On our recent visit to Majestic Wine, my husband selected a bottle of champagne that I ordinarily would not have bought - the demi-sec Carte Blanche from Louis Roederer. I'm not a big fan of sweet champagnes, but he was keen to try it, so we put a bottle into our mixed case.
We drank it on Saturday with a flavour-ful red Thai chicken curry and it was a surprisingly good pairing. The champagne had a clean, fruity-sweetness to it - tasting of very ripe fall fruits like apples and pears - and lots of bubbles so that the sweetness didn't cling to the palate for too long. While I don't think I could just sip this wine on its own, it was a great match with the mild spice and coconut of the curry. I was amazed that I liked it as much as I did. Well done to my husband for insisting we try a bottle.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Monday, 6 July 2009
An Explosive Bubbly
I was at Selfridges the other day, and had a quick look around their wine department. It's the sort of place that I like, as they always have something a little different. On this occasion, I received high praise when I took my selected bottle, a blanc de noirs champagne called Inflorescence to the register - apparently it's the most interesting bottle of bubbly they have at the moment, with Bouchard, the maker, having produced only 2000 bottles.
We opened it yesterday, as my husband was trying out the new smoker equipment he bought for the BBQ and had prepared some absolutely amazing and perfectly cooked smoked duck legs (the skin was crunchy, the meat was tender, moist, and well-flavored, I can't wait for him to make them again!). The wine didn't let the food down. It was very clean, with the complex flavours of honey but none of the sweetness. It had a creamy-smooth and very long finish with a mild toastiness to it. The only down-side was that it was so bubbly it literally exploded in my hands when I opened the bottle (and trust me, I've opened enough bottles that my technique is pretty good!) - I wound up drenched in champagne which was such a waste.
I'll be buying another bottle of this the next time I'm at Selfridges, hoping that they don't sell out before I get back!
We opened it yesterday, as my husband was trying out the new smoker equipment he bought for the BBQ and had prepared some absolutely amazing and perfectly cooked smoked duck legs (the skin was crunchy, the meat was tender, moist, and well-flavored, I can't wait for him to make them again!). The wine didn't let the food down. It was very clean, with the complex flavours of honey but none of the sweetness. It had a creamy-smooth and very long finish with a mild toastiness to it. The only down-side was that it was so bubbly it literally exploded in my hands when I opened the bottle (and trust me, I've opened enough bottles that my technique is pretty good!) - I wound up drenched in champagne which was such a waste.
I'll be buying another bottle of this the next time I'm at Selfridges, hoping that they don't sell out before I get back!
Lazy Days of Summer
I have to admit - I've been slacking. Not in drinking bubbly, of course, but in writing about it. Two bottles have gone unreported in June:
We had a friend from the US visiting, and although he's more of a pub-goer while he's here, in his honor we popped open our last bottle of Quartet to celebrate his last days with us. It seemed fitting to drink an American bubbly with an American friend.
About a week later, we drank one of our 2004 bottles of Maison Lenique. No special reason - the weather was nice and we were cooking a meal outdoors, and it just seemed to deserve some bubbles.
We had a friend from the US visiting, and although he's more of a pub-goer while he's here, in his honor we popped open our last bottle of Quartet to celebrate his last days with us. It seemed fitting to drink an American bubbly with an American friend.
About a week later, we drank one of our 2004 bottles of Maison Lenique. No special reason - the weather was nice and we were cooking a meal outdoors, and it just seemed to deserve some bubbles.
Monday, 15 June 2009
Maison Lenique Tasting
To continue my husband's birthday celebration and to celebrate the birthday of another friend in June, we had a small get-together on Sunday to do a tasting of all of the Maison Lenique champagnes we've purchased through 3-D Wines. Thankfully, the weather co-operated, and we had a lovely afternoon out in the garden.
We tasted the 2003 and 2004 vintages (grand cru, blanc de blanc wines) along with the 2004 maker's reserve with a course of light foods - melon with ham, strawberries, and zucchini pancakes. Almost unanimously, the 2003 was the favourite wine. It had a richness and nuttiness that was missing in the 2004 wines - one of our friends called it 'Krug-like'. The next favourite was the 2004 reserve, which had a lemon-yeasty freshness that's perfect for a summer afternoon, and then the 2004 vintage, which had a nice creaminess to it, but a slightly milder flavour than the other two wines.
We had some outstanding home-made fruit wines that one of our friends made with our main course, and then moved back to champagne for dessert. Our friends brought a bottle of 2002 Canard-Duchene Brut Millesime, which we served alongside a flourless chocolate cake. I'm supposed to say negative things about this wine, because it's not very reputable at the moment, and my friend has decided to make it his house champagne and doesn't want the price point to go up because of any good publicity. But I really can't. This was a light, fresh champagne with loads of bubbles. It was perfect with the chocolate dessert, and even better with the s'mores we made once the cake was gone (who knew that s'mores would be the perfect champagne dessert with their rich chocolatiness and burnt sugar flavours?). I'd definitely try other champagnes from this maker, especially while the price is still reasonable.
We tasted the 2003 and 2004 vintages (grand cru, blanc de blanc wines) along with the 2004 maker's reserve with a course of light foods - melon with ham, strawberries, and zucchini pancakes. Almost unanimously, the 2003 was the favourite wine. It had a richness and nuttiness that was missing in the 2004 wines - one of our friends called it 'Krug-like'. The next favourite was the 2004 reserve, which had a lemon-yeasty freshness that's perfect for a summer afternoon, and then the 2004 vintage, which had a nice creaminess to it, but a slightly milder flavour than the other two wines.
We had some outstanding home-made fruit wines that one of our friends made with our main course, and then moved back to champagne for dessert. Our friends brought a bottle of 2002 Canard-Duchene Brut Millesime, which we served alongside a flourless chocolate cake. I'm supposed to say negative things about this wine, because it's not very reputable at the moment, and my friend has decided to make it his house champagne and doesn't want the price point to go up because of any good publicity. But I really can't. This was a light, fresh champagne with loads of bubbles. It was perfect with the chocolate dessert, and even better with the s'mores we made once the cake was gone (who knew that s'mores would be the perfect champagne dessert with their rich chocolatiness and burnt sugar flavours?). I'd definitely try other champagnes from this maker, especially while the price is still reasonable.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Not My Birthday, But...
It was my husband's birthday yesterday, and the festivities of course involved some bubbles. We opted for a lovely red wine to go with our meal of rum and black pepper steak - but he always has apple pie for dessert on his birthday, and loves to have some champagne with it.
He chose a bottle of 2002 Vintage Veuve Clicquot that we purchased at Majestic Wine. We've drunk a variety of different champagnes from this maker before and always enjoyed them, although to be honest, most of the bottles were gifts rather than bottles we'd bought for ourselves. We were looking forward to trying this vintage champage, which we'd not had before.
My husband said that it went well with his apple pie, but we had a hard time really pinning down what this champagne was about. It was a little yeasty at the start, citrus-sour in the middle with just a touch of green apple (and yet somehow, also a mild sweetness), and with a smooth but short-ish finish. The bubbles were OK. We finally agreed that this is a greatest-common-denominator champagne. It's drinkable, but not special or unique. Everyone who drinks it can find something to like about it. But it wasn't what we've come to expect from a vintage champagne.
