The Scent of Black
[NOTE: If you have a slower internet connection or experience playback problems, please try the YouTube version.]
In the Cahors region of France, black truffles are almost literally as valuable as gold in the culinary world. Prized for their glorious scent, black truffles are fungi that grow exclusively on the roots of oak trees. Found in late autumn and winter, the truffles cannot be seen since they grow under the ground. Pigs, or specially trained dogs have been used to search for these elusive truffles. About 20% of the French production comes from southwest France, which possesses the limestone soils and dry hot weather that truffles need to grow.
In the late 19th century, an epidemic of phylloxera destroyed many of the vineyards in southern France. Large tracts of land were set free for the cultivation of truffles. Thousands of truffle-producing trees were planted, and production reached the peak of hundreds of tonnes by the end of the 19th century. Wars during the 20th Century decimated the fields. After 1945, the production of truffles plummeted, and prices rose dramatically. In 1900, truffles were used by most French people, and on many occasions. Today, they are a rare delicacy reserved for the wealthy, or used on very special occasions.
Originally a common grape in Bordeaux, Malbec has lost popularity as one of the five varieties in the Bordeaux blends. Meanwhile, Malbec increased its status in the French region of Cahors, an area southeast of Bordeaux, where it creates distinctive wines that now require 70% of the variety.
GrapeRadio is proud to present a look at the Cahors region, as rightly famous for its black truffles as it is for its Malbec, a wine that exemplifies the scent of black.
Congratulation for this great work. This video is a great balance of elegance, information, and fun. Makes me want to see more! It’s now the right time for black truffles…
Cheers!
Bravo ! Very instructive and really nice pictures… Good job !
Great video, sums up the area wonderfully. It’s difficult to describe to others the wonder of the area – this does!
Thank you for another wonderful and fascinating production. Don’t know if it is just my Internet connection, but the video and audio weren’t quite in sync. No matter, I still enjoyed it very mucy.
Brian Crabtree
Raymond MS
Brian, try watching again, byt not under HDTV. The resolution is so high, that it eats up cpu cycles.
Jay
Congratulations, to all those involved, on this spell-binding production. Seeing Cahors – the land, the wines, the truffles – through the lens of terroir makes it even more colorful, even more complex/meaningful, even more (aesthetically) appealing/sensual/delicious. Doing so, making the viewers see Cahors through the lens of terroir in The Scent of Black, means helping them appreciate and better understand the complex interplay and partner-ship existing between man, plant(s) and nature/environment in bringing something unique into the world and our daily life, and teaches one to match the sheer (hedonistic) pleasure of eating/drinking with due profound respect for where our food and wine come from.
Bravo Jay ! It’s so beautiful, so emotional! You catch the Cahors Malbec soul …
Thank you guys.I think it’s one of your best video’s ever along with the stewards of the land.I posted it on FB and to all my friends.It reminds me as a sommelier myself why I love the food and wine trade so much.We cannot do without food and food is in my view one of the wonders of the world.Together with wine makes it a deeply emotional experience.Just to all those people who don’t believe again in terrior,why are the wines black because of the black truffles on the land.It’s nature speaking.Thank you again guys for a beautiful video.Happy new year to all at graperadio.com and may you all have a grape new year.
Ciao
Roland
Since you are posting your videos at vimeo now, are they no longer downloaded automatically with an iTunes subscription?
The show has been added to the iTunes feed. Thanks for the heads up!
Brian
Second time in this site,
Watched the video. It was really beautiful. Made almost cry.Very nostalgic. It makes want to go my cellar and drink my chateau lazagarette with truffle pasta
Keep it up with the good work!!!
How do I download the file? I save these for watching on my Droid when I travel.
THANKS
T
First time on the site, this video was recommended to me and I find it a lot better than most wine videos out there. Although it is marketing driven, I don’t mind because I feel Cahors deserves some more limelight.
Stunning video that shed light on an area I was not too familiar with. I am loving your site and telling everyone about the quality of your work. Astonishing stuff and I eagerly await the next production.
Thanks,
Alexander
I love this video. Brilliantly produced. The passion of the producers/inhabitants of this fabulous region shines through!
To all the GrapeRadio crew, congratulations and thank you, not only for the Scent of Black, but all your years of so many excellent, interesting, and educational productions. I know it is a labor of love for you, but I know it also requires tremendous effort and time.