My husband and I were very sad to see the bottom of the bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 that we drank on Wednesday, so I put a bottle of the 2005 on the champagne shelf in the fridge. He was supposed to be out late last night so I figured I would have a glass with the bread and cheese I nibbled on for dinner. But he came home earlier than expected, so we managed to share the bottle, which was a bit of a treat.
One of the things we had commented on while drinking the 2004 was how nice it was to come back to a really well-made champagne after drinking some of the other sparkling wines we've had of-late - regardless of how good they were. There's nothing quite like a well-balanced champagne. It was incredibly refreshing, clean on the palate, and had fantastic bubbles - the kind of thing that made us say "aaahhh" upon drinking and left us wanting more.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't get that feeling again while drinking the 2005 last night. At first I thought it was because it wasn't the best match with the blue cheese I was eating. But then my husband agreed with me. While the 2005 is still a wonderful champagne, with its yeasty, sweet apple flavours, it's not quite as refined as the 2004 and the residual sweetness on the finish makes it a little less refreshing. We still really enjoyed it, but it was good to try the two vintages back-to-back again to remind ourselves of how different they are.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Two Years On...
I found my oldest cat, Artemis, 19 years ago when I lived in Tokyo. She was my first fur-covered pet ever - I only had fish when I was a kid. She's been the perfect pet - polite, clean, cuddly, fun to play with, and in charge of all of the other animals in the house. We all live by her rules, which is OK because she's even stricter than I am! She's also been a wonderful companion as I've travelled the world, keeping me company in foreign countries where I didn't know anyone and didn't speak the language very well. I've spent more time with her than most of my family and my closest friends. While I know she's 'just a cat', I can't deny her constant presence in my life or the affection we share.
Two years ago, we thought she was going to die. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and we were told that she only had days-to-weeks to live. I was heart-broken - life without Artemis is pretty unimaginable. But the vet showed us a procedure that would keep her comfortable in the time she had left, twice-daily injections of fluid under her skin to help her flush out the toxins that her kidneys can't cope with. We've been sticking her with needles pretty religiously since then, foregoing holidays, shortening our after-work activities, and basically revolving our lives around her treatment schedule.
Yesterday marked the second year of her survival - well beyond what anyone ever anticipated when we started. Artemis has not only survived but seems to thrive, as well - she plays with the make-up brushes that she steals from anyone who's careless enough to leave them within her reach, stalks through the grass in the garden in search of birds to chirp at, and maintains her role as alpha cat in the house. Every day, I simply hope for one more good day with her, and she's rewarded us with 730 of them!
Obviously, we don't give our cats champagne. To celebrate her second-year milestone, Artemis had a big bowl of tuna for dinner last night. After that, my husband and I ordered in some gyoza and opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 - both to toast Artemis and to thank each other for our teamwork and efforts over the years. May we all have one more good day...
Two years ago, we thought she was going to die. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and we were told that she only had days-to-weeks to live. I was heart-broken - life without Artemis is pretty unimaginable. But the vet showed us a procedure that would keep her comfortable in the time she had left, twice-daily injections of fluid under her skin to help her flush out the toxins that her kidneys can't cope with. We've been sticking her with needles pretty religiously since then, foregoing holidays, shortening our after-work activities, and basically revolving our lives around her treatment schedule.
Yesterday marked the second year of her survival - well beyond what anyone ever anticipated when we started. Artemis has not only survived but seems to thrive, as well - she plays with the make-up brushes that she steals from anyone who's careless enough to leave them within her reach, stalks through the grass in the garden in search of birds to chirp at, and maintains her role as alpha cat in the house. Every day, I simply hope for one more good day with her, and she's rewarded us with 730 of them!
Obviously, we don't give our cats champagne. To celebrate her second-year milestone, Artemis had a big bowl of tuna for dinner last night. After that, my husband and I ordered in some gyoza and opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 - both to toast Artemis and to thank each other for our teamwork and efforts over the years. May we all have one more good day...
Something a Little Different
I met a friend at Bedales on Saturday, a place I never manage to leave empty-handed. Having already purchased two bottles of white wine from the downstairs shop, I had a good look around the upstairs while I was waiting for my friend. To my surprise, they had a Hungarian sparkling wine - Hungaria Grande Cuvee Brut - something I've never seen before! At £12, I couldn't not buy it, so in my bag it went.
My husband and I opened it with our dinner on Tuesday. For the life of me, I can't remember what we ate, it was one of those 'nothing-special-Tuesday' meals. But I remember the wine : )
It smelled of bubble gum and soda pop in an appealing way, although it raised a little concern that the wine might be too sweet for my taste. Thankfully, it was cold enough that the sweetness came through in more of a dried-pineapple richness, balanced with some depth and a little acidity. As the wine warmed up, the sweetness intensified, but not overwhelmingly so. There's not much structure or finish to this wine, but it's an easy drinker, and completely different to the cavas and proseccos you see at this price point. The bubbles were strong at first, but disappeared by the end of the glass, the only disappointing thing about the wine.
