My LOVE AFFAIR with FRANCE

by Catherine Caldwell

My family never traveled to France. None of them speak French. We certainly aren’t French. Essentially, I had zero connection to the country, but something clicked. 

I knew Paris through cinema. I was attracted to its beauty, but it was a place I could only dream about. I traveled in my head, studied the language, and savored the culture. Coming from a vino-and-spirits shy family, I never envisioned the world of wine playing such a role in my journey abroad, but it did.

My French-American connection began with a glass of champagne at my cousin’s house. Well, it was probably a regular sparkling wine but I remember it well. It symbolized the sense of communal celebration and appreciation for beauty—for life—I associated with France and the French way of living. Maybe it was the bubbles, maybe it was the romance … Whatever it was, my “je ne sais quoi” for France stuck. I wanted to speak French, travel to France–better yet: live there. 

This same sparkle for the fairytale I wove around France followed me through my high school French classes to my sweet sixteen. For this much-hyped-about date in a teenage girl’s life, I had lunch at a French restaurant, and then saw “Marie Antoinette”: starring Kirsten Dunst, directed by Sofia Coppola. 

No, the film was not a newfound appreciation for Ladurée’s rose macarons … Although a more delicate shade of rose found its way into my first glass of real wine (at least legally) in none other than Paris: a dry rosé from Provence in the South of France, where I would soon be moving for my culture and language immersion (read: study abroad) at the University of Avignon. 

I viewed this first rosé through rose-tinted lenses: a sentiment that followed me to Avignon, the ancient walled city of the popes settled within the C?tes-du-Rh?ne wine appellation. In Provence, I learned what wine tannins and “tears” were. It wasn’t long before I branched beyond the region’s beloved rosés to gain an appreciation for white and red wines. 

Call it the French touch, but for the first time in my life, I tasted. My host mother and those I was fortunate to come into contact with inspired to play with flavors on the palate, to pair food and wine, but moreover, to connect with others in a culture sharing a passion for communal celebration and an appreciation for what I learned to be called “terroir.”

I even visited my first winery while living in Avignon, thanks to a generous host family of a friend. This venture took me to none other than Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I was too much of a novice to know how iconic this place was at the time, but I do remember our tasting … There were black olives from the region to pair with the bold red’s silky tannins. I recall daydreaming of matching the wine with a warm dish of ratatouille. The vineyard, the chateau, the entirety of the tasting experience … It was my first foray into wine world, and I was hooked. 

After leaving Avignon, I continued to immerse myself in the French language, culture, writing, and, of course, wine. (In college, I was quick to organize wine-filled dinners with French-and-vin-loving friends, and devoured Wine Folly’s pairings–yes, Halloween candy ones included!) 

France was beckoning me back. So, I went back: this time to teach English to elementary and middle school students on a fixed-term government grant through the Teaching English Program in France.

I landed in a tiny village north of Lyon in the Ain department–where I found myself also north of the Rh?ne, in the heart of the Beaujolais, and just south of the Maconnais. I visited various regions of France, and tasted their wines: Alsace, Haute-Savoie, Beaujolais (Nouveau too) … I immersed myself in wine tourism and events, and frequently sought counsel from French mentors and friends, savoring every second.

I’m savoring every moment, but my French-American connection, and my international career, is just beginning. The wine industry has helped me meet many fascinating French and Americans who share my passion, and I know it will continue to do so. 

But above all, I believe that the beauty of two nations gathering around the same table is certainly worth toasting to.

Catherine Caldwell, Corporate Community Manager at Rémy Cointreau