Table d'hote in the vineyards

Hardly haute cuisine, it's a simple backyard barbecue: tomato & mozarella salad, grilled steak, fruit cobbler. What makes it memorable is the location, in the Burgundian vineyards between Pommard and Volnay. Elsewhere in France, it's Pride parades; in downtown Beaune, they're having a big community picnic.

View from an upstairs window; dinner in the garden.

The bed & breakfast is called Clos des Saunières, named for medieval salt boxes once kept on the property. The current owners have traveled the world (seven years in Florida); their remodeling project added an American-style kitchen and five charming guest rooms. Around the table: vacationing couples from Belgium, Holland, Italy, Paris. I give them my card. "Cornichon?" they exclaim. "How...amusant!"

PS: Today's the day, at long last! The International Vineyard is finally supposed to go live. We'll be adding more trips, including one to this spot in Burgundy, over the next few weeks.