Homemade Italian Mozzarella Cheese & Sangiovese Rosé Wine In France

Cookbook Launch Dinner in Caunes

The invitation is below!

I wrote to several contributors to The Winemakers' Cooking Companion cookbook around the world, letting them know about the cookbook launch dinner on September 16th in Caunes Minervois, France. Several responded, explaining that they could not attend due to distance or grape harvests, but that they look forward to seeing videos of the event afterwards.

Below are some responses.

Hola Tom - Thank you very much for the invitation! I won't be in France at that time, so it will be impossible for me to attend. Best of luck with the book launch.
Best regards,
Andrea Leon. Casa Lapostolle, Colchagua Valley, Chile.

Hi Tom - Thank you for the email and congratulations. I will not be able to attend (based in NZ) but all the very best for the launch.
Best wishes.
Ashleigh Barrowman. Siren Wine, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Hi Tom - I'm thrilled that you have chosen my recipe for your book. It would certainly be a dream vacation if I could attend the book launch dinner in France. I was in this area about 8 years ago and loved the charm of the region. I was with my brother and we were on a quest to eat our way through France. Which we did!
Your idea of a book hosting recipes of different countries is brilliant!!!!!
Have you ever been to the Okanagan valley in Canada? Our location is superb at the top of the Sonoran desert. Our soils bring out a unique taste and the grapes grow beautifully. Wishing you great sales!
Louise Lubchynski. Beaumont Family Estate Winery. West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Hi Tom - This is great news!
I cannot confirm at the moment if I could attend. If we are able so save anything this vintage, I may be harvesting or watching 2026 wines, if any of ours finally exist, those days. In case I could finally go, I would tell you to check if 1 am in time.
Best regards from devastated and still burning Gredos.
Juan Diez Bulnes. Bernabeleva Wines, Madrid, Spain.

Tom - Great News, congratulations I'm sure it is going to be amazing!!!!!
I'm not sure that we can assist, so sorry I would really love to go, but thanks a lot for inviting us and using my recipe!!!!!! I will definitely ask for a copy!!!
Take care,
Daniella Gillmore. Gillmore Wines, Loncomilla Valley, Chile.

Well of course I had forgotten all about that. I won't make the dinner and launch but I am sure it will be interesting and fun. How far are you away from the fires - so devastating.
Lois Diana Mills. Rippon Vineyard & Winery, Wänaka, New Zealand.

Thanks, Tom. We certainly remember sending a recipe. We regret having to decline the invitation, as we are right in the middle of the grape harvest at that time. In any case, it would be great if you could send us the photos.
Best regards,
Familia Martínez Bujanda. Rioja, Spain.

Many thanks, Tom! We won't be able to attend, but we wish you great success with the book. Best regards,
Sara Jové. Mas Blanch I Jové, Costers del Segre, Spain

Hi Tom - What a lovely surprise! I'd love to have dropped in for it and it came close to happening, but I'll be on the Ferry to Santander from Plymouth on my way to Basque country for two weeks. Close but no cigar! I wish you great luck with it and let me know when it is on shelves so I can grab one.
Thanks,
Nigel Greening. Felton Road Wines, Central Otago, New Zealand.

Ciao Tom - That would be a lovely chance to meet you and your friends winemakers in a very tempting context but the winemakers duty are calling me. I will be starting harvest and moving around is off limits for me. Hope to catch up next time. Best.
Michele Manelli. Salcheto Wines, Tuscany, Italy.

Dear Tom - Great to hear from you! It looks like the presentation is during coming harvest, so we will not be able to take part of your Event. Best wishes.
Weingut Umathum. Burgenland, Austria.

Hi Tom - Thank you for including Amy's Blue Cheese Wine Fondue recipe in The Winemakers' Cooking Companion. We're excited to help promote your book through Amy's and LaBelle Winery's channels. As a founder, winemaker, author and longtime culinary entrepreneur, Amy has a unique story that connects naturally with the wine, food, travel and personality-focused content you are creating. Congratulations on the cookbook and the return of Vino Voices!
Best,
LaBelle Winery. Amherst & Derry, New Hampshire, USA

Hello Tom - We are delighted that the cookbook has now been released in a hardcover edition. Unfortunately, we cannot attend the presentation in France in person. We wish you great success and a wonderful event! Best regards from Tattendorf.
The Reinisch Family. Tattendorf, Austria.