He chose a bottle of 2002 Vintage Veuve Clicquot that we purchased at Majestic Wine. We've drunk a variety of different champagnes from this maker before and always enjoyed them, although to be honest, most of the bottles were gifts rather than bottles we'd bought for ourselves. We were looking forward to trying this vintage champage, which we'd not had before.
My husband said that it went well with his apple pie, but we had a hard time really pinning down what this champagne was about. It was a little yeasty at the start, citrus-sour in the middle with just a touch of green apple (and yet somehow, also a mild sweetness), and with a smooth but short-ish finish. The bubbles were OK. We finally agreed that this is a greatest-common-denominator champagne. It's drinkable, but not special or unique. Everyone who drinks it can find something to like about it. But it wasn't what we've come to expect from a vintage champagne.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
An Unmemorable Rose
We have to stop making the lemon-caper chicken to serve with champagne. The last time we did, we got a dud bottle. On Saturday, we thought we'd try it again, and had a wine that was totally unmemorable, not really worthy of the lovely meal.
While we were at Majestic Wine, we picked up a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose. We were excited about this wine, as we've drunk champagne from this maker before and it's been good. There's a lot of positive marketing about this particular champagne, too, saying it's 'powerful' and full of berry fruits.
But it was only OK. Definitely not powerful. A little sour at the finish. And like many rose wines in general, not a very distinctive flavour. The most disappointing part for me was that the bubbles are so fine that you can see them in the glass, but you can't feel them in your mouth - way too subtle for my taste.
I'm glad we only bought one bottle of this wine - we paid a premium for the brand, and I'll only remember the wine because I've blogged about it. I wouldn't look forward to drinking more of it.
While we were at Majestic Wine, we picked up a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose. We were excited about this wine, as we've drunk champagne from this maker before and it's been good. There's a lot of positive marketing about this particular champagne, too, saying it's 'powerful' and full of berry fruits.
But it was only OK. Definitely not powerful. A little sour at the finish. And like many rose wines in general, not a very distinctive flavour. The most disappointing part for me was that the bubbles are so fine that you can see them in the glass, but you can't feel them in your mouth - way too subtle for my taste.
I'm glad we only bought one bottle of this wine - we paid a premium for the brand, and I'll only remember the wine because I've blogged about it. I wouldn't look forward to drinking more of it.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Quartet for Two
My husband had a very brief holiday this weekend. To get him into a more relaxed state of mind when he arrived home on Thursday evening, we opened a bottle of Quartet from the Roederer Estate, a wine we had drunk before and really enjoyed. It was a warm, sunny evening, and we sipped it while we grilled some pork chops, which we ate with mustard mash and grilled, fresh English asparagus.
We still really like this wine. This time around, though, it had a sweetness we didn't remember. We couldn't decide if we had missed it the first time around, or perhaps if this producer isn't consistent from batch to batch. I'm leaning toward the latter, as I tend not to like sweet bubbles, and think I would have caught the sweetness the first time around. We have another bottle in the house, part of our cache from Majestic Wine, so we'll see if the sweetness re-appears in that one.
We still really like this wine. This time around, though, it had a sweetness we didn't remember. We couldn't decide if we had missed it the first time around, or perhaps if this producer isn't consistent from batch to batch. I'm leaning toward the latter, as I tend not to like sweet bubbles, and think I would have caught the sweetness the first time around. We have another bottle in the house, part of our cache from Majestic Wine, so we'll see if the sweetness re-appears in that one.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
The Other 2004
To close out the bank holiday weekend, my husband and I opened one of the other bottles of 2004 champagne that I received as part of my allocation of champagne from Maison Lenique through 3-D Wines. This one was a vintage 2004 - made from the very best grapes that year.
For a change, we didn't serve food with this champagne, we simply popped the cork and sipped it as we relaxed into the end of the evening. It had many of the characteristics of the 2003 from Maison Lenique that we've been drinking - green apple on the nose, and lots of clean, fruity flavour. I'm impressed with this maker, as his wines are completely in-line with the style of champagne that I really like.
For a change, we didn't serve food with this champagne, we simply popped the cork and sipped it as we relaxed into the end of the evening. It had many of the characteristics of the 2003 from Maison Lenique that we've been drinking - green apple on the nose, and lots of clean, fruity flavour. I'm impressed with this maker, as his wines are completely in-line with the style of champagne that I really like.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Happy Birthday to Me
Ok, so it isn't anywhere near my birthday. But, the birthday gift that my husband bought for me last year - an allocation of champagne from Maison Lenique through 3-D Wines - finally arrived. Hooray!! The hard part now will be making it last...
I ordered two different varieties of 2004 champagne. We tried the first one yesterday - the 2004 grand cru blanc de blancs, as we sat outside nibbling on some tapas of chorizo, olives, pickles, and chips with salsa/homemade guacamole. To-date, we've been drinking the 2003 version of this wine, and we were surprised how different the 2004 is. (We'll be doing a side-by-side tasting with some friends in June, so I'll hold off on too many details.) The 2004 has a wonderful, softly citrus nose, with a slight grapefruit scent. It's toasty and yeasty to drink, and has a long, more-ish finish.
This is a gorgeous wine, one that I'm going to enjoy serving over and over again. What a fantastic gift (thank you)!!
I ordered two different varieties of 2004 champagne. We tried the first one yesterday - the 2004 grand cru blanc de blancs, as we sat outside nibbling on some tapas of chorizo, olives, pickles, and chips with salsa/homemade guacamole. To-date, we've been drinking the 2003 version of this wine, and we were surprised how different the 2004 is. (We'll be doing a side-by-side tasting with some friends in June, so I'll hold off on too many details.) The 2004 has a wonderful, softly citrus nose, with a slight grapefruit scent. It's toasty and yeasty to drink, and has a long, more-ish finish.
This is a gorgeous wine, one that I'm going to enjoy serving over and over again. What a fantastic gift (thank you)!!
Cocktails Anyone?
While we were stocking up on sparkling wines during our recent trip to Majestic Wine, we decided that along with some of the pricier (albeit good deal) wines, we would try a couple of the real bargains. One of them caught our eye - the Undurraga Brut from the Maipo Valley in Chile. It was around £11 for two bottles, and since we had tried and liked a sparkling wine from this region before, we thought we couldn't lose on this one.
Saturday was a beautiful day, and we were grilling steaks for dinner. Since the Undurraga is a chardonnay/pinot noir blend, we thought we'd open it with our meal. It was incredibly bubbly, but smelled like sweet grape soda - not a great start. Then we tried it. Nothing. I sipped again, and my husband asked me what I thought. Still nothing. It tasted of absolutely nothing. A big bottle of alcoholic bubbles.
So, we got our mixers out - blackberry liquer for him, passion fruit puree for me - and made 'champagne cocktails'. This is the perfect wine for this, because the bubbles lasted all the way to the end of my glass, despite having diluted the wine. And, there's no reason to preserve the flavour of the wine (since there isn't any), so you can mix it with just about anything.
We've got a second bottle - any good recommendations for cocktails out there?
Saturday was a beautiful day, and we were grilling steaks for dinner. Since the Undurraga is a chardonnay/pinot noir blend, we thought we'd open it with our meal. It was incredibly bubbly, but smelled like sweet grape soda - not a great start. Then we tried it. Nothing. I sipped again, and my husband asked me what I thought. Still nothing. It tasted of absolutely nothing. A big bottle of alcoholic bubbles.