This was worth trying once and an interesting comparator to other sparkling wines. I'm not sure it's something I'd purchase on a regular basis.
My husband and I opened it with our dinner on Tuesday. For the life of me, I can't remember what we ate, it was one of those 'nothing-special-Tuesday' meals. But I remember the wine : )
It smelled of bubble gum and soda pop in an appealing way, although it raised a little concern that the wine might be too sweet for my taste. Thankfully, it was cold enough that the sweetness came through in more of a dried-pineapple richness, balanced with some depth and a little acidity. As the wine warmed up, the sweetness intensified, but not overwhelmingly so. There's not much structure or finish to this wine, but it's an easy drinker, and completely different to the cavas and proseccos you see at this price point. The bubbles were strong at first, but disappeared by the end of the glass, the only disappointing thing about the wine.
This was worth trying once and an interesting comparator to other sparkling wines. I'm not sure it's something I'd purchase on a regular basis.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
A Rosy Do-Over
When I ordered my last case of bubbles from the Champagne Warehouse, I ordered a few bottles that I had tried and liked in the past. In an unusal instance of forward planning, I read the tasting notes that they supplied for the Vignarosa Amorino Brut Rosato (they recommended seafood) when I put the bottle in the fridge, and headed out to Borough Market yesterday for some prawns to cook for dinner. They were a great match - cooked in my husband's homemade chimichurri sauce and accompanied by rice with spinach and broccoli - a relatively healthy meal!
The prosecco was wonderful with it, the rich berry flavours shining through the shellfish and mild spice of the meal. It was a fantastic reward for braving the craziness of the market on a Saturday morning (something I can't be bothered to do much anymore with the frenzy of tourists that has taken over!). It was also a great reminder of how much better an already fantastic wine can be when served with the right food.
The prosecco was wonderful with it, the rich berry flavours shining through the shellfish and mild spice of the meal. It was a fantastic reward for braving the craziness of the market on a Saturday morning (something I can't be bothered to do much anymore with the frenzy of tourists that has taken over!). It was also a great reminder of how much better an already fantastic wine can be when served with the right food.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Another Long Week
Where do these long weeks come from? You wake up on Monday feeling fresh from the weekend, then by Wednesday you're wondering how you're going to make it to Friday. But Friday came at last...and to mark the start of the weekend, we opened a bottle of Billecart-Salmon vintage 2004 last night. Being a bit tired, I hadn't even planned anything special to eat with it, just some chilli that I had pulled out of the freezer. But the champagne is so stunning with its yeasty-goodness that you can really serve it with anything. It stood up well to the spicy tomato of the chilli. And it was nice to drink on its own. I always think that the brut reserve is my favourite of the Billecart's that we've got in the house - but I'm really going to have to re-think that now that I've had the 2004 again!
Monday, 17 January 2011
Date Night - Jan 11
Since 'Date Night' fell on a Sunday, we spent the whole day doing fun things together and trying to make the most of a mild day. We also had our eye on the bottle of 1+1=3 pinot noir cava brut reserve that was in the fridge from the Champagne Warehouse. Since their tasting notes recommended it with ham, cheese, pizza, or pasta, we waited to eat a late lunch, then ordered in some nibbles and pizzas.
Like the rose we had just drunk from 1+1=3, the pinot noir was a beautiful, deep red colour tinged with a bit of pinky-orange, another very pretty wine. It smelled of raspberries and ripe plums - I didn't get too much of the floral scents that are described on the bottle. The flavour was a total surprise. It was completely dry and very rich, with just a touch of cranberry along with the other dark berry flavours, perfect with the tomato-acidity of the pizza. It also had very good bubbles throughout.
This was a completely different wine to the rose, but just as satisfying. For anyone who is sceptical about cava, this is the one to try - it's totally unlike all of the horrible stereotypes that cava has. This cava is a 'wine with bubbles', if I hadn't known it was cava I would have had a hard time placing where it was from.
Like the rose we had just drunk from 1+1=3, the pinot noir was a beautiful, deep red colour tinged with a bit of pinky-orange, another very pretty wine. It smelled of raspberries and ripe plums - I didn't get too much of the floral scents that are described on the bottle. The flavour was a total surprise. It was completely dry and very rich, with just a touch of cranberry along with the other dark berry flavours, perfect with the tomato-acidity of the pizza. It also had very good bubbles throughout.
This was a completely different wine to the rose, but just as satisfying. For anyone who is sceptical about cava, this is the one to try - it's totally unlike all of the horrible stereotypes that cava has. This cava is a 'wine with bubbles', if I hadn't known it was cava I would have had a hard time placing where it was from.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Pretty in Pink
I received a mixed case of bubbles from the Champagne Warehouse yesterday and, as one does, I immediately put a bottle in the fridge - especially as I was keen to try the new range of cava that I ordered. My husband was pleased to see it when he got home, as we had an intense night of catching up on taped episodes of Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother in front of us.
