Sunday, December 25, 2011

Crème Brulee

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This little golden mass was what my husband and I had for Christmas breakfast….Crème Brulee paired with flutes of Korbel Natural Sparkling wine.  It was the perfect morning indulgence while watching our boys open their Christmas presents.   The new year is starting early for us.  Our new motto is “if not now, when?”   No more waiting, no more pondering, just doing.  Life is too short!

Crème Brulee (compliments of Alton Brown of the Food Network)

Ingredients

  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the crème brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the crème brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the crème brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

enjoy

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Chassagne-Montrachet {shah-san-yuh-mon-rah-shay}

DSCN1719 As a wine educator, and in particular one of 7 French Wine Scholars (FWS)  in Georgia, I’m a little embarrassed by the way I have been botching the pronunciation of this profound wine region within Burgundy, France.  Profound in that the red and white wines from this region are so elegant and distinctive, mispronouncing or Americanizing the pronunciation of this place is somewhat disrespectful and for this I apologize.  Now, to my defense, I am American and most Americans pronounce letters when they see them.  The French elegant-ize their words and there is nothing wrong with that so we all need to just get on board.  Now on to the fabulous wine from one the worlds most famous plots of land, Chassagne-Montrachet {shah-san-yuh-mon-rah-shay}.  One of easiest things to remember when you see this name on a wine label is that if the wine inside the bottle is red, it’s Pinot Noir and if it’s white, it’s Chardonnay…..how simple is that!  The glory of Burgundy is the uncomplicatedness of using only two grape varieties expressed from different points of view through different plots of land.  The bottle pictured is what we sampled in class, Chateau de la Maltroye 2006 Chassagne-Montrachet (red).  My class and I felt it had the most perfect balance of deep berries, tannin and earth; a perfect expression of pinot noir.  Now there are other expressions within other famous plots of land in Burgundy; Chambolle-Musigny {shom-bowl-moo-sih-nyee}, Corton-Charlemagne {cor-tawn-shahr-lih-mahn} and Vosne-Romanee {vone-roh-mah-nah}…..those we’ll tackle later.  Mastering the proper pronunciation is half the battle :)

enjoy

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Brunch :)

DSCN1665 I’m a brunch person.  Brunch gives me the liberty to merge breakfast delights with lunch pleasures.  Names like gratins, berry fruits, eggs, waffles, pancakes, country sausage, French breads layered with wine gelee, and smoke salmon provide the canvas for an elegant meal table.   An elegant fare, like brunch, should be matched with elegant wines.  Brunch wines include;  Provence roses, Champagne, Spanish Cava, and Italian Prosecco.   One of the most elegant and simplest of all brunch foods to make is Quiche Lorraine.  I found the perfect recipe and made it my own.  I used a 5 cheddar cheese instead of Emmental and I replaced the onions with red peppers.  What resulted was sheer food pleasure and a permanent staple on our family brunch table.  Here’s the basic recipe compliments of Il de France:

Easy Quiche Lorraine Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pre-made pie pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
• 12 slices bacon
• 1 cup shredded Emmental Cheese
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups light cream
• Salt an Pepper to taste

Methods/steps

Fry bacon until crispy. Chop bacon and combine with cheese and onions, then place mixture pie shell. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt, and pepper then pour into pastry shell. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated 425 degree oven. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes. Let set 15 minutes before cutting.

Match with your favorite sparking rose or Champagne

enjoy

 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Simple Pleasures…….

 DSCN1648 |every day wines like ‘Bistro’ produced by Barton & Guestier ~ pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon|

|French Food at Home on the Cooking Channel|

|vintage wine books|

|Italian roast Eight O’ Clock coffee|

|Whole Foods lemon tart paired with a Chilean sauvignon blanc|

|Sunday brunch ~ crepes with blueberries paired with Champagne|

|fresh from the oven peanut butter cookies for the kids after school snack|

|vintage aprons|

|browsing through a Williams-Sonoma catalogue|

|meatballs by Jacques Pepin|

|football season|

|family meals|

|cookbooks|

|picnics in the park|

|goat cheese and salami with wine gelee on top|

 

|life|

 

enjoy

Friday, August 19, 2011

Elegance in a bottle……..

