Exploring Underrated French Wine Regions & Pronunciations w/ Katie Melchior (Part 2)

Ep 73

Are you curious about lesser known French wine regions and mastering tricky pronunciation?

Today, I have Katie Melchior back on the podcast with me and she is helping us master French wine region pronunciation. Katie shares how to pronounce regions such as Champagne, Bourgogne and the tricky Languedoc-Roussillon. And how to understand letter combinations to get that French sound.

She shares her top 3 regions that she feels deserves more attention, which one she considers the underdog of French wine, and where you want to get your Rosé from (and it’s not Provence).

So, if you are ready to explore some lesser known French wine regions and how to pronounce those trickier French wine names then today’s episode is for you! 

If you haven’t listened to Episode 72, go back and listen in! In Part 1 of my interview with Katie Melchior of the French Wine Tutor, we talked about the intersection of language, culture and wine.

Connect with Katie:

Website: www.frenchwinetutor.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/frenchwinetutor

Episode Highlights:

• Recommendations for trying French wine

• Three French wines that Katie thinks you should look for

• How to Pronounce French Wine regions such as Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy (Bourgogne), Champagne, Jura, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, Loire

• French Wine Tutor tips for better French pronunciation

• Three underrated French wine regions - Corsica, Alsace and Beaujolais

• The underdog of French wine - Alsace

Transcript

0:00

So what if folks want to try more French wine? What would be your recommendations? How should they start to know? Especially, like, I think most of my audience is either US or Canada. How should they start? What should they look for? If you're looking for more French wine, like, in general, just to explore, like, out of the box or, like, if you have, like Yeah. Just in general of, like I imagine because I I thought this was very interesting. A lot of people that I talk to, they're like, I feel like I don't know what to buy when it comes to French wine, or I don't know what to look for. Like, I'm just comfortable buying, like, California or Washington or, you know, like, the wines that I see that I recognize, and they don't realize, like, the whole French wine world is both fairly affordable in a lot of ways. And there's a lot a lot to try. So is there anything that yeah. Like, just kind of, like, how to think about it or along those lines. Yeah. So I think another major cultural differentiation between the US and Canada and France is we love a big brand. Right? We love a recognizable label, something that we are like, oh, I know that person or, oh, I recognize this because I had it at x y z. In France, it's more about, like, the cooperatives, the groups of people, the families, and so there's lots of offshoots of that. And oftentimes, that causes for more confusion on the US side because people are like, well, I don't recognize that person or I don't recognize that vineyard or whatever, and so I don't wanna drink it because of it. I say lean into it. If you don't know it, then it's probably good to try. And the reality is you're not gonna like everything that you try. So you just have to, like, take a a chance on it. You know? Try something completely different from a producer or a region that you may not have heard of, and you might love it. You might hate it. But either way, you tried something new. And to your point about French wines not being expensive, give yourself a cap. Be like, okay. I'm not gonna spend more than$30 a bottle of wine, and I have a budget for 3 bottles. Bottles. Okay. So go into the wine shop. Maybe look for a white, a red, and a and a sparkling. Look for things that maybe you might not have have seen before. Is it an interesting bottle shape on the rose? Is it something that is not from Provence? Is it something from not Bordeaux that's red? Like, Loire Valley reds, amazing value. And you can find those for under, you know, 15 in certain areas of the country. And the same goes for the whites. You know, you can find amazing Beaujolais Blanc because it's not what you would necessarily expect. So I would say lean into the uncertainty. Do something that you may not have tried before. Definitely set yourself a budget, though, because you can get into trouble. And and ask people to your point. Like, maybe if you're going to the grocery store, there isn't someone who's specialized in wines that's there. But if you are going to a smaller wine shop or a smaller grocery store, there's people that work there that are supposed to help you. That's why they work there. And so don't be shy in in asking those people questions. Yeah. I love that. I think it was a great way to to go about it. I've also heard from people before, like, if you do have, like, if you're, like, one of those people that like to buy buy the case, you know, like, 12 bottles, like, just go into, like, a small wine shop and just be, like, okay. I'm exploring this or I'm