Category Archives: French Wine Reviews

Thanksgiving with Rosé Wine from Provence

November 12,2014

As Thanksgiving is approaching the plans are being made for the feast with the turkey being the centerpiece.

We all have our own traditions for what we will serve with the juicy turkey and we all have that person that we entrust the carving knife with. But we fret about what wine do we serve.

Lighter bodied wines are the best choice with Beaujolais Nouveau becoming the word of the day.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to enjoy some more dry rosé wines from Provence. These wines are fresh and elegant. The great structure of these wines make them enjoyable with all the Thanksgiving Day flavors.

From the book Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living, we find a recipe perfect for this Fall season and Thanksgiving Day.

Pumpkin Soup with Chestnuts
 Velouté de Potiron aux Châtaignes
Rich, velvety, and satisfying, this soup is great for cooler weather. It is the perfect Provençal comfort food.
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
2 pounds pumpkin, cut into 1-inch squares (about 5 cups)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chestnuts, plus more for garnish
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup heavy cream
1.  In a medium saucepan, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, the 1 cup of chestnuts, nutmeg, salt, and a grind of the black pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2.  Process the mixture briefly with an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender for processing).
3.  Add the heavy cream and stir well. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
4.  Transfer to serving bowls and serve hot, garnished with some of the chestnuts.
Excerpted from Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living (Agate Publishing)
Copyright ® 2014 by François Millo and Viktorija Todorovska

 

2006 Louis Roederer Brut Nature

September 30,2014

Hold the dosage (sugar) please. This is the first time since 1974 that the Louis Roederer champagne house has created a new cuvee. With the warmer weather in Champagne over the recent years the wines were needing less and less sweetening.2006 Louis Roederer Brut Nature

The thinking for producing a no dosage champagne started in the very warm year of 2003 in Champagne. Since the champagne house must maintain the house style, his was no small feat for the chief wine maker Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon to create.

The Roederer champagne house is known for its high-quality, age-worthy, and mainly non-malolactic cuvées with minimal oxygen influence during wine making which results in balanced and soft Champagne.

In 2006 for this champagne the grapes were picked when riper than the grapes would normally be for making a brut version. As a result of the lower sugar level the wine making process was altered. 50% of the wine was aged in 9,000 litre oak casks and the pressure was reduced to 4.5 bars vs 6 bars of pressure.

Another effect is that the no dosage also creates earlier oxidation to the wine. Sugars acted as an anti oxidant.

This is a small production cuvee with 60,000 bottles produced. The next warm year to expect a no dosage cuvee will be the release of the 2009 vintage.

Logis de la Cadene and 1955 Chateau Angelus

September 9,2014Logis de la Cadene has My Favorite Wine Is

My favorite restaurant in Saint  Emilion, France, that is if you are the Bouard de la Forest family is Logis de la Cadene. It is now one year ago that their favorite restaurant is part of the Château Angelou’s properties.

Alexander Boumard is their Chef. Using seasonal local produce he creates for us his elegant versions of French cuisine.

Does Agneau,selle farcie, en croûte d’herbes, fèves et petits pois à la française ( lamb stuffed and crusted with herbs and served with beans and small peas french style get your attention?

And now from the wine list, how does the 1955 Château Angelus in a magnum sound to you?

This could be your favorite wine.

 

La Nuit en Rosé June 13th and 14th 2014 in New York City

May 27,2014

Imagine being captive on a boat at sea with some of the finest rosé wines in the world for your tasting pleasure. On June13th and 14th, La Nuit en Rosé offers this tasting opportunity set on a luxurious exciting yacht.La Nuit en Rosé cover photo by Guillaume Gaudet

La Nuit en Rosé is a celebration of rosé wines aboard the Hornblower Hybrid luxury yacht on New York City’s Hudson River.

For more information and tickets go to http://nuitrose.com/event/attend

Some of our favorite rosé wines will be there such as Whispering Angel from Caves d’ Esclans. Tell us about your favorite rosé wines from this event at www.myfavoritewineis.com

The complete lineup of rosé wines from Provence will be:

Caves d’Esclans
Château La Gordonne
Château La Tour de l’Évêque
Estandon Vignerons
Maison Saint Aix
Château Coussin
Château de Berne
Château Les Valentines
Château Margüi
Domaine d’Eole
Domaine de Jacourette
Domaine du Grand Cros
Les Quatre Tours
Maison Saint Aix

 

 

PROVENCE FOOD and WINE The Art of Living: a book by Francois Millo and Viktorija Todorovska

March 14,2014

PROVENCE  FOOD AND WINE The Art of Living   is as much as a photo essay as it is a cookbook.Provence Food and Wine The Art of Living Book Cover The book brings onto paper the beautiful images of Provence that we all have in our minds. There is so much lavender in the book, I think I actually smell lavender as I flip each page. There are as many pictures of the scenery and the vineyards as there are images of the savory food accompanied by the recipes in this book. The authors have included 47 traditional Provencal recipes for our gastronomic delight. We are  introduced to Provence and its culture. A game of Pétanque anyone?

Part of this culture is the wine. We are taken through a tour of the Provence wine making regions and the wine making process. 

When it comes to the recipes, if the title of the recipe was not intriguing enough, the pictures get your full attention. Some good news is that Provencal food is part of the Mediterranean diet, focusing on fresh vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and fish.

One of the recipes that caught my attention was the recipe:  Crespeou de Provence (Layered Omelettes). How about a 6 layer omelette that serves 12-16. The authors recommend a lively Provence rosé as a pairing. While this recipe may not sound like it fits into the typical Mediterranean diet, there are plenty of fresh vegetables, herbs and olive oil included here.

Hope this whets your appetite for some Provencal food. I recommend that as you read through this book, have a glass of Provence dry rosé in the other hand. 

As the authors say:

“Tasting rosé is all about pleasure, part of the quintessential Provencal art of living. Immerse yourself in it.”

 

1997 Diebolt Vallois Fleur de Passion Champagne and Daylight Savings Time

March 9,20141997 Diebolt Vallois Fleur de Passion Champagne

Happy Daylight Savings Time Day (DST)!

Daylight savings time brightens our days just like a glass of champagne.

Today we have the 1997 Diebolt Vallois Fleur de Passion champagne to celebrate with. There are lots of happy streaming bubbles celebrating by forming a mousse necklace in celebration of DST Day. The champagne has a pales sunny gold color. Aromas of citrus and toasted nuts invite us to the bubble party on our palate. The champagne finishes with another filled glass.

2012 Whispering Angel Rosé Wine is also a Snow Angel

February 27,20142012 D'Esclans Sacha Lichine Whispering Angel Snow Whispering Angel Rose Cotes de Provence

2012 D’Esclans                     Whispering Angel Rosé

Did you ever think of a Rosé wine frolicking in the snow? This one is a Whispering Angel  Rosé telling us all to come out and play. Put your coats on and bring out your wine glasses. Let’s make a snowman together. You can also bring that chilled 2012 Whispering Angel inside and enjoy that salmon colored wine of 73% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8.5% Syrah, and 5.5% Mourvedre. There are aromas of light red berries with soft mineral notes.On the palate there is mouth filling softness with gentle red fruits and the elegance of  Provence. It finishes clean and dry without needng to be mouth watering.

These angels are truely saying come play with me or is it come drink rosé wines with me.

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