When you think of France, what’s the first image that appears in your mind? Is it the statuesque splendor of the Eiffel Tower? Or maybe the lavender-imbued fields of Provence? Whether we’ve traveled to France or not, we have heard about her charms, seen photos of her beauty. As a child, long before I ever saw France with my own eyes, I dreamed about it, envisioned it. My imaginary France inspired a wanderlust in my heart, a desire to step inside the books I devoured on the subject.

I believe I’m not alone in my affection for La Belle France. Indeed, we’ve got an entire blogging group dedicated to exploring her wines and cuisine! In September, members of the French Winophiles group will indulge their passions for all things French, sharing our favorite stories about the food, wine, history, and culture; the sparks that fire our imaginations.

My guess is we will have a thrilling collection of tales: perhaps a dream vacation brought to life, or one that is still in the planning stages. I’m particularly looking forward to the stories that haven’t happened yet – those trips we take when we have a few quiet moments to wonder, What if? What if I could move to Paris and live the life of La Belle Époque? What if I spent a few months by the sea in Brittany, finishing the novel I haven’t yet started? Let’s throw those questions into the universe and wonder what might happen.

The French Winophiles will gather this Saturday, September 16^th, at 11 am ET on Twitter, to discuss our ideas – real and imagined. If you’d like to participate, we’d love to welcome you. Here’s how it works:

• Send me an email (swirlingdervish@outlook.com) to let me know you’re in. Or you can comment at the end of this post. I will need your social media contact information i.e., (Name of your blog, Twitter handle, and Instagram and Facebook account links.)
• Send me the title of your blog post by midnight, Wednesday September 13^th. I will publish a preview post including all of the titles, on Thursday, September 14^th.
• Write and publish your blog post Friday, September 15^th, or early Saturday morning prior to the chat.
• Join the chat at 11 am ET by following the #Winophiles hastag. Be sure to add it to any tweets you send during the chat so we’ll be able to see them.
• Read, comment, and share the other bloggers’ posts, and they will return the favor.

The French Winophiles meet the third Saturday of the month to explore different topics of interest to wine lovers and foodies with an affinity for France. Here’s what’s coming up over the next few months:

• In October, we visit Languedoc-Roussillon, courtesy of Jill Barth at L’occasion.
• November takes us to Beaujolais, hosted by Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick.
• During December, we indulge in the Dessert Wines of France.

Stay tuned for details on our schedule for 2018!