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A Rhone-Alpes Getaway
By Carole Kotkin
 Every
nation in the world produces great food. Many produce great wine. A few create great restaurants. But
France invented the very concepts of great food, wine and restaurants. The top
French chefs combine faultless technique and brilliant creativity. The great
restaurants bring together extraordinary wine cellars, talented service staffs
and dining rooms that create havens of comfort and luxury. And, nowhere is this
French know-how better displayed than in the Rhône-Alpes region with its ideal
location between Paris and the French Riviera. It is the meeting point of
northern and southern Europe, bordering Switzerland and Italy. In between lie a
tremendous diversity of vineyards, some of which date to Greek and Roman times.
From north to south, it's a fascinating area to visit with a wide variety of
historical, geographical, cultural and economic treasures, and gastronomic
traditions.
 Lyon, the capital of the Rhone-Alpes region,
where the Rhone and the Saone rivers meet, offers visitors an astonishing
treasury of historical remains, dating from Roman to Renaissance times. In
addition to being the second largest city in France and one of the country's
most vital commercial and cultural centers, Lyon is the undisputed capital of
French gastronomy. Extraordinary food is one of the main reasons travelers from
all over (including the French) come to Lyon, which is said to have the highest
ratio of restaurants to people anywhere in France.
 The Beaujolais region lies between the city of Lyon and
Macon, encompassing nearly 50,000 acres of vineyards. A carafe or bottle of
Beaujolais sits on virtually every table in local restaurants. The locals wash
down everything from seafood to salad to steak with it, providing ample evidence
that it can be a very good meal partner. Except for a small amount of
chardonnay, Beaujolais mostly produces red wine from only one variety--gamay.
When it comes to making and selling wine, this region is dominated by large
companies that
 buy grapes and wines from private growers and then blend and
bottle them under their own labels. The best
known of these is Georges Duboeuf's. To learn more about the world of
Beaujolais, visit The Hamlet of Wine (they call it edu-tainment) right in the
heart of the Beaujolais area, with more than 15 rooms to discover, each with a
different theme. This Disney-like experience is the brainchild of Georges
Duboeuf, dubbed "the King of Beaujolais."
Where to Eat
Restaurant options aren't lacking in central Lyon, where La
Cour des Loges hotel has opened in four opulently renovated Renaissance houses.
But its dining room, Les Loges, is up to the competition. 2-8 rue du Boeuf,
69005 Lyon, 33 4 72 77 44 44.
Restaurant Nicolas Le Bec, 14 rue Grolee, 69002 Lyon, 33 4
78 42 15 00 www.nicolaslebec.com The
leading young chef in Lyon is Nicolas Le Bec, who opened his own eponymous
eatery a year ago, when he left his job as head chef at Cour des Loges hotel.
This new restaurant signals a new era in Lyon, too: Out goes stuffy tradition,
and in comes laid-back creativity. Le Bec keeps his menu short and changes it
often, experimenting with such creations as a sautéed foie gras in fresh
hibiscus juice served with peaches poached in Saumur wine, a tart of cèpe
mushrooms with roast chicken sauce, and a saddle of hare simmered in
tobacco-leaf bouillon and garnished with tiny squid. Don’t miss the puree of
potatoes (1/2 cream to ½ potatoes).
 Restaurant Les Platanes, Les Deschamps, 69840 Chenas,
33 3 85 36 79 80 Smack in the middle of the Beaujolais district in an unspoiled
country setting with gorgeous views of the surrounding vineyards. Delicious
food.
Château de Bagnols, Le Bourg 69620 Bagnols, 33 4 74 71 40
00
www.bagnols.com. The Michelin-starred Salle des Gardes restaurant offers a
tempting selection of regional specialties as well as a vast selection of
Beaujolais wines.
 The restaurant is located in a palatial room featuring one of
Europe's largest Gothic fireplaces. Above it is the French royal coat of arms,
marking the visit of Charles VIII in 1490, and partially destroyed by French
revolutionaries three centuries later. The gleaming kitchens have
floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the inner courtyard, encouraging
guests to watch the chefs preparing their masterpieces.
 Apart
from the restaurant, visitors can also have breakfast or lunch outdoors, either
on the chateau's south-facing stone terrace or in the tree-canopied garden.
Where to Stay
Le Cour des Loges, 2-8 rue du Boeuf, 69005 Lyon, 33 4 72 77
44 44,
www.courdesloges.com You will be enchanted by your first impression of the
newly restored Cour des Loges. From the narrow, cobbled streets of Vieux-Lyon,
you walk through a dimly lit passage into an airy covered courtyard with
galleried arcades stretching four stories above your head, chic miniature
boxwood trees and a swirling tiled floor. A collection of four restored
Renaissance houses dating from the 14th to 17th centuries, linked by
interconnecting arcades, towers and spiral staircases, Cour des Loges is steeped
in atmosphere - not to mention romance.
