What's Going On in the World of French Wines

Even if the weather doesn’t want to cooperate where you live, there is no denying that there is a whiff of spring in the air. Living here in North Carolina, spring has a tendency to come on the early side – in fact there have been years where I’ve spotted flowers poking through as early as late January! There’s something about the start of spring that always fills me with excitement and energy, and a good dose of anticipation.
There’s also just something about warm weather that makes me want to entertain. I’m sure it has a bit to do with the fact that as we get further into spring and summer the fresh vegetables and fruits at the local farmers markets just beg to be shared. But there’s also something easy about parties that involve the grill and letting kids play outside. Recently, we had a brief window of warm weather and so we used the opportunity to get together with some friends. The menu plan was simple – burgers, hot dogs, salad, chips, pasta salad, fruit and ice cream. Nothing really fancy, but with 10 little kids running around, the object was to be as family-friendly as possible!
Of course, wine is always a big part of parties in our house, no matter the occasion. It might sound a bit resentful of me to say that my friends expect to be served something interesting at my house, but in truth, I’m glad that they do. I think it is all too easy to get into a wine rut (it has happened to me before) and I’m happy to help prevent that from happening. So for this particular gathering, I chose to serve the Lafite Réserve Spéciale Bordeaux Blanc and the Mas de Guiot Vin de Pays du Gard. The first is a white Bordeaux made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and the second is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Both wines went over well, but much to my surprise, it was the white wine that was the big success. In the past, I have found that my guests were more likely to drink red wines over whites, so this was a bit of a departure and I one that I chalked up to two things – the warmer weather seemed to make people favor white wine and also the wine was extremely drinkable, both with or without food.
I’ve consistently found that people who like Sauvignon Blanc don’t seem to know that it is one of the grapes used in white Bordeaux. While it is true that there are many Bordeaux Blancs that are on the more expensive side, there are also a large number of very affordable and food-friendly examples; wines such as the Lafite Réserve Spéciale, Chateau Coucheroy or Chateau Bonnet spring to mind. The combination of the zesty flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc grape with the more mellow orange marmalade notes of the Sémillon grape makes for a versatile wine that is delicious with or without food. And because white Bordeaux is usually a bit fuller in body compared to other white wines, it stood up to the hamburgers and hot dogs just fine.
So if the weather has started to warm up where you live, think about the possibility of getting a group of friends together to celebrate the fact that spring is right around the corner. And if you are looking for a versatile, food-friendly white, I recommend you take a look through the White Bordeaux section of your favorite wine store. You might just find something to put a little spring in your step.

When you say the word, “Bordeaux,” in all likelihood, the image that springs to your mind is one of large chateaux and bottles of red wine. However, this wonderful region in France is also known for producing top-quality white wines – both of the dry and the sweet persuasion.

The white wine production region for Bordeaux is concentrated in two areas. The first area of major importance is the appellation of Entre-Deux-Mers, which is located between the Dordogne and the Garonne rivers. The second, is found on the south side of the Garonne. There you can find the appellations for both dry and sweet wines, including Graves, Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes and Barsac.
One of the things I love most about French wine is how each region grows grapes or uses grapes in a blend that is fairly unique to that appellation. For Bordeaux, the wines are made from a blend of two (and sometimes three) grapes: Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc (with the third grape being Muscadelle). While Sauvignon Blanc is grown elsewhere in France, the “unique factor” here is that in Bordeaux it is blended with Semillon. And furthermore, while the production of dry wines can be found all over the world, the sweet wines of Bordeaux are in truly in a special class all by themselves – as you will shortly see.

Of the two major white wine grapes of the region, Sauvignon Blanc is undoubtedly the better known. Sauvignon Blanc is recognized for having a fairly high level of acidity and notes of grapefruit peel, zesty citrus fruits, passionfruits and gooseberries on both the nose and the palate. Semillon, on the other hand, has a more mellow profile. The level of acidity is a bit lower and the level of potential alcohol is much higher. The flavor profile is characterized by notes of honey, oranges, orange marmalade and figs. Up through the 1970s, Sémillon was extremely important for white wine production for both dry and sweet wines. But today, Sauvignon Blanc is increasingly dominating the blend for dry wines, while Semillon is the favored grape for the sweet wines.

