Savoring the Flavors of France: Exploring the Vallée de la Gastronomie

France is celebrated for its cuisine, and the Vallée de la Gastronomie, following the Sâone and Rhône rivers, is the very cradle of good French food. Taste your way from Dijon to Lyon.

It’s not every day you get a private cooking lesson with a top chef. Particularly one who has earned the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) title and was crowned world champion for the recipe he was now demonstrating in the dining room of his restaurant. Chef Joseph Viola, who grew up in the Vosges but has chosen the French capital of gastronomy, Lyon, to set up his restaurants, was explaining to our small group how you should not press down the meat filling of the pâté en croûte but rely on the beef stock jelly to fill the gaps once the meat has cooked. You may be familiar with the French apéritif staple pâté en croûte-France’s answer to a pasty – but the one made by Viola is on another level. Prepared with veal sweetbreads and duck foie gras, it earned him the world title in 2009 when the first Championnat du Monde de Pâté en Croûte took place in Lyon.

After the precise demonstration, our group sat down for a tasting and an enlightening conversation with the chef, who was unwinding after a busy lunch service at his restaurant, Daniel & Denise. The session was relaxed, fun and eye-opening. And it’s just one of the hundreds of experiences on offer within the Vallée de la Gastronomie, which I was fortunate to explore for five days in early summer.

Cooking with butter to oil

So what is this enticing Valley of Gastronomy? Not a new topographic addition to France’s geography but rather a destination brand that unites different regions and people who live and breathe French gastronomy. It shines a light on local food specialities, regional recipes, foodie experiences and gastronomic trades and crafts. It all started in 2010 when the gastronomic meal of the French was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Inspired, in 2016, Nicolas Daragon, mayor of Valence, had the idea of uniting the regions that are particularly known for their dedication to food and their efforts to promote and preserve their regional gastronomy. Following ancient trade routes, the A6 and A7 motorways served as a blueprint to unite three different destinations. The Vallée, roughly tracing the Saone and Rhône valleys, stretches from Dijon to Cassis, from butter-based cuisine to olive oil cooking. Professionals wishing to join the brand must be located within 45 minutes of a motorway exit and offer a quality gastronomic experience. Restaurants and wine domaines are plentiful, of course, but there are also activities on offer like cycling or walking tours, cooking classes, workshops, tastings and much more. Visitors wishing to embark on a gourmet journey along this north-south axis can choose from more than 400 touristic offers offres gourmandes-that are listed on the dedicated website. For true food lovers, a number of offers are branded expérience remarquable and allow you to meet Michelin- starred chefs and award-winning vignerons or go on truly special experiences like caving under the vineyards… or, indeed, take a three-hour cooking class with Joseph Viola.

Tasty trail in Burgundy

Our tour began in Dijon, beneath the unseasonable drizzle that would become the norm during the course of the summer. After a walking tour of the town centre that included stops in foodie boutiques-Mullot & Petitjean’s 1919 shop is stunning and so is their gingerbread – we headed to the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin, a temple of Burgundian food and wine. Alongside the museum space and immersive wine-tasting experience, the main feature is the food court and innovative wine cellar which attract more locals than tourists and is a great place to grab a bite and people-watch.

Our first night was spent just outside Beaune in the beautiful Ermitage de Corton hotel, whose passionate owner takes those who wish on a vineyard tour in a baby blue 1975-VW bus. We bumped our way around the picturesque Corton hill and enjoyed a fantastic wine-tasting overlooking this unusual site where both red and white grape varieties grow.

A tour of Burgundy would not be complete without mustard, so our next stop brought us to Beaune and the Moutarderie Fallot, a reference in the world of condiments and the last mustard-maker in Burgundy to still use stone mills. Fallot buys its seeds exclusively from Burgundian growers who have worked hard to reignite the local cultivation of mustard flowers. A small word of warning: the factory tour is sensory almost to the extreme. On an overcast day, the smell of mustard is particularly strong and people with sensitive eyes may suffer from stinging and crying – I can attest!

