What's Going On in the World of French Wines

I’m working on a post on Bordeaux for later this week, but I had a really interesting wine last night and so I wanted to share it with everyone on the blog. A few months ago, I was in a wine store in my area when I spotted an interesting looking bottle of wine. The first thing that caught my eye was the label – it was one of those labels that grabs your attention – not because it is showy or there’s a cute animal, but because it was, well, so very pretty. Intrigued, I picked it up and was even more interested to see that it was made with organically grown grapes and that, best of all, it was priced at $9.99. So, naturally, I had to buy it!
So what’s funny about this is that the Les Chemins de Bassac Isa Rouge has been sitting in my wine fridge in my kitchen untouched since that impulse purchase. Every time I’ve gone to pull out a wine for dinner, I’ve looked at it and then thought to myself, am I really in the mood for this wine? I’m not really sure what made me hesitate to open the Isa – I think I was so excited to find it that I was worried that drinking the wine would be a bit of a let-down…amazing how sometimes you can be your own worst enemy!
Well, last night I made spaghetti and meatballs and when I went to grab a wine to serve with dinner, lo and behold, I discovered that I was out of my stash of everyday Italian wines. Yes, I keep a selection of inexpensive Italian red wines on hand to serve with my red sauce – I find that my tomato sauce tends to go best with either a Valpolicella or a Chianti. But I digress…so, unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, there were no Italian reds to be had. So I went searching through the other shelves to see what I could find. And that’s when I spotted the Isa, which had been languishing on the top shelf of the wine fridge for way too long.
What the heck, I thought – why not open it? I’ll admit it, I didn’t have high expectations – not only because of the potential problem of pairing it with my red sauce, but also because I had stupidly convinced myself that something that pretty, that reasonably priced and made with organically grown grapes wasn’t going to be all that tasty – it seemed just too good to be true. Well, silly me. The Isa was lovely, with soft earthy black fruits, notes of spicy plums and hints of ripe cherries. The tannins were fairly soft and the acidity and alcohol were balanced, but somehow the wine went very nicely with the sauce. Perhaps it was the addition of the meatballs to the sauce, but the combination was really enjoyable, and the wine that was left in my glass was equally delicious with my dessert of chocolate chip cookies.

The Les Chemins de Bassac Isa Rouge is a Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue, which is located in the Languedoc, in the South of France. The wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and the grapes are all farmed organically. If you would like more information about the wine, I recommend checking the estate’s website.
So what did I learn tonight? Well, first off, it was a great reminder that I need to take my own advice when I spot something interesting – I need to not hesitate to open the wine once I get it home! I foolishly made some assumptions about the wine (the label’s too pretty and the wine’s too reasonably priced for it to be really good) that were definitely without merit. And this was a great reminder that there are wines made with organically grown grapes that can be found for under $10. So for all those people who say you have to pay extra for grapes grown without synthetic chemicals, the Isa is a terrific example of the value wines that are available these days. Finally, it was definitely a treat to discover a delicious wine that stood up to my red sauce – and I bet it would be great with a whole bunch of other dishes too!

The other day I had the pleasure of lunching with Ray Isle, who is the Deputy Wine Editor at Food & Wine magazine. I’m a fan of Ray’s work and his musings on his Food & Wine Magazine Blog, so it was a lot of fun to have a chance to sit and chat.

We had lunch at a great new restaurant in NY called Allegretti. The food was delicious and the staff exceedingly friendly. Ray and I both had the Autumn Salad with assorted greens, anjou pear, gamonedo cheese, candied walnuts and a white balsamic walnut vinaigrette and for a main course, I choose a roasted chicken while Ray went with the lamb shank. I had brought along a few wines from my list for us to taste with lunch and we also decided we would select one wine from the restaurant’s list. The list has a great selection of French wines and they range from the very affordable to the super-duper-supreme-special occasion wine.

Given our mix of lamb and chicken, we settled on the 2004 Domaine Gauby “Vieilles Vignes” Cotes de Roussillon Villages. Domaine Gauby is a biodynamic producer and I had recently read some very interesting things about them in Monty Waldin’s outstanding book, Biodynamic Wines. The wine was, in a word, delicious. A blend of Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Syrah, it showed notes of violets, black fruits and minerals. The wine was elegant and balanced with juicy acidity and it went beautifully with both my chicken dish as well as the cheeses we sampled for “dessert.” I was so impressed it was all I could do not to take the rest of the bottle home with me…

But the biggest thing that stood out about the Domaine Gauby was that it was served at the right temperature. I’ve talked a lot about this on the blog before – about how we tend to drink our whites too cold and our reds too warm. This red, which was probably served at somewhere around 60 degrees, was perfect. The coolness enhanced the minerality and the acidity of the wine and made it seem more refreshing than any of the other wines we had on the table. Two of the wines I had brought along were some of my favorites on the list, but when served next to the Gauby, they seemed a bit too hot and dull.