curious about and so it could literally just be like, I'm curious about French wine. Can you make me a box that kinda represents a lot of different things and gives me some good variety? And, like, give them, like, the the power, and then that way you get to try a lot of different things. And I feel like that's kind of that same mentality that you're saying going in with. Like, if you see something that's unfamiliar instead of kinda hiding away from it, like, go towards it. Like, give it a try. Yeah. That's fascinating about people buying cases. I never I never do that. I know. Right? No. I'm not that way at all either. I'm like, I'm gonna cook way too much. Like, I actually just need to go in for the bottle that I'm looking for or something. But I know a lot of people, they're like, yeah, we just like to buy, like, 12 wines at a time, you know, bring them back and stock up, and then we'll drink up, and then we'll go to the next. And so Gosh. Maybe he buys wine a little differently. More power to him, honestly. I mean, I live in a tiny New York apartment, so I can't really, I can't really stock too much at a time. No. That's fair. That's fair. So now I was just curious. I feel like with your experience in French wine, this would be a fun question to ask. What are 3 French wines or even regions, if you didn't wanna get too specific, that you think deserve more attention that folks should be on the lookout for? And this could be, like like I said, styles, producers, regions, but, yeah, 3 French wines that you think deserve more attention. Gee. I think these are hard questions. That's fair. I'm sorry. I know it's like No. No. It's good. Hit away. Yeah. No. It's good. I it's good it's a good, thought exercise. I think that a lot of France is underrated. I think anything that isn't burgundy or Bordeaux and has that name recognition or Provence as well. Like, I'll I'll give it to Provence. Everybody knows Provence for the rose. I say anything that's not that is fair game. But for me, recently, I would say I just posted really the other day about Corsica. I feel like Corsica is poised to have a fantastic moment. I think the quality that's, coming from there is really, really great, and it's just continued to go up. I think the roses from Corsica offer a really interesting difference in comparison to roses from elsewhere in France. I also think one of the greatest French underdogs is Alsace, and they have been an underdog for way too long. And I think people have really come out, hard against Alsace because they say, you know, oh, it's French. Oh, it's German. You know, I don't understand what's going on in the label. But to Alsace's credit, things are gonna get great for Alsace because it's gonna get warmer. And because it's gonna get warmer, that's gonna open up a whole other world of wine growing for them, and they're already experimenting that. They're already trying so much of that. So I went there a couple of years ago, and it was really inspiring to see their approach, how they're changing, what they're doing. They're doing a ton of experimentation, things that I'm not seeing in other regions. Like, they're doing a ton of, skin contact, orange style wine blends between Gewurztraminer and Riesling and other things. There are certain vineyards that are experimenting with growing Merlot in Alsace, which is, like, wild to think about, and Syrah. And so I think that Alsace can really go places, and also Alsace dry riesling is amazing. So and the great thing about Alsace too is that if you're an American looking to get into French wine, that's a it's a good, like, gateway into it because everything is almost everything is labeled is labeled variety. So if you're like, well, I really do like Riesling, then that's great. Then you can find that on the label. You might not see a ton of grape varieties you you recognize. I mean, like, Au Serois, Pinot Blanc. Like, these are not things we normally see, but they also grow grape pinot noir there. Really about to have a moment it's opening up. So I would say Corsica, Alsace, and I always return to Beaujolais because Beaujolais has obviously had its up and up with the crew. But I was also there recently, and they're kind of they're in this renaissance, and they they've come of age. So, obviously, you had this, like, eighties, nineties, you know, gang of 5 going back to natural winemaking and organic and biodynamic winemaking, and that was super influential against the, you know, mega controversial Beaujolais Nouveau bulk wine situation. But now what we're seeing is prices in burgundy for a lot of people are just becoming inaccessible. Beaujolais has this moment with the Macanee, just north of it where they're really making high quality, fantastic wines at a great price point. A lot of times, these labels are much easier to read than your classic burgundy or Bordeaux because they do have the actual name of the wine maker who's made it, and then they have the varietal or they just say Beaujolais, and under that, they say Gamay. So there's definitely something that's happening there that I feel like needs to be paid attention to and outside of