The Vallée de la Gastronomie is not just about eating and drinking. It was time to head out into the vineyards on a cycling tour following the Voie des Vignes, a biking itinerary that takes you right through the vineyards. That day, the winemakers were making the most of a dry spell to work on their vines and we spotted a couple of working horses among the rows. Our cycling tour took us to the wine cellars of a couple of vignerons who kept an eye on the greying clouds as they poured our glasses and grumbled about the high risk of mildew this year. Slightly giddy on the saddles of our electric bicycles, we carried on, swaying through the vineyards of those great Burgundian labels: Meursault, Pommard, Puligny-Montrachet. The words of one winemaker in particular resonated in our minds: “The reason why the cheapest plot of land in Meursault is €1.5m per hectare is not because the Burgundian winemakers are good. It’s because, centuries ago, the Cistercian monks worked tirelessly and crafted the terroir with such passion. It’s the transmission of their knowledge that makes Burgundy wine so fantastic today.” Our cycling tour ended with a perfect lunch at Domaine Leflaive, where we were joined by Julie, who is part of the 19th generation of the family to be involved in the business.

Comfort cooking in Lyon

Before reaching Lyon, we explored the Mâconnais and Beaujolais with two truly fantastic experiences. A hike up the Solutré cliff a fascinating prehistoric site-led to a crisp glass of Saint-Véran at the summit to reward our climbing efforts; while a mountain bike ride in the hills overlooking Château de Bagnols was fuelled by a picnic breakfast made up of fresh coffee and pink praline brioche. Lunch was at the lovely Beurre-Noisette, in Lucenay, which serves light and healthy dishes packed with flavour.

Next stop Lyon, dubbed ‘the gastronomic capital of the world’ by legendary critic Curnonsky. Our foodie exploration began with a whirlwind tour of the Bernachon chocolate factory, seeing every step in the creation of their signature Président chocolate cake, which is topped with an impressive, lace-thin chocolate tuile. It was hard to choose where to look, from the vats of chocolate ganache to the bags of fresh cocoa beans. Slightly dizzy from the delicious smell of chocolate, we walked to the iconic Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, the vast indoor food market and food court where Lyonnais come for a meal at any time of day. Another staple of the city’s food scene are the traditional bouchons restaurants, and we sampled quenelles, tête de canut and saucisse briochée at the delightful Café du Jura, which has been serving traditional fare since 1934.

Our belts considerably tighter, we trotted to our cooking lesson with Joseph Viola, before giving up on belts entirely as we enjoyed a fantastic last meal in the Bistrot du Potager, a little restaurant near Lyon’s Parc de la Tête d’Or.

We ended our trip in Lyon, but you could carry on your tasty exploration of the Vallée de la Gastronomie all the way down to Marseille. Leave plenty of space in your luggage to bring back samples of what can easily be seen as France’s finest food.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

Depending on which direction you want to travel in, you could start in either Dijon, Lyon or Marseille. Fly to Lyon or Marseille directly or hop on the TGV from Paris to all three cities.

WHERE TO STAY

• L’Ermitage de Corton, 4-star hotel boasting 15 rooms surrounded by vineyards. Gastronomic restaurant and pool on site. Route de Dijon-D974, 21200 Chorey-lès-Beaune, ermitagecorton.com
• Château de Besseuil, château dating back to the 16th century with spacious apartments on a wine domaine situated in the Viré-Clessé appellation. Route de Rousset 71260 Clessé, chateaudebesseuil.com
• Château Saint-Vincent, pretty little bed & breakfast with five rooms and a pool in the heart of the Beaujolais. Impasse du Pigeonnier. 69430 Régnié-Durette, chateaustvincent.com

WHERE TO EAT

• Bistro d’Olivier, 10 Pl. du Monument. 21190 Puligny-Montrachet, hotel olivier-leflaive.com/ le-bistro-d-olivier
• Café du Jura, 25 Rue Tupin, 69002 Lyon. cafedujura.fr
• Le Bistrot du Potager, 163 boulevard de Stalingrad 69006 Lyon, lebistrotdupotager.com
• Beurre Noisette, 35 Rte de Morancé, 69480 Lucenay, beurre-noisette.fr
• Le Coq à Juliénas, Ancienne Place du marché, 69840 Juliénas, lecoqajulienas.com

TOURIST INFORMATION

www.valleedelagastronomie.com

TOUR OPERATORS

• Philibert Travel & Events, philibert-travel. fr/en
• Le French Tourism, www.lefrenchtourism.com
• YouFrance, www.youfrance.fr
• Trip My France, www.trip-my-france.com/EN
• Destination Provence, www.destination-provence.fr/web/?lang=en
• French Side Travel, frenchsidetravel.com
• Bienvenue en Bourgogne-Franche- Comté, www.bienvenue-en-bourgogne.com
• Active Tours, active-tours.fr/en

From France Today Magazine