Dating from the 13th century, the Château de Bagnols, Le
Bourg 69620 Bagnols, 33 4 74 71 40 00 www.bagnols.com is set among vineyards,
forests and green hills in the middle of the Beaujolais countryside in southeast
France, just 12 miles from Lyon. With its towers, moat, and honey-colored stone
entrance across a drawbridge, Château de Bagnols is one of France's major
historic monuments and a unique luxury hotel. Transformed by 400 craftspeople
over four years into one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, it is now
breathtaking. Staying there is like entering the pages of a fairy tale. Beyond
the castle walls are walking and cycling trails winding through the vineyards. A
horse-riding center, three golf courses, tennis courts and hot-air ballooning
are available nearby, as well as several charming villages, all built in the
region's 'golden stone'.
What to Do
Hamlet of Wine (Hameau du Vin) La Gare 78570 Romaneche,
Thorins, 33 3 85 35 22 22,
www.hameauenbeaujolais.com
Chateau de Bagnols, Cooking Classes: Lyon is world famous
for its cooking and food markets, and the Chef at the Château de Bagnols,
Mathieu Fontaine, is justly proud of his seductive menus, which offer a range of
regional specialties, traditional spit roasted meats and game and inspired new
dishes.
Rhone Valley and Drome Provencale
 France could teach the rest of the world how to live—a life
full of restaurants, cafes, and bistros, visits to wineries, strolls down grand
boulevards and historic villages. Vienne, 17 miles south of Lyon, has
remarkable Roman monuments and a three-star Michelin restaurant with a grand
history: La Pyramide. It was the creation of Fernand Point, the legendary
super-chef who was considered the foremost restaurateur in the world. Point's
restaurant earned Michelin's very first three-star award, in 1933. Point was a
teacher as much as a cook and five of his pupils became three-star chefs,
including Paul Bocuse and Pierre Troisgros. This generation of chefs went on to
create nouvelle cuisine in the 1970s.
For a delightful trip on the Rhone river, board the Livia
cruise boat just before lunch and enjoy good food and fantastic views of the
vineyards of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu growing on steep granite hillsides. Condrieu
and Côte-Rôtie on the northern boundary of the Rhone Valley are the two
appellations closest to the old Roman and commercial center of Vienne. The Rhone
Valley is France's second largest wine region, after Bordeaux. One hundred
twenty-five miles separate Vienne, on its northern boundary, from Avignon, in
the south. More than a dozen different grape varieties are planted on about
200,000 acres that offer some of the world’s most exciting wines. The Rhône
Valley became a big orchard in the late 19th century, when phylloxera (a serious
vineyard pest) spread in the vineyards, some of which predated the Romans. Some
winemakers can still remember a time when their primary crops were apricots or
vegetables, and many still earn a portion of their living fruit production. But,
winemakers believed in their appellation, and planted vineyards. Over time
better wines brought more recognition and higher prices, which led to the
creation of even more vineyards.
 To the east lies the Drome Provecale, an area where the
Alps and Provence meet. Just as beautiful as Provence but less well known, acres
of grape vines share the landscape with lavender fields and olive groves. Nyons,
in the center of the Drome, comprises a square of animated cafes and a medieval
village set on a hillside. On Thursdays and Sundays the whole town is taken over
by a sprawling regional market.
 No other
place in France has so committed its identity to the olive. Olive oil from Nyons
is the only olive oil to be accorded "Appellation d'Origine Controlee" (AOC).
Seen from afar, the 12th century castle of Grignan
dominates the town and the surrounding countryside. A citadel in the middle
ages, it became a renaissance castle in the 16th century.
 Nowadays you can
wander the picturesque streets and stone paths with houses and archways dating
from the 12 and 14th centuries. Enchanting Manoir de la Roseraie dating from
1850, is set on 5 lovely manicured acres of parkland near a medieval village.
The unctuous cheeses of the Alps--Reblochon, Beaufort, Abondance--round off any
meal, or if you prefer something sweet, try the
 white, pistachio-studded nougat
made in Montelimar with sugar, honey, white of egg, vanilla, almonds, pistachio
nuts or crystallized fruit.
There has never been a better time to visit Rhone-Alpes. Chefs, hotels, and
wineries are providing visitors with the best the region can offer. In the
summer you’ll inhale the aroma of lavender; in the autumn you’ll dine on fresh
truffles. To take in the entire region, a full week is best.