My hat is off to Allegretti not only for a lovely lunch, but also for serving its red wines at the right temperature. This was a very good reminder to me of just how important serving temperature really truly is. If you have a chance, at your next get-together, I encourage you to try sampling the same red wine served at two different temperatures. Try opening one bottle that has been out on your kitchen counter all day long and the other that you have chilled in the fridge for 20 – 25 minutes prior to opening. See if you taste a difference between the two wines and be sure and let me know which wine tastes better to you. I’ll be waiting to hear from you!

I just got back from Chicago last night where I had the pleasure of attending the Windy City Wine Festival. I have to say, I love Chicago – I think it is one of my all-time favorite cities. The people are friendly and the restaurant scene is fantastic – in fact, I think I would have to say that some of the best meals I have ever had in my life have been in Chicago. Years ago, as a young foodie, I ate at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago – to this day, that remains one of the most memorable food experiences I’ve ever had!

The festival kicked off on Friday evening in the beautiful Daley Bicentennial Park. The Wines of France tent was pouring 12 different wines and the Country Wines of France booth featured a selection of 6 different wines. All of the wines at our table were under $25 and each one is a terrific example of the kind of value and quality that you can find in French wines these days. For my first seminar I chose to feature four of the wines from the Wines of France table: Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé 2006, Gustave Lorentz Pinot Gris 2005, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2007, and Domaine Charvin A Côté 2006.

All four wines had something very interesting to say. The Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé was lovely and a terrific example of a classic Burgundian Chardonnay. The Lorentz Pinot Gris had a softer, fleshier feel in the mouth compared to the Jadot, and was one of the most popular wines available at our table. The Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages was also very true to type and gave people an opportunity to learn about Beaujolais beyond Nouveau. The Domaine Charvin A Côté was one of the more interesting wines. A Cote translates into “sideways,” and this was Laurent Charvin’s humorous take on the movie of the same name. A blend of Grenache and Merlot and bottled with a screw cap, this wine was an excellent example of the dynamic and innovative wines being made in France.

After my seminar was over, some of us had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Naha. I sampled a Yukon potato gnocchi starter that was excellent, and my main course was a pork chop that was topped with fennel pollen of all things (check out the picture!). I paired the gnocci with a glass of Henriot Brut NV Champagne that was outstanding – you know, every time I drink Champagne I always think to myself that I just don’t drink nearly enough of it. Even though I always recommend Champagne as a very versatile wine for pairing with food, I don’t always follow my own advice, and I am probably more likely to pair a dish with a still wine than a sparkling wine. But the Henriot was so delicious – it went better with the pork chop than the glass of Graves (white Bordeaux) I had selected! Dessert, however, was definitely the highlight of the meal. Naha serves very elaborate (and yummy) desserts – I tried their version of a clafouti and one of my dinner companions chose their triple chocolate dessert. While the clafouti was good, the chocolate was out of this world – truly an amazing mix of flavors and textures.
The next day before the festival we headed to lunch at Bin 36, a terrific place that is a wine shop, wine bar and restaurant. I have been there before, but had never eaten lunch there and wow, what a treat. We started with a plate of 6 different cheeses (I don’t know if I have mentioned before how much I love cheese, so just in case you missed it, I LOVE cheese) which included a buffalo mozzarella, a cheese called Persian Feta, a fresh goat cheese from Champaign, IL, the Mona – a sheep’s milk cheese, a Regal de Bourgogne Raisin, the Bandage Wrapped Cheddar and finally a 6 year Cheddar from Spain.

They were all very good, but the Persian Feta, a cheese from Victoria, Australia was absolutely outstanding (to our waitress who suggested it – THANKS!!). The Regal de Bourgogne Raisin from Champagne, France was also a standout. Pairing wines with a plate like this can be a bit tricky, so instead of worrying too much about what would go best, I decided to order something that I was in the mood to try, regardless of my food (I also had their special flatbread of the day – kind of like a salad on top of pizza). So I went with a flight of four Spanish reds. GASP – not French, you might be asking? I drink an awful lot of French wine, but I also like to try wines from other countries – you could call it a bit of checking out the competition. And, for what it is worth, one of the reds is made by a French winemaker who has wineries in both France and Spain.

After lunch, we all headed over to the festival where I gave a seminar on the Country Wines of France. This was a fun opportunity to highlight some of the different Vin de Pays wines made in France. The four wines for the tasting were: 2007 Domaine des Cassagnoles, 2007 Domaine De Pouy, 2006 Lafage Cote Sud Rouge, 2006 d’Oupia Les Hérétiques. The first two wines (the Cassagnoles and the De Pouy) were fresh whites from the Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne and bottled with screw caps. They were both excellent – fresh, lively and citrusy – and a steal at under $8. The two reds, the Lafage Cote Sud and the Les Hérétiques were also delicious with the Cote Sud showing more fresh red berry notes and the Les Hérétiques a bit earthy and rustic.

After the festival, I headed back to the airport (by the way, I flew in and out of Midway on Southwest this time and wow, was it EASY! No delays and hardly any traffic at all!). I have to say that I could have used a few more days in the Windy City – I didn’t get to hit the Art Institute or Navy Pier and I sadly had NO time to go shopping (my favorite shoe store is in Chicago). But hopefully, I will be back before too long!

