15.10 - Wine Wisdom, Mediterranean Magic & French Family Drama – C'est Magnifique!
In this FREE le Bulletin you'll discover wine experts worth following, savour Mediterranean fish, and lose yourself in French family cinematic drama! Goûtez et profitez! (taste and enjoy!)
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, you can immerse yourself in recently published articles: Sipping, Savoring & Cinema: Your French Culture Fix Has Arrived!
We'll meet new Contributor to MyFrenchLife Magazine, Rachel Shenk, an artisan baker and cheese monger who also creates block prints… lots to hear about.
Watch out for the PAID subscriber edition of le Bulletin this weekend: “15.10.a - The French Wine Revolution: How Drinking Habits Are Transforming Across Generations+Film+Markets” It’s not too late to subscribe←
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À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy - 8.3.2025
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) → 10 French Wine Experts to Follow on Social Media: such fun!
by Karen Bussen←
Coucou les fous de vin ! (Hello wine lovers!)
Today, I’m back with a list of fun French wine accounts to follow for inspiration.
“For those of us who adore and want to know more about French wine, here are a few pros to check out on Instagram and Substack.
Some of these folks speak in French, and only certain have English subtitles, but if you’re a French language learner, you might like to check them out anyway for practice at listening to the rhythm and cadence of spoken French wine vocabulary. “
Allez, on trinque ? (Shall we have a toast?),” writes Karen Bussen.
b) →French Film Review: Meet the Leroys -Nous, Les Leroy—practice your French!
by Cynthia Karena←
Charlotte Gainsbourg is always a good reason to see a film.
In Meet the Leroys, she plays Sandrine, a wife with two almost adult children, who has become unhappy in her marriage and wants to divorce her husband Christophe (José Garcia). He is surprised, shocked, and upset, but he comes up with a plan to win her back.
In what he thinks is a grand romantic gesture, he talks his wife into going on a road trip tracing all the significant moments of their past. Basically, Christophe is hoping that nostalgia will win Sandrine back.
A reminder that the Alliance French Film Festival 2025 runs from 4 March to 27 April in Australia.
2.→Introducing Rachel Shenk, new Contributor to MyFrenchLife Magazine
I am pleased to introduce you to Rachel Shenk, who has joined our MyFrenchLife Magazine team as a Contributor, writing about her artisan baking, other cooking, and things quotidian in France. Watch out for her delicious recipes! Welcome Rachel.
Rachel introduces herself this way:
From birth & childhood in Belgium, with detours to Spain and Scotland, through my years as an artisan baker in a small midwestern U.S. town, there are stories to tell, small details to observe. I’m now a cheesemonger & I sell bread & pastries. I’m a traveler, a lifelong reader, & a block printer. You’ll find me here: https://substack.com/@labonnevie
Here we have her first article, a lovely story about her daily life at the markets with a recipe of Fricassee of Fish, and we look forward to more from Rachel!
→Mediterranean Relaxation: And fish on the menu + Recipe—delicious!
by Rachel Shenk←
“I wake up late.
My vacation relaxation mode must be kicking in. In the dark of our shuttered cottage,
My Fitbit tells me it’s already 9:30.
Today is market day in the next town over and we’re hoping to buy some fresh fish for our evening meal before it closes. I slowly get up and open the window shutters and wooden door to the blue sky and sun I expect when I’m staying here in Le Brusc, a small town that sits on the Mediterranean in southern France. After our morning cup of coffee and a generous slice of baguette spread with butter and Nutella, we check with our daughter and husband who are staying in the next cottage over with their 14-month-old daughter. She’s still napping but as soon as she wakes up we’ll be ready to go…,“ writes Rachel Shenk.
Read the entire article in MyFrenchLife Magazine←
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’ newsletter” Judy MacMahon
Mes chers amis (my dear friends),
I hope this edition has sparked your curiosity about French wines, Mediterranean cooking, or perhaps a new film to watch this weekend!
I must confess, that writing about Rachel’s fish fricassee recipe has me planning my own market trip tomorrow.
Have you tried any of the wines or followed any of the Instagram accounts Karen mentioned?
Or perhaps you've seen Charlotte Gainsbourg's latest work, as re viewed by Cynthia?
Your experiences add such richness to our global community! Drop me a comment below – to a writer, your thoughts are like that perfect glass of Burgundy at sunset.
And last but not least - a huge thank you to all of you who sent me kind, generous, thoughtful private messages and emails - all condolences on the passing of my extraordinary 97-year-old Mother on Wednesday last week. You’re all amazing!
À bientôt! (see you soon)
Judy
P.S. I'm already planning our next special newsletters… And don't forget to forward this newsletter to anyone who might be seeking 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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Rachel is staying not that far from Hyères, where I was recently. We just missed each other!
Love the new bob and sunglasses look Judy - very Anna Wintour chic.