the, you know, love for Beaujolais crew. Because everybody at this point if you try a Beaujolais crew and you don't like it, are I mean, are we friends? I don't I don't think so. Like, the you haven't tried the right Beaujolais crew if you don't like Beaujolais crew. But I do think that, like, the whites from Beaujolais are really, really getting great. The crew system is undergoing this dramatic shift where they're trying to add a premier crew on top of just the regular crew. So, like, Fleury has applied for this premier crew status. There are other crew that are looking to do this as well with certain plots. And so I think Beaujolais, Corsica, and and Alsace would be my 3. Oh, those are great answers. I love all of them. I haven't had a lot from Corsica. I've had only a couple, but I need to explore more. But, yeah, Alsace, great wine region, especially, yeah, further north, really wonderful whites, and they're they're affordable too because not a lot of people know about them. Very affordable. Yes. Beaujolais. Those cru, just to for those that are listening that are kinda newer to the wine world, if they wanna try a Beaujolais cru, those are ones that are labeled they typically say Beaujolais, but then they have the name of the cru typically. Right? So you'll see something that's like Beaujolais and then something else French. You look up just online the Beaujolais Cru. It's spelled c r u Cru. You can see, like, kind of a list of those and look out for those. Or, like, we've been saying, go to your small wine shop and be like, I've heard of Beaujolais Cru. Talk to me about it. Like, what what should I be trying to give this a try? No. I love it. Okay. Well, I feel like we can't end this podcast without doing a little language bit since you are the pronunciation expert here. So I just thought it'd be fun to kinda talk about some French wine words folks see on the bottle. And so I thought first maybe going through some of kind of the top wine regions, and then, like, I feel like those are ones that people are familiar with. And I'll just say the region, and then I I totally understand that you are going to sound like you are correcting me, and that's what I'm asking for. So Alright. No. That's work okay for you? Yes. Yes. Okay. Just as long as everybody knows. This is a disclaimer. She has asked for this. I'm not doing this to be a cruel person. No. I'm saying them in my very Wisconsin American accent. Like, the only way to go out. And and Katie's gonna tell us how you say it with the the correct French pronunciation. I'm I'm sorry. Wait. Do you know Marie Cheslick from Slick Wines? Yes. Yes. She's also from Wisconsin. I know. Right? I guess it's Wisconsin, and we're like, wine. We love it. There is. I feel like it's it's happening, but I you reminded me of that because she she and I do a lot of collabs, and we're working on something really fun coming up. And she's always like, I'm gonna say it in pure Wisconsin every single time. And I'm like, Marie, like, you don't have to do that. Your name is Marie. Your mother speaks French, but I always give her a hard time. But Yeah. No. I'm like, it just it makes it just like because it's like, I know I got a little of that accent still so much. As long as I own it, it's fine. We're just we're just gonna dive in. Okay. So like I said, I just have what do I have? Like, I think I have 8 of the French wine regions here that are just kind of popular that people would see. So first starting with one we've already talked about, all sauce. Yes. So that that was really good. I would say as long as it's not all sauce, that that drives me crazy. Or my mother says, and I'm like, no. I don't know why I don't know where the but the all sauce thing drives me nuts. I'm like, where's the you, you guys? It's not there. It's. Yes. We were quite close though. Okay. Interesting. Because, like, yeah, I've always heard, like, all sauce. Like, I thought that was the that's what kills me. It's, like, I hear these things and I go, that sounds like the correct thing. Because, actually, more Wisconsin would have been to go, like, the a sound, you know, because we like That's true. Yeah. I can see that. And you know what? It's interesting because because Alsace as a place, like, has so much, like, different cultural, influence in it. A very Germanic, obviously, which is not too dissimilar from Wisconsin. So I do feel like there was a time where the 2 would be similar in their pronunciation, but, anyways I love it. Okay. Alsace. So we don't have there's no u. We just say Alsace. And the s is a z sound. Okay. Alsace. Cool. Okay. Bordeaux. Yeah. Correct. Bordeaux? Okay. That one's pretty easiest one. I think that's why they have a monopoly on the market more or less because it's just so easy to say, and people are like, well, I know what it is, so I'm gonna get it. Yeah. Yes. No. That's a good point. That one's so pretty straightforward. Okay. So I know burgundy, like, when we say it in English, we say burgundy, but in French, it's like bourgone or something like that? Yes. So the correct way to say it in French is bourgone. Bourgone. Okay. And the reason