And, as always, if you have a great tip on a wonderful spot for wine and food in Chicago or in your neck of the woods, don’t hesitate to share it. Drop me a line!

My friend Jill called me up the other day in a bit of a panic. She is throwing a party for her husband’s work associates and she needed some help with wine selections for the party. Apparently several of the people who will be attending are wine enthusiasts and Jill really wants to make sure that she has a good selection of wines for them to choose from.

I understand this dilemma – I’m often fielding calls from family members and friends who are in need of some help with choosing wines for one event or another. I’ve even received calls from friends who are out to dinner and don’t know which wine to choose from the wine list. While some people might get annoyed by this, I don’t mind – I’m happy to help. But it all makes me wonder what could be done to make it easier for people to select wines without my help.

I’d love to say that there is a particular formula, or one right wine that you can serve for every party, but that just isn’t realistic. No one wants to drink the same wine all the time – after all, you aren’t serving the same meal for every party, are you? But I do think there are some tricks of the trade that you can follow that can help you when you are looking for wines to serve.

First off, one of the things I always tell people is to find a wine store that you like and make sure that there is an employee there whose palate you trust. Don’t be afraid to ask for his or her suggestions. Ideally, these people are tasting almost every wine they stock and so they are going to be a great resource for you. They will be able to guide you to some new and exciting wines and help you steer clear of others you might not enjoy.

When it comes to serving wines at parties, as I told Jill, I recommend that you have one white and one red and also something bubbly on hand. Champagne is the ultimate bubbly, but if you’re looking for a more affordable option, I usually recommend something like a Cremant from Alsace. For a white wine, I generally look for a wine with fairly high acidity with moderate fruit flavors and little to no oak – you don’t want a wine that is too oaky or too full-bodied as that will make it difficult to pair with a wide variety of foods. And when you are having a party, the number one thing you are looking for in a wine choice is “food friendly-ness.” So I generally go with either a dry Riesling, a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Gris. These three grapes are almost always appealing to a large audience and they are easy to match to a variety of foods.

For the red wine, I look for a wine with (again) good acidity and tannins that are on the moderate/approachable side – I don’t want a red that is too astringent – I find that my guests don’t enjoy it as much. Therefore, I frequently turn to red wines from the Southern Rhone or the South of France where the wines are typically a blend of Grenache and Syrah. Those wines tend to be very affordable and easy to drink, both with food or on their own. Another good choice can be a good quality Bourgogne Rouge – a pinot noir from Burgundy. Pinot noir is another very versatile wine, pairing well with both fish, chicken and beef dishes.

Hopefully you (and my friend Jill) find some of those tips helpful. But next time you are having trouble finding the right wines for your next party, just drop me a line. I’ll be glad to be of assistance!

Lately, my husband and I have been trying to teach our 2 yr old son, Peter, about the joys of family dinners. As Peter is usually not so keen on my taking up most of the afternoon to make a full 3-course meal, family dinners have turned into an experiment for me to try and come up with a fast, kid-friendly, yet still adult-friendly meal. And, of course, it has to be something wine-friendly.

This year I decided that it would be a great idea to buy a share in a local farm. We became members of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA for short) program run by a local farm called Timberwood Organics. Each Thursday, Peter and I make a trip over to a local co-op and pick up our box of goodies. So far this spring we’ve eaten a lot of salad greens, kale, bok choi, spinach, strawberries and broccoli. Some of the produce that is included is stuff that I am (I will admit) not really used to cooking. But trying to figure out what to do with all the different veggies and greens is a lot of fun.

The CSA has become an important part of our family dinner nights. I figure it is a great way to introduce Peter (and us too, I guess) to a variety of different foods and flavors. And as he knows the whole routine we have about going to get the box and see what we have each week, he’s been a bit more interested in the food preparation when we get back to our kitchen. Not that this translates into a whole lot of extra time for food preparation – the meals still have to be pretty quick!

As it is still spring, one of the most prominent greens in our CSA box has been kale – and a lot of it. Several different types, in fact! So, I decided to search around for a recipe for kale that would be quick and easy and perfect for family dinner night. After a bit of hunting, I located a sausage and kale pasta dish. Luckily for me, the local farmers market also has a terrific purveyor of sausage, so I happened to have a bunch in the freezer as I tend to keep it on hand because Peter loves it (something that still amazes me).

It was a perfect meal for family night – quick, easy, pretty healthy, tasty and very wine- friendly. The hearty flavor of the kale and the spiciness of the sausage made me decide to reach for the Marc Kreydenweiss Perrières – a wine from my list that I really adore. It is from Costières de Nîmes in the Southern Rhone and is a blend of Carignan (50%), Syrah (25%) and Grenache (25%). It is a wine with a bit of earth, spice and meaty-ness to it – a perfect match with the sausage.

Next week we are going to be getting a bunch of snow peas from the CSA, so I have already starting thinking about what to do with those. If you have any fun (kid-friendly and fast) ideas, be sure to post and let me know.