French Food and Wine Festival - Salon des Vignerons et des Gourmands at Saint Junien, Limousin, S W France
Vignerons et Gourmands is the ideal place to see, taste and buy traditional French food
The Salon des Gourmets et des Vignerons at Saint-Junien in Limousin, France is the ideal venue in which to discover specialities from every region, to meet the producers, to sample and compare the products and then to choose, buy and take home the best that France has to offer. 'Gourmets and Vignerons', lovers and producers of food and wine, is an excellent title for this cornucopia of glorious food and drink.
For an entrance fee of only 2 euros you are handed a wine glass as you enter the salon. This is for you to use to taste the many fabulous wines, spirits and other drinks on offer and is your to keep afterwards. You are released into a large hall packed with stalls exhibiting all manner of good things. As we run a Chambres d'Hôtes near Saint Junien Les Trois Chenes, we are naturally interested in going to the exhibition to see just what's on offer.
The 15th Exhibition will be from 01 November - 03 November 2013
Friday from 4pm - 8pm, Saturday 9.30am - 7pm and Sunday from 10am - 6pm. Entry 2 euros.
Address: Salle des Congrès du Châtelard, 87200 SAINT JUNIEN
This year there will be fifty-five exhibitors comprising 37 wine producers, twelve artisan butchers and six producers of regional foods.
If you are interested in our B&B, holiday cottage or our painting holidays, contact me on info@lestroischenes.com or take a look at our web site: www.lestroischenes.com
St Junien
Where is Saint-Junien?
Saint-Junien is located between Limoges and Angouleme in South West France. It is not far north of the better known Dordogne and east of the Charente. This is a beautiful, and largely unknown area of France famous for its Porcelain, Limousin beef cattle and leather goods. The town of Saint Junien is especially renown for the manufacture of leather gloves.
Another wonderful autumn festival in this region is 'Les Journees de la Quintinie' at Chabanais
- Chabanais Fall Harvest Festival France
Chabanais fall harvest festival, called Les Journees de la Quintinie is one of the highlights of the year in the Limousin / Haute Charente area. It takes place annually on the first weekend in October. Stalls are open on Saturday and Sunday. This qui
How to find The Salon des Gourmets et des Vignerons at St Junien
Salon des gourmets et des vignerons de Saint-Junien
Salle des Congres du Chatelard
Inaugurated at the begining of 2006, the halls of the 'Salle des Congrès du Châtelard' provie the perfect venue for large events. The buildings are conveniently placed just outside the very centre of the town. Access is easy as the motorway linking Limoges and Angouleme passes close by and there are also excellent rail links. The hall can be altered to accommodate various different sizes of function, there is parking space for 200 cars and the restaurant can seat up to 850 people. A large, functional kitchen, cloakroom and bar are available.
Organisation
The event is organised by the Lions Club in cooperation with the Municipality of Saint Junien.
Try and buy French food
You can try a wide range of food products including chocolate, oysters, spices, sausages, bread, cheese, nougat, jams and preserves, olives, honey and products made from locally produced chestnuts. My son was delighted to take away a jar of white chocolate spread while the adults chose to sample cheese and cooked meats.
This Saint Junien chocolate maker caught my eye, and especially the slices of preserved orange dipped in black chocolate. Wonderful.
This salon is the perfect place to buy traditonal French food
French chocolate!
French cheese - fourme d'Auvergne
Try French Cheese
France is famous for its cheese and this is the perfect opportunity to try them. You'll find literally piles of the top quality cheeses of France at the Salon des Vignerons et des Gourmands including local ones like the Forme d'Auvergne pictured above.
French sausages by Eric Boutard
There's nothing like a French sausage
Unlike the English version French sausages are made with almost 100% pure meat - and the meat is of high quality too.
There are a whole host of sausages on offer, including the local boudin noir - a bit like our black pudding but softer and not so fatty, and the 'dreaded' Andouillette. This white sausage seems to be popular with many French people but really, I couldn't stomach the smell. Why don't you try it for yourself here to see if you're a fan of the Andouillette or not.
French wines, spirits and liqueurs at the Salon des Vignerons et des Gourmands
Wines range from Champagne to Bordeaux, red, rose and white, sweet and dry, sparkling and still, but you will find plenty of help on hand to guide you through the complexities of choice. In addition to the producers, in 2009 there was a wine specialist who gave talks on the different products in the morning and held a wine tasting session in the afternoon.
In addition to the wine you can find Pineau des Charentes, the Charente speciality, Armagnac and beers.
Salon des Vignerons et des Gourmands - Details
Opening times: Friday 4pm - 8pm Saturday 9.30am - 7pm Sunday 9am - 6pm
Salle des congrès du Châtelard
esplanade du Châtelard
87200 SAINT-JUNIEN
Tél. 05 55 43 06 99
Get a flavour of Limousin - The Périgord-Limousin Nature Park
Take a foodie holiday in Limousin - try our Limousin specialities for yourself!
Accommodation near St Junien
There are so many places to stay around the area, excellent hotels, cosy Bed and Breakfasts (or Chambres d'hotes) and self-catering holiday homes (or gites) offering great value for money. Here are just three:
Situated in the centre of Saint Junien
57 Boulevard Victor Hugo
87200 Saint-Junien, France
Tel: 05 55 02 31 84
Les Trois Chenes (that's us) Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering holiday cottage
Situated about 30 minutes from St Junien in the heart of the country
Le Bourg
87600 Videix
Tel: 00 33 (0)5 55 48 29 84
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© 2010 Les Trois Chenes