One of the major reasons that Semillon is so important for the production of sweet wines in Bordeaux is its propensity for developing Botrytis cinerea, a special type of fungus that works to dehydrate the grapes, thus concentrating the sugar level (think of it as tasting the difference between raisins and grapes – the dehydrated grapes, i.e. the raisins, have much higher levels of sugar). When you go to ferment grapes that have been affected by botrytis, the yeasts can’t convert all of the sugar to alcohol, and thus there is residual sugar left in the wine making it a sweet wine. The Maritime climate of Bordeaux, with morning mists and high levels of humidity, is also perfect for developing botrytis. You will notice that the best areas for producing the sweet styles of wines, Sauternes, Barsac, and Ste-Croix-du-Mont to name three of the most famous, are clustered around the Garonne river.
The most famous appellation for the production of sweet wines in Bordeaux is Sauternes and the best-known producer in the region is Chateau d’Yquem. I love to relate the story that one glass of d’Yquem is equal to the production of one grapevine in the vineyard – production levels for the sweet wines of Sauternes is obviously very low! There are five communes that are entitled to use the name Sauternes on the label. They are: Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac. Barsac is entitled to its own appellation and so you will find some wines produced in the commune sold under the AOC Barsac and then other producers who choose to use the Sauternes appellation. Typically Barsac is thought to have a slightly lighter style compared to Sauternes.
Turning to the dry white wines of the region, there is a bit of variability in style and taste profile. Many of the whites made today are very fresh and fruity with a high percentage of Sauvignon Blanc. These typically are labeled as Bordeaux AOC and Entre-Deux-Mers. In contrast, the appellations of Pessac-Leognan and Graves are known for producing white wines that have been aged in oak and are made in a more full-bodied and age-worthy style. These two regions in particular are known for producing wines that can have a very distinctive mineral note that many believe is partly due to the special gravelly, well-draining soil of the area.
I often find that many people, especially those just starting to learn about wine, make the mistake of thinking that Bordeaux is a region that is only good for red wines. As you can see, there is quite a range of white wines that can be found as well. Whether you are looking for a dry wine or a sweet wine, Bordeaux is a region that should appeal to all wine drinkers, especially those looking for food-friendly wines. If you would like to taste more of the white wines of Bordeaux, there are a few on my top picks list that offer great value. For an example of Sauternes, I suggest trying the Castelnau de Suduiraut. And if you would like to taste a dry white from Bordeaux, look for either the Lafite Réserve Spéciale Bordeaux Blanc or the Michel Lynch Sauvignon Blanc. Happy Learning!

I have to admit it – overall, I’m not such a big fan of Valentine’s Day. And it isn’t just because of the whole “what if you don’t have someone to spend the most romantic day of the year with” issue. No, personally, I find it tough to get excited about the prospect of overspending on a so-so meal at a crowded restaurant with a dozen outrageously expensive roses and a box of boring chocolates. Call me cynical, but I think that there are a lot of better ways to show someone how much you love them.
What might those be? Well, I’m glad that you asked. Instead of going out for a meal this Valentine’s Day, I would propose that you create your own night of romance with a delicious, but simple meal and a bottle of wine that will set the stage for an evening that you will both enjoy. And the wonderful thing about this idea is that you can even adapt this meal for a group of friends, so that no one has to feel left out of the celebration.