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…floral, strawberry, raspberry, berry-berry, crispness, totally Provence

~ Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose vintage 2010 ~

enjoy

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Pinot Noir

DSCN1600 I’m sure I’ve touted the virtues of pinot noir before, of which is quite possibly the most elegant wine grape in the world.  Pinot noir with it’s layered aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry and earth, is the sole grape variety used in red Burgundy wines.  With varying soil types throughout Burgundy, pinot noir expresses its elegance differently from plot of land to plot of land.  Pinot noir adds faint berry flavors, finesse and structure to Champagne and other sparkling wines.  And when grown in Oregon it’s a berry fruit bomb with earth undertones.  All of this said, I had the privilege of enjoying a sparkling wine from here in the US, New Mexico to be exact;  Gruet Blanc De Noirs.   Gruet Blanc De Noirs is a sparkling wine made with 75% pinot noir and 25% chardonnay.  Produced in the same method as  Champagne, this sparkler is elegant and creamy with pinot noir finesse tasted throughout.  I sipped this sparkler with my quiche brunch, then I sipped it again with my grilled sea scallop dinner, then I sipped it again on my deck with friends.  It is now gone and time to replenish :)

enjoy

Thursday, June 30, 2011

What’s a Fine Wine?

  DSCN1562 I consider any wine that causes me to take pause and ponder its existence a fine wine.  Taking pause means that upon entry and swallow I have encountered something so magical and balanced, that I have to put the glass down and think about all of the elements that went into play that caused me to have felt that way.  Elements such as place of origin, grape type(s), soil type, wine producer, vintage, viticulture practices, vinification processes, topography, crop size……in English, all of the components that make a fine wine taste the way it tastes.   There isn’t just one element that does it; all the aforementioned have to be in sync or there can be no fine wine.  And from my experience the finest wines come from small producers whose grapes have been matched with their perfect soils.   The soil is the silent partner to a wine grape.   Soils like the premiere cru sites in Burgundy, which produce Chablis, Pommard, Montrachet, and Vosne-Romanee.  Other sites with perfect soil to grape matches include Chateau Montelena in Napa, California; this site boasts alluvial and volcanic soils.   Now, a fine wine will cost more than the average wine, but the payoff to your palate is worth seeking out; and a sensory experience you will always remember. 

Some to try:

William Fever Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2008 (Burgundy)

Fanny Sabre, Pommard 2008 (Burgundy)

Joseph Drouhin 'Folatieres' Puligny-Montrachet 2005 (Burgundy)

Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (Napa) (any vintage)

enjoy

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Beach House circa 2010

DSCN1558 This wine is all the label entails; tranquil, cool, peaceful, relaxed, and my word; refreshing.   The Beach House is a wine produced in South Africa.  It’s a blend of two French grape varieties; sauvignon blanc 85% and semillon 15%.  It’s interesting because when blended and produced in Bordeaux (the two grapes are standard within the Bordeaux white wine) you would use the same words only you’d include the word textured.   The Bordeaux white wine has more texture and layers (this could well be because more semillon is added to the blend)  Now, with all of that said, wine is about a feeling and should be memorable no matter the price or origin. The Beach House is memorable.  It put’s you in a place of simplicity and relaxation, not from the alcohol content, but from it’s citrusy, grassy presence within your mouth.  I’m all about the beach, and The Beach House is one wine you should take with you when you go.  In fact, take it with you on a picnic, to a friends barbeque, take it to the park, or better still, your deck…….you get the picture!

enjoy

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Dear Diary….I think I sipped too much!