apparently, blame the English if there's any there's anything. But, But, supposedly, the rumor is that there was an English admiral who could not pronounce, and so somebody made up this other name. And this is, like, way back before wine. It was, like, with the wars and and between Burgundy and and, England at the time. And so they made up this name for for it in English because this one guy could not pronounce it to save his life. And so that's why that's why we say it. But if you talk to people in the region, the trade association is, like, really pushing hard to, like, make it in in everything and, like, dispel this, you know, ancient 8th century Franco English whatever. So yeah. That is hilarious. It's like yeah. Because that is one of the only regions that has, like, an English version of the region. I always was curious about that. I'm like, I've known of it as burgundy, but then whenever you look on the bottle, a lot of times it has that bourgogne Yeah. Spelled out. And so I'm like, I can see the connection, but also why none of the other ones. Now we know. Yes. I love it. So burgundy, if you see burgundy written out on the label, for those who are listening, chances are it's not real burgundy. But if you see bourgogne, then you know that it's that's actually from Okay. Bourgogne. And it's the spelled out version is, like, b o u r g o g n e. So it doesn't look quite like what we're saying No. Either. So just for folks that are listening listening, it's like, how do I look for that when I have no idea what it looks like? Okay. Yes. Sorry. We can add, like, a little subtitle on it. Yeah. Yeah. We'll have the the list of them written so it's a little easier. Because, yeah, French is one of those 2 where I hear it and I go, I have no idea what to look for when, like or how that's spelled because there's so many things you don't say. Okay. How about, champagne? So interestingly enough, this is pronounced similar to because there is the similar letter combination at the end. So the gne at the end of champagne in French would be champagne. So they don't say champagne. They say champagne. Champagne. Yeah. So there's, like, that gne at the end makes a kind of a you sound in French, not just in wine regions, but when you're speaking French generally. That is also the rule. Okay. Can you say it one more time? Yes. Okay. I wasn't hearing the you at the end because it's so, like it's just very fluid. But okay. So they do both have that you at the end, but it's just you know, not a lot of emphasis. Okay. A lot of times it's clipped when you hear, like, French speakers say it because it it's a lot. And when you're talking fast, sometimes you can't. Right. Right. No. That makes sense. That makes sense. Okay. Cool. Okay. How about Jura? That was correct. Yeah. Jura. That one's pretty straightforward. Yeah. Thankfully. We have science to thank for that. Okay. How is oh, yes. True. With the is that Louis Pasteur, right, from the from the region? Jurassic period. You know, they found the dinosaur bones in the Jura mountains, and I believe it was so that's why it's called the Jurassic period. So they they just didn't, like, translate in between the two, so it's Jurassic in in both languages. Nice. Okay. Alright. This is one where I look at, and I'm like, I never say this right. The Languedoc Roussillon. Yeah. Yeah. This one I mean, I'm surprised we don't have an English version of this because it is quite a lot. But at least now, they're they're officially 2 separate regions, So most people now will get the benefit of the doubt, and they don't have to say the whole thing together. But for the first word, you would say. So it's it's very clipped. If you were to pronounce it, I guess, in, like, an old way, you would say Languedoc because the the Languedoc, area of France had its own dialect and its own language, and that's what Languedoc means. It means the language of the AOC, which is the people who who lived in that area. So Languedoc. And then the second one is. So that one I feel like is it feels very, very French, like, just super Frenchified. You have that beautiful r at the beginning. You have double letters throughout. You have the nasal to finish things out. But and the first part of that word, it refers to the red, the redness of the clay and the and the the soil that's there. Oh, cool. Okay. So Languedoc, you don't say, like, the middle part. So it's just like Languedoc? Go through it. Yeah. Okay. And then. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Alright. How about so, yeah, Provence, I feel like, is one that also has gotten into an English way of saying it versus a French way. So, like, to me, I'd see it and I go Provence. But how do we say it with Yeah. I mean, very, very similar. Almost exactly the same. Okay. So it's not too different. No. No. It's very similar. Okay. And then, Loire? Is there a way to say that in French better than English? I feel like English speakers see and they see the o and the I and they're like, and that's just they throw their hands up and they're like, well, I don't understand what this is. And I and I get it because it is it's a little, overwhelming. But yeah. So the o and the I, together make the w a w a sound. So lua. Lua. And then you have the r at the end. Lua. Yeah? Lua. I feel like I'm not saying the r at the end, though. Is that that kinda how you're supposed to say it? It kinda, like, gets stuck in your throat because it's at the end. So it's not, like, super pronounced, I would say, but it is certainly there. So. Okay. We'll work on it. I know my French. I I meant to get more French. I'm going to France in a couple weeks, and I think I'll actually maybe be in France when this comes out. I'm trying to remember. But I tried to learn some French with Babble, and then I totally fell off the wagon and didn't. Oh, man. It's so tough. I know. It is like language to me has been one of the toughest things. I'm always very impressed with folks who can speak multiple languages because it's something that, like, it never clicked in my head. And I just, like, it it took me so long to even just understand enough Spanish to be able to travel in Spain and do stuff. And then French, I've been finding has been much more difficult because I look at it and I go, why can't I just say all of the letters that are there? Why is this different? That's what my husband struggled with too. He took Spanish. Obviously, being from California, it's a big part of the culture. And so, yeah, he took Spanish through most of his middle school, high school career. And so he started to try to learn French also using Babble, and he just really struggles with seeing all the vowels together and all those extra letters and all these extra syllables. He's like, I don't understand. Why can't I just do it the way that Spanish does it, which is exactly as it's pronounced every single time? So it's a little bit easier. I'm like, I don't know what to tell you. I'm not in charge of the French language. Right. Right. And I mean, to be fair, English also is awful because at least in French Oh. There are rules. Right? You follow the rules. Like, as long as you learn the rules, you're good. Yeah. It's just like, yeah, there are no rules. Sorry. We just kinda get where we want it. Yeah. French has a lot of exceptions to the rules. And it's funny because when you when you're learning French and you ask somebody, oh, well, that's pronounced differently. They're like, well, yeah. It's just an exception. And then you're like, well, why is an exception? You're like, well, It's like, I have no idea. You know? So but it but it's interesting why you say about English because it's true. I feel like it's one of the hardest languages to learn, and we we don't give enough people credit who do learn English as a second language. Yeah. No. I've tried teaching English. I when I was in Spain, I tried to teach English, and there was one point. Like, it's also like like the certain things where, like, what's the difference between, like, at and in? She's like, I'm at this place, I'm in this place. I'm like Right. Yeah. Well, like, one of them is like, it just it's clear in my head, like, I can tell what you're saying, like, when you say it and what the difference is. Yep. But anyhoo, yeah, language language is hard. So I I kinda wanted to give you a chance here too. I wasn't sure, you know, what question to ask when it came to, like, the French. So I was just gonna ask if you had any, like, general language tips to kinda keep in mind when speaking French, or or maybe there's a better question that I'm not asking that that you wanna answer. Yeah. I think, to your point earlier, is that French is not like Spanish. It's very, very different, and everything that you pronounce is going to be much more closed off. So in English and particularly in American English, we speak with a lot of slack in our mouths. We speak with our lips kind of slack jawed. We're very, like, lazy. Like, we're back here in our mouth. French is very, pointed to the front of your mouth. There's a lot of lip action. There's a lot of nasal. And so it's much more work, and it's not I think where people go wrong with the accent is that they try to use their French, but with their American, like, mouth movements. And so that's where it gets tricky because the French don't speak their language in their mouth the same way that we speak our language, and so you really have to shift between speaking at the back of your mouth to speaking at the front of your mouth and your face. So that's a massive difference. And the other thing that I would say is that French has a lot of letter and vowel combinations that once you learn those, you're able to speak better and pronounce things better because those combinations show up all over the place. So like you said, Bordeaux, perfectly. Why? Because e a u, no matter where you are, is gonna be an o sound. And those are just things that are rote memorization. You just have to remember, okay. I know that this combination g and e makes the you sound. So I can remember that when I'm looking at whether it's a wine word or it's a regular word in in the rest of the French language. So I would say those are the 2 some of the biggest hurdles that I see in pronunciation. Yeah. I