There are so many different ways to plan a menu that will work for Valentine’s Day. There are any number of foods that are considered aphrodisiacs and a variety of ingredients that are supposed to also encourage a feeling of romance. One list of foods that I came across included: Chile Peppers, Peaches, Mint, Ginger, Honey, Chocolate, Mangoes, Saffron, Almonds, Rosemary, Vanilla, Figs.
So, here’s my idea for a menu for Valentine’s Day based on using some of the above ingredients. Feel free to adapt it to fit your needs and your own taste preferences. First course: A spinach salad with figs, goat cheese, toasted almonds and strawberries with a honey poppy seed dressing. Second course: Grilled beef tenderloin that has been coated in salt, pepper and chopped fresh rosemary served with small roasted potatoes that have been tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Dessert: Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce (with optional whipped cream and cherries).

And my wine suggestions? For the first course, I would suggest a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé and for the main course, a full-bodied red wine such as a Syrah from the Northern Rhône or a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from Bordeaux. There’s also the possibility of using a wine with a little bit of a romantic theme to it – you might think about looking for a Beaujolais from the Cru of Saint-Amour. And you can’t forget a dessert wine for a Valentine’s Day meal. I have two suggestions for dessert – either an off-dry Champagne (to which I would add a raspberry in the bottom of each glass – just to provide a hint of red) or a fortified sweet wine, such as a Banyuls, which is a great pairing for chocolate. (Throw in a chocolate brownie and you are guaranteed to hit a home run on dessert.)

Keep the focus on simple ingredients that work well together and won’t require a lot of work in the kitchen and you will be assured a special meal. Sometimes, less is actually more when it comes to making a meal memorable.

And if you have any other suggestions for a wonderful (but easy) Valentine’s Day meal, please post your thoughts below - I’d love to hear about them!

Even though we didn’t host Thanksgiving, I went ahead last week and cooked a giant turkey just so I could have the leftovers. I love to make my own stock and I figured that a big turkey could provide us with a number of different meals. One of our favorite leftover turkey dishes is turkey tetrazzini.

Although it sounds like it might be an Italian dish, the theory is actually that the recipe for turkey tetrazzini originated in San Francisco. Supposedly, it was named to honor an opera singer named Luisa Tetrazzini (1875-1940), who lived there.

Regardless of where it comes from, it is a popular dish in our house, and with so much left-over turkey, it was a perfect choice for dinner the other night. I use the Cooks Illustrated version, but you can find a lot of variations on the web if you are interested in finding a recipe for yourself. Essentially it is turkey, noodles, mushrooms, onions and peas baked in a cream sauce – sounds good, right? My version calls for a lot of parmesan cheese and a toasted breadcrumb topping that I find keeps the dish from getting bland and mushy.

As I made the turkey tetrazzini (Peter really enjoyed saying this out loud, by the way), my thoughts naturally turned to wine and I did a mental run-down of what I have in the cellar at the moment. I decided that I was in the mood for a white wine. We had paired the turkey with a red wine a few days before and while it was delicious, I felt like trying something completely different. So I selected a bottled of the Jean-François Mérieau, Sauvignon de Touraine, “l’Arpent des Vaudons” to serve with the turkey tetrazzini.

While I was a bit apprehensive that the Sauvignon Blanc might be too aggressive for the cream sauce, the combination was actually quite good. The earthy flavors from the mushrooms and the turkey balanced the fruitiness of the wine and the nice acidity on the Sauvignon Blanc was a good counterpart to the cream sauce. The wine seemed to brighten up the dish a bit and it made for a very refreshing match. I think I could have also paired this with a Pinot Blanc, a Chardonnay or even a Pinot Noir with great success, as this is a pretty wine-friendly meal. But there is something so lively and fresh about Sauvignon Blanc that it always makes a meal fun. And given this particular dish, it somehow seemed an apropos choice.

