Tag: Beaujolais

To avoid another heatstroke situation like yesterday, we headed out to the vineyard at 6 a.m. sharp. Of course, starting work that early—combined with my foggy morning brain—meant I totally forgot to film anything. Oops.

Thankfully, the afternoon made up for it. We had the chance to visit two biodynamic wineries and, well… let’s just say we drank a lot of wine. Ahahahaha!

Chatting with these winemakers, I realized something:

They honestly just care about drinking and enjoying wine. They don’t compare their wines with other wineries to decide who’s “better.” At most, they’ll compare their own wines from different years. Even wines from different plots of their own land aren’t really compared—because to them, it’s apples and oranges.

Their philosophy is simple: everyone has their own taste. If you like it, then it’s good. Wine is meant to be enjoyed.

And no matter how big the winery is, the owners all spend most of their time in the vineyards, getting their hands dirty and working closely with the grapes. So if you ever meet one in mud-stained clothes, don’t be surprised—that’s just part of the job.

As for the second winemaker we visited… let’s just say he was very handsome. Totally my type. Great body too (yes, I accidentally caught a glimpse of his abs 😳). We visited around 7 p.m.—and since it doesn’t get dark here until about 10, the golden light was perfect. Even my clumsy filming skills couldn’t ruin the footage!

If breathtaking scenery, wineries, and handsome winemakers aren’t your thing, then just skip ahead to the food at the end (yum) 👇

Oh. My. Gosh. How can it be this hot? And tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter!

Today was basically ruled by two things: the blazing sun and the winery owner’s adorable little daughter.

Our plan was to head out early, before the sun got too strong. But it turns out that the three-year-old had secretly stayed up the night before playing with her toys. So in the morning, she refused to get up. Olivier, ever the considerate dad, said she should sleep in a bit more because of the heat—and just like that, our morning was delayed by two whole hours.

When we finally made it outside, it was already scorching. Olivier couldn’t bear to make Rosie the horse work in that heat, but he still asked if we wanted to continue wiring the vines. (Of course, we said yes—gotta get that vlog content!) In reality though, after about an hour, we were completely drained. Time to call it a day.

The afternoon was even hotter, so naturally we retreated indoors. Our tasks moved underground to the wine cellar, labeling and packing bottles of aging wine. Later, we treated ourselves by visiting a bigger, fancier winery nearby. The highlight? For just 8 euros, you can taste 12 different wines—and keep the glass. Such a steal!

The day ended on the sweetest note. Olivier’s little daughter insisted she had magical powers to heal animals. Not wanting to crush her imagination, Olivier let her “treat” Capucine the donkey’s eye condition. (Too bad he doesn’t let her appear on camera—you’ll just have to picture a mischievous little French girl with ear-length curls and a spark in her eyes.)

I’m exhausted. I’m overheated. Tomorrow: Lyon!

Today was the long-awaited day of working with the legendary Rosie. She turned out to be much bigger than I had imagined—and stunningly beautiful. Regal, commanding… and yes, a lady.

The funniest part? Rosie’s best friend is a donkey named Capucine—also a lady. According to Olivier, if Capucine isn’t nearby, Rosie simply refuses to work. (Programmers, doesn’t this sound like your “motivation buddies”? 😂) The idea of this cross-species friendship completely amazed me.

That said, Rosie wasn’t exactly cooperative today. For all kinds of reasons—the heat, no bug repellent, too many unfamiliar faces—she decided she was done. Her previous owner even warned that she might not get along well with human women. That, honestly, was the hardest part for me to accept.

I mean… you’ve accepted Capucine, but not me? So unfair. sniff sniff

Meanwhile, our ever-present “third musketeer,” Baco the sheepdog, was hilarious. Whenever he was around Rosie and Capucine, he acted super timid, keeping at least a meter of distance at all times. Watching him tiptoe around was priceless.

A dog, a donkey, and a horse—this was my very first time working alongside so many different species. And honestly? It was magical.

Of course, it wasn’t just about the animals. In today’s video, you’ll also see plenty of other highlights: stumbling across a whole patch of wild strawberries, getting more confident with vineyard work, sipping delicious wine, and more… 👇👇

As for me? Let’s just say I’m not exactly skilled at manual labor. Even the simplest vineyard tasks gave me trouble today. Something as basic as tying up young vines with string took me forever—and I still managed to mess it up more than once. Honestly, though, I can’t say I was surprised…

But! Olivier’s hands-on skills are truly next level—he’s even digging a swimming pool in his own backyard! Give me a few more days here and I’ll put together a special video just on that.

Tap the video to meet a vineyard owner passionate about organic living… and a clumsy beginner who refuses to give up 👇👇

The last time I came to France was three years ago for my graduation ceremony. Back then, I didn’t really travel around—just met up with classmates and said goodbye to a chapter of my life.

This time feels different. It didn’t take long to adjust to—and even forgive—Paris’s quirks: the grumpy service, awkward English, and the metro that smells less than charming. But Paris always redeems itself with little bits of magic: bumping into festival-goers dressed to the nines, catching impromptu piano performances at train stations, and the playful balloon decorations at Bercy Village. Jolie, on the other hand, had a less magical moment—she got chased by pigeons until she ran away in fright.

After more than 30 hours of travel for me (and 15 for her), we finally arrived at Mâcon Ville station. There we met Olivier, the owner of a Beaujolais winery, who kindly picked us up. Having hosted many WWOOFers, he slipped right into tour guide mode, pointing out good restaurants and well-known vineyards. Olivier himself seems like quite a character—this is how he introduced himself:

After twenty years running around the world (Europe, Asia and Africa) to work with small farmers, I wanted to go to the other side of the mirror, find the peasant gestures, the freedom of the peasant, the pleasure of producing wine … Here I am, small wine producer in Beaujolais, here with my family since 2017 … Organic wine of course, a little biodynamic too, and most of all : working with my horse, Rosie….

Pleasure of exchange of ideas, experiences, transmission of my (little) knowledge, helping others to see the reality of the work of wine producer, the challenge of starting a second life… 

Since we only got in a little after eight, the evening was just a quick dinner and then straight to washing up. I’ll share more next time about the house he recently bought and is now renovating.

Olivier also told us about his horse, Rosie, who we’ll get to work with tomorrow. And to keep her company? He got her a donkey. Yes, really—so she wouldn’t feel lonely.

More fun to come—check out the video below 👇👇👇