So, we got our mixers out - blackberry liquer for him, passion fruit puree for me - and made 'champagne cocktails'. This is the perfect wine for this, because the bubbles lasted all the way to the end of my glass, despite having diluted the wine. And, there's no reason to preserve the flavour of the wine (since there isn't any), so you can mix it with just about anything.
We've got a second bottle - any good recommendations for cocktails out there?
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
A Nice Surprise
Majestic Wine has been having special offers on champagnes and sparkling wines recently, so my husband and I went there to see if we could find enough interesting or good bottles at the right price to buy in the quantity that Majestic requires. While we didn't have any problem filling our quota, we were stumped by one of the wines on offer - Greenpoint's Brut Rose, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend. It goes back to our being reverse wine snobs. Techically, Greenpoint is a Moet & Chandon wine. While we always know in our heads that it will probably be very nice, in our hearts we think that we should buy something from a smaller maker because it will be more interesting.
The price point sold us, though and we bought two bottles for around £22.
I'm not sure why, but out of all of the different bottles we bought, the Greepoint was the first thing my husband put in the fridge when we got home. So on Friday, having had a long and busy week, and having agreed that we'd order in some curry for dinner, we popped it open while we relaxed and waited for our food.
What a nice surprise! Out of all of the bubbles we've drunk recently, and despite this being a rose, on opening, this was the yeastiest wine we've had in a long time. As it warmed up, the summer berry flavours took over, with a very strong raspberry coming through. Not only was this a great sipper, but it stood up well to our curry, not a small feat for a sparkling wine. Oh, and I can't forget to mention, this had great bubbles!
Ordinarily, a single bottle of this would cost about the same as a vintage Pelorus. My husband and I decided that at that price, we might prefer to sip on the Pelorus. But the Greenpoint was pretty unbeatable with strongly-flavoured food, so I would definitely purchase and serve it again. I'm glad we have another bottle tucked away!
The price point sold us, though and we bought two bottles for around £22.
I'm not sure why, but out of all of the different bottles we bought, the Greepoint was the first thing my husband put in the fridge when we got home. So on Friday, having had a long and busy week, and having agreed that we'd order in some curry for dinner, we popped it open while we relaxed and waited for our food.
What a nice surprise! Out of all of the bubbles we've drunk recently, and despite this being a rose, on opening, this was the yeastiest wine we've had in a long time. As it warmed up, the summer berry flavours took over, with a very strong raspberry coming through. Not only was this a great sipper, but it stood up well to our curry, not a small feat for a sparkling wine. Oh, and I can't forget to mention, this had great bubbles!
Ordinarily, a single bottle of this would cost about the same as a vintage Pelorus. My husband and I decided that at that price, we might prefer to sip on the Pelorus. But the Greenpoint was pretty unbeatable with strongly-flavoured food, so I would definitely purchase and serve it again. I'm glad we have another bottle tucked away!
Monday, 11 May 2009
Dulwich Artists' Open House
This weekend was the start of the Artists' Open House event in Dulwich, which will also run next weekend. We spent the weekend exploring our extended neighbourhood with our dog and a guidebook, popping in to see the artists that interested us. Our walking tour took us past one of our favourite local wine shops in East Dulwich, Green & Blue, so we stopped in to see what they had that was interesting. As always, their selection was different and fun, and we picked up a bottle of bubbly.
This one was the Rose d'Assemblage from Bereche et Fils, a pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay blend. While we hadn't tried this winemaker before, we were intrigued by the fact that they're an organic/biodynamic maker. We tend to like wines made in this fashion, especially since they tend to be low- or zero-dosage, which tends to increase the wine-like flavours in the champagne.
We were very excited with this wine. The huge amount of bubbles just exploded flavour into my mouth - wonderful red berries, without any sweetness or bitterness. It was very drinkable, with and without food (we trialled it with our usual grilled steak, which was a perfectly good match for the wine) and went down pretty quickly.
Green & Blue had another champagne in stock by this maker, and I'll definitely be picking it up the next time we're in that neighbourhood!
This one was the Rose d'Assemblage from Bereche et Fils, a pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay blend. While we hadn't tried this winemaker before, we were intrigued by the fact that they're an organic/biodynamic maker. We tend to like wines made in this fashion, especially since they tend to be low- or zero-dosage, which tends to increase the wine-like flavours in the champagne.
We were very excited with this wine. The huge amount of bubbles just exploded flavour into my mouth - wonderful red berries, without any sweetness or bitterness. It was very drinkable, with and without food (we trialled it with our usual grilled steak, which was a perfectly good match for the wine) and went down pretty quickly.
Green & Blue had another champagne in stock by this maker, and I'll definitely be picking it up the next time we're in that neighbourhood!
Bank Holiday Sunday
We had a pretty busy bank holiday weekend last week, especially since we had invited some friends for lunch on Monday. We decided to spend the last bits of Sunday relaxing, with a very light meal and a bottle of champagne we picked up at one of our locals.
We had asked the shopkeeper to recommend something that would be in the style we tend to like - good bubbles, very dry, and a yeasty/biscuity flavour. He recommended a bottle of blanc de blanc from a maker I had not seen before, Fluteau.
We had high hopes on opening the bottle. Bubbles galore and a toasty aroma. Then we tried it. None of the toasty flavour came through on drinking, rather presenting us with a slightly sour lemon taste. The touch of sourness disappeared with our food, though, especially with my smoked salmon and creme fraiche. It was a bit of a surprise, not what we were expecting, but perfectly fine when served with food.
At this price point (£20-30), I think there are better, all-around champagnes that you could buy (like the Quartet from Roederer, which you can actually find a bit cheaper). But we always do enjoy trying something new and different...and this fit the bill.
We had asked the shopkeeper to recommend something that would be in the style we tend to like - good bubbles, very dry, and a yeasty/biscuity flavour. He recommended a bottle of blanc de blanc from a maker I had not seen before, Fluteau.
We had high hopes on opening the bottle. Bubbles galore and a toasty aroma. Then we tried it. None of the toasty flavour came through on drinking, rather presenting us with a slightly sour lemon taste. The touch of sourness disappeared with our food, though, especially with my smoked salmon and creme fraiche. It was a bit of a surprise, not what we were expecting, but perfectly fine when served with food.
At this price point (£20-30), I think there are better, all-around champagnes that you could buy (like the Quartet from Roederer, which you can actually find a bit cheaper). But we always do enjoy trying something new and different...and this fit the bill.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
May Day 2009
Friday was the perfect first day of May - warm, sunny, and mild - completely atypical weather for the start of a bank holiday weekend. While we weren't planning anything special for the day, my husband had managed to come from home from work at a reasonable hour and I had picked up some fresh scallops to wrap with prosciutto and throw on the grill for dinner.
The weather just warranted a bottle of something special, so we opened a bottle of my Maison Lenique. It was perfect with the scallops, offering a clean, lemony bite to go with the creamy seafood and salty ham. We continue to marvel at how much we like this wine, and how nice it is to always have a cold bottle of something so delicious on-hand for when the mood (and the weather) strikes!
The weather just warranted a bottle of something special, so we opened a bottle of my Maison Lenique. It was perfect with the scallops, offering a clean, lemony bite to go with the creamy seafood and salty ham. We continue to marvel at how much we like this wine, and how nice it is to always have a cold bottle of something so delicious on-hand for when the mood (and the weather) strikes!
