Can Wine Be Romantic?

Each time I buy a bottle of wine I imagine what I’m going to feel after taking that first sniff from the glass. The imagery of feeling really, really good dances in my head. And why not? That first sniff sets you up and gets your senses going and hopefully your excited with anticipation of that first sip. Yes, this is the scenario I have with each bottle of wine I buy. I’m a romantic when it comes to wine. I expect my senses to be awakened and to get from each bottle its purpose for living. High hopes yes, and if you know where your bottle of wine comes from; ie the region, you can pretty much guess the experience you’re going to get because each region has it own wine style.

I picked a wine from the Chablis region of Burgundy, France (the land of chardonnay) to go with our baked cod. I knew, given its northern cool location, it would have the acidity and lightness of body I wanted to go with our fish. What I wasn’t expecting was to open the bottle and be stopped cold after the first sniff. The aromatics flowing from the glass was so beautiful it stopped me cold…powerful floral grassy citrus oozing romance. I couldn’t go any further. I felt like I was in a romance novel and had just walked by the most beautiful man in the world while strolling along the walkway along the River Seine. I gave it a swirl and took a bigger sniff which put a smile on my face because the intensity of the aroma filled my face with such happiness I just had to smile. Finally after swirling and sniffing, swirling and sniffing and imagining creating a perfume out of it, I sipped it and it was just as powerfully flavored as it was aromatic. It showed it purpose for living.

I have to let you in on a little secret…the Chablis region of France is well-known for its racy, completely food friendly, chardonnay wines. This particular bottle is from an area around Chablis called Saint Bris which only produces wines using a blending of two Sauvignon white grape varieties, Sauvignon blanc and Sauvignon Gris, not chardonnay. These grapes are aromatic anywhere they are grown from the Loire, France to New Zealand. Aromatic on all fronts, but romantic? I think Saint Bris has them all beat.

à bientôt (see you soon)

The most beautiful wine I’ve tasted this week

Chablis is one of the most underappreciated wine regions in the world.  Located at the top of Burgundy, France. It produces the most racy, energetic, romantically lovely, wines from the Chardonnay grape.  Chardonnay like you’ve never had it…clean, fruity and vibrant.  I have so many colorful words I could use for this particular wine like; green tinged (color), with green apple laced with minerals (taste) surrounded by a hint of sunshine.  All of this to say the taste and the experience of this particular wine made me feel good.  Each sip got better and better showing a new layer of Chablis-ness.  And shouldn’t all wine make you feel that way?

winefully yours….Jacqueline

Simply Breakfast with Prosecco Mimosa Gelee

We meet a lot of great people when we sample our products in various store locations.  Nothing gets us more excited than hearing  our customers tell us how much they are enjoying our gelee.  One customer told us that they especially loved our Prosecco Mimosa gelee on French Toast.  We couldn’t agree more.  So, in honor of that, here’s a recipe for Classic French Toast my family just loves……  (it’s from Martha Stewart).

Ingredients

• • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
  • 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 slices (1-inch-thick) bread, preferably day old
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Prosecco Mimosa Wine Gelee for spreading

Directions

1. Whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Place bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold bread slices in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn slices over; soak until soaked through, about 10 minutes more.
3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread slices until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread. Wipe skillet, and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Serve warm with a dollop of Prosecco Mimosa Gelee.

You can order our gelees from our new market store http://squareup.com/market/the-european-wine-table

Simple Little Cheese Cakes

I  blew off the leaves on the deck and patio this week-end to make way for a picture perfect summer entertaining  season.   Last summer season wasn’t so picture perfect with all of the rain.  This year, hope springs eternal for plenty of sunshine.  

This season also I will be sharing with you recipes we make with our gourmet wine gelée.   We will also be sharing some recipes from local artisans.  Recipes from cheese makers, spice makers, and flavored olive oil makers, to name a few.   Should be fun and informative.  And of course I won’t forget to share  my wine picks which will hopefully come in handy for you .   So let’s begin….