DSCN1554 I often love to sip wine while I watch my husband cook a fantastic meal.  He’s such a foodie!  He cooks and I explore new wines.  Occasionally while shopping for food he finds wines that he feels would  pair well with what he’s making, or at the least be interesting to taste.  This evening he was making rib eyes with a secret sauce (sharing recipes is not his thing) and sautéed vegetables.  As a ritual he pours a glass of one of his wine-finds for me, then I sit by and sip the wine and watch as he flowingly makes our meal.  Upon first sight the wine was golden in color, a beautiful glistening gold.  My first thoughts were, hot climate..upon first smell, tropical…upon first sip, pineapple.  After the initial assessment I looked at the bottle….yep! just what I thought, Chardonnay from a hot climate area, Chile.  This wine was really yummy; tropical thru and thru.  I sipped and watched my husband cook, praising him endlessly on a selection well made.  By the time our meal was ready I had sipped so much, that I was tipsy.  Now I really know why wine is best had with meals.  Some wines are definitely for sipping, the lower alcohol ones.  This wine, with its golden color and tropical flavors had 14% alcohol.  And the thing is, I knew from years of wine tasting that the alcohol was high in this wine, but the wine was so good I couldn’t stop sipping.  Needless to say my meal was delicious and I was a hoot while eating it.  Moral of the story…..sip high alcohol wines with food….no exception!  The other thing I confirmed is that wine is truly an enhancement to life.  My husband and I had the best time just being together….truly what life is all about.

The wine:  Montes Alpha Chardonnay Special Cuvee 2004 (Chile)

enjoy

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Wines for this Season

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As with seasonal vegetables and fruits, there are seasonal wines; wines that pair perfectly with the lifestyle of the season.  In the winter we tend to eat foods and have fuller bodied wines that comfort us.  Soups, stews and hearty meats accompany wines like California’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Italy’s Brunello di Montalcino, and Australian Shiraz.  Spring transitions us to lighter foods and lighter bodied wines;  grilled chicken and lamb pair well with Oregon’s Pinot Noir,  Burgundy’s (Macon-Villages) Chardonnay, and Sardinian Grenache.  For the summer season we go even lighter, where food and wine is concerned.  It’s summer now, unofficially, and if you’re like me simple uncomplicated light meals is what I like to make; loads of pasta salad and potato salad, Panini press sandwiches, quiche, and Mediterranean salads.  My wines are simple too, especially since I spend most of my summer pool side or on my deck with a misting fan and a wine book.  My summer wines include; Portugals’s Vinho Verde, Spain’s Albarino, France’s Cotes du Rhone Rose, California’s Riesling, the Loire Valley’s Pouilly Fume, and of course Champagne.  Summer exemplifies simplicity more so than any other season and this recipe Shrimp and Avocado with Citrus Dressing paired with a New Zealand  Sauvignon Blanc or Pouilly Fume will help jumpstart your summer and your “I’m all about simplistic” attitude.  Explore lighter wines this season and……

enjoy

 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Southern France

Languedocblog I’ve been away for a little bit, putting my full attention into getting my French Wine Scholar designation (FWS).  For my exam I had to know every nook and cranny of each French wine region, from Champagne (in the north) to Languedoc-Roussillon (in the south).  What a eclectic mix of grape varieties, climate and soil types there are within France.  And what amazes me is that there are over 1000 different and distinct wine grapes, but the average person has only experienced a handful.  This we need to change.  Wine is the glue that brings our meals together and should reflect the diversity of what we eat.  Southern France which includes the Languedoc-Roussillon, which I believe is our next big wine region, has a plethora of grape varieties that go into their wines; wines that are flavorful, inexpensive, and representative of its diverse terroir.  Their wines are a cross between rustic and elegant and fit perfectly into our “simplistic elegance” lifestyle.  This region has a vast history with a splash of Spanish influence.  Here are some wines that you should definitely seek out;

NV Cuvee Stephi Ebullience, Cremant de Limoux ~ this cuvee (a blend of grapes) is a mixture of chardonnay, chenin blanc, mauzac, and pinot noir.  Cremant means sparkling wine and this sparkler is as elegant as the name implies.  Smells of white flowers and citrus with a mouth-feel of citrus surrounded by fine bubbles.  It pairs well with tapas, seafood, white meat and goat cheese.

2007 Chateau de Lancyre Vielles Vignes, Pic Saint-Loup, Coteaux du Languedoc ~ yes the name is long, but most wine names in France are an expression of where they come from both inside and outside of the bottle.  This wine is made from hand picked syrah and grenache grapes.  It’s a special blend with aromas and flavors of black raspberry, plum and cherry surrounded by herbs.  A great wine paired with meaty dishes and spicy vegetables.