Monday, 20 April 2009
Staycation 8 - The Finale
We didn't intend for it to be a two-bottle day, but that's how our staycation ended.
We had another beautiful day on Sunday, so having armed ourselves with nibbles and reading material, we headed to the patio in our garden with the last bottle of champagne that we bought at The Winery. This was a 1996 Cuvee de Chardonnay Champagne Saint-Chamant made by Christian Coquillette.
This was a nice champagne, with honey and toast flavours that accompanied our meat-and-cheese-based tapas very well. While we didn't have any problem finishing the bottle, we were surprised that we weren't more excited about what should have been a great wine from a good year. Like the bottle we had drunk the day before, it was all quite nice, but not very memorable.
So we pulled out the big guns to go with our dessert (apple pie for my husband, chocolate truffles for me) - the bottle of Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru V.P. that we had bought at Lea and Sandeman on Friday. This is a pinot noir blend that the maker leaves on the yeast for an extra-long period of time - making what is already a 'big' champagne even bigger.
We love Egly-Ouriet as a producer, having visited the vineyards many years ago on the recommendation of a friend and before Robert Parker got so excited about their champagne. The V.P. had everything we love about this producer and more - a crisp acidity with a hint of tarragon on the nose and a slight grapefuit flavour but absolutely no sourness or bitterness. This wine has an enormous flavour but an incredible dryness that makes you want to keep drinking. And, on top of everything else, good bubbles.
With Robert Parker's fandom, the prices of this champagne have gone up since we first tried it - but, it's also easier to find in the UK and other parts of the world now. It's worth every penny, and was the perfect way to finish off our staycation.
We had another beautiful day on Sunday, so having armed ourselves with nibbles and reading material, we headed to the patio in our garden with the last bottle of champagne that we bought at The Winery. This was a 1996 Cuvee de Chardonnay Champagne Saint-Chamant made by Christian Coquillette.
This was a nice champagne, with honey and toast flavours that accompanied our meat-and-cheese-based tapas very well. While we didn't have any problem finishing the bottle, we were surprised that we weren't more excited about what should have been a great wine from a good year. Like the bottle we had drunk the day before, it was all quite nice, but not very memorable.
So we pulled out the big guns to go with our dessert (apple pie for my husband, chocolate truffles for me) - the bottle of Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru V.P. that we had bought at Lea and Sandeman on Friday. This is a pinot noir blend that the maker leaves on the yeast for an extra-long period of time - making what is already a 'big' champagne even bigger.
We love Egly-Ouriet as a producer, having visited the vineyards many years ago on the recommendation of a friend and before Robert Parker got so excited about their champagne. The V.P. had everything we love about this producer and more - a crisp acidity with a hint of tarragon on the nose and a slight grapefuit flavour but absolutely no sourness or bitterness. This wine has an enormous flavour but an incredible dryness that makes you want to keep drinking. And, on top of everything else, good bubbles.
With Robert Parker's fandom, the prices of this champagne have gone up since we first tried it - but, it's also easier to find in the UK and other parts of the world now. It's worth every penny, and was the perfect way to finish off our staycation.
Staycation 7
Saturday was a sunny, warm day so we decided to hang out in the garden and sip champagne while we enjoyed the nice weather. We were hopeful about the bottle we had - an extra brut grand cru from Barnaut that we had bought the day before at Lea and Sandeman.
We've bought some nice wines before at Lea and Sandeman, and had bought this particular bottle because they had told us it's their house champagne. Out of all of the champagne producers that they import, this is the wine that they think best reflects all that's good about champagne.
We were totally underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about this champagne, it's perfectly drinkable. But it's supposedly a pinot noir blend, yet it had no distinct characteristics about it - I've had blanc de blancs with more unique flavours. We were having a hard time finding any words to describe it, other than that it's 'champagne-y'. For all of the bottles we've drunk at this price point, this is decidedly the least impressive, and to be honest, for the £23 we spent, I'd rather have a couple of bottles of cheaper but more interesting wine.
Thankfully the other bottle of champagne that we bought at Lea and Sandeman is from a producer we've bought before and love - we know that won't disappoint!
We've bought some nice wines before at Lea and Sandeman, and had bought this particular bottle because they had told us it's their house champagne. Out of all of the champagne producers that they import, this is the wine that they think best reflects all that's good about champagne.
We were totally underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about this champagne, it's perfectly drinkable. But it's supposedly a pinot noir blend, yet it had no distinct characteristics about it - I've had blanc de blancs with more unique flavours. We were having a hard time finding any words to describe it, other than that it's 'champagne-y'. For all of the bottles we've drunk at this price point, this is decidedly the least impressive, and to be honest, for the £23 we spent, I'd rather have a couple of bottles of cheaper but more interesting wine.
Thankfully the other bottle of champagne that we bought at Lea and Sandeman is from a producer we've bought before and love - we know that won't disappoint!
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Staycation 6
Yesterday we tried our second German wine from The Winery - this one was a perlwine, a semi-sparkling riesling called Trossecco made by Rita and Rudolf Trossen. The Trossens make ecowines, which interested us, and we haven't seen or drunk many sparkling rieslings. Plus, this one had a crown cap, something that amuses us, even though I find the experience of opening the bottle not quite as exciting as popping a cork.
Even though this wine was labelled 'trocken' (dry), we knew the riesling grape would still have some sweetness to it, so we decided to serve the wine with food with Asian-influenced flavours - sesame-coated shrimp, coconut rice, and purple-sprouting broccoli tossed in chilli oil and ginger. The food and wine match was a huge success. The wine had softly-sweet citrus flavours to it, things like lychee and passionfruit and guava, yet still had the creamy roundness of a sparkling wine. The only thing it lacked was bubbles - I could see two or three on first pouring, by the third sip my glass was entirely flat. But the flavour more than made up for it!
This was a fun experiment, and if you're keen on prosecco or cava, I would hunt this wine down and try it for something a little different.
Even though this wine was labelled 'trocken' (dry), we knew the riesling grape would still have some sweetness to it, so we decided to serve the wine with food with Asian-influenced flavours - sesame-coated shrimp, coconut rice, and purple-sprouting broccoli tossed in chilli oil and ginger. The food and wine match was a huge success. The wine had softly-sweet citrus flavours to it, things like lychee and passionfruit and guava, yet still had the creamy roundness of a sparkling wine. The only thing it lacked was bubbles - I could see two or three on first pouring, by the third sip my glass was entirely flat. But the flavour more than made up for it!
This was a fun experiment, and if you're keen on prosecco or cava, I would hunt this wine down and try it for something a little different.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Staycation 5
On Sunday, we went for a walk and for lunch in the neighborhood where we used to live in northwest London. While we were there, my husband, wise man that he is, suggested we stop into one of the wine stores, The Winery, that we used to frequent to see what their champagne selection was like. Smart move that paid off - it was fabulous!!
When we lived in the area, The Winery used to have a great selection of lots of kinds of wine - mostly from smaller producers. In recent years, they've started to specialise in German wines, but still have a good variety from small producers around the world. Their champagne and sparkling wine selection really reflected this - we walked out of the shop with three bottles - two German sparklers that we'd not encountered before and one vintage champagne from a small maker in France.
