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Born in Burgundy, currently living in Provence…Isabelle’s public passion for wine began in 1985, when Isabelle wrote the first French wine guide devoted entirely to women-and-wine, titled “Elles et Bacchus.”  Her career as a journalist and as a lecturer, taster, prestigious jury member, and organizer of special events, is enhanced by her editorials and appearances in a variety of specialized French wine and gastronomy magazines and French television (FR3, TV5, M6, Cuisine TV).

Isabelle, the daughter of a Burgundian vine grower has encouraged impassioned women, from sommeliers to the uninitiated, with her three popular wine guides. The guides feature women vintners, sommeliers, growers; and also include recommendations for aperitif and dessert wines plus holiday wines. She spotlights wineries and chateaux that can be rented for special events and she suggests inns and lodging close to wine growers.

Isabelle’s guides thoughtfully offer wine suggestions and food pairings from sporting events to romantic getaways.  

Currently, Isabelle is researching and writing her 4th guide book, which will be translated into English and will feature selected wineries in northern California. It will be released in 2010.

My “Mas de la vigne” or “Farmhouse of Wine” – What fate! I moved into a winegrowers village!

As there is no such thing as chance, 10 years ago my lucky star brought me to this house full of history, dating from 1870 which was inhabited only by women. Facing the house, lives a fallow vineyard of old local grape varieties. The woody vines indicate a flourishing past, but they were abandoned after the Second World War. In it’s heyday the wine served the people of my village in Provence. This house was inhabited by widows whose husbands never returned from war, and THEY were the winemakers. Did you know? “MAS” in Provencal means a small area with a farm. When I discovered it, it appeared to be a pile of ruined stones. I restored the outside with a pink coat of lime which now protects my old stones from pollution. I am fortunate to also have some olive trees that still give fruit with which I can make a few liters of olive oil. The softness in Provence, the smells, colors, climate and lifestyle … Provence – Je t’aime! Isabelle

I always choose large crystal glasses to serve red wines.

For me the choice of a glass is important because it has a great influence on the taste of wine that I drink and offer to my guests. When I see a beautiful glass that I like, I am capable of spending a disproportionate amount of money that I would never spend on clothing. Through the years I have often cracked glasses of Baccarat Crystal, Spiegelau, Riedel! Il est dommage! All my wine glasses and champagne are crystal. I have also collected antique glasses since my youth. My top choice are large nosed glasses with tall legs, to serve my red wine. I need to dive my two nostrils inside sniffing for flavors that flourish before they escape.

My kitchen is my favorite place, I’m a gourmande!

I left Paris long ago to live in the world of Provence in southern France. I like to cook even if I’m alone. I enjoy the traditional cuisine, that cooks in the oven for hours, recipes transmitted from my grandmother. I eat only natural and organic products, and vegetables and fruits that have an authentic taste. But I am always searching for some gourmet pleasure mixed in with some fun and excitement! The new culinary trends influenced by the cuisines of the world became my passion and helped me create new alliances between the flavors of dishes and wines.

My little wine accessories that changed my life!
As I love wine, I also surround myself with objects that, at every opportunity, create a beautiful appearance before revealing their treasures to me. The objects of wine, whether wood, steel, tin, crystal, glass, leather or chrome, innovative or traditional, are essential for me as I am a woman. For example, I am never separated from my Screwpull corkscrew, as I no longer need to have the terrible anxiety of a bottle stuck between my legs tugging on the cork! Easy to use, effortless and effective except with some synthetic compact corks, new corkscrews have adapted to our femininity!