WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘France’

Admittedly, it was only a few years ago that I believed you should set aside sparkling wines for special occasions or other life-changing events only, much in the same way as say…eating chicken noodle soup and drinking ginger ale soda only when you’re sick.  Okay, so maybe this wasn’t quite the analogy that I was looking for, but you catch my drift.  Each seemed to serve a particular purpose in life, and “wine with bubbles” was only reserved for something “Special.”

But I’m all grown-up now, and I realize that sparkling wine is great any day of the week!  It can be great alone by the glass, along with some appetizers, and pretty swanky with dinner on any given night – even an ordinary Monday night!

Such was the case this past Monday night.  It was Monday, August 16^th – that’s it:  nothing on TV and still several weeks to go before the start of the NFL season.  It was just your average, run of the mill, Monday night.

I decided to liven things up a bit for dinner to turn this ordinary Monday night into something “Special.” 

First, I started by putting together a simple tossed salad with an added twist:

Romaine hearts (cut up)
Butter lettuce (cut up)
A couple slices of Virginia Baked ham – lunch meat I had in the fridge (cut up)
1 avocado (sliced)
Several fresh strawberries (sliced)
Top each salad with Briannas Chipotle Cheddar Salad Dressing

Next, for my “Special” main course, I created a “Pan Seared Almond Encrusted Salmon with Charred Sun-Dried Tomatoes.”

I’ve developed quite a love affair with salmon, but on this particular night the salmon dish would become something extra special with the aid of some tiny pink bubbles from Alsace, France and some salty-sweet goodness in the form of charred (i.e., almost burnt) sun-dried tomatoes and toasted sliced almonds. 

Here’s what you’ll need to do with the fresh salmon:

Heat up a large pan and completely coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  Next, place your piece of salmon into the pan and season it with Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Salmon Seasoning, which I already had in my spice cabinet.  You can also use a simple combination of salt, pepper and fresh lemon as an alternative to the seasoning mix. *Note: Also adding fresh dill and lemon juice will take this salmon recipe to another level!  Sear the seasoned portion of salmon (skin side down) for about 3-4 minutes on the stove top. Next, top the salmon with sliced almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, and a few lemon slices before moving the pan into a pre-heated 380°F oven, and bake it for about 10-11 minutes. 

Ok, now on to those fabulous tiny pink bubbles.

For the wine, I decided to pair both the salad and the salmon dish with the Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose (MSRP: $19.99, Sample).  Domaine Lucien Albrecht is one of the oldest and most respected Crémant producers in Alsace, France.  In 2004, this family-owned estate made history by winning an unprecedented four gold medals at France’s National Crémant Wine Challenge.  For those unfamiliar with “Crémant”, bubble lovers can find some high-powered sparkle on the cheap (relatively speaking) in places such as Alsace, the Loire, and Burgundy.  Crémants are made with the same care and attention as Champagne (méthode Champenoise), but because of its lack of name recognition, you can find many Crémants priced under $20 USD.

The Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  This delicious sparkler was both outstanding on its own and paired incredibly with both the salad and salmon creations.  The Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose had a light, mildly sweet taste with very subtle hints of strawberry.  It felt right at home with the salty sweetness of the charred sun-dried tomatoes and toasted almond slivers that were on top of the salmon.  All in all, it was a wonderful marriage of flavors that, without a doubt, made this typical Monday anything but ordinary and quite “Special.”

Do you have a food and wine pairing idea that’ll jazz up a run-of-the-mill weeknight?  If so, I’d love to hear about it!

3 Stars out of 4 for the Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rose.

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What’s with the 2007 Domaine La Guintrandy Cotes Du Rhone Saint-Leger?

I can see it has a really bad medieval thing going on with the label – reminiscent of a middle-schooler’s Dungeons & Dragons artwork.  And it’s definitely got an earthy smell – dare I say the smell of the slow release fertilizer, otherwise known as manure.   But does it taste bad too?

Amazingly, it doesn’t.  It actually tastes pretty darn good! 

It’s 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah and for 10 smackers this Rhone red is not half bad!  The vibrant red berry flavors that mingle with fresh ground black pepper make this wine a solid value, even if you need a clothes pin over your nose in order to enjoy it!

