Vive la Francophonie Culture Classes

The January 2025 edition will feature:

Join us for a three-session series focused on the city of Bordeaux and the nearby department of Dordogne.

Taking place on January 14, 21, and 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, these classes will feature cultural presentations, wine tastings, and small plates.  Classes will be in English and last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Each Fall and Spring we feature a series of lectures on a region of the Francophonie. All lectures are conducted in English. These classes feature:

  • engaging lectures by experts in their field

  • wine and food tastings to complement the lectures

  • community with other Francophiles

For the January 2025 VLF, experts Margene Minor and Marc Witham will present wines and sprits of Bordeaux and Dordogne at each class with selections from the Wine Seller (5000 Prytania Street).

Each class will also feature small plates of delicious cuisine of the region.

Our culture classes take place in uptown New Orleans, at the Academy of Sacred Heart located at 4521 St. Charles Avenue, enter at the second floor dining room from Carondelet St. under the bridge.

A breakdown of each evening’s proceedings is coming very soon. Stay tuned!

  • Traditions and Distinct Culture of Bordeaux and the Dordogne Region

     In introducing Bordeaux, the Port of the Moon, the importance of the city’s cultural, architectural and historic heritage will be examined.  The neighboring department of Dordogne is a rural area, named after the Dordogne River which runs through it.

    Presented by Véronique Day

  • The Wine and the Gastronomic Landscape of Bordeaux and the Dordogne

    The historic port city of Bordeaux has had centuries of international wine trade and connections with the Dordogne hinterland.  This presentation will also cover the memorable cuisine of these areas.

    Presented by Marc Witham

  • From a Cow’s Misstep to an Archeological Find

    The Grotte de Pair-Non -Pair was a continuously inhabited home for 60 millennia for Neandertthal and later human populations.  For thirty years In the late 1800s François Daleau identified seven layers of earth inside the cave.  Each layer represented different eras of occupants.. Bones unearthed as well as wall carvings identified 59 different species including mammoths and a giant deer with antlers that spayed up to 12 feet wide.

    Presented by John D. Fitzmorris

If you’d like more detailed information, please email the event’s director: Karen Walk Geisert at kawalk@me.com