Last Trip of 2012 - A gastronomic delight

Ever since we had arrived in France, Lars had been wondering if we could visit a place where they sell strong alcoholic drinks based on fruit, called eau-de-vie. And in Marieulles we did find such a shop. Only one problem: it was closed! We were a bit discouraged, but then we noticed a note on the door saying that in case the shop was closed we could always call a certain telephone number. Which we did.

About 10 minutes later a car arrived with two women and a dog. They opened the shop for us and one of the two sisters bid us welcome. She first apologized for her poor English and asked us if we could follow her explanation in French. She promised to speak slowly and we agreed.

First we got a bit of history about this place which is called “Distillerie Maucourt”. The name Maucourt refers to the family who have been running this business for a couple of generations. Unfortunately, the last Maucourt had to stop working because of health problems. The other sister who had been a fruit picker for some years proposed to take over the business. Right now both sisters run the company, but they still rent the domains where the trees are planted from the original family.

They grow different kinds of prunes, like Reine Claude (a small sweet green variant, which happens to be my favorite!) and Quetsche (which was new to both of us). She explained the whole production process with the help of a booklet, full of pictures. This was really useful, because it made us understand how time-consuming the production is. We could also feel and appreciate the pride and the enthusiasm of this young woman for her work.

And then it was time for the fun part! Tasting the produce! We started with the less sweet varieties and ended with the very sweet ones. We were impressed by the quality and immediately decided to buy a couple of bottles. It was really difficult to choose, but finally Lars and I each bought one bottle.

In short, we loved this place! Impeccable service, excellent produce and you can pay with your credit card. Have a look at their website. There is an email address where you can contact them for the prices. Or you can pay them a visit at 2 rue des Vignerons – 57420 Marieulles-Vezon

To be highly recommended!

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