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
• 7 whole graham crackers
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• Pinch of salt
• 10 1/2 oz CalyRoad Creamery fresh chèvre, softened
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons crème fraîche (5 ounces)
• The European Wine Table Wine Gelée, any flavor

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut out four 3-inch rounds of shirt cardboard.   Brush the insides of four 3-inch-round and 2 1/2-inch-deep ring molds with butter (found at Target stores). In a food processor, grind the crackers with the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.   Set the molds on the baking sheet and line the bottoms with the cardboard rounds, trimming to fit.   Pack the crumbs into the molds; press to compact. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg, egg yolk, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.   Add the fresh chèvre and beat until smooth.   Fold in the crème fraîche.   Spoon the mixture into the molds and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheesecakes are just set but not browned.   Let the cheesecakes cool, then refrigerate them until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Heat a sharp, thin-bladed knife under hot water; dry the knife.   Carefully run the blade around the edge of each cheesecake.   Pressing up on the cardboard, ease the cheesecakes out of the molds; return to the baking sheet.   Cut four 11-by-2 1/2-inch strips of parchment paper.   Wrap the paper around the perimeter of each cheesecake to form a collar that extends 1 inch above the surface; secure with tape.

Spread wine gelée over each cheesecake and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 20 minutes.

Remove the parchment-paper collar from each cheesecake. Carefully remove the cardboard bottoms and serve.

*the original recipe is from Food & Wine magazine enhanced by Mary of Cheeses & Mary

enjoy,

Simply Jacqueline

simplicity

If you’ve ever had the experience of an afternoon wine tasting  at a vineyard or winery, I’m sure you noticed how serene the surroundings were.  You could probably feel the energy of agriculture in the making; growing and vibrating around you.   Take that experience and fold it into a week-end, which is just what my family and I did in early August.  We stayed in a beautiful cottage overlooking the vines at Stonewall Creek Vineyards.  Our friends the winemaker’s hosted us.   The view from the cabin displayed the beauty that God intended.  The view was further enhanced by the lovely dinners and wines and kinship shared, between the two families, among the vines;  dangling cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot were awaiting their October picking.   I still remember the fruity taste of the Beaujolais Fleurie and the vibrancy of the Stonewall Creek Vineyards Yukari Rosé….  it was all perfect.   Even The Rare Wine Company Madeira paired with dessert was perfection.   You know it was a gift, in a world where everything is hurry, hurry, hurry, time stood still that week-end and we were able to just be…..I suppose  just as God intended.

enjoy

Lafite

Chateau Lafite-Rothchild vintage 1899…..I wonder what this wine would say if it were opened today?  Would it say I’m old and tired? or would it say thank you for cellaring me under the most perfect conditions so that all of my contents could meld together to give you the experience of wine you will never forget?  Probably the latter.

This 19th century, post phylloxera, bottle of wine was produced by a first growth estate within Bordeaux, France.  Those familiar with the term “first growth” know that the grapes that produced this bottle of wine were grown on one of the most prestigious plots of land in the world defined in 1855.  This bottle blended with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and possibly a smidgen of petit verdot grapes, grown on gravelly soil, is a collectors item worth about $289,000.  In fact it was purchased at auction,  within a group of other equally prestigious Lafite wines.  Why?  I would hope for the experience of the evolution that happened in the bottle over time…a seamless and continuous mellowing that would be tasted with each sip from the glass…. bouquet and flavors of….mint, cedar, tobacco, almond, spice, cherry, violet…..on and on it would go.

The significance of this is not to dangle what wines we can’t afford….the significance is experiencing, to the fullest, what wines we can afford.  You see, all wines, from different price points and regions have aromas, bouquets and flavors to experience with each sip taking you to it’s place of origin giving you an experience you’ll remember…...yes, even with a $15.00 bottle of Bordeaux.

enjoy

Yesterday’s Wine

I haven’t written on my blog for a while.  I’ve been busy perfecting our family’s gourmet product business.  I’ve learned though that nothing is ever perfected, perfection is a myth.  The only thing there is is growth, so growing we are doing. 

Sometimes in life we lose sight of what’s really important; what makes our heart sing.  Wine makes my heart sing.  I love sipping it, talking about it, teaching it…it speaks to me on many different levels, from the domestic to the finest from around the world.  My hope is to enlighten you so that it speaks to you too.  So let’s get on with it….