2009 Chateau Puech-Haut Prestige, Saint-Drezery, Languedoc – prestige it is with its blend of grenache noir, syrah and carignan.  Berry upon deep berry melded together.  This wine would pair well with rosemary encrusted lamb and roasted eggplant with herbs.

This is just a sampling of what Southern France has to offer and Languedoc-Roussillon wine can be found at any in-the-know wine shop.  Here’s a Roasted Lamb recipe that would go perfectly with the red wines here.   I encourage you to explore the wines of Southern France, such treasures they are!

enjoy

Sunday, April 24, 2011

French Bread and Authenticity

DSCN1451 French bread makes me happy!  In the quiet of my Sunday mornings I relish having it with Goat’s milk butter and rouge wine gelee on top.  I love the smell and the taste of French bread; from the golden brown crust on the outside to the bready, holey, yeastiness on the inside.  I don’t know how make it by hand, so I decided to make it with my bread machine; not the same.  I didn’t get the airiness, the consistency or the holes, for that matter.  The results and taste were not the same at all.  It was just bread machine bread!  This experience, making bread in a bread machine, got me thinking about taking the time to produce authenticity.   Anything worth having is worth putting in the effort for.  This is the thinking with most vine growers and wine makers in terroir driven wine regions like; Bordeaux, Burgundy, Germany, and Loire.  The care taken to ensure trueness of place, from viticulture to bottle is a metaphor we can all incorporate into our lives.  Taking the time to nurture relationships, make meals from scratch using natural ingredients, knowing why the wines we drink taste the way they taste, and making French bread the way Julia Childs made it, by hand.  Tall tasks maybe, but the results can be rewarding and everyone benefits.  I’m pulling out my French cooking cookbook and I’m making French bread from scratch.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  I’m committed to authenticity!  In the mean time I’m going to enjoy the French bread I purchased from Whole Foods….baked to French perfection with a flute of yeasty Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne which I feel pairs nicely, along with the other necessities….goat’s milk butter and rouge wine gelee.  How authentic is that?

enjoy

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Italian Style

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I bought these bowls and one matching plate at Marshall’s.  I like cruising the discount isle at Marshall’s just to find pieces like this to add to my already eclectic collection of things.  I fell in love with the creamy yellow color and the Italian looking pattern on each piece, and they make me think about the Italian villa I’m going to purchase one day…yes, I am!  Speaking of Italy I had a wine the other day that really exemplifies Italian style; Avignonesi’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.  The vintage was 2007 and it exemplified total Italian-ness; sangiovese blended with other native grapes at its best.  Italian wines have this subtly powerful fruitiness and earthiness to them that only comes from grapes grown in Italy; deep dark berries, stewed strawberries, all with an underlying of earth.  This wine had all of that and depth to boot.  I had the wine with this Meatball in Maranara sauce I made for my family, served in my new Italian bowls.  I think I smiled through the entire meal because we were eating something wonderful, in something beautiful, and all of it being enhanced by fabulous wine…. and isn’t that what life’s all about?  Yep!

enjoy

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Please pass the Gelee

Bordeaux%20Gelee%20Jar

 

WINE GELÉE    1: the fermented juice of fresh grapes  2 : the usually fermented juice of a plant product (as a fruit) used as a condiment or glaze  3 : something that invigorates   4 : a dark red or sultry white  5 : food elegance in a jar

I’ve been working very hard these past few weeks and my hard work has finally paid off.  The European Wine Table’s gourmet wine gelee has officially hit the Whole Foods market shelf.  Our Bordeaux Rouge and Bordeaux Blanc is available for purchase not only on The European Wine Table’s online site, but also at the Whole Foods Market, Johns Creek/Duluth location (if you live in Georgia you know where this is).  This is such a wonderful thing not only because the gelee’s are so delicious, but because I know that my product will bring joy to those who eat it.  Shear food pleasure is part of what life is all about.  These gelee’s accompany any appetizer and/or cheese tray….put on top of any cheese (goat, cream, triple cheese) with crackers….shear delight, I promise.  Each jar is meticulously hand made in Italian cooking fashion (slow cooked) with loving intentions stirred within.    You know what else is wonderful about this?  Proof that dreams do come true!