We opened one of the German wines last night - the sparkling brut from shelter winery. We had been told that this was a pinot noir-based wine made in a very French style, so we thought we would try it with our usual sparkling wine test-food, grilled steaks. The wine was a huge surprise, being very grapey, with good bubbles, and just a little bit of sweetness. It was wonderful with our steaks. That said, it was really, really horrible with the lime souffle I made for dessert - the sweet grapiness of the wine just didn't sit well with the sharp tartness of the souffle the way a blanc de blanc might have. Lesson learned, serve this one with some grilled meat rather than with a pudding.
My husband asked me today if I would buy this wine again. It was a good question - while I really enjoyed it, I don't know that this would be my house champagne, the kind of thing I could serve and drink day after day with almost any food or any occasion. But I would serve it to people who are interested in wine, particularly to test their ideas of what makes a great champagne/sparkling wine. Good bubbly is not something I particularly associate with Germany, but wines like this one quickly change that perception.
When we lived in the area, The Winery used to have a great selection of lots of kinds of wine - mostly from smaller producers. In recent years, they've started to specialise in German wines, but still have a good variety from small producers around the world. Their champagne and sparkling wine selection really reflected this - we walked out of the shop with three bottles - two German sparklers that we'd not encountered before and one vintage champagne from a small maker in France.
We opened one of the German wines last night - the sparkling brut from shelter winery. We had been told that this was a pinot noir-based wine made in a very French style, so we thought we would try it with our usual sparkling wine test-food, grilled steaks. The wine was a huge surprise, being very grapey, with good bubbles, and just a little bit of sweetness. It was wonderful with our steaks. That said, it was really, really horrible with the lime souffle I made for dessert - the sweet grapiness of the wine just didn't sit well with the sharp tartness of the souffle the way a blanc de blanc might have. Lesson learned, serve this one with some grilled meat rather than with a pudding.
My husband asked me today if I would buy this wine again. It was a good question - while I really enjoyed it, I don't know that this would be my house champagne, the kind of thing I could serve and drink day after day with almost any food or any occasion. But I would serve it to people who are interested in wine, particularly to test their ideas of what makes a great champagne/sparkling wine. Good bubbly is not something I particularly associate with Germany, but wines like this one quickly change that perception.
Staycation 4
We had a slightly lazy day on Wednesday - we had originally planned to head to Rye and visit some vineyards along the way, but our dog recently had surgery and didn't seem up for the trip. Instead, we stayed in the local area, and tried a new-to-us and very good restaurant for lunch, did some gardening, and took the dog for some short walks.
Since we were being a little lazy, we popped in a movie for the evening, and popped open a bottle of my Maison Lenique to sip along with some homemade apple pie that I made for my husband. No dud bottle this one, it was crisp, lovely, and dependable - exactly what a 'house champagne' should be.
I'm more than half-way through my case now - good thing my allotment for the year from 3D Wines should be delivered next month!!
Since we were being a little lazy, we popped in a movie for the evening, and popped open a bottle of my Maison Lenique to sip along with some homemade apple pie that I made for my husband. No dud bottle this one, it was crisp, lovely, and dependable - exactly what a 'house champagne' should be.
I'm more than half-way through my case now - good thing my allotment for the year from 3D Wines should be delivered next month!!
Monday, 13 April 2009
Staycation 3
Today we had some friends over for nibbles in the garden at lunchtime, and since three out of the four of us are from the US, we popped open an American bubbly - Quartet from the Roederer Estate. Along with our usual selection of meat and cheese, our friend made a warm, Indian-spiced potato salad, and we thought that the 70% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir blend of the wine would stand up to the flavours. We were right.
First, I have to say that my friend's potato salad was amazing - great bursts of flavour set against the creaminess of the potatoes, with a gentle heat from the chili that didn't overwhelm us. The wine was a great match, with big apple and pear fruit flavours balanced against a creamy yeastiness that lingered in my mouth. It was nice to find a sparkling wine that didn't shrink from a bit of spice.
It would be nice to see more American bubbles on the market here in the UK, as I've had several very good ones in the last few years. I don't understand why they're so hard to find here...
First, I have to say that my friend's potato salad was amazing - great bursts of flavour set against the creaminess of the potatoes, with a gentle heat from the chili that didn't overwhelm us. The wine was a great match, with big apple and pear fruit flavours balanced against a creamy yeastiness that lingered in my mouth. It was nice to find a sparkling wine that didn't shrink from a bit of spice.
It would be nice to see more American bubbles on the market here in the UK, as I've had several very good ones in the last few years. I don't understand why they're so hard to find here...
Staycation 2 - Happy Easter
Instead of celebrating Easter with the traditional chocolate eggs, my husband tracked down a bottle of 1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs that we drank alongside a lemon polenta cake that I made.
We love the Billecart-Salmon rose, so I don't know why I was so surprised at how wonderful the blanc de blancs was. It had an intensely fruity nose, but an acidic yeastiness in its taste that was perfectly balanced. The finish had no bitterness whatsoever, and lasted for ages. And the best part for me - it had plenty of bubbles. It was perfect with the lemon cake, but I suspect this is another all-rounder that you could serve with any light or fresh-flavoured food. Or, one that you would thoroughly enjoy on its own!
We love the Billecart-Salmon rose, so I don't know why I was so surprised at how wonderful the blanc de blancs was. It had an intensely fruity nose, but an acidic yeastiness in its taste that was perfectly balanced. The finish had no bitterness whatsoever, and lasted for ages. And the best part for me - it had plenty of bubbles. It was perfect with the lemon cake, but I suspect this is another all-rounder that you could serve with any light or fresh-flavoured food. Or, one that you would thoroughly enjoy on its own!
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Staycation 1
My husband has a bit of holiday this week, but we're still tending to our sick cat (who has now survived for a second month!) so travelling is out of the question at the moment. We decided not to let this get us down - we're instead spending some of the money we would have used on flights and hotels on some nice food and even better bottles of bubbly.
Yesterday was our kick-off. We bought some incredibly fresh tuna steaks at Borough Market, which we rubbed with a paste of garlic, lemon zest, pepper, and olive oil and then grilled. These flavours seemed to deserve a new world bubbly, and we had a choice of an American or a New Zealand wine in the fridge, both bought for just less than £20. We went with New Zealand - the Pelorus NV from Cloudy Bay, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend.
We've drunk Pelorus before, and it's never disappointing. It has great bubbles and a strong, crisp-apple flavour which makes it stand up really well to a lot of different kinds of food. This was our first experience with the NV, and while we enjoyed it immensely with our tuna, we did find the finish just a little short and a little bitter, which has not been our experience with the vintage bottles we've drunk. While I would happily buy and drink Pelorus again, I think I would seek out the vintage rather than the NV in future.
Yesterday was our kick-off. We bought some incredibly fresh tuna steaks at Borough Market, which we rubbed with a paste of garlic, lemon zest, pepper, and olive oil and then grilled. These flavours seemed to deserve a new world bubbly, and we had a choice of an American or a New Zealand wine in the fridge, both bought for just less than £20. We went with New Zealand - the Pelorus NV from Cloudy Bay, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend.
