vinO(licious)

Why do I dare offer you Lionel’s wines?
Since 1996, I have shared my life with my husband and we have traveled the world.
His occupation allowed us to live in many different countries. We met people from all walks of life, made friendships,learned a number of languages, and discovered a multitude of cultures (gastronomic and otherwise).
Together we toured Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, Ukraine, and finally – France.
In 2008 in France, we accidentally (and fortuitously) met Lionel in a unique and memorable way.
It is his wines that I present to you.
Through our friendship, we have become crazy about sweet wine (les vins moeleux/doux).
Real artisans of wine would surely say:”…this is typical for novices, to start with sweet wine…”
And they would be right! But you have to start somewhere!
For me, it all started with my friendship with Lionel…
I literally fell in love with these sweet wines; they are so drinkable,gentle, seductive, refreshing...
We went on wine adventures (les routes des vins) in the Jurançon region, tried “les moeleux” (of course, just us parents, while ourchildren turned to the discovery of ice cream made of walnuts, honey, lavender…and similar delicacies).
We enjoyed stunning landscapes, vineyards, wine cellars, even the harvests. The children loved all of it too, such that in the end, we had to search for them in the cellars, between freshly harvested grapes… :)
I tried to convince Lionel that one can drink “les moeleux” with EVERY meal. Naturally,he bristled at that and he was very persistent that we HAVE to drink proper wines with the PROPER MEALS. He asked chefs in various restaurants to prepare food for us compatible with “les moeleux”…but believe me… I can honestly drink these wines with almost anything!
What can I say? I JUST LOVE THEM! It was great to spend time relaxing in these surroundings. Along with our families, we spent weekends together, traveling, laughing…even crying together, and above all, we cultivated MAGICAL FRIENDSHIP.
By that time, Lionel had opened his wine store. I spent my time there, learning, listening to him and the others who used to visit – his friends, the sommeliers, the enologists. I spoke to everyone about wine, from amateurs to experts. We conducted small tastings and they always encouraged me, urging me to form my own opinions about each wine we tasted.
I realized that every wine is uniquely special. Some wines seduce you, and others do not. I suspect this is why they are so fascinating. You never know what feelings a given wine will inspire. You can know the facts before You are going to taste it, the grapes, the aromas…but when You feel it on the nose, when You really taste it…this is where it all starts….
We all have our favorites. Of course, at the time, this was all just one more life experience. I was in France, and it was wonderful to be taught about wine in France, by the French.
One year later, Lionel began to manufacture his own wine. He sold the wine store, started a vineyard, and began to sell wine around the world (in France, Belgium, Canada, the US, Japan, Russia, and at last…Croatia :) When he first considered bringing his wines to Croatia, it made sense for us to embark on this adventure together.
He manufactures them, and I offer them to you.

Why, you might ask?

Because I believe in Lionel, I believe in his ideas, I believe in his team, made of people who really put their heart in this project. If You spend just one day with them (“Lionel &Cie” (company) as they represent themselves ) You can feel that they are really like a family there (at least in working hours) and I am convinced that “Lionel &Cie” wines will not disappoint.
But you must give them a chance. It is my sincere hope that you, too, will fall in love with one of his wines, and will allow yourself the small ritual of enjoying it.
Regardless, I thank you for setting aside time to read about our story. If, after doing so, you find a wine that you enjoy, then all of this becomes worthwhile.

Thank you,
Mare
(Marais)