enjoy

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Revamping

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Revamping the decor of my home has become my cardio workout.  Gloriously I romp from store to store deciding which accessories would appeal to my home and my senses.  I think the home should be a safe haven from the chaos of the outside world, the place where you leave everything behind to renew yourself.  A place where stress is not welcomed.  Where only good food, wine and  good friends abound.  I’m taking on one section of the house at a time, starting first with my bookshelf filled with family photos and vintage wine books.  I think, in this section, I’m going to replace frames to make them one theme….vintage, different variations of vintage frames.  Then I was thinking of adding an antique lamp and surround it with antique trinkets and possibly go with a coat of light orange paint as a backdrop, orange is such a vibrant color and it’s my favorite .  Accents of orange are all around my home.   If you were to see my home you’d definitely know I’m a wine lover too because wine things are strategically placed throughout;  wine shop night light, bowls, vases and large hurricanes filled with wine corks, and a wine cellar along with wine crates filled with dusty bottles of wine from around the world.  I have to say though that the most treasured treasure in my home is my family.  My home becomes even more alive when we are together.   They are as vibrant as a California Pinot Noir, an accent that tops all accents.   Yes, indeed I love my home.  It makes me smile.  I hope yours makes you smile too:)

enjoy

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sweet and Savory

Ratafia I read an article that talked about a new way to describe wines or I should say, wine flavors, instead of using wine taste descriptors like; wild berries with a hint of tar or green apples with peach and mineral notes.  It divided wine flavors into two words…sweet or savory.  Wines that show dominant herbs, spice and mineral notes would go under savory, wines that are fruit dominant would go under sweet.  My first thought was maybe it would simplify things for the wine consumers when picking wines this way.  But in doing this, uniqueness and land expression is left out.  I see wine as a place, and each place has a signature style and taste that can’t be categorized into two words.  There are too many other nuances and intricacies at play with wine.  I think wines should be categorized by region, as painful as that may be, especially in the case of Burgundy, wine shops and restaurants should categorize wines by their region and their style descriptors as a sub-set of that.  Wine is all about “place” and you can’t put “place” in a two word category.   I feel myself ranting……I mean really, how would you pair your foods if you only had two descriptors to work with?  Ok, I’m done ranting…..on to something I tasted last week that was definitely sweet and savory.   It was a Vin de Liqueur produced within the Champagne region of France, NV Vilmart Champagne Ratafia.  It’s a blend of distilled and unfermented Pinot Noir grapes ~ creamy, semi-sweet with rich flavors of red berries and strawberries with a hint of earth and minerality as only Champagne can do….how’s that for a description?   A must have with a bowl of strawberries or you can have it with what I paired it with….Girl Scout cookies!

enjoy

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Living Organic

red wine glasses Living organic, to me, has more to do with living life authentically.  This includes being mindful of my intentions and also being mindful of what I eat, and how much does it cost to only invest in relationships that uplift us and encourage us?  This too is living organically.  At the beginning of the year I decided that only the best would do…the best wines, the best fresh organic foods, and the best ingredients for my family meals.  The best doesn’t have to cost much, only a willingness to not settle.    And to be quite honest we all deserve the best….. from French wines, to sleeping on 300 count sheets to savoring 70% organic chocolate. 
Speaking of wine, I so admire the efforts of winemakers that produce wines using sustainable, organic and biodynamic methods for vine-growing and wine making.  You can find these winemakers in all corners of the world and they give new meaning to the statement “only the best will do”. 
Sustainable and organic farming are very similar in that they let the farm or the earth and soil do what they do  best, grow wine grapes, with minimal to no chemical intervention…..but there are pests in the vineyard waiting to attack every inch of the vine from the root to tip, so some intervention may be needed.    Sustainable viticulture takes the approach of “only when necessary will we intervene'’, organic viticulture uses the “only the organic approved and natural intervention methods will be used”.  Biodynamic viticulture is a beautiful beast unto itself.  The vineyard or farm is looked at as a whole and all elements; the sun, the moon, and the placement of the planets all work together integratively (is that a word?) to produce the most cosmically natural wines possible, supporting the soil is the most integral part of this type of viticulture.  The theme for all of these farming methods is, natural in, natural out.
So now that I’ve possibly peaked your interest in living organic here are a few of my splurges: 

Dark Chocolate: Trader Joe’s 70% Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars - $1.99 a bar

Biodynamic wine:  2008 Moillard Bourgogne 100% Pinot Noir ~ elegance with subtle cherry on the palate ~ around $20.00

300 Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets:  Vera Wang $500.00…..ok I know this was a big splurge….so what, life only comes once!

enjoy

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Bordeaux or Burgundy?

