Spring Forward Wines

Morels can change a benign dish into sublime!

Spring has sprung and with the changing of the season comes not only a bounty of fresh food products in our Farmer’s Markets but a movement away from the heavier wines of winter.  Let’s, however, get one thing out of the way:  no wines seem to pair well with one of Spring’s most famous vegetables, asparagus.  

After a long rainy winter, there’s nothing more welcoming than a profusion of wild mushrooms.  At the top of my list are morels, a earthy flavor bomb.  One of my favorite ways to prepare them is the classical French style: a sautee with shallots, butter and garlic.  I serve them along-side a grilled meat such as spring lamb or chicken.   An earthy Pinot Noir is a perfect pairing for both proteins, as well as the morels.   Try for an aged Pinot versus a younger one…older Pinots have more earthy profiles while the younger ones boast more fruit flavors.

Spring also means an abundance of tender lettuces and also watercress.  One of my favorites for this time of year is Julia Child’s recipe for watercress Vichyssoise. The color is definitely in the spring palette and depending upon Spring’s tricky weather, the soup can be served cold or warm.   The best wine?   Watercress is delicate so I suggest using a matching profile wine.  Regardless of what temperature the soup is served, I would head for a Gruner Veltliner or an unoaked, steely Chardonnay.

Fresh green peas and tender green beans are also some of Spring’s edible gems.  Either of these would work beautifully in a pasta dish with a light cream sauce.  A lighter red wine (such as a Pinot Noir) which cuts through the fat of the cream but does not overwhelm, would pair well, but also a Sauv Blanc or an oaked Chardonnay (which also cuts the fat) would also work with the cream.  

Strawberries and Spring are synonymous.  A cold strawberry soup is a gorgeous way to begin a Spring meal.   The recipe below (from the NY Times) is a delight and pairs with a Gruner or a warm weather Sauv Blanc that has more robust fruit (versus grass) flavors.   https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012735-strawberry-soup

There’s a theme here.  Wines that match with Spring’s bounty are often Pinots, Gruners, Chars, and Sauv Blancs.  Next week we’ll take an in depth look at Sauv Blanc.

Gifts to Bring Home from Champagne

Wine-Knows will be in the Champagne district of France in June.  While bringing home heavier-than-norm bottles of Champagne may not sound enticing, below are some suggestions for light weight alternatives than can easily be transported back in luggage.

 Wine-related gifts

One of my favorite items to bring home is a Champagne stopper to keep in those precious bubbles.  I usually buy a dozen and gift them with a bottle of sparkling wine.   Another eye-catching present is an insulated cover for a Champagne bottle.

The best place to buy wine-centric gifts in Champagne?  There is none better than the Veuve Clicquot’s gift shop in Reims which offers a mesmerizing collection of gorgeous items.

 Edibles

The most famous food specialty in the Champagne district is the Biscuits de Reims.  These brightly colored pink cookie-like sweets have been produced in Champagne since the 17^th century and can be found throughout the area packaged in pretty boxes for travel.

   Another yummy souvenir is chocolate bouchons (champagne corks).  What         wine-lover wouldn’t be impressed with a box of beautifully wrapped                   bouchons?  My favorite chocolatier is Vincent Dallet in Epernay (he also 

   makes Biscuits de Reims).

Last but not least there is foie gras.  Produced in the nearby area of Alsace, foie gras is one of France’s classical gourmet products.  Packaged in small metal tins, it can easily be transported in checked or hand luggage.

        

         Clothing

Champagne is <100 miles east of Paris.  I love shopping in Reims for clothes as there is a wide assortment of small boutiques and many have the latest fashions from the City of Light.   Interested in a silk scarf?  Most of the Champagne houses offer a scarf with their logo….or a tie for men with their logo.

      

         Alcohol

If you’re not up to bringing home full bottles of Champagne, perhaps you would consider half bottles?  Small formats are not easy to come by in the US so why not pick them up while you can…and have a travel memory as well?

Bon Voyage!

Foodie Gifts from Burgundy

Wine-Knows will be in Burgundy in early June.  We’ll be staying in the fairy-tale medieval village of Beaune at the 5 star hotel Le Cep.  Within 10 minutes’ walk of Lep Cep lies a vast array of enticing shops that offer fabulous shopping opportunities for any food and wine-lover.    Below are items that are found in charming Beaune and can easily transported home in luggage.

          Articles for a dining table

There are several gift stores that sell wine-themed table linens---everything from tablecloths to napkins and placemats.  These shops also sell interesting items such as name card holders in the shape of a grape cluster, and sets of Beaune's Premier Cru coasters.

       

Wine-related gifts

Almost every store in town seems to have something in it related to wine.  One of my faves is a wine opener made from an actual Burgundian grape vine.  Or, how about an ingenious bottle “necklace” to proudly display the cork on the bottle of wine?  

               Culinary items

There are several cooking stores in Beaune.  In all of them you’ll find plates and serving pieces for the region’s famous escargot bourguignon.   

Want a Burgundian cookbook?  There are many throughout the town available in English.