3 Stars out of 4.  Air out before consumption.

($10)

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Words like “exceptional”, “superb”, “finesse”, and “powerful” have been thrown around by many wine critics and French producers to describe the 2007 Rhone Valley vintage.  After trying a few 2007 Cotes Du Rhone red blends this past week, I’d say they were all pretty harmonious, fit for a king, and scrumpdillyicious.

However, there was one in particular that stood out from the others.  It was the 2007 Chateau Beauchene Grand Reserve.  The tasting notes on the label of the 2007 Chateau Beauchene Grand Reserve describe this wine as “rounded and unctuous”.

Unctuous…huh? 

Unctuous – 1. (adj.) buttery, fulsome, oily, oleaginous, smarmy, soapy, unctuous
Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech.
“buttery praise”; “gave him a fulsome introduction”; “an oily sycophantic press agent”; “oleaginous hypocrisy”; “smarmy self-importance”; “the unctuous Uriah Heep”; “soapy compliments” ~definitions.net 

I’m not sure I would want to drink something based on that definition, but in “wine-speak” it sounds much better:

“Rich, lush, intense wines with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit are said to be unctuous.” ~erobertparker.com

Composed of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah grapes, the 2007 Chateau Beauchene Grand Reserve was thumping with vibrant and youthful red fruit, florally violet notes, and a punch of black pepper on the finish.  It was a naughty-good nightcap with some pita bread and a tub of roasted red pepper hummus.  I bet it would also be right at home with a variety of different meats and cheeses as well.

3 Stars out of 4.  The 2007 Chateau Beauchene Grand Reserve Cotes Du Rhone Red earned the right to call itself ‘unctuous’ or anything else in the dictionary that means, “really good”…and that’s not just buttery praise!

($11.99)

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Even if your understanding of the French language begins with “Bon jour” and ends with “Au revoir”, it shouldn’t intimidate or prevent you from trying wines from the Mecca of the entire wine universe – France!  Grapes have been growing in France for over 2000 years and the soil and climate conditions serve as the perfect incubator for all sorts of well-known and not so well-known grapes.  Zen lies between the 40^th and 50^th parallels north, where the climate ranges from burr cold to chaffed thighs rubbing together in a pair of jeans on a summer day hot.  One of my personal favorite wine stomping grounds in France is the Languedoc.

The Languedoc is one of the most exciting wine regions in the entire wine world.  Why?  Because it’s a region that possesses hundreds of small producers making awesome wines ranging in all colors and styles.  But the really cool thing about wines from the Languedoc is that most of these tiny producers still make wine in the Old World way, which allows these wines to showcase their distinctive characteristics and gives them a true sense of home.  And the best of all – you can experience many of these unique and wonderful wines for less than 15 US dollars.

Here are a few Languedoc killer values that I’ve been just plain old gaga over since first tasting them a little while back.

2008 Le Jade Picpoul de Pinet (<$10 US) – This white wine gem wallops a dynamite grapefruit, lime and pineapple acidic charge from start to its glorious, zesty finish.  It’s extremely food-friendly and has the chops to stand up to anything from bacon-wrapped scallops over Southwestern seasoned mixed vegetables to a melted Manchego cheese and Italian Sopressata quesadilla!  I speak from experience on these two.

2008 Cave de Pomerols Picpoul de Pinet HB (<$10 US) – This is another white treasure from the Languedoc.  All I can tell you is that this or the Le Jade are normally sitting in my refrigerator at all times.  For less than 10 bucks a bottle (in most parts of the US), both of these wines are outstanding values.

 2004 Château La Clotte-Fontane “Cremailh” (<$13 US) – This is a new discovery for me.  This red wine consists of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache grapes.  It has just the perfect amount of weight and richness to it at the very first sip and the prominent red fruit (raspberry) flavors are outstanding.  But the big draw for me about this wine is its spices.  It packs an awesome punch of interesting sweet and peppery notes from start to its long finish.  If that’s not enough to grab you, how about this – the owners of this winery enjoy bullfighting in their free time.  That’s reason enough to give this red a shot.

All three of these Languedoc offerings are tops in my value book and will go terrific with a variety of different types of food.  So don’t get hung up on what you may not understand on these and other French labels, and discover the great juice that’s inside!

To learn more about wines from the Languedoc, check out Ryan O’Connell’s website called Love That Languedoc.

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