Going to Maconnais! Cluny Trip Day 4

Today we departed Cluny early in the morning for or excursion to the Maconnais. The first place we visited was Madame Bourdon's goat cheese farm. They had their own Museum of Chailloux, which contained many different artifacts that were once used for farming in the 1920's and 1930's. We got to try their award winning goat cheeses from fresh to aged cheeses. In Madame Bourdon's farm, they milked cows at 3 am in the morning and 4 pm in the afternoon. Just imagine having to wake up at 2 am every morning so you can milk the cows at 3 am! Unlike many industrial cheese makers, they let their goats roam free to graze on the grass. It was there that I also discovered my love for black current juice, especially paired with goat cheese, it was just the most amazing combination. Next we visited the Lycee Agricole farm where they brewed wine and also made goat cheese. Unlike Madame Bourdon's farm, the goats were milked much later in morning at 7 am (to the workers' joy). Also, these goats were given grass instead of being able to roam around in the fields. We got a special wine tasting after brief lecture on how wine is fermented in barrels. After visiting these farms, it was time for us to have the picnic which we've been waiting for all week. We and lunch at Solutre with the food that we bought at the local supermarket. It was a stunning view of the countryside with the most amazing weather. To my dismay, I almost lost my iPhone while I was there, however a lovely local French man came to us right when we were able to head back to the bus that someone had left their iPhone in the bathroom. I was so surprised by how amazingly generous and caring the locals were. The man and walked a great distance in order to inform us. I am so grateful and lucky that I was able to retrieve my iPhone just in time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to contact home or take any more pictures along the trip. The last stop of our trip was at Domaine Perraud, which was exclusively a winery. We got to meet the wife of the family owned business, named Sonia early on in the week. And even though she spoke very little english, she had the most amazing sense of humor and personality. Her baby was due soon (and we heard that she was able to deliver before our trip in France was over!) She taught us a great deal about wine making. Starting from the fields and exactly how everything was processed step by step. It was with her that I learned the greatest amount of information about wine making from my trip. Here are some pictures that I was able to take of her factory and her fields, but they don't do it justice. The factory is actually much larger and so are the fields. If you are planning to go on this study abroad program, I'd definitely say that you should be excited to visit Sonia's winery. She is an amazing person and so is her wine.

- Victoria Lee