I had a wine the other night from California; Mark West Pinot Noir (vintage 2010), light rubyish rust colored red, smells of cow pasture and red fruits - tastes of subdued raspberry with a short tannic bite.  It was a pleasurable wine, true to California’s fruity style without being overly alcoholic, %13.8.  The smooth pinot fruit calms the alcohol.  It’s a wine that pairs ever so perfectly with grilled meats; skirt steak, hamburgers, etc.

I liked it a lot, in fact I’m sipping it as I type.  I love my wine job  :  )

 

enjoy

Wines to Discover this Year

Another year has begun and hopefully we are all up for new wine exploration.  There is  a vast number of wine regions at our disposal, so I say out with the familiar and in with something new and different.  Here are a few regions that produce some very interesting wines for you to try this year:

Germany:  yes, Germany is famous for their sweet wines made from the Riesling grape.  But did you know they make red wines from the Pinot Noir grape?  German Pinot Noir wines have a subtle strawberry-dark berry flavor with an herbal undertone and is light in tannin.  This wine is perfect as an everyday red.

Languedoc-Roussillon: many great reds come from this area, made with varieties; Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsault.   But this region also makes great sparkling wine in the same manner as Champagne;  Blanquette de Limoux.  Blanquette de Limoux is a white sparkling wine made with three grapes;  Mauzac, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.  It’s an off dry sparkler with an aroma and flavor of cut grass and subtle apple.  It’s a sparkler to be enjoyed alone or with your everyday seafood dish.

New York Finger Lakes AVA:  climatically compared with Germany, this region produces some of the best Riesling based wines in the USA.  Vibrant floral aromas together with succulent citrus flavors make these wines best drunk anytime, anywhere with anything.

Happy New Year!

enjoy

The tragedy of Newtown belongs to all of Us:

I am a wine writer whose main intent is to educate people about wine and the regions they come from in the hopes bringing people together and relationships closer at the meal table and beyond.  In thinking about what I do and the tragic shootings in Connecticut I realize that what happened there is a collective tragedy and belongs to all of us.  In the wake of a tragedy like this, we tend to want to blame what is physically in front of us, evidences of what we can see.  It is what is unseen that is to blame.  The blame is in our everyday thinking about our lives and our priorities.  Responsibility for this needs to fall on each and every one of us.  We as a people need to question not the right to bear arms, but why assault weapons, such as what was used in the killings of what would have been our future, was ok to purchase.  For what reason does any person not on the combat line need an assault weapon that shoots 30 rounds per magazine?  The thought about what is right and consequences for action and inaction legislatively and morally has fallen by the wayside.  This tragedy has become my business, it’s become our business.  No judgment here, just thoughts.  Me and We as parents need to question what our children watch on television, what video games they play, who they play with, what influences them outside of the home, what it is that we as parents do to influence and shape who our children become.  This tragedy is about who we will be from this moment forward.  Will we be a people who pays attention?  Paying attention to what we think, what we do that influences our children, what we do about the nations children crying out for help.  Because not doing this affects all of us eventually.  What’s become clearer for me, in what I need to do, is paying more attention to my contribution to this world, in thought and deed.  Paying attention to positive traditions started and not yet started….paying attention to what I do and say each day, because I know words affect.   Paying attention to the life I lead and the example I intend to set ……I hope you will all join me.  Let’s wrap our arms around not just our families but wrap our arms around who we are and how we intend be in this world. 

Foodware

There is no reason on earth to save your most beautiful foodware for a special occasion.  Your special occasion is every moment of everyday.  Eating anything on beautiful ware makes all the difference in your food experience:)

enjoy

Chardonnay?