When we talk about the most important grape varieties in the wine world, there is no doubt that when it comes to red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon is considered the King. Few grapes have proven as age-worthy, as consistently reliable and as downright delicious as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thanks to work in the late 1990s by grape geneticist Dr. Carole Meredith and the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, we can trace the origins of Cabernet Sauvignon to a chance meeting in a vineyard in Southwest France between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc that occurred sometime during the 17th century (sounds romantic, right?). Although there had been some speculation that Cabernet Sauvignon had more ancient origins, there was also a theory (which the DNA research confirmed), that the aromas that Cabernet Sauvignon shares in common with Cabernet Franc (lead pencil, tea leaves, black currants) and with Sauvignon Blanc (grassy, herbal) pointed to some sort of relationship between the three grapes. But regardless of what Cabernet Sauvignon has in common with Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, it is a distinctly unique grape that has, over time, outshown its parents.

There is a bit of a chicken and egg debate in the wine world about Cabernet Sauvignon. Is it so popular because it is fairly easy to grow (thus meaning that there is so much of it out there that we can’t avoid it), or is it because we like it so much that producers around the world have sought out ways to grow as much of it as they can? Most likely, the answer is a little bit of both. In terms of marketing, Cabernet Sauvignon is tough to beat. With a high level of name recognition and a top reputation, most producers and wine drinkers hold it in very high esteem. And many of its viticultural characteristics make it very easy to love. Cabernet Sauvignon is a very thick-skinned, hardy grape with good disease-resistance and the ability to grow well in a variety of soils and climates (although it does have a preference for well-draining soil and moderate climates).

Cabernet Sauvignon is, like Chardonnay, very much a winemaker’s grape. It requires a good deal of skill to handle Cabernet’s tannic nature and while it has a great affinity for oak, the integration of Cabernet Sauvignon and oak also demands a producer’s full attention. Cabernet Sauvignon produces wines that are medium to full-bodied, tannic, high in acid and very capable of extensive aging. Common primary aromas and flavors (going from cool climate to warm climate characteristics) are cinnamon, menthol, eucalyptus, mint, violet, berry, plum, blackcurrant, cassis, black olive, prune, licorice. As Cabernet Sauvignon ages, you will typically find notes of earth, tobacco, cigar-box, milk chocolate, tobacco, coffee, mocha, lead pencil, herbal tea, and leather on the nose and palate.

As mentioned above, Cabernet Sauvignon’s birthplace was most likely somewhere in the Southwest of France, but it did not take long for it to spread, and with it, a reputation for producing high quality wines. The region considered most synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon is, of course Bordeaux. Although most Bordeaux wines are not made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (most are a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc), it is still considered by most (especially those on the Left Bank in Bordeaux) to be the most important of the three. Cabernet Sauvignon is also grown in the Loire and these days, throughout the South of France as well. It is what the grape can do in Bordeaux, though, that has really set the standard for Cabernet Sauvignon around the world. The gravelly soil of the left bank of Bordeaux is, in particular, considered ideal for growing top quality Cabernet and growers around the world, notably in California, Australia and Italy, have looked to achieve similar results.

If you are looking to get a sense of what Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like, I suggest you taste through any of the following wines from my list: Arrogant Frog “Lily Pad Red” Vin de Pays d’Oc, Chateau Corconnac Haut-Médoc, Chateau de Parenchère Cuvée Raphael Bordeaux Supérieur, Chateau La Maroutine Bordeaux Rouge, Chateau Machorre Bordeaux Supérieur, Grand Bateau Rouge, La Croix Bonis St. Estephe, Mas de Guiot Vin de Pays du Gard and Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Rouge. You can also have some fun by picking out some wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon grown around the world and comparing how similar and how different Cabernet from various regions can taste. And, of course, given how ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon can be, you also could buy some wine and save it for a few years to see for yourself what happens to the aroma and taste of Cabernet Sauvignon as it ages. I’d suggest finding some Bordeaux wines from 2005 to use in your experiment. The 2005 was a fantastic vintage in Bordeaux and while tasting beautifully now, these are also wines that will age and drink well over the next 5 to 8 years (and more for the top wines).

So don’t be cruel, grab a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and give a toast to the king. It’ll make your heart (or at the very least your palate) sing.

