Collioure

It is time to head north again and so we leave Spain and apparently the summer as well as we reach France. K has had a tip to visit the small coastal town of Collioure just a few kilometres into France. Apparently K is not the only one to have received this tip, as the town is crawling with tourists on this grey day. We drive up and down the main street unable to find a parking spot. We are about to abandon the visit when we spy a small parking lot and after waiting for a spot to become vacant we park and go down to the beautiful seaside promenade.

A small drizzle has begun and we seek shelter at a fish restaurant, the San Vicens, with a view of the harbor. This could have been yet another tourist trap and it probably also is one, but that does not prevent them from making excellent food. But first we select a bottle of local white wine and we are very surprised in a positive way. The Mas Cornet 2009 AOC Collioure is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Marsanne and Vermentino. It gives it both a spicyness and complexity and the 13,5% alcohol also adds to the mix. And now the rain starts pouring.

We have ordered Zarazuela which is all kinds of delicious seafood basically in a lobster bisque. This is served with rice, but we actually prefer the bread to soak up the bisque and then eat the contents with just a little rice. In the Zarazuela were Langostine, Moules, St Jacques clams, Razorclams, Monkfish, squids, babysquids and enormous prawns. The dish was so big that it could have fed 4 and we don't count ourselves as ones who are not able to eat our fair share.
We had not expected to bring home wine from this region, but we now have to ask our kind waiter, Jean-Pierre, about where we might be able to purchase a case. Jean-Pierre who has been very charming (indiscriminately) tells us and even comes back wit at small note with introductions and his card attached so that we may have a little degustation.

We never find the wine shop Jean-Pierre directed us to and after having visited 5 shops who all tell us that the wine has been sold out we settle for moving on, but just as we do so we pass a grocery shop and there it is. We fill another eight bottles in the trunk and head up towards Chateauneuf-du-Pape very content.