In Vincent Van Gogh footsteps around Arles in Provence.2019/5/22
“Vincent Van Gogh lived in Arles in the South of France for more than a year. He experienced great productivity there before suffering from a mental breakdown.
He arrived in Arles on 20 February 1888. After two years in Paris, he was tired of the bustle and demands of city life and longed for the sunshine and vibrant colors of the south. When he got to Arles, he took a room at:
– the hotel-restaurant Carrel,
and later, one at :
– Café de la Gare.
In early September, he moved into:
– the Yellow House,
which he had begun using as a studio on 1st of May.
He was highly productive during this period and made numerous paintings and drawings in and around Arles. He developed an expressive, individual painting style characterized by bold colors and dynamic brushstrokes. In Arles, he met the artists Eugène Boch, Dodge MacKnight and Christian Mourier-Petersen and befriended the postal official Joseph Roulin. Paul Gauguin came to join him in October, and they worked together in Arles for two months.
In late December, Vincent suffered a psychotic episode in which he cut off part of his ear. Gauguin went back to Paris soon afterward. Vincent was admitted to hospital and discharged on 7 January. In late January and February, however, he suffered two more attacks, and he returned to hospital for a longer spell. On 8 May 1889, he left Arles to be voluntarily committed to a psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy de Provence.
Other places dedicated to the artist:
-The Fondation Vincent Van Gogh Arles aims to showcase and promote Van Gogh’s artistic heritage while also asking questions about the resonance of his oeuvre in art today. By presenting the painting of van Gogh in the context of works by contemporary artists, it seeks to stimulate a fruitful dialogue centered on interrogation and reflection.”
https://www.arlestourisme.com/en/fondation-van-gogh.html
Blossoming has started at Domaine du Gros Noré, Bandol AOC.2019/5/18
Few differences can be obseved on these four different grape varieties: the star of Bandol, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Clairette and Cinsault.
Yeast Gallery event by Miica Fran2019/5/18
Food creator Miica Fran event last Sunday at Yeast Gallery was inspired by the masterpieces of Van Gogh “Van Gogh et la nature”, Monet “Les Nymphéas”, Picasso “Guernica”, Le Corbusier “Ronchamp chapel” , Cézanne “Pommes et oranges”.
Creative and delicious menu, great pairing with aVin wines!
Thank you Miica Fran!
PARADISE BEER FACTORY in Kashima: Farmer grown, Farmer Brewed.2019/5/1
“Fine crops + sacred water + plain madness = Paradise Beer”
Kashima Beer Factory is located five minutes walk from the power-spot shrine Kashima-Jingu.
There is a bus or train from Tokyo station, both takes around 1h30.
– Fairly new brewery but already prize winning beer! There is a ground floor bar, shop and brewery and upstairs the main cafe/restaurant space.
– They currently have a beer line up of eight beers, five of which were represented on tap. You can buy the others in the shop in bottles to take away. All beers are served in the same size and priced the same (US pint, ¥950 and half, which was in a tulip glass and probably at least 300ml, ¥700).
All beers are made using water from the nearby Kashima Jingu, apparently an unusually hard water for Japan. The beers fall loosely in the field of Belgian styles, but more on the Wit/lower alcohol side of the Belgian beer spectrum. There were nods to other more popular styles with an IPA and session IPA, but both still retained some Belgian hints.
Delicious pizzas or one plate lunch on the menu (organic vegetables from the farm of the same owner).
https://paradisebeer.jp/
Available to buy at bar aVin wine shop:
〒152-0002 東京都目黒区目黒本町２丁目３−１
The delicious story of the French pastry “éclair”2019/4/1
The name éclair comes from French meaning “flash of lightning” and it’s named this way because well, it’s eaten in a flash. Some people also believe that the pastry received its name because it sparkles when coated with confectioner’s glaze.
Not much is known about the origin of the éclair, but it is known to have originated in France around the turn of the nineteenth century. Many food historians speculate that Éclairs were first made by Marie-Antoine Carême, a famous pastry chef for French royalty.
So, what exactly are the éclairs? A true éclair is a long, thin pastry made with choux pastry filled with a cream and topped with icing.The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry then is filled with…pastry cream (crème pâtissière), custard or whipped cream, and topped with fondant icing.”
Of course, if that seems a bit long, this definition for the éclair seems rather concise: according to the Chambers English Dictionary, an éclair is “a cake, long in shape but short in duration.”
Eclairs are becoming increasingly trendy, sporting new shiny coats and fluffy fillings with flavors like matcha (green tea) and lemon cream.
And it’s delicious paired with Ultime Muscat, Jaillance!
