Hm. So far, so good - my computer is much faster than it was pre-format. I might even be able to get some pictures on the web this week, because now it zips through them, whereas before it took six months to look at a single directory. So now the question is: do I do La Rochelle, or Bordeaux...?

Ooh, ooh, I know! Bordeaux!!! p.s. My family absolutely loved the Haut Bertinerie Sauvignon Blanc I brought home. Marty's going to see if Rave can distribute it (if they even sell to the US - we couldn't tell from the website...)

We had a conversation with a winemaker in the Cote du Rhone region who said that they didn't export to the states because they weren't big enough, and didn't want to be (quality issues). I've never worked out the whole import/export business, although I've been thinking I should - if I'm going to bother to learn all about wine, I might just as well import some of it. And there are certainly a number of small exporters here - we've met many a shop owner who will ship to the states (for an awe-inspiring fee).

on the other hand, said "Cotes du Rhone" wine (Beaumes de Venise, for anyone out there keeping score) is available in the states, after all, since my parents managed to find a bottle in their wine store in Virginia. so, you never know - i think they meant that they didn't do the export part themselves, rather than that none of their wines ever made it to the U.S. market.