Where to Eat
Le Pyramide, 14 Boulevard Fernand Point, 38200 Vienne, 33-4
74 53 01 96
www.lapyramide.com When Fernand Point died in 1956, one of his three
Michelin stars faded with him, lighted again by his wife, who carried on the
traditions under the restaurant name Chez Point-Pyramide. When Mme. Point died
in 1986, the restaurant was razed to be reborn as a beautiful 22-room inn in a
park-like setting. Patrick Henriroux took over La Pyramide's kitchen in 1989.
Henriroux's stunning, Mediterranean-influenced cuisine has won the refurbished
restaurant two new Michelin stars. LaPyramide is also a Relais & Châteaux hotel.
Maison Pic, 285 Avenue Victor Hugo, 26000 Valence, 33 4 75
44 15 32
www.pic-valence.com Between Drome and Ardeche you will find Valence, a
dynamic city in one of France's loveliest rural regions. At Restaurant Pic you
will discover a very special island of calm, which over the past sixty years has
earned a reputation as a shrine of French cuisine. Curnonsky, "the prince of
gastronomes," said early on "there are three creators of modern cuisine:
Escoffier, Pic, Point." And it was certainly no accident that the three men were
friends. Anne-Sophie Pic carries on the tradition of her father Jacques and has
earned 2 Michelin stars.
Restaurant-Hotel la Fontaine, Le village, 26270 Cliosclat,
33 4 75 63 07 38
Mirmande and Cliosclat are perfect little ramparted
medieval villages, set among trees, orchards and open meadows. Its heyday ran
from the 12th century to the 17th century. It sits on a hill with lovely views
and is itself overlooked by the pretty Church of Saint Foy. As you wander among
the streets there are lots of interesting architectural details to admire in the
stonework, doors and windows.
Where to Stay
Manoir de la Roseraie a Grignan, Route de Valreas, 26230
Grignan, 33 4 75 46 58 15
www.manoirdelaroseraie.com The Manoir de la Roseraie is within striking
distance of the Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail. Thousands of
roses, superb lawns, swimming pool, tennis, and other delights can be enjoyed by
those staying in the 21 deluxe guest rooms and suites. Enjoy the delicious
cuisine prepared from home-grown fruits and vegetables and wines from the
restaurants’ estensive list.
La Pyramid, Vienne, Hotel La Pyramid, 14, Boulevard Fernand
Point, 38200 Vienne,
www.lapyramid.fr. Part of the Relais & Chateaux chain, this recently
refurbished beautiful 24-room inn in a park-like setting is centrally located
for visits to the surrounding vineyards.
Maison Pic, 285 Avenue Victor Hugo, 26000 Valence, 33 4 75
44 15 32
www.pic-valence.com Comprising a bistro, a two-star Michelin restaurant and
a hotel that is part of the Relais et Châteaux network.
What to Do
Distillerie Bleu Provence, Lavender Factory, 58 Promenade
de la digue, 26110 Nyons, 33 4 75 26 10 42,
www.distillerie-bleu-provence.com
Vinaigrerie de Nyons (Vinegar Factory) La Para 26110 Nyons,
33 475 261 299, www.lapara.fr Raphael
Delaye-Reynaud produces a variety of unique and innovative vinegars, the base of
which is wine from the Dome region.
Nougaterie Arnaud Soubeyran, (Nougats), Zone Industrielle
26200 Montelimar, 33 4 75 51 01 35,
www.nougatsoubeyran.com Visit the nougat museum and tour of the factory.
Boat Trip on Rhone, Bateau Livia,
www.bateau-livia.com., Vienne
Gallo-roman Museum, Route départementale 502
69560 ST ROMAIN EN GAL (Vienne)
 Vineum
Jaboulet, a Chateauneuf sur Isere, Route de Bourg de Peage, 26300 Chateauneuf
sur Isere, 04 75 47 35 55,
www.jaboulet.com This is the place to buy and taste the wines of the region.
In 1992, the Maison Paul Jaboulet Ainé acquired caves in the commune of
Chateauneuf sur Isère. This village marks the limit of the appellation Crozes
Hermitage. The great red Hermitage, which was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, is
made from Syrah grapes. In Roman times, these monumental galleries were
quarries, from which blocks of "molasse" were extracted for use in the building
of numerous cathedrals, including those of Strasbourg, Marseille, Valence and
Romans. The German army occupied these caves during the Second World War to
repair aircraft engines. Since then, the caves were used for mushroom farming
until Jaboulet discovered that the caves would be ideal for the maturing of
wines. They acquired three caves of different sizes and ages. It wasn’t until
2000 that the consolidation of the vaults began. This type of storage allows for
wine to spend a certain time in the bottle: a beneficial and well-earned rest
before the final tasting.
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