think that makes a lot of sense. That last one, especially, is one that I really wanted to get before I went to France because I really wanted to be able to at least make that effort to, like, say something that I saw on the menu. You know? Like, I knew I wasn't gonna totally learn everything, and I still need to look things up. But I was really hoping I could kinda get to the point where, like, I recognized, yeah, like, this is written like this. So, like, this makes this sound, this makes this sound. It's still gonna sound like it has an American accent on it, but there's gonna be effort. Like like you said, like, with Bordeaux, I know I don't say bordox or something or, like Yeah. Oh, and, like, with. I don't know. I'm still saying it right. Am I close? Okay. Like, it looks like that there's an effort that, like, I'm not saying, like, you know? Right. Yeah. That I kinda know. And I feel like those sound silly, but then there are other combinations that I see. And I try to say it in the French way, and it's not even close. You know? But I I think it's something to point out. I mean, there's some words that you see, and it's just like I mean, there's words that I see where I'm like, what? Like, I look at it, and I've been speaking French now for, like, over 15 years, and it's still, like, just over my head. I'm like, okay. I need to, like, look back at this and see how they would pronounce it. I had this issue when I was recording that video that I did because it's like in Corsica, there's, like, different linguistic rules because they have their own, like, dialect and, like, there's a lot of Italian influence. And so I was like, some of these great names just sound Italian. I have no idea. I have to, like, go back in my vocal performance, like, diction class and open my Italian, like, diction textbook from college and, like, see how how am I actually supposed to pronounce this. But then with the French accent, it's like a it's a mess and a half. So nobody's perfect. That that was whole point of that. No. No. I think it's a great point. And, yeah, because I feel like that's the same in, like, at least in in Spain. Right? I know Spanish. I know how to pronounce Spanish. But then you go to, like, where Cava's made over in I'm forgetting the the name of the the region, but they speak a different language. It's like that combination of Spanish and French that combines together. And now suddenly all the rules that I learned for Spanish. Yes. You know? Oh, yeah. Take it with a grain of salt because there's something else added in and then there's always going to be that. And I think, like, I guess one thing that I'm curious your insight on before we get to the last couple questions here is just I feel like when you go to another country or when you're learning this, I feel like as long as you're making that effort, do you think that is like do French people respond well to that? I know you've taken some trips. I know you're not French, but you've taken trips to France and spent some time there. Do you think, like, at least just making that effort, even if it's not perfect, is there usually a pretty good response to that? I feel like yes. Again, I think this is something that we're watching change in real time because of the Olympics. Because, you know, as we led up to the Olympics, effectively, there was, like, a major hospitality shift that was required by the government, and kind of was, like, everybody needs to make an effort to learn English, be more friendly, be more international, all of these things. And so I think at the same time, I think our generation and the generations, that have come after us are very cognizant of this idea of the ugly American that kind of arose in the seventies, eighties, and nineties of, you know, large swaths of Americans coming into tour groups expecting everybody to speak English and, you know, making a mess and being loud and and not being respectful generally. And I think that we kind of grew up with that. And so for a generation that really focus in on studying abroad and is much more cognizant of the way that other people in other countries live their lives, I do feel like culturally there's a shift both in the US and in France about the way that we interact with each other and being a little bit more open minded, maybe giving our each other a little bit more grace. Because on the one side, you know, historically, the region one of the biggest reasons why the French were very closed off to English influence, not just because English itself and and England was always a a major, not an ally, but an enemy for 100 and 100 of years. There was also a lot of French cultural hegemony. So the language of France for everybody was required, I mean, for 100 of years. Like, it was the language of diplomacy. It was the language of government. It was the language of the army. You look at, like, other things that still have a ton of French influence in them, like food, fencing, ballet class. Like, there's so many things in our world and from a cultural perspective and a government perspective, especially, that come from the French. And so there is this