Bordeaux wine glass

I suppose the question of which is best is like asking “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  I love both of these wine regions but the one that truly takes my breath away is Burgundy.  More about that later.  Let’s talk about ranking; Bordeaux wines are ranked by Chateau and those are ranked in quality tiers….1st Growth, 2nd Growth… You have your regional wines (Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur, etc.) with sub-regions within those (Medoc, Haut Medoc, Grave) and communal or village wines within those (Margaux, St. Emillion, Sauternes, etc.)   Burgundy is rank by vineyards or plots of land with is ranked by general zones of production and further to more specific zones of production with these zones being quality ranked also; Premier Crus, Grand Cru and village wines within those.   Yes, confusing on both sides but Bordeaux Chateaux usually has just one owner for each or should I say style and point of view, whereas Burgundy vineyards could have as many as 20 owners, each with their own row of grapes for the production of wine, each row and owner having different styles and points of view.  We can thank Napoleon III for this mandate of dividing inheritable properties equally among siblings.  With Bordeaux you have a fairly good idea of what the wines are like based on the Chateaux name and its premiere location.  With Burgundy knowing the producer of a wine as well as its place of origin is key.  Aside from ownership differences the two regions use totally different grape varieties for their wines.  Bordeaux red wines are blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The white wines are a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.  Burgundy red wines are of a single varietal, Pinot Noir and Burgundy white wines are of a single varietal, Chardonnay.   Both regions have terroir or soils of the highest quality, but which is harder to do produce wines with depth of character from blended grapes or from a single variety?  This is why the wines of Burgundy take my breath away.  Each meticulously hand crafted row of vines produce wines with depth, individual character, and longevity from a single grape variety.  Pinot Noir and Chardonnay expressed through Burgundy from many different rows, in many different ways, is a beautiful experience.   Now, I’m not going to suggest individual wines for you to try here.  I’m going to point you to areas within Burgundy where you can pick your own producers and see which you like best.  In my opinion it’s the best way to learn about the wines of Burgundy or any wine for that matter…..taste your way through it.  Here’s my Burgundy villages to try “just because life is too short” list:

Red:  Pommard, Vonay, Vosene-Romanee, Marsannay

White:  Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet

The red wines compliment hearty stews, the white wines compliment aromatic cheeses soft and hard.

enjoy

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Moi Amour, St. Amour

amourSome years ago my husband and I spent a lovely Valentine’s week-end at the famed Beechwood Inn.  If you don’t know about the Beechwood Inn it’s a bed and breakfast that caters to all things fine wine and gourmet food, located in northern Georgia.   That week-end be enjoyed a lovely 5 course Burgundy inspired dinner with wines from Burgundy’s Beaujolais wine region, located just south of the famed red and white Burgundy appellations.   Beaujolais boasts many famed appellations in its own right;  Julienas, Moulin-a-Vent, and Chiroubles, just to name a few, ten Crus or plots of land, in all including my favorite, St. Amour.  St. Amour is a village that dates back to Roman times, it means “St. Love” and is promoted around Valentine’s Day.  The wines from this area are made predominantly from the Gamay grape (red); aromas of grape, peach and violet with a  palate feel of prominent fresh raspberries, red berries and a stone fruit finish. And with St.Amour being from one of the most pristine areas, are capable of aging quite beautifully developing into a more subdued berry with added layers of deeper berry and earth.   This wine is quite an experience and most befitting of its romantic symbolism.  One the best producers of this wine is George Duboeuf.  You can find his collection of wines, including most of the Crus of Beaujolais, at just about any reputable wine shop.  So going back to my lovely Valentine’s week-end I need to mention one of the dishes we savored…..Coq au Vin.  This rendition is from Tyler Florence.  Enjoy it with your special someone paired with St. Amour…. and have wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

What’s your inner grape?