We've drunk Pelorus before, and it's never disappointing. It has great bubbles and a strong, crisp-apple flavour which makes it stand up really well to a lot of different kinds of food. This was our first experience with the NV, and while we enjoyed it immensely with our tuna, we did find the finish just a little short and a little bitter, which has not been our experience with the vintage bottles we've drunk. While I would happily buy and drink Pelorus again, I think I would seek out the vintage rather than the NV in future.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Italy vs Spain
It wasn't meant to be an international competition, but there you go.
Friday was supposed to be my day off. My one day to hang out and relax, head to Borough Market for a quick shop, eat something nice for lunch, and then sip something sparkling in the afternoon - just because I could. The day before, I found a bottle of prosecco for just under £10 at one of my locals from the Istituto Enologico Italiano, so I was all ready.
Except the prosecco was horrible. Not a dud, like my recent bottle of champagne, but actually nasty, awful, pure-alcohol-tasting, almost-flat wine. It was so bad, I poured it down the sink - not even worthy to use for cooking.
My husband is a star, though. Sensing my disappointment when I met him at the train station later that day, he stopped at another of our locals and picked out a bottle of cava from Codorniu - also for less than £10. This was their Reserva Raventos, a blend of chardonnay, macabeo, and xarello that they released for their 125th anniversary in 1997.
We drank it on Sunday with melt-in-your-mouth roasted pork belly that my husband cooked. The cava was spectacular, and totally made up for my disappointment on Friday. The wine tasted like fresh-baked-bread and had more than enough bubbles for my super-sparkling preference. Had I tasted it blind, I would have thought it was champagne, and a more expensive one, at that.
I often overlook cavas when I'm out looking for bubbles, mostly because I have this preconceived (and incorrect) notion that they tend to be sweet. I've had a lot of very nice cavas, though, and will have to keep them higher up on my shopping list from now on.
Friday was supposed to be my day off. My one day to hang out and relax, head to Borough Market for a quick shop, eat something nice for lunch, and then sip something sparkling in the afternoon - just because I could. The day before, I found a bottle of prosecco for just under £10 at one of my locals from the Istituto Enologico Italiano, so I was all ready.
Except the prosecco was horrible. Not a dud, like my recent bottle of champagne, but actually nasty, awful, pure-alcohol-tasting, almost-flat wine. It was so bad, I poured it down the sink - not even worthy to use for cooking.
My husband is a star, though. Sensing my disappointment when I met him at the train station later that day, he stopped at another of our locals and picked out a bottle of cava from Codorniu - also for less than £10. This was their Reserva Raventos, a blend of chardonnay, macabeo, and xarello that they released for their 125th anniversary in 1997.
We drank it on Sunday with melt-in-your-mouth roasted pork belly that my husband cooked. The cava was spectacular, and totally made up for my disappointment on Friday. The wine tasted like fresh-baked-bread and had more than enough bubbles for my super-sparkling preference. Had I tasted it blind, I would have thought it was champagne, and a more expensive one, at that.
I often overlook cavas when I'm out looking for bubbles, mostly because I have this preconceived (and incorrect) notion that they tend to be sweet. I've had a lot of very nice cavas, though, and will have to keep them higher up on my shopping list from now on.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
I Got a Dud
It's one of the worst sounds in the world - the soft little 'pffft' that happens when you open a dud bottle of champagne. And that's what I heard on Saturday, when I opened one of the bottles from my case of Maison Lenique.
It was so sad. We had planned a nice meal, my husband having cooked an amazing lemon and caper chicken, to celebrate both a change in job for me and the fact that our 17-year-old cat has lived for a month despite the 'days-to-weeks' diagnosis provided by the vet. But there it was, flat champagne, tasting of vinegar. It's only happened to me once before, years ago, and it was no less disappointing then.
So, we ate without bubbles, and threw another bottle of the Maison Lenique in the fridge. We opened it on Sunday with a resounding 'POP' - and drank it while we watched a Sarah Silverman DVD. It would have been fantastic with the chicken, but we enjoyed it with a laugh instead.
Post-script: My husband used part of the dud bottle of Maison Lenique a couple of weeks later to make the most fantastic champagne risotto. While it's not how I thought we would enjoy it, enjoy it we nonetheless did!
It was so sad. We had planned a nice meal, my husband having cooked an amazing lemon and caper chicken, to celebrate both a change in job for me and the fact that our 17-year-old cat has lived for a month despite the 'days-to-weeks' diagnosis provided by the vet. But there it was, flat champagne, tasting of vinegar. It's only happened to me once before, years ago, and it was no less disappointing then.
So, we ate without bubbles, and threw another bottle of the Maison Lenique in the fridge. We opened it on Sunday with a resounding 'POP' - and drank it while we watched a Sarah Silverman DVD. It would have been fantastic with the chicken, but we enjoyed it with a laugh instead.
Post-script: My husband used part of the dud bottle of Maison Lenique a couple of weeks later to make the most fantastic champagne risotto. While it's not how I thought we would enjoy it, enjoy it we nonetheless did!
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Judging a Bottle by its Label
Last week my husband and I walked the dog past Romeo Jones. Sitting in the window was a new bottle of prosecco. With a label with a moon on it.
I know I'm not supposed to buy wine because of what the label looks like, but I did it anyway.
We popped our bottle of Col di Luna prosecco open this weekend to drink along with some hot pepper shrimp my husband made. The shrimp were fantastic, the prosecco only so-so. It had a green pear flavour that took me back to my grandmother's garden and the enormous pear tree that grew there. It also had a slight sweetness that nicely offset the spice of the shrimp. But it was decidedly lacking in bubbles, a real disappointment compared to the taste.
If you're not that into super-bubbly sparklers, this might be a good wine for you to try.
I know I'm not supposed to buy wine because of what the label looks like, but I did it anyway.
We popped our bottle of Col di Luna prosecco open this weekend to drink along with some hot pepper shrimp my husband made. The shrimp were fantastic, the prosecco only so-so. It had a green pear flavour that took me back to my grandmother's garden and the enormous pear tree that grew there. It also had a slight sweetness that nicely offset the spice of the shrimp. But it was decidedly lacking in bubbles, a real disappointment compared to the taste.
If you're not that into super-bubbly sparklers, this might be a good wine for you to try.
Friday, 20 February 2009
The Other End of the Spectrum
Having tried an expensive-but-not-*that*-impressive champagne on Valentine's Day, a couple of nights ago we popped open the £5 bottle of sparkling wine, a chardonnay, riesling, chenin blanc blend from Vina Maipo in Chile, that we bought at the supermarket. Not for any special reason - two sodas would have cost us almost the same amount, so we just opened it as my husband ate a homemade calzone and I finished off some leftover venison stew.
Drinking this wine after having recently had a champagne from a wonder year was an interesting experience, though. The Vina Maipo had a very nice flavour - a strong grapiness at the start, mellowing to tropical fruits with a hint of pineapple at the finish. But it also had a totally different and very thin mouth-feel - almost like drinking skim milk after being accustomed to drinking full-fat.
In a blind tasting, would you know this wasn't an expensive wine? Yes. Would you care that it wasn't the priciest or the best if you were drinking it in the middle of the week with leftovers for dinner like we did? Absolutely not. You'd enjoy it, and it would give your meal that little bit of something extra that mid-week meals need. That's the beauty of well-made, inexpensive sparkling wines.
