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Have you ever seen a horse that was as well-trained as a dog? Today during our visit to the Cluny Equestrian Center, we met two horses that could sit, kneel, shake hands, spin around on two legs, lay down, and even roll over!
But, what do horses have to do with wine or cheese? Well, such astutely trained horses can be used to plow vineyards in between rows of vines. Plowing with horses limits physical damage done to the grapes and vines. If a large piece of agricultural machinery accidentally knocked over vines, it would take years for replanted vines to produce grapes and their quality would not be the same. Additionally, these horses are part of the “patrimoine” or heritage of Cluny. |
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After class and our visit to the Cluny Equestrian Center, a few of my new friends and I worked on our assignments on a picnic blanket on the lawn outside of our hostel. Naturally, as part of our studies, we shared a bottle of wine from Alice’s shop! |
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Because studying soon made us hungry (not a big surprise when you’re writing a paper about French cheese), my friends and I headed out for dinner in town. Although it’s kind of difficult to have a bad meal in France, tonight’s culinary adventures were particularly amazing! At the Cafe du Centre, I ordered a dish that I had jealously been eye-ing during our last visit to this restaurant: trois oeufs en meurette. I blissfully gobbled up the three poached eggs, dipping the fresh bread in the savory wine sauce. So good. We followed dinner with some yummy; I love trying exotic new flavors so I opted for violet and black currant!
#FoodSciOrDie Fun Fact: Black currant is a berry bush that is typically planted in wine country on terrains that are not ideal for grape vines. Red wines are often described as having notes of black currant, most likely due to cross pollination between the neighboring plants. |
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