          Regional food specialties

There are two classical food products from Burgundy.  Dijon is only 20 minutes away, however, the best mustard in Burgundy is from Beaune’s Fallot Mustard.  Every store in town carries small jars and the factory is an easy walk from the center of town. 

A type of gingerbread (pain d’epices which literally translates to “spice bread”) is the other traditional favorite.   There are stores that specialize in making it where you’ll find it in every shape and size.  It is so famous, however, that it can be purchased in many shops in the city of Beaune as well as the city’s weekly Saturday market.

               Alcohol

If you’re not up to bringing home a full bottle of wine, what about half of a bottle?   Very few small bottles come to the US so these offer a great opportunity to bring home a taste.   There’s also Burgundy’s famous Cassis liqueur made from black currants grown in the hills above Beaune.  Used to make the iconic Kir and Kir Royale (or desserts), Creme de Cassis can also be purchased in small bottles.

My favorite Beaune shops in which to purchase the above are:

      ~ Le Vigneron Marcel Louis –6 Rue Alsace (table, wine-related, & culinary items)

      ~ Athenaeum de la Vigne et Du Vin---5 Rue Hotel Dieu (table, wine-related, & 

         culinary items)

      ~ Hospice de Beaune Giftshop---Rue Hotel Dieu (wine related souvenirs)

      ~ Dennis Perret Wine Shop---40 Rue Carnot (alcohol)

California Dreamin’.....TRUFFLES !

                             A Wine-Knows group recently attended the Truffle Festival in Italy

Dreams do come true:  truffles are now being harvested in Northern California.  It’s ironic that some of the first truffles are coming from the Sierra foothills, the area of the state’s historic Gold Rush in 1849.  There’s definitely “gold in them their hills,” and it's now in the form of black truffles.

For those of you who don’t know truffles, they are among the culinary world’s priciest treasures.  White truffles, the most expensive gourmet item on the planet, even exceeds the price of caviar.   Black truffles, the species now grown  in California, are much less aromatic and flavorful but they are still gastronomic gems.   The black truffle is one of Southern France and Italy’s Umbria most prized food products.

The foothills of California are not the only site in the state where truffles have been harvested this year.  Some ten years ago several farmers in Sonoma wine country decided to plant oak and chestnut trees (both of these trees are famous in Europe for attracting truffles).  The trees were inoculated with the truffle spores.  Truffles grow underground with the help of Mother Nature near the roots of these trees in France, Italy and Croatia…so why not California with a little help of science? 

While there are several truffle pioneers in California, one of the most famous is  Tuck Taylor.  Once in charge of the French Laundy’s garden, Tuck is now employed by the Jackson Family Wine Company.  The Jackson Family operation harvested 25 pounds of truffles in their first season.  Most of these truffles were sold to the gourmet temples of dining in Northern Cali.  It’s interesting to note that other truffle orchards have been planted in the San Luis Obispo area and as far north as Mendocino county.   None of them are producing truffles yet, but it often takes from 5-10 years for truffles to propagate.

Ten years ago the idea of growing truffles in California was simply a dream.  And, I’m already dreaming of my first bite of the golden state’s black truffles.

Utterly Magnificent Ha Long Bay

After traveling many times around the world there are few places that take my breath away and send a nice warm chill down my spine.  Ha Long Bay is one of the marvels that continues to do so.  It’s no wonder that countless movies have filmed in this idyllic location.  This is nature at its finest.  Mysterious.  Dreamy.  Miraculous.

                                           Deserted beaches & coves abound

Formed 500 million years ago, this magical bay has nearly two thousand dramatic small limestone islands in varying shapes and sizes.  Many are jaggedly topped with a verdant rainbow of tropical trees cascading down to deserted tiny beaches and sun-kissed coves.  Formed by millenniums of a tropical wet climate eroding the limestone mainland, these mystic islands have broken away  from the continental land mass and have taken with them Vietnam’s flora, fauna, and magnificence. Several of the islands are hollow with enormous caves that have yet-to-be discovered by tourists. 

 Some floating villages have their own school & clinic

Ha Long Bay is northern Vietnam’s most popular tourism site.   People from all over the country (and for that matter, from all over Asia) come here…many for honeymoons.  In spite of its mind-boggling number of visitors, Ha Long can offer a tranquil and romantic experience away from crowds.  For example, within 20 minutes of leaving the mainland on a private boat an enormous assortment of private inlets with secluded shores await anyone who wants to escape.  Of the thousands of islands, only 40 are inhabited.  That means endless enchanting opportunities for privacy-seekers in dream-like settings.

                          All of Ha Long is now protected by UNESCO World Heritage

Ha Long means “dragon” in Vietnamese.  Dragons are considered protectors in the Vietnamese culture.   According to folk-lore, when Vietnam was just starting to develop as a country it had to fight against multiple invaders.  To assist in the fight, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors.  Today, Ha Long Bay and all of its islands are protected by another entity.   UNESCO, the United Nation’s World Heritage preservation arm, safeguards the entire area.   Stringent rules have been enacted to protect everything and ensure that it remains pristine for future generations.

