For its 20th anniversary, the Livres en Citadelle book festival presents an exhibition of drawings, texts and videos at the Maison du Vin de Blaye from 1 December 2012. The guest authors drew inspiration for their works from Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines.

“A wine is like a book, it’s something you want to share with others”, says Jean-Marc Lapoumeroulie, president of Preface, the association which has organised the Livres en Citadelle festival for the last 20 years, summing up the spirit of the exhibition that will be held from 1 December 2012 at the Maison du Vin de Blaye. In its anniversary year, the Blaye book festival, which has a long-standing friendship with Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines, could hardly miss out on an event which combines art in all its forms, literature and wine. A week before the festival itself, which will take place on 8 and 9 December 2012, texts, illustrations and even a video connected with Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines will be on display, sent in by twenty or so of the authors attending the festival. “Some of the works are pretty wacky, like Guillaume Gueraud’s video of cowboys shooting at barrels and people bathing underneath, which ends with the words: nothing goes off the rails with Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines!” chuckles Jean-Marc Lapoumeroulie. The Livres en Citadelles festival welcomes sixty or so creative artists, about half of them authors and illustrators of children’s literature, who will be playing a leading role in the exhibition. “These authors write for children but they are adults who drink wine, they have already been to the festival and enjoyed our wines, so it was natural for them to draw creative inspiration from Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines”, explains the co-organiser of Livres en Citadelle.

The authors remember Blaye wines

“Along with the Citadel, Blaye wines are the best thing we have here, so when writers come to Blaye we offer them some and they remember it”, says Jean-Marc Lapoumeroulie. That was certainly the case with children’s writer Zaü, who decided to draw attention to Blaye wines in a drawing of a hulking rugby team with a little fellow in the middle carrying a Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux sign. Philippe Jalbert has drawn a lion opening a case of Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wine. The drawings are provocative, humorous, sometimes poetic, and the texts, all very different, have been penned by their authors specially for Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux. “René Gouichoux tells how he enjoys a Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux with langoustines – hardly surprising, as he’s from Brittany! Fanny Leblond has written a very sensual piece about pouring wine into a glass”, says the organiser. “Some authors have become regular customers for Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines since coming to the festival”, affirms Jean-Marc Lapoumeroulie. “Our festival is not elitist and that is also reflected in our wine, which is a wine to be enjoyed and shared among friends!” A Blaye book festival as accessible as Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux wines. What could be more natural?