-
What French people think of traditional French food - and how they choose a restaurant
From cassoulet to snails, home cooking, and favourite French chefs; we look at French attitudes to food
-
Five exotic crops thriving in France's changing climate
French farmers are adapting by cultivating exotic crops like sugar cane, ginger, and pomegranates, reducing reliance on imports
-
Dry January vs French January: how France’s wine culture is adapting to drinking less
Vigneron columnist Jonathan Hesford gives his advice on enjoying l'art de vivre without overindulging
French nuns smash online ‘Divine’ wine-sale target with time to spare
Pre-orders of the rosé are well on their way to doubling the pre-sale target of 9,000 bottles
Nuns in southeast France have smashed their target of selling 9,000 bottles of rosé wine online from their estate in a matter of days - with buyers heading to the website in their droves.
In fact, according to the Divine Box website where the wine has been on sale, more than 16,500 bottles of the Exsulta rosé made by the nuns at the Abbaye de Jouques were pre-ordered by lunchtime on Monday, April 26, long before the midnight deadline.
As reported, the plan had been to sell the wine - an addition to the nuns' repertoire this year - alongside two well-established reds they produce and sell at wine fairs near the Abbaye, in Bouches-du-Rhône.
But with those events cancelled because of Covid-19, the nuns followed the lead of other vignerons whose normal markets collapsed in the Covid-19 crisis and decided to sell their wines online to individuals and wine merchants.
Wine is vital to the abbey's 47 resident sisters, as sales provide a significant portion of its income. It also produces and sells olive oil and aromatic plants for perfumiers. As Sister Armel said, selling the wine "allows the good sisters to continue to live and the Abbey to prolong its existence".