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We all know wine grapes has its own unique personality and blueprint even with clusters grown side by side.  You can think of them as you would your family; father, mother, sisters, brothers, and cousins….all different…personality wise.  With this in mind I got to thinking about my own grape personality and style.  What grape matches me?  I think of myself as someone with quiet power, not forthcoming but having a knowing that I can shape events and impact change for a better understanding of our wine world.  Beneath this quiet strength is an elegance that has developed over time.  There’s no tooting involved here, I just know who I am.   With this in mind my personality matches with the Riesling grape….somewhat temperamental, flourishing when conditions are right, elegant in style and form, and gets better with time.  What’s your inner grape?  I have very good friends around me, one in particular that has been a friend since 1st grade.  She’s outwardly strong and totally supportive.  I see her inner grape as Petit Verdot, a strong backend support for the Bordeaux wine.  Sometimes it’s needed to bind and hold everything together and sometimes its not, nonetheless, always has your back.  More resent friendships include a Chenin Blanc, sweet as can be, multi-faceted, versatile, sometimes complex, and discovering who she is as time goes on.  I have a Chardonnay in my life….steadfast, predictable, and reliable.  My husband is a Nebbiolo strong and forthright when needed, and strong and subdued when needed.   We all have a matching inner grape….what’s yours?   The answer may require tasting many bottles of wine………oh well!

enjoy

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sangiovese

sangiovese grapes

With all of the excitement about Bordeaux wines each year, other prominent wine regions with expressive terroir get overshadowed.  I was reminded of this as I sipped a glass of Sangiovese wine last evening.  Italy, as a whole, is a wine region with appellations throughout that produce very distinctive fruit filled wines.  The Sangiovese I drank was generic but if I wanted to go deeper within the appellation I could have chosen a Chianti or Chianti Classico or a wine with more depth, a Chianti Classico Reserva.  All of these Sangiovese based wines are cherry laddend in flavor, but as you get more specific with terroir  the cherry becomes deep wild cherry or black cherry in flavor, surrounded with layers of tar, earth, and sometimes green pepper; each appellation offering a different expression of the Sangiovese grape.  Sangiovese to the 10th power would have to be Brunello di Montalcino.  I buy this as a splurge and take it into the closet with me.  Yes, this is an act of hording and non-sharing but I love to privately savor its layers of complexity.  Each sip brings a new awareness and insight into what the effects of land can do.  You know, the wine grape may just be the only food that takes on the characteristics of its land.  An orange is just an orange, a green apple is just a green apple…but a wine grape grown on different plots of land is as different as a fingerprint.  That’s what wine is all about.   One of my favorite Italian wine producers is Ruffino.  Ruffino anything will be good.  Also, here’s an Italian wine site I found so that you can learn more about the country, the food, and of, course the wine http://www.italianmade.com/wines/home.cfm

enjoy

Monday, January 10, 2011

French Country Comfort

DSCN1347 Our current snow storm has provided me the opportunity catch up on some wine reading (I’ve started reading The Great Vintage Wine Book by Michael Broadbent) and because I participated in the food shopping frenzy with the rest of the South, on Saturday and Sunday, I have plenty of delicious dishes to make.  Thus far, for breakfast, I’ve made homemade waffles with maple sausage and French baked eggs.  For lunch I made an assortment of Panini's with various cheeses; cheddar, gruyere, goat, and Swiss.  The Panini’s went well with my husbands creamy tomato bisque soup.  For a late dinner (go Auburn!) I’m making Fricassee of Chicken with Chorizo and Peppers paired with a Cotes du Rhone.  This recipe courtesy of Patricia Wells of “The Provence Cookbook” fame.  And as my icicled boys comes inside after hours of sledding, I have mugs of warm homemade hot chocolate waiting for them.  Yes, my family’s snowy day is filled with lots of comfort food, and judging from the weather the comfort will continued for the next few days because the snow and ice is expected to continue for that much longer.  Oh well!  Isn’t life great?

enjoy