Drinking this wine after having recently had a champagne from a wonder year was an interesting experience, though. The Vina Maipo had a very nice flavour - a strong grapiness at the start, mellowing to tropical fruits with a hint of pineapple at the finish. But it also had a totally different and very thin mouth-feel - almost like drinking skim milk after being accustomed to drinking full-fat.
In a blind tasting, would you know this wasn't an expensive wine? Yes. Would you care that it wasn't the priciest or the best if you were drinking it in the middle of the week with leftovers for dinner like we did? Absolutely not. You'd enjoy it, and it would give your meal that little bit of something extra that mid-week meals need. That's the beauty of well-made, inexpensive sparkling wines.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Valentine's Day
I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. I really don't like the idea that on a certain day of the year, certain industries have decided that I'm supposed to spend a lot of money professing my undying love for someone who I love equally as much on every other day of the year. It's so much harder to express it consistently throughout the year, it feels like a bit of a cop-out to nominate a single day to show love and let people off the hook for the other 364 days.
On the plus side, it is a great excuse to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly. Since my husband and I pretty much otherwise ignore Valentine's Day, we decided to splurge on our bottle, and bought the Louise 1990 from Pommery, a swish champagne from a wonder year.
The champagne was the most beautiful colour when we poured it - such a dark amber-yellow that it was almost salmon. My husband dubbed it 'sunset-coloured'. It was also everything that you expect a very good bottle of champagne to be - smooth and creamy, with very fine bubbles and a sweet-apple flavour. Not a trace of bitterness, and stood up equally well to our grilled steak, apple pie, and chocolate truffles.
But can you sense that I wasn't over the moon?
Don't get me wrong, this is a really delicious champagne. But at the price point, I prefer Krug champagnes, which tend to have a more biscuity/yeasty flavour. And under the price point, I could have bought two bottles of Billecart-Salmon rose and been equally as happy.
To balance it all out, the next day when my husband and I were at the supermarket, we picked up a £5 bottle of sparkling wine from Chile. As always, I'll let you know what that's like when we drink it!
On the plus side, it is a great excuse to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly. Since my husband and I pretty much otherwise ignore Valentine's Day, we decided to splurge on our bottle, and bought the Louise 1990 from Pommery, a swish champagne from a wonder year.
The champagne was the most beautiful colour when we poured it - such a dark amber-yellow that it was almost salmon. My husband dubbed it 'sunset-coloured'. It was also everything that you expect a very good bottle of champagne to be - smooth and creamy, with very fine bubbles and a sweet-apple flavour. Not a trace of bitterness, and stood up equally well to our grilled steak, apple pie, and chocolate truffles.
But can you sense that I wasn't over the moon?
Don't get me wrong, this is a really delicious champagne. But at the price point, I prefer Krug champagnes, which tend to have a more biscuity/yeasty flavour. And under the price point, I could have bought two bottles of Billecart-Salmon rose and been equally as happy.
To balance it all out, the next day when my husband and I were at the supermarket, we picked up a £5 bottle of sparkling wine from Chile. As always, I'll let you know what that's like when we drink it!
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Good News at Work
On Friday I had some good news at work - a 'door closing in one place opening opportunities in others' kind of thing - so my husband and I popped open a bottle of our 'house champagne', the Maison Lenique from my birthday. I must say that I love having a cold bottle in the fridge at all times, it makes it so much easier to celebrate without having to have loads of advance planning!!
Monday, 2 February 2009
Bubbles from Bedales
I was at Borough Market this weekend, and had to stop in at my favourite wine store, Bedales. The shop is owned and managed by a group of wonderful, wine-loving people and is a place where we've become friends rather than just customers. I always try to buy something while I'm there - not just because they have such a great selection, but because they're the sort of store I want to keep around in these tough times.
They serve some very nice prosecco at the market at the weekend, and I was tempted to go home with a bottle of that. But they had on the shelf something I'd not tried before - a sparkling rose from Tigress in Tasmania.
We popped it in the fridge and drank it while eating nachos with homemade guacamole and watching the film Old School. It was a not very serious afternoon, and the Tigress was a fun wine to go along with the mood. The pinot noir/chardonnay blend was only slightly sweet, tasting somewhat of cranberry jelly. It's only fault was that it was more fizzy than sparkling, but unless you're a serious fan of big bubbles like I am, you'll be perfectly happy with this wine.
They serve some very nice prosecco at the market at the weekend, and I was tempted to go home with a bottle of that. But they had on the shelf something I'd not tried before - a sparkling rose from Tigress in Tasmania.
We popped it in the fridge and drank it while eating nachos with homemade guacamole and watching the film Old School. It was a not very serious afternoon, and the Tigress was a fun wine to go along with the mood. The pinot noir/chardonnay blend was only slightly sweet, tasting somewhat of cranberry jelly. It's only fault was that it was more fizzy than sparkling, but unless you're a serious fan of big bubbles like I am, you'll be perfectly happy with this wine.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Inauguration Day
Like many people, my husband and I were in a celebratory mood yesterday as Barack Obama took the oath to become President. To mark the occasion, and since we had a cold bottle in the fridge, we popped open a bottle of the Maison Lenique from my birthday to go with the blueberry pancakes I made for dinner (we were craving American food, it was the best I could do!). We had thought it might be nice to have an American sparkling wine, but they're too difficult to find at short notice here in the UK. We'll have to plan a bit better for the next one...hopefully we'll feel like celebrating the next President, too!
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Date Night - Jan 09
A while back, when my husband and I realised how little time we actually spend together, we decided to set aside one night each month just for us - Date Night. The rules of Date Night are pretty simple: it never gets cancelled, it's just the two of us, and we treat it like a date i.e. we do something fun and there's no talking about work or other heavy problems.
This month is the first time we didn't have Date Night on it's established night. One of my husband's colleagues is moving to New Zealand and his leaving drinks were booked that night. Ordinarily, one or the other of us would simply send regrets to the event, but this was different, him moving so far away. As an alternate, we decided to take the dog and drive out to the shore this weekend, have some lovely walks on the beach, and lunch at a gastropub, The Sportsman Seasalter, that some friends introduced us to.
We had a great time, especially since we had blue skies and sunshine yesterday, missing all of the heavy showers that came later in the day. The fresh air and beach were exactly what we needed to refresh ourselves from London. Lunch, as always, did not disappoint.
A nice surprise was that the pub had some sparkling wines by the glass, so we each started with a glass of Pol Roger White Label, a champagne I've often seen in shops, but one that is so 'name-brand' that I had never bought it before. Shame on me, as the champagne was a slightly sweet apple, with loads of bubbles. It was fantastic with the home-made foccacia and brown soda bread that quickly arrived on our table, as well as with my husband's starter of whisky-smoked salmon. It didn't hold up quite as well with the almost pure-cream broth of my mussel and bacon chowder, but the apple flavour was wonderful with the big chunks of bacon at the bottom of my bowl.
Part of the ensuing conversation we had was about how often we were reverse wine snobs. This champagne was very drinkable, but we had passed it by so often in pursuit of smaller champagne houses - less-well-known varieties and makers - because we never know when we're going to see them in the shops again. I'll have to make more of an effort to buy the name-brands even though I know I'll see them again and again, simply because they don't disappoint.
