Laurens, Iowa Says "Merci" to France

Filed in archive French Wines on July 21, 2007

The lucky residents of a small Iowa town will be recieving quite a lovely gift from their sister city in France. The town of Laurens, Iowa (population: 1,305) is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and how can you celebrate such an occasion without a great bottle of wine to toast the town's future?

From The DesMoines Register:

The French friends wanted the wine to be a surprise, but word travels fast in a small town. That gave Wurr time to include the guests in the weekend celebration. They'll even have their own booth at Saturday's Wine and Cheese Festival, where Laurens, France's Deputy Mayor Jean-Luc Bonnin will sample Iowa wines and share his oenological expertise.

Wurr said the French bottles retail at $35 each. Residents need only stop by and tell Bonnin merci to claim one of five vintages.

What a way to mark the occasion!