                               WineKnows has leased a private yacht for its 2020 tour

WineKnows has leased a private yacht and will be spending two nights on Ha Long Bay as part of our tour to Vietnam in February 2020.  We have a few seats remaining.   Come enjoy the exotic beauty of this very special spot with us. http://www.wineknowstravel.com/itinerary-vietnam/

Presidential Wines

                Stags Leap & Robert Pecota's Sauv Blanc were served at this White House dinner

President’s Day is just around the corner.  Did you know that two Presidents were instrumental in the history of the wine industry in the USA?  A third President had a less pivotal role, however, certainly influenced the course of our current day wine scene.

Thomas Jefferson, who was not only one of the Founding Fathers of our country but an author of the Declaration of Independence and a twice-elected President, was crucial to laying the groundwork for wine in the US.  Jefferson had a colossal love affair with wine.  Soon after graduating from college, the young statesman began collecting wines but his real love affair with it began when he was appointed as the Ambassador to France.   Jefferson returned home with thousands of bottles of wine and even planted his own vineyards in Virginia.  His appreciation of wine spread to colleagues such as George Washington and John Adams.  

Another President critical to the role of wine in America was Franklin Roosevelt.  FDR repealed Prohibition in 1933.  Enacted in 1919, Prohibition was revoked with the 21^st Amendment.  It changed the wine landscape entirely.

The third President who played a key role in wine is John F. Kennedy.   JFK, like Jefferson, was a real bon vivant.  While wines had long been served at the White House to accompany special dinners with dignitaries, Kennedy upped the ante on both the quality of food and the wine.  First, let’s remember that the Kennedys brought in a French chef.  Second, they brought in wines that were commiserate with haute cuisine including such stunners as Chateau Haut-Brion and Dom Perignon.   JFK added glamour and style to the “art of dining” at the White House at a time in which the California wine industry was just beginning to blossom.

Below are a few of my favorite affordable wines that have been served at the White House.  Some of them may ring a bygone bell.   BTW...both sides of the house have representation.

     

    ~ Chimney Rock Reserve Cab (George W. Bush)

    ~ Flowers Pinot Noir (Bill Clinton)

    ~ Monticello Chardonnay (Bill Clinton)

    ~ Saintsbury Pinot Noir (Bill Clinton)

    ~ Shafer Hillside Cab (George W. Bush)

    ~ Sonoma Cutrer Les Pierres Chardonnay (George W. Bush)

White & Red Burgundy

Burgundy is a tiny wine district just 200 miles south of Paris.  Producing a mere two or three percent of France’s total wine, this small region is a behemoth among oenophiles.   Indeed, Burgundy has a hugely loyal following among the world’s most serious wine lovers.  And, both the white and the red are at the pinnacle for many wine aficianados.

Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape in Burgundy, accounting for about half of the total grape production.  If it’s a white Burgundian wine, it is Chardonnay (the only exception is a small production of a very simple white wine made from the Aligoté grape which is often used in Burgundy’s sparkling wine production).  White Burgundies are for many the Holy Grail, however, few can afford the astronomical prices.   In an article on The Top 5 Most Expensive White Wines in the World, a walloping four of them were white Burgundies.  They ranged in price from $5,923 to a mere $1,257 a bottle.

White Burgundy has a cult following.   These Chardonnays, unlike many others in the New World, have a complex minerality.   As all of Burgundy was an ancient inland seabed 70 million years ago, the petrified remains of sea creatures in these resulting limestone soils, can greatly influence the wine’s mineral-like nuances.  Moreover, Burgundy’s Chardonnay is very different from the warmer climate Chardonnay of places like California.  White Burgundy is all about austerity with high acidity and subtle citrus and apple flavors and aromas.  Warm climate Chars tend to be more New World in style: malolactic fermentation (to soften the acidity), oak influences of vanilla and butter, along with ripe fruit flavors like pineapple and tropical fruits.

Red Burgundies are no slouch by any means.  Like their white counterparts, they are also made entirely from just one grape.  If it’s a Red Burgundy, it was made from Pinot Noir.  Also, like White Burgundy, Red Burgundy has achieved rock-star status among the world’s connoisseurs.  By the way:  Pinot Noir never appears on any bottle of wine in Burgundy.  That’s because people know that if it’s red and made in Burgundy, it can only be Pinot Noir.  (The same for Chardonnay…you will never see the varietal’s name anywhere on the Burgundian bottle). 

Like White Burgundy, Red Burgundy is more restrained in its style when compared to the New World Pinots.  Burgundian Pinot is about elegance and subtlety.  In contrast, New World Pinots are all about the fruit (which, by the way, is usually fully ripe which accounts for their more fruit-forward flavors and high alcohols.)  Red Burgundies are prized by serious wine-lovers for these differences.

Wine-Knows has just two spots available on its trip to Burgundy this June.  Come learn about both White and Red Burgundies at their birthplace at some of the region’s super-star producers.   http://www.wineknowstravel.com/burgundy-champagne/