When you come to France, whether you’re taking a wine tour around the Loire Valley or skiing in the Alps, you will no doubt want to take part in the wonderful French tradition of apéritif (or apéro for short).

If you are not familiar with this daily French ritual, apéro simply means pre-dinner drinks. With a few nibbles, of course.

One French author famously called it the evening prayer of the French. And it really is the perfect way to relax and unwind with friends or family, before you start your evening meal.

Here in Le Berry, the apéro tradition still reigns strong. But as well the more traditional glasses of rosé gris or sparkling wine, the locals have a delicious local speciality apéro drink called the Kir Berrichon.

If you want to try this tasty tipple and bring a little bit of Le Berry chez vous, then why not try our simple recipe?

Make your own Kir Berrichon with Châteaumeillant red wine

Serves: 8 people (or 6 if you want larger glasses!)

What you’ll need:

• 1 x bottle of Châteaumeillant red wine (the Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes used to make this area’s fruity, light reds, make this wine the perfect apéro), chilled
• A few splashes of crème de mûre (a blackberry liqueur), around 30ml per glass

Method:

Chill your red wine for a few hours beforehand. Although it may seem a little unusual to drink cold red wine, Châteaumeillant reds work wonderfully well as a refreshing summer apéro and make a fun change to the more traditional rosé gris on a hot summer’s day.

Take eight wine glasses and pour a splash of crème de mûre into each. How much you put in, depends on personal taste. Start with a little – you can always add more!

Divide your Châteaumeillant red wine between the eight glasses and serve with a few bouchons de chèvre (little wine-cork-shaped goats cheese pieces that are perfect for apéros) from the local market. If you can’t get your hands on these little delicacies, you could chop up a full-sized goat’s cheese instead.

Santé!

Why not come to Le Berry and try some of this area’s delicious wine and cheese?

Goûts du Berry offers half and full day wine tasting tours around Châteaumeillant. If you want to discover some other vineyards in the Berry region, we also offer day trips to Sancerre, Quincy and Reuilly.

Fancy something a little different? Get in touch about our Bespoke Tours and for that extra special break in the French countryside, we also offer a luxury Wine and Food Adventure in partnership with a local château.