La Bourdasso—Cucina Italiana, In France

Thirteen years ago Fabio and Cinzia Antonini and sons Eduardo and Giacomo and daughters Ginevra and Carolina visited Pradelles-en-Val in rural Languedoc in the Corbières wine region of southern France, fell in love and decided to stay. Fabio gave up his 60-hours a week design business in Rome and opened up La Bourdasso Restaurant.

Today, a few kilometers from their restaurant, they have a pasture with 50 cows, 30 black pigs, ample goats, wheat and vegetables that include heirloom tomatoes. They also have four hectares (10 acres) of grapevines, including Sangiovese grapes from Italy. From these resources they make homemade mozzarella cheese, homemade ice cream, homemade sourdough bread, gazpacho and red and rosé wines.

In renovating an old winery building as their restaurant, Fabio decided to keep a massive 22 meters (72 feet) long wooden beam running the length of the room, not as a structural element but as a souvenir from past heritage.

The lunch? Best mozarella I ever tasted, and their bread was unforgettable. All meals were delicious.

Below is a sampling of some of their lunch dishes, which I thoroughly recommend.

Bourdasso Lunch

Antipasti

[IT] Mozzarella BIO di bufala con Gaspacho fatto in casa

[FR] Mozzarella BIO au lait cru de bufflonne maison avec gaspacho et basilic

[EN] Homemade organic raw buffalo milk mozzarella with gazpacho and basil

Primi

[IT] Risotto Carnaroli con crema di zucchine e stracciatella; pane fatto in casa

[FR] Risotto Carnaroli avec de creme courgettes et coeur de burrata; pain fait maison

[EN] Carnaroli risotto with zucchini cream and stracciatella; homemade bread

Dessert

[IT] Gelato artigianale fatto con latte di bufala (Nocciola, cioccolato e amarena)

[FR] Glace fermière au lait de bufflonne (Noisette, chocolat et griotte)

[EN] Farm-style buffalo milk ice cream (Hazelnut, chocolate, and Morello cherry)

Vini

Aurelia Rosé AOC Corbieres 2025. Antonini Dumas Puech. Sangiovese.

Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2022 Le Querce. Cascina Galarin. Barbera d'Astí.

Young Minervois Winemakers Gather Weekly During Summer

For French friends living in the south, the Minervois is showcasing 'Thursday Winemakers' at the Maison des Vins du Minervois (House of Wines, Minervois). I encourage you to attend and sample their wines!

Free Recipe from The Winemakers' Cooking Companion Cookbook—

The Winemakers' Cooking Companion cookbook includes 108 recipes from 18 countries—contributed by winemakers, winery chefs and winery owners. Units are both metric and American, and several recipes are marked as vegetarian or vegan.

Some lively book launch events will take place this summer in my village in southern France—including at La Cantine du Curé wine bar/restaurant when winemakers and chefs will cook up a storm. There will also be an event at the Green Cat art gallery.

Recipe—

The free recipe below, from The Winemakers' Cooking Companion, is one that pairs with Sangiovese or Barbera or a blend of both (Bourdasso grows Sangiovese and also serves Barbera from Piedmont, Italy). This is Ragù of Romagna, and the recipe was supplied by Maria Galassi of Galassi Maria Winery, located in Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

More Free Chapters From The Book Vino Voices: Wine, Work, Travel, Life—

I'm continuing to provide all chapters from my book Vino Voices: Wine, Work, Travel, Life for free here during the coming months. Originally written over a decade ago, this book has been revised and is available as an e-book. It is 230 pages long and includes interviews with more than 45 professionals in a dozen countries who work in the world of wine, and explain why they love their work. It includes more than 100 photographs.

Click below to download chapters eleven and twelve—about a Sonoma mother who turned her front garden into a Sangiovese vineyard and began making wine for family and friends, and about an artist in the Ribeira Sacra region of Galicia who also makes wine from grapes that include Mencía, Merenzao, Brancillao, Godello, Albariño, Treixadura, Torrontés Loureira and Doña Blanca.

What's Next In Vino Voices—

I'll soon feature:

• Lunch with the French America's Cup sailing team captain/winemaker.
• Recipe for Barili Chardonnay Chicken from Spokane, Washington, USA.
• More Spanish wines, from DO Costers del Segre, DO Empordá, and a local Tossa de Mar 'vi de pagès' (table wine) from Catalonia.

Thanks for tuning in!

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