By now, hopefully lots of you have watched the interview with Gary Vaynerchuk over on the right of your screen. The wine world is a funny place – there aren’t a whole lot of “celebrities.” But if you were to make a list of the folks who are considered vinous “rock stars,” Gary V’s name would definitely be on that list. For those of you who might not know Gary, he has caused quite a stir among wine experts and wine lovers around the world in the last few years. Using the tools of the Internet, Gary has taken to the web to spread the gospel of wine and he has done it in a very down-to-earth, entertaining and HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL way.

I have to say, I was really a little unsure of what to expect when I met Gary a few weeks ago to do the taping for the interview. Would this guy (the same one who has gotten Conan O’Brien and Ellen DeGeneres to smell sweaty gym socks) be friendly and down to earth in person or would he be a prima donna with an ego the size of a Robert Parker 100-point wine? I was a little worried about how I might manage to get a word in with a guy who reminded me of Crazy Eddie (anyone remember his wild antics and ads from the 80s?)!

Turns out, Gary V is a truly fascinating person to chat with. If fact, I was almost sorry when the interview was over I had such a good time! It is always great to meet someone who understands and appreciates the pure pleasure of wine. Wine isn’t something stuffy and elitist to Gary – it is something that is simply, well, FUN. My hat is off to Gary for his devotion to his mission to make wine more accessible and fun for everyone – and if he does end up buying the Jets someday, I can’t wait for those NFL wine bars!

And while we are on the subject of well-known wine people, I did want to take a moment and pay my respects to Didier Dagueneau, one of the world’s premier Sauvignon Blanc producers and a true “rock” star. Dagueneau passed away this week at the age of 52. A winemaker in the Loire Valley, Dagueneau was known for being an innovator and for his constant quest to produce outstanding wines. Two of Dagueneau’s Pouilly Fumes, Silex and Pur Sang, were especially known for their minerality as well as for their exposure to oak. Dagueneau’s terroir-driven wines made him a true “rock” star. I encourage everyone to raise a glass of Sauvignon Blanc in his honor.

Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time with Wine Internet Superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. I have to admit, I really had no idea how the interview was going to go – but when it was all said and done, this interview definitely ranks at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat and be sure to check out what happens at the end of the interview when I challenge Gary to a cork drop game!

To watch the interview, click here or press the play button on the video at the top right corner

Usually, the My Favorites section gives me a chance to discuss some of the food and wine pairings that we have at home (most of the time with food that I prepare). This week, I thought it might be fun to change things up a little bit. On Saturday night, Bill and I went out to dinner with several very close friends to a local Durham restaurant called Four Square.

Four Square is one of my favorite restaurants here in the Triangle – not just for the food, but for the ambiance as well. It is located in a beautiful old house that was built in 1908 and the owners have been able to retain many of the original architectural details. The food is always seasonally appropriate, creative and interesting and I love that the chef, Shane Ingram, makes an effort to use locally grown and raised ingredients.

As tomatoes are very much in season, most of us chose a first course that reflected that. Mine was an Heirloom Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese “salad” with field peas, balsamic-brown butter vinaigrette and grilled ciabbata bread. Other dishes our table ordered included a Local Romaine & Fig Salad with pole beans, garlic croutons and a green peppercorn-lemon dressing and a Sweet Corn & Green Zebra Tomato Chowder that contained beef sausage & cornbread “slider” and cayenne-green tomato chow chow.

To pair with all of these interesting ingredients, I chose the Henri Bourgeois La Chapelle des Augustins Sancerre 2005. Sauvignon Blanc, the white grape of Sancerre, is usually a great (and affordable) choice for a first course that contains a lot of diverse and bright flavors. The wine had distinctive notes of lemons, grass and flint to it, as well as a hint of the classic “cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush.” It was pretty balanced on the palate and almost seemed a slight bit short on acidity. However, once we paired the wine with our meal, the wine seemed to brighten up and it complimented my tomatoes beautifully.

