And don't forget to forward this newsletter to anyone who might need a little French inspiration in their inbox.
I hope to see you here again next week
Judy MacMahon
Fondatrice
MyFrenchLife.org
You can always email me at info@myfrenchlife.org. I’d love to hear from you.
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I’ve been to Bordeaux and the Medoc with my sister - maybe 25 years ago. I must return and visit Saint-Emilion on the other bank.
I've been to Saint-Emilion once and it was lovely. It's so nice you can take a train there -- that's not possible for so many villages.