{Chablis} is Chardonnay

{Macon-Village} is Chardonnay

{Meursault} is Chardonnay

{Pouilly-Fuisse} is Chardonnay

{white Burgundy} is Chardonnay

{Blanc de Blanc Champagne} is Chardonnay

 

Flavor Styles:

{cool climate} - green and citrus fruits - high acidity

{moderate climate} - citrus, stone/melon fruit - medium/high acidity

{hot climate} - tropical fruit (pineapple, banana) - medium acid

{oak} vanilla, toast, nut, coconut, coffee

{lees} savouriness, creaminess

{age} hazelnut, honey, toastiness, savouriness

{malolactic fermentation} softens the acid - adds texture and structure

 

enjoy

The New Wine Rules

I remember my first glass of significant wine; a wine that changed the way I thought about wine.   I was at a dinner party and upon second sip I had an awakening….all of a sudden I needed to know what I was drinking, where it came from, and why with each sip, was it causing me to want to know everything about it.  This was years ago and to this day I expect that kind of experience with every glass of wine I sip; from the bistro styled table wine to the grand cru fine wine.  Here is what I have learned and have dubbed the new wine rules:

| Wine is meant to be an experience and you don’t have time in your life to waste on bad experiences.  Always make it a habit with each glass of wine you sip to think about what you’re tasting, how it changes in your mouth, how it evolves in your glass, how you feel when you’re sipping it.  

| A wine should never disappoint…..if it does, move on and never purchase it again. 

| wine should take you to a special place; the place of its origin and open you up to an experience and a world that you’d want to travel to again and again.

| The same familiar varieties are grown all over the world; cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, chenin blanc….these are disguised as Bordeaux Rouge, white Burgundy, and Vouvray…..seek out the familiar varieties from regions you haven’t experienced yet.

| it’s not mandatory to pair wine with food;  the pairing of wine with food plays a significant gastronomic role in your palate experience, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not mandatory.  Wine for wines sake is alright.

| wine bars are the new black…just like the color spectrum, wines from around the world can be sampled by the glass before you commit to buying the full bottle.

There you have it, the new rules.  By the way, that first significant glass of wine that changed my life was a homemade chardonnay wine:)

enjoy

The Perfect Wine Grape for Summer

Wine in the bottle is a living breathing evolving food.  When released and poured into a glass it evolves even further, some wines needing it, others not so much; grape variety, growing region and winemaker being the ultimate deciding factor.  There are grapes that produce near perfect wines upon pouring…no evolution needed; sauvignon blanc is one of them.  Sauvignon Blanc is the native grape of the Bordeaux region of France.  It is blended, in this region, with primarily the Semillon grape to produce the soft subdued, lime dominant, herbaceous white Bordeaux wines;  perfection in old world style and pairs well with simple meals.  On the other side of subdued is sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  This new world region married sauvignon blanc and became quite possibly the most perfect single variety union; terroir and single grape.  The sauvignon blanc from this region expresses this grape in a more bold and fruit-forward way… being the more exuberant twin so to speak.  Both regions express the grape differently but neither masks the trueness of the grape.  Being interchangeable for the warm weather both versions are zippy to the core which makes them perfect for summer foods; picnic foods, pasta salads, chicken salads, barbequed anything…..you get the point…..not many wines can boast that….well maybe Riesling:)….that’s a new blog post.  So pour and sip away no evolving needed. 

enjoy

Packaging is Everything

Within this uniquely shaped bottle with the slightly curved neck is a sustainably grown Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Vin de Pays D’Oc, from Southern France.  As you can see it has not been opened, not because the want is not there and not because the food pairing is not there, but because time is needed to ponder the shear beauty and creative thought that went into the design and craftsmanship of the bottle that would would house its contents.  Being from a moderately climed region, there is little doubt that its contents would smell and taste of subtle deep berries and black cherries and earth with a hint of black currant…..one would also imagine the complete balance of fruit, tannin and alcohol with a medium to long length based on the 12.5% indicated on the bottle.  ok enough on that….when the pondering is over, it will be opened and it will be paired with red wine braised short ribs:)