For our main course, I selected a Lemon Brined Organic Chicken Breast with goat cheese spaetzle, chicken sausage, chanterelle mushrooms and cherry mostarda. Bill had the special, an eggplant lasagna dish that was unusual and tasty, while others at our table chose the Spicy Chiogga Beet & Red Kuri Squash Spring Roll with white asparagus, morel mushroom & buckwheat noodle salad and coconut-lemongrass broth. While a few opted to stay with the Sauvignon Blanc, some of us wanted to see how a red wine would go with our dishes. This choice proved a bit more difficult. I didn’t want a red that would overpower our meal, and I wanted to stay at an affordable price point. My goal was to choose a wine around the $50 mark. The Sancerre was $55, so I opted to go with a $45 Bourgogne Rouge. The Catherine and Claude Maréchal 2006 AC Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Gravel was, for my palate, an outstanding buy. A touch earthy, with bright raspberry and cherry fruit, the wine was well-balanced and delicate with a fresh finish. It was terrific with my chicken – the lemony note of the chicken was balanced by the acidity of the wine and the mushrooms and sausage were enhanced by the wine’s slight hint of earth and spice.

As you could probably tell from the list of complex ingredients and unusual combinations, most of these dishes are not ones that I will be trying at home any time soon! However, I will certainly be on the lookout for the Maréchal Bourgogne and the Henri Bourgeois Sancerre. Given what I know about how well these wines do with some of my favorite restaurant foods, I will have to see what I can come up with in my own kitchen. And be sure to drop me a line and let me know if you have had a great (or even not-so-great) restaurant food and wine experience. I’d love to hear about it! Cheers!

My family has this saying that you are likely to hear on a regular basis.  It stems from a story that my grandmother likes to tell about two siblings on a picnic who both need to (I’ll be polite about this) use the facilities.  When the girl realizes that her brother can go anywhere he likes, while she needs to find a restroom, she comments, “well, that’s a handy thing to take on a picnic.”

When you are 6, this seems like a very funny story.  But bathroom humor for kids aside, picnics are fun and easy – what could be better than eating outside?  When you get to be an adult, picnics take on a whole new dimension.  The packing of a picnic can take hours.  First, you want to set your menu, then there is the food preparation, then the gathering of all of the items that you need and finally, the selection of the perfect picnic spot.  I don’t know about you, but it seems like most food magazines feature some sort of “perfect picnic” menu each summer.  And again, I don’t know about you, but when I’ve tried out said perfect picnic menus I’ve discovered that since I don’t keep a sous chef or a cleaning team on staff, they don’t end up being quite so perfect.

But it is summertime and the living is easy.  OK, maybe not so easy right now in this economy and with the price of gas, but hey - it is still summer.  And instead of vacations, we now have the growth of “staycations.”   So in the spirit of staycations and summer fun, I propose that August become the month of the EASY and not-so-perfect picnic.  Put away all the magazines with their perfect picnic pictures (which are staged anyway), grab the all-natural bug spray and a blanket.

At my not-so-perfect picnic, I have decided to serve only easy food and nothing that involves bringing any utensils or serving implements.  And food prep time has to be minimal.  So here’s my potential menu for a picnic that we have planned for next weekend with some friends: hummus and pita chips, grapes, olives, chocolate chip cookies, and sandwiches from a local market.  I am toying with the idea of a baguette (pre-sliced) and some cheese – this would be my only concession to the whole utensil issue.

And for the important part of the picnic – the wine.  How many of you out there have brought along a bottle on a picnic and forgotten to bring the cork screw?  I’ll admit that it has happened to me.  And that’s where I think you have to admit that screw cap wines or bag in box wines have to be your go-to choice for picnicking.  These wine containers eliminate the need for a corkscrew and since they can be re-sealed quickly, if you have wine left over, you can seal the bottle back up and you don’t have to worry so much about wine spilling everywhere in your basket or bag.  Really, what could be a more handy thing to take on a picnic?

