I took no notes on the wines at the times so there may be the odd inaccuracy.
Our first port of call was at Veules-les-Roses, a charming seaside village located north of the Seine on the Côte d’Albâtre where most of the coast is lined with white cliffs occasionally broken by valleys where small coastal towns and villages have been built. This village was notable for being full of flowers; roses, of course, but also hollyhocks (called “roses trémières “ in French) and hydrangeas which flourish along the Normandy and Brittany coasts
. The hotel, Douce France, 
is charming but without restaurant and, alas, the two best restaurants in the village were closed on the two evenings we were there. On the first evening, we found a pizzeria nicely located in the lee of the gothic church 
(our neighbour was hit by pigeon droppings aimed from a gargoyle) but the pizzas were revolting, greasy with an oddly chlorinated taste. By contrast the ridiculously overpriced wine (€23), Pinot Noir d’Alsace 2009 – Caves de Turckheim (I think), seemed a nectar but objectively it was quite light and pleasant but lacking in distinctiveness and distinction; 13.5/20.Next day we went to the nearby small town of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux where the best restaurant, du Port, was open and lived up to its reputation. I had a sumptuous “plateau de fruits de mer” and Germaine had some unseasonable good local oysters followed by sea bass. Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2010 – Château de la Chevillardière (I think) was crisp and mineral with salt and iodine notes and was perfect for the fruits de mer and oysters but Germaine complained that it was too acidic with her sea bass; 15/20++.
We then made for the west coast of the Contentin peninsular and stayed at Carteret looking across towards the Channel Islands. The Hôtel des Ormes was very comfortable and had a decent, though limited choice, restaurant. On the first evening, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the house wine, Côtes de Provence Haedus 2009 - Château Ferry Lacombe, Sainte-Victoire which was a gutsy red with attractive red fruit and herbal aromas; 15/20++.
Next day we headed for the Cap de la Hague, which in contrast to the verdant bocage inland, was windswept and austere with mostly stunted trees but also some palm trees
and luxuriant hydrangeas. Following the advice of Michelin’s Guide Gourmand we lunched at the restaurant Moulin à Vent at St.Germain de Vaux 
but the chef must have changed as we were disappointed by the fact that some excellent fresh fish was swamped by Asian influenced and excessively aggressive herb, lemon and curry flavours; Riesling 2008 – Hugel seemed like a nectar in this company and stood up to the extraneous flavours better than the fish; very dry and quite crisp with attractive aromatics; a good entry level wine; 15.5/20. Back at Les Ormes in the evening, the first wine Chinon rosé 200? – Couly-Dutheil – was a dud with oxidative porty touches; 10/20. The waiter changed the wine with polite words but rolling eyes and St.Nicolas de Bourgueil 2010 (red) – Domaine de la Rodaie, Hervé Morin – proved to be the real thing, invigorating, medium/light bodied, crisp, mineral and nicely fresh fruited with charcoal touches; 15/20+.Heading east again to the small town of Orbec, mercifully spared by the 1944 embarkation campaign, where both my mother and grandson attended the same school over 80 years apart, we stayed at the charming timbered Manoir de l’Engageiste
where Madame Dubois is a delightful, if very talkative, hostess. We invited my daughter and family to the restaurant Moulin Fouret near Bernay, which is a delightful spot in a green valley serving reliably good classical Norman food. The wines were good, if unexciting; Rully 2008 (W) – Louis Jadot was medium bodied with some attractive fruit and minerals but somewhat lacking in focus and showing some undigested wood; 15/20. Mercurey 2007 – Louis Jadot was light/medium bodied and elegant with some attractive Pinot fruit but somewhat inconsequential; 15/20.The next day we were entertained at my daughter’s and the wine quality leapt up. Patrick, my son-in-law,
is a customer at M. Breton’s excellent Caves de Deauville, which boasts superbly chosen French wines from fine growers. Champagne Drappier brut zéro dosage was medium bodied, quite structured, crisp and mineral but a bit acidic on its own needing food as a foil; 15.5/20 as a starter. Côtes de Provence (W) cru classé 200?- Chateau de Galoupet , with, I would have guessed a lot of Roussanne, but, in fact, with Rolle (=Vermentino) 80% and Sémillon, was excellent; suave, rich yet dry with complex exotic fruit and spice flavours and adequate smooth acidity for balance; 16.5/20. Minervois Lo Paire 2006 – La Croix de Saint-Jean was full-bodied and gutsy with attractive dark fruit, notes of chocolate, tar and fine rubber and firm structure; 16/20.