kind of, like, historical context of maybe if the average French person doesn't think this today, a couple of generations ago, well but we're French, and it's our language that's the most important one. And we're the ones that founded all this stuff. And so you have these Americans coming in with their big brash English, and they're not apologetic, and they don't wanna participate in it. And they're like, it's like, of course, they're butting heads because they both think they're the best. Right? And as a and neither of them are. Right? They're we're just people. Right? So I think that that's changing now, and I do feel like making an effort, you know, saying, you know, salty, like, little things like that. You can learn that really helped to grease that cultural wheel that I felt like has been greasy or squeaky for a very long time that really, really needs, you know, more cultural understanding. I do feel like that helps. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that was such a great answer. Thank you. Last questions here. So I have a little speed round that I do at the end. But just before I get to that, I wanted to give you a chance to talk about what's next for you. Is there anything you wanna share that you're working on, that you're excited, that's coming up, or how should people also find you and, you know, learn more from you? Well, my biggest platform continues to be Instagram. For whatever reason, threads seems to be taking off. I don't know. So if you prefer text trying out threads more, people seem to enjoy that, and I'm enjoying it. In terms of big projects, as I've mentioned earlier, I'm I'm working on something with Marie Cheslick from Slick Wines. She actually has an online wine school that's called the Slick School, and we are working on a course called French wine 201, which basically goes into more in-depth than a regular French wine 101 type of a course where we go into history, pronunciation, all these kinds of things. So we're we're working hard on that. I owe her an outline. I'm over overdue as I'm looking at my card, of things I owe her for that course. So sorry, Marie, if you're listening to this. But yeah. So we're working on that. I think it'll be really fun because I'm trying to explore things that are a bit more off of of Instagram and more on the educational writing side of things as I look to where do we want to take French wine tutor in the future, and it really goes back to education for education for me and providing educational resources that are either free or at an accessible cost because I personally believe very strongly that education should be free or accessible to anybody who wants it. So that's kind of what I have cooking. Yay. Good. Yeah. And people can find out if we've said it out loud, but it's French wine tutor. That's where you find At French wine tutor. Wow. I'm terrible at plugging myself. There you go. You're good. At French wine tutor. I'm sure everybody will see it by this point. It's a it'll be in the title. It'll be in the show notes, but, yes, look for French wine tutor. Okay. So like I said, my this is the last part of it. It's a speed round. Just meant to be, like, don't think about it too much because these can be questions that, like, you could spend lots of time thinking about. So they're just kinda fun. Okay. So, like, the first question is your favorite wine at the moment? I would say Vouvray. Oh, good. Chenin, Chenin Blanc. Yeah. Okay. I love it. Okay. What about and you're gonna hate this one too. Your favorite wine region that you've visited? Oh, no. It's a terrible one. I have to say I'm very lucky in that I've been able to visit so many in France and have plans to visit many more. But I will say, for me, it it has to be Beaujolais because it just stole my heart. I mean, there was Beaujolais has a very special place in my heart because it was one of those first French wines that I tried and loved immediately. And then my original trip got pushed because of COVID and didn't happen, and then I had to effectively wait 3 years to do it again. So it was finally going there in was it yeah. 2023, last summer, was phenomenal, and I highly recommend going because it was amazing. Okay. We are when we're in there, we have, like we're getting I think we land in Beaujolais at one point, and we're driving to Burgundy. And but I think now, like, I've heard from a lot of people Beaujolais is really wonderful, and, obviously, Caroline as well living in Lyon. I've been following her page for a while. Yes. So I think we might have to spend a little bit of that day before we leave and drive up to to Burgundy so we can spend a little time there. You're like, a day is not enough, but at least do it. Oh, yeah. Are you you're flying into Lyon? Is that So we're the way it's we're flying into Paris from the US, but then we're going to take the train over to Nantes. We have a friend who lives there. And then we're flying from Nantes to Lyon and then going up to Bonn so that we can spend some time. Burgundy was, like, my first French love, so I'm very excited. Yeah. Get to try and be there. Well, the drive from Lyon up to Burgundy is a beautiful drive. I mean, you'll see vineyards everywhere. You can't miss it. But there's an area gosh. I'm I'm gonna have to, like, go back through my Beaujolais geography because there is a beautiful, like, mountainous, hilly area of Beaujolais closer towards the south that they call little Tuscany because it it you would actually think you're in Tuscany. Like, it is that beautiful, rolling hills, like, cliffsides, like, just and it comes out of nowhere to you. Like, look up from the car, and you're like, oh my god. What? Like, it's it's insane. So, yeah, you should I'll I'll have to look into that and I'll send it to you. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Cool. Okay. How about so this is on the flip side. What is a wine region you'd like to visit that you haven't yet? High on my list right now is Jura and Savoie, but I am not a great winter driver. So I need to convince my husband to go and be my designated chauffeur for the league because I cannot drive on mountains. So Very fair. Okay. How about a favorite? This is, again, like, kind of at the moment or what's the first thing that popped into your mind, wine and food pairing. What do people need to try? Oh, gosh. You know, I did this great series where I pushed myself to pair junk food with French wine, and it was, like, my most favorite thing that I've done on on French wine tutor ever because it was just fun to, like, open a bag of Cheetos and, like, test out pairings. It was great. So I am all pro, like, snack food, like, high low pairings. Like, get get a big burger from whatever burger joint you like to go to and pair it with a premiere crew, like, pinot noir. You know? Like, last night, we went over to a friend's house for pizza, and it was really like, truly the most low key night. Like, we were in our pajamas. There's dogs and kids running around, and I I literally did that. I brought, like, a Premier Cru, and we just paired it with pizza, and it was, like, the best. So, like, have fun with it. Do something, like, crazy with, like, junk food or, like, high low type of thing. Yes. Oh, I love that. Because you don't have to like, I feel like so many people save those fancy wines or, you know, that high end wine for, like, a beautiful dinner or something special, and you're like, it's actually really great with just pizza and friends. You don't have to have this big big huge thing of it. Okay. Last last question is, what is a wine that surprised you lately? I'm gonna say, I think we had a Van de France a little while ago. And for those listening who might not know, Van de France is kinda like the most accessible French wine classification type that there is, and it doesn't really necessarily have rules about regions or grape varieties. And it it can be kind of a free for all. I think this category is definitely gonna go up. This is not a short answer. I'm sorry. It was a Van de Ven Fals, and I think it was a Syrah and Pinot Noir blend. Oh, wow. And it was actually really good. I'm trying to remember, I'm gonna remember the label or something, but it was it was delicious, and I was delightfully surprised by it. So, see, there you go. You, you know, never sell your chef short. There's always a surprise to be had. So Yes. And I think calling out that VIN de France too, too, like you said, like, the one that like, it doesn't have a region to it. I think a lot of times it was, like, people try to avoid it because it meant that there were no rules and you didn't know the quality. But I think a lot of fun things are coming out of that because there are no rules. They get to try. They get to put pinot noir and Syrah together, which you'll you would never see in in France otherwise. Well, exactly. And I mean, that's that's one of the things that winemakers bemoan when you talk to them in France is they're like, oh my god. You're American. Like, you guys have no rules to your like, you can do cool stuff, and they're, like, very envious that we have this, like, very open Appalachian system. Because in France, there's, like, this very strict hierarchy, and in certain regions, you really can't depart from that. And so when they wanna try something that's different from their dad because their climate is drastically different from what their grandfather lived through and the winemaking methods are very different from what he did or what their father did or their mother or whatever, they're like, but I can't do that because it's not in the AOC law. So now I have to make my own, like, vendor false, label. And so they get, like, really excited. There's some really great stuff that's coming out of vendor false because it's just more flexible to to modernity. So yeah. Oh, so cool. Alright. I think it's a perfect way to end it. Thank you so much, Katie, for coming on and talking to us and and teaching us about all this. I I really, really, really enjoyed it, and it's a perfect start. Like I said, I'm doing a little French miniseries here, and I feel like this is the the perfect way to start it. Amazing. Well, happy to help, and thank you so much for having me. And, have a great trip. Thank you so much.