You have a lot of different wines to choose from for picnics, but I recommend that, in the true spirit of picnics, you go for a wine that is going to be as fun and enjoyable as your easy, not-so-perfect picnic.  To that effect, I suggest that you check out two reds: the Mommessin Beaujolais Grande Réserve and the Arrogant Frog “Lily Pad Red” Vin de Pays d’Oc.  And if you are planning on bringing some ice or a cooler, then you can go for either the Colombelle White Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, the Michel Lynch Sauvignon Blanc or the Domaine Houchart, Côtes de Provence Rosé.

One final thought – go ahead and pack some paper or plastic cups for serving your wine.  (I’ll wait while you gasp at this).  Yes, I am giving you permission to drink from something besides glass.  Let’s face it – breaking glass is a problem and not something you want to deal with.  So keep it easy and bring something that you aren’t going to have to worry about – you’ll enjoy the wine that much more.

And don’t forget to let me know how your picnic goes and also if you have any other suggestions for great (and easy) picnic foods.  I’d love to hear them!  Cheers and happy picnicking!

A group of us Moms gathered together one recent evening for some playtime and dinnertime for our kids. A few of my friends had been asking me about some of the wines on my Wines of France list, so I brought along a bottle of the Pierre Sparr One for them to taste.

It is always interesting to see peoples’ reactions when I open a bottle of wine. I usually try to preface the tasting with the caveat that it is OK if someone doesn’t like the wine. I would always rather have candid feedback and quite honestly, not everyone has the same taste in wine. After all, not everyone loves chocolate (I don’t know how that is possible) or cold grilled cheese sandwiches (yes, I actually love cold grilled cheese sandwiches - it is a childhood thing, I know it’s weird).

Anyway, I had an interesting time coming up with the wine to bring. The day was hot (ya gotta love Durham in July and August) and I knew that there would be a pretty wide range of palates in attendance. While all of the women drink red, white and rosé, there is one group which tends to drink more red and another which prefers whites. Given the day though, and the fact that we were going to be having only light snacks, I opted for a white wine. Next I considered grape variety (or varieties). Since I was looking for something on the lighter side, I toyed with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Chenin Blanc. I could have gone with an unoaked Chardonnay, but I was also looking to introduce my friends to something they might not be so familiar with.

I ended up ruling out Sauvignon Blanc as I wanted something a bit more on the fruity side. The Pierre Sparr is a great choice because it has a very fruity and floral nose, but it is essentially a dry wine. So a dry wine that tastes a bit on the sweet side struck me as a great aperitif wine – and indeed it was. The wine was a hit with my friends – some of whom liked the palate and others who liked the aroma of the wine. And the fact that it is a screwcap wine also gave me an opportunity to talk a little bit about why so many wines are packaged with screw caps instead of corks these days.

But the interesting part of the discussion came when we talked about the issue of grape variety or varieties. The Pierre Sparr One is a bit different compared to a lot of the wines being made in Alsace these days, as it is a blend of many different grapes. While the list of grapes is on the label, it is on the “back label,” not the front, and I have found that this can prove a bit confusing to folks. So I explained a little bit about “field blends” – the concept of blending a bunch of different grapes that you have in your vineyard – and how that used to be very popular in the wine-making world. But now that we know more about identifying grape varieties, and single varietal wines are so popular, field blends are not as common. The Pierre Sparr One is a bit of a throwback – which I find fun. It is a great example of a way of making an old tradition new again.

It was fun to watch my friends sit and discuss the wine. While they enjoyed it, they also spent some time thinking about it and debating what it smelled and tasted like. Every once in a while it is a good idea to sit around and talk about a wine – as opposed to just simply drinking it. You will find that everyone has a different take and a different opinion about the same wine.

I’d love to know if any of you have parties or dinners where you discuss the wines you have. Have you ever had a wine tasting party where everyone brings a bottle to share? Drop me a line and let me know!