gharbour
Posts: 371
Joined: 4/30/2010
From: Savigny les Beaune, France
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Good Morning All,
If you've followed the Summer Adventure in Burgundy series on CellarTracker, I wanted to alert you a new article (written in French) about Nicholas and Colleen and their creation of Maison Harbour. The article is a well written read about how they met, fell in love with each other and then with Burgundy. If you haven't followed the Summer Adventure in Burgundy series and you are interested in Burgundy or about getting started as a winemaker give it a look at the links below.
Here's the new article, which appeared on Valentines' Day:
And for non-French speakers, below is my rough translation. I hope it's fairly close to the intended meaning!
For the Love of Burgundy
She, Canadian and him American. Colleen and Nicholas were classmates in high school in Luxembourg , but the history of love is really born of a summer in Burgundy. At the heart of the village of Savigny -lès- Beaune, Maison Harbour not only houses a wine trading business. But, behind it, there is primarily a love story with Burgundy. Colleen, Canadian, and Nicholas, American, they spent their high school years in Luxembourg.
The classmates
"At the time , we were just classmates”. Their paths were separated at University, where both returned to their home countries to study. They returned to Luxembourg as summer interns.
Where Colleen and Nicholas discovered each other and bonded like atoms, including through holidays in a summer house of Nicholas’ parents in Savigny-les-Beaune.
As written in his time, by a grand pen of French literature, Honoré de Balzac, "love has its instinct, it can find the path of the heart like the weakest insect walking to his flower with irresistible desire”. Since these holidays, Colleen and Nicholas are almost apart.
After a summer sharing the pleasures of wine, gastronomy, and the Burgundy lifestyle, our two lovebirds returned to University. She to Canada and he to The United States. Their love was stronger than the geographical distance and it was not uncommon for Nicholas to take his car, shine or snow, to spend time with Colleen. Their reuniting quickly erased the fatigue of a journey of more than eight hours.
Due to an incompatibility of visas, they had no other choice but to settle in Europe. So they started their careers in Finance in Luxembourg.
French Marriage
After two or three years together, the idea of marriage pointed to the tip of his nose. Colleen and Nicholas then sought a place to unite. Burgundy quickly emerged at the forefront. After saying "yes" in the Civil Ceremony in Savigny-lès-Beaune, the party continued in Bresse. “Our dream was to have a marriage in France, then we quickly fell under the spell of the castle of Varennes, accommodating all our family and friends. There was cheese, wine, eggs meurette, etc. But, we avoided snails, lest it be too difficult for our American guests."
Schooling to learn Négociant
Their finances and their lives were materially comfortable but without flavor, the couple decided to tackle it after 6 months. "We've always been big fans of wine, and enrolled at the Beaune school of Wine, without knowing what we would do next." In two years, they learned the art of tasting the earth, through vilification and caring for wine.
By moving to a charming pied-à-terre in the heart of Savigny-lès-Beaune, Colleen and Nicholas tried to establish their small Négociant . Despite the low harvest of 2013, with much perseverance and help, the couple managed to find grapes. In minute quantities, Maison Harbour made seven different appelations, both red and white, either of Vosne-Rommanée, Pommard, Chassagne-Montrachet, Gevrey-Chambertin... The distribution of their first bottles will not begin before 2015. "We will not make large quantities. Premium quality. For now, it's kind of our baby, before thinking of having a baby of our own."
Chateau VARENNES
Located near the best vineyards of Beaune, Chateau Varennes is the only place in France to have been selected by CNN in the list of top ten places in the world to get married. The estate has belonged to the family of Truchis for over 400 years and the current buildings have the elegance of the classic French style of the eighteenth century. After a renovation carried out by a team of designers and landscapers, Chateau Varennes provides similar benefits to the best hotels but with the advantage of the exclusive use of the private places. In addition to the main building with accommodations for thirty guests, the new reception in the Orangery can receive 250 guests and the vast outdoor spaces can further expand the capacity for major events or business seminars , not to mention the private chapel where Nicholas and Colleen married.
A Bientôt
Gary
Week 1 - The Story Begins
Week 2 - Departure
Week 3 - Work Begins
Week 4 - Shopping for Equipment
Week 5 - The Douane
Week 6 - Beautiful Premier Cru Grapes
Week 6.1 Savigny En Tous Sens
Week 7 - Disaster Strikes
Week 8 - Starting Again
Week 9 - Vacation Time in France
Week 10 - Vacation Ends and Work Resumes
Week 11 - New Floor Concrete Pour
Week 12 - Cave Repairs and Soutirage
Week 13 - Power Outage
Week 14 - Gevrey Chambertin
Week 15 - Another Brick in the Wall
Week 16 - Les Vendanges Approches
Week 17 - Big News with the Vendange
Week 18 - La Vendange est Terminée
Week 19 - Combe Au Moine - Back in the USA
Week 20 - Bonus Post Pressing the Reds
Post 21 - Winter and a Year in Photos
Post 22 - New Vineyards and Business Processes
< Message edited by gharbour -- 2/17/2014 7:38:32 AM >
_____________________________
Gary Harbour
Chez Nos Coeurs
Savigny les Beaune
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