This month is the first time we didn't have Date Night on it's established night. One of my husband's colleagues is moving to New Zealand and his leaving drinks were booked that night. Ordinarily, one or the other of us would simply send regrets to the event, but this was different, him moving so far away. As an alternate, we decided to take the dog and drive out to the shore this weekend, have some lovely walks on the beach, and lunch at a gastropub, The Sportsman Seasalter, that some friends introduced us to.
We had a great time, especially since we had blue skies and sunshine yesterday, missing all of the heavy showers that came later in the day. The fresh air and beach were exactly what we needed to refresh ourselves from London. Lunch, as always, did not disappoint.
A nice surprise was that the pub had some sparkling wines by the glass, so we each started with a glass of Pol Roger White Label, a champagne I've often seen in shops, but one that is so 'name-brand' that I had never bought it before. Shame on me, as the champagne was a slightly sweet apple, with loads of bubbles. It was fantastic with the home-made foccacia and brown soda bread that quickly arrived on our table, as well as with my husband's starter of whisky-smoked salmon. It didn't hold up quite as well with the almost pure-cream broth of my mussel and bacon chowder, but the apple flavour was wonderful with the big chunks of bacon at the bottom of my bowl.
Part of the ensuing conversation we had was about how often we were reverse wine snobs. This champagne was very drinkable, but we had passed it by so often in pursuit of smaller champagne houses - less-well-known varieties and makers - because we never know when we're going to see them in the shops again. I'll have to make more of an effort to buy the name-brands even though I know I'll see them again and again, simply because they don't disappoint.
Monday, 12 January 2009
Supporting My Local Economy
There's a great deli in my neighborhood, Romeo Jones, that every now and again stocks pastries that I make. I try to be a good customer, too, although never as regular as I would like since I'm usually walking the dog with no cash in my pockets when I walk by the shop.
Yesterday, though, my husband was walking the dog with me and he had some cash, so we stopped in. Not with the intention of buying anything with bubbles - just to get some cheese for our lunch, a pandoro for dessert, and some of their wonderful seeds since it's warming up and I'm starting to plan my vegetable garden (I got yellow beans and green peas).
But a bottle caught my eye - a crisp, citrusy-lemon prosecco from Case Bianche (their Vigna del Cuc) we had tried once before and really enjoyed. How could we leave that behind when it would go so well with our Italian dessert? Not that there was much left by the time we got to dessert, since it also went so well with the blue cheese, hazelnut, and honey-covered bruschetta that we ate while our lunch was on the grill outside.
It was a nice indulgence (especially since we drank bubbly the day before!) that didn't break the bank at £13.45 for the bottle. What better way to support my local economy? And what better way to celebrate our first BBQ of the year??
Yesterday, though, my husband was walking the dog with me and he had some cash, so we stopped in. Not with the intention of buying anything with bubbles - just to get some cheese for our lunch, a pandoro for dessert, and some of their wonderful seeds since it's warming up and I'm starting to plan my vegetable garden (I got yellow beans and green peas).
But a bottle caught my eye - a crisp, citrusy-lemon prosecco from Case Bianche (their Vigna del Cuc) we had tried once before and really enjoyed. How could we leave that behind when it would go so well with our Italian dessert? Not that there was much left by the time we got to dessert, since it also went so well with the blue cheese, hazelnut, and honey-covered bruschetta that we ate while our lunch was on the grill outside.
It was a nice indulgence (especially since we drank bubbly the day before!) that didn't break the bank at £13.45 for the bottle. What better way to support my local economy? And what better way to celebrate our first BBQ of the year??
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Antiquing on a Saturday
The nice folks over at Puritan Values sent me tickets to an antique fair in London where they were exhibiting this weekend, so we did something we rarely do anymore - left the dog at home and headed into Central London on a Saturday. There were some very nice pieces at the fair, although most were out of our price range, so we only spent about an hour there. Since we had already left the dog on her own, we thought we might as well make the most of the rest of the afternoon, and headed to Ransome's Dock for a late lunch.
I noticed while perusing the menu that their 'champagne by the glass' has been updated in the New Year. When I was there last month, they were serving Henriot. This month, they're serving Billecart-Salmon's Brut Reserve by the glass, something that was most tempting to order. But, my husband went one better - instead ordering for us a half-bottle of Billecart-Salmon's Brut Rose.
This is one of my favourite champagnes. A lot of rose champagnes can be either sweet or insipid. This one is extremely dry, incredibly fruity, and has a long, smooth finish. The bubbles also don't disappoint - with a fine but voluminous stream of bubbles that lasts from the first sip to the last drops of the bottle. It went equally as well with my husband's cesaer salad as it did with my usual order of eggs benedict.
While we always like to try new things, this is a champagne that I can drink over and over again - and one that you should try if you haven't before!
I noticed while perusing the menu that their 'champagne by the glass' has been updated in the New Year. When I was there last month, they were serving Henriot. This month, they're serving Billecart-Salmon's Brut Reserve by the glass, something that was most tempting to order. But, my husband went one better - instead ordering for us a half-bottle of Billecart-Salmon's Brut Rose.
This is one of my favourite champagnes. A lot of rose champagnes can be either sweet or insipid. This one is extremely dry, incredibly fruity, and has a long, smooth finish. The bubbles also don't disappoint - with a fine but voluminous stream of bubbles that lasts from the first sip to the last drops of the bottle. It went equally as well with my husband's cesaer salad as it did with my usual order of eggs benedict.
While we always like to try new things, this is a champagne that I can drink over and over again - and one that you should try if you haven't before!
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Happy New Year 2009
While my husband was in Paris just before Christmas, he bought me a bottle of champagne as a Christmas gift. Not just any champagne, but one that was produced in an environmentally friendly manner - no pesticides, no synthetic chemicals - a 1999 grand cru from Andre Beaufort.
Like me, you may be thinking, "what sort of granola-cruncher would bother doing something like this with champagne?" Well, apparently the winemaker developed an allergy to the fertilisers he was using in his vineyard and started producing wines sans chemicals so that he could continue in his livelihood. And I have to say, well done to him, you don't miss them a bit, and his talent would have been wasted.
As is our tradition on New Year's Eve, we celebrated with a homemade apple pie and this wonderful bottle of champagne. It was the perfect compliment to the pie - slightly sweet because of all of the apple-fruit flavours in it, but dry at the same time. It was a big wine, with lots of flavour and an incredibly long-lasting finish. This is a wine-lover's champagne - without the bubbles, this would still have been incredibly drinkable.
I haven't seen this producer in the UK before, so I don't know how widely available the wines are outside of France. But I will look for it, as I'd like to try more. It was a great start to the New Year.
Like me, you may be thinking, "what sort of granola-cruncher would bother doing something like this with champagne?" Well, apparently the winemaker developed an allergy to the fertilisers he was using in his vineyard and started producing wines sans chemicals so that he could continue in his livelihood. And I have to say, well done to him, you don't miss them a bit, and his talent would have been wasted.
As is our tradition on New Year's Eve, we celebrated with a homemade apple pie and this wonderful bottle of champagne. It was the perfect compliment to the pie - slightly sweet because of all of the apple-fruit flavours in it, but dry at the same time. It was a big wine, with lots of flavour and an incredibly long-lasting finish. This is a wine-lover's champagne - without the bubbles, this would still have been incredibly drinkable.
I haven't seen this producer in the UK before, so I don't know how widely available the wines are outside of France. But I will look for it, as I'd like to try more. It was a great start to the New Year.
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