enjoy

Technorati Tags: J.P Chenet Wines

Rueda Verdejo

The goal of wine is to invigorate your senses and enhance your life experience. I  said a mouthful I know, but the truth is wine is a living breathing, evolving food that should be appreciated and pondered upon with each sip.  The appreciation not only for its taste and food enhancing qualities, but for its sense of place and the skill of the winemaker to capture all of the above.  Let’s look a Spain.  Spain is the third most important wine region in the world.  It has the most land under vines than any other wine region.  It produces stunning reds from Rioja, and refreshing whites from Rueda.  I opened a bottle of one of Rueda’s pride and joy – Verdejo.   The meal planned for the evening was penne pasta with banger sausage…not quite a match but I was looking to sip on something while I waited.  The wine was Hermano Lurton Rueda 2010.  Upon first pour its youthful aroma leaped out of the stream that whirled into my glass….fresh citrus.  Not wasting any time I sipped….it tasted of key lime pie - without the sugar - and a hint of herbs.  What a gem!  Within my glass was Rueda and a wine maker who knew how to capture its essence.  I wouldn’t have expected anything less.  Now, this wine is more of a warm weather sipper, and as I pondered each sip I thought about what I’d pair it with…..so if I had to pair it with food, I’d pair it with a Mediterranean pasta salad and/or grilled chicken with cilantro.  

enjoy

Technorati Tags: Hermanos Lurton Rueda Verdejo,Spain

Breathing Space

I have been engulfed in studying for an upcoming wine exam.  So engulfed that at times I’ll look out and wonder…why am I doing this?  And then I take a breath and go back to the realization that not following what I love and feel so compelled to learn about, would be a disservice to myself and the people I hope to touch and inspire with the outcome of all that I am learning.  The truth is that the world of wine is vast and complex and goes far beyond the label on the bottle.  Capturing the essence of our earth and putting it into a bottle is a lot of work and takes a great deal of knowledge, insight, and skill on the part of many passionate people.  Sharing my knowledge of wine and the regions they come from is my goal.  So, I’m going to get back to studying now.  Oh!….the picture is of a landscape in Tuscany (my breathing space) and  this evening I will open a bottle of Chianti and give a toast to wine :)

enjoy

Simple Pleasures continued…..

| butter cake |

| See’s vanilla flavored lolly pops |

| Sugar Seared Salmon |

| Riedel red wine stemware |

| NOOK |

| any Riesling |

| Cezanne |

| the color orange |

| the Metropolitan Museum of Art |

| fried chicken |

| 60 degree winters |

| family |

| red Zinfandel |

| Pinterest |

| breathing |

:)

The Regal One: Pinotage

Pinotage is to South Africa what Zinfandel is to California, meaning the wine region of South Africa has the right to say “Pinotage is ours, we do it best, and no other wine region in the world can touch us”.  Well, this is partially true (Zinfandel is actually the Italian Primitivo grape, but California does it best) To the best of my wine knowledge the Pinotage grape is only grown in South Africa.  If fact, Pinotage is a manufactured grape with lineage tied to its parent grapes Pinot Noir and Cinsault.  They made the perfect pair and produced offspring wines with tastes and aromas described as; concentrated deep black and red berries with a hint of herbs and vanilla…tannic mouth feel for days with length in the mouth to match.  Pinotage is a full-bodied wine that pairs with a full-bodied dish.  I had this Zonnebloem 2008 Pinotage with sautéed thinly sliced skirt steak and scallions with a hint of soy sauce.  No sides necessary:)

enjoy

Butter Cake and Chardonnay :)

 

Over the week-end I was leafing through one of my vintage Gourmet magazines (March 2008 French Bistro issue) and came across a page of recipes devoted to butter.  You know, that was the beauty of  Gourmet Magazine, never being afraid to lay it all on the table…..butter is good, proving again and again that creamy buttery anything is one of life greatest pleasures.   On this page there’s a short recipe for butter cake.  I decided to make it.  And why not it’s simple, classically French, and butter was involved…… I needed an excuse to indulge.  You know the French are masters at making delicious cakes out of few and simple ingredients, and this butter cake from Gourmet Magazine represents that simplicity very nicely.  Speaking of butter, chardonnay wine has been known to have the butter descriptor attached to it, and to get just a little technical on you, the butter, in aroma and flavor in chardonnay wine, is a byproduct of fermentation from a compound called diacetyl.   Anyway, I paired my elegant butter cake with a buttery chardonnay,  Louis Latour’s 2009 Pouilly-Fuisse, to be exact. 

Butter met butter and I must say they liked each other very much!  Indulge for yourself!

enjoy

 

Technorati Tags: butter cake recipe,Louis Latour Pouilly Fuisse

Crème Brulee

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