We opened the 1+1=3 Brut Rose Seleccion, a blend of Trepat, Garnacha, and Pinot Noir grapes, to sip while we watched. Now, I know I'm not supposed to judge wines solely on their colour, but I have to say this was the most beautiful wine I have ever drunk. It was intense, glowing, and ruby red, the kind of colour you want to see in your best crystal rather than the regular old glasses we were using. It was a visually stunning wine, something you could appreciate for its beauty alone. On top of that, it smelled like a mix of wild strawberries and mint, like the perfect summer dessert. This cava was impressive even before I began to drink!
The flavours were fantastic, too. The wild berries continued along with a bit of sour cherry and a dry but ever-so-slighty-sweet finish. My husband and I decided it's the kind of sweet you get with an Italian soda - the juicy-fruity-refreshing kind of sweet - as opposed to the teeth-aching, 'how many tablespoons of sugar are in this' kind of sweet you get with an American soda.
The cava was more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz lasted throughout so it was OK.
It's tempting to say this is the kind of thing you would drink (and drink lots of!) as an aperitif on a hot summer day. But to be honest, it was perfect last night, following a day of grey and rain at the end of a very long work-week. It cheered us up, it reminded us that the freshness of spring is ahead. So don't shelve it for the summer, enjoy it now!!
We opened the 1+1=3 Brut Rose Seleccion, a blend of Trepat, Garnacha, and Pinot Noir grapes, to sip while we watched. Now, I know I'm not supposed to judge wines solely on their colour, but I have to say this was the most beautiful wine I have ever drunk. It was intense, glowing, and ruby red, the kind of colour you want to see in your best crystal rather than the regular old glasses we were using. It was a visually stunning wine, something you could appreciate for its beauty alone. On top of that, it smelled like a mix of wild strawberries and mint, like the perfect summer dessert. This cava was impressive even before I began to drink!
The flavours were fantastic, too. The wild berries continued along with a bit of sour cherry and a dry but ever-so-slighty-sweet finish. My husband and I decided it's the kind of sweet you get with an Italian soda - the juicy-fruity-refreshing kind of sweet - as opposed to the teeth-aching, 'how many tablespoons of sugar are in this' kind of sweet you get with an American soda.
The cava was more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz lasted throughout so it was OK.
It's tempting to say this is the kind of thing you would drink (and drink lots of!) as an aperitif on a hot summer day. But to be honest, it was perfect last night, following a day of grey and rain at the end of a very long work-week. It cheered us up, it reminded us that the freshness of spring is ahead. So don't shelve it for the summer, enjoy it now!!
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Bad Influence
My husband is such a bad influence. When we walked the dog yesterday morning we stopped in at Romeo Jones because they were having a sale. I bought a couple of tasty things, but he found a bottle of prosecco (not on sale) that we've had before - Case Bianchi Vigna Del Cuc - and added that to our shopping. It went straight into the fridge, although I had thought it would be for another day.
I had great intentions for how I would spend the rest of the day - cleaning up the rest of the Christmas decorations, vacuuming, and ironing. He had other thoughts, especially since it was his last day of holiday for a while. He persuaded me to sit on the sofa for the rest of the day, watching Dr. Who, and drinking prosecco. To be honest, it was much more enjoyable than what I had planned! The prosecco was a nice touch, too, although different from how I remembered it. It had a clean, green apple scent, but it tasted of fresh flowers and herbs with a distinct hit of spearmint. It was more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz lasted through the glass so I can't complain. It was a little pricey (around £20, up significantly from the last time we bought it), especially when I compare it to some of the proseccos we had from the Champagne Warehouse for half the price (and better bubbles). But a completely nice prosecco, continuing on with our good start to 2011.
I had great intentions for how I would spend the rest of the day - cleaning up the rest of the Christmas decorations, vacuuming, and ironing. He had other thoughts, especially since it was his last day of holiday for a while. He persuaded me to sit on the sofa for the rest of the day, watching Dr. Who, and drinking prosecco. To be honest, it was much more enjoyable than what I had planned! The prosecco was a nice touch, too, although different from how I remembered it. It had a clean, green apple scent, but it tasted of fresh flowers and herbs with a distinct hit of spearmint. It was more fizzy than bubbly, but the fizz lasted through the glass so I can't complain. It was a little pricey (around £20, up significantly from the last time we bought it), especially when I compare it to some of the proseccos we had from the Champagne Warehouse for half the price (and better bubbles). But a completely nice prosecco, continuing on with our good start to 2011.
Monday, 3 January 2011
Hello 2011!
We had a wonderful, quiet New Year's Day on Sunday. I spent most of the day out in the garden, which I always enjoy. We had a casual dinner at home, with me making mac and cheese with bacon and spinach (always yummy) and an upside-down banana cake, a new favourite recipe. Accompanying it, we had Maison Lenique 2005, with its intense apple flavour and lots and lots of bubbles. All in all, it was a good day.
Yesterday, a group of us went to Ransome's Dock for lunch, and in his infinite wisdom, my husband pre-ordered a magnum of Billecart-Salmon rose. There's something about a magnum of champagne, the bottle just seems endless, although we always manage to finish it. The champagne was only eclipsed by the fantastic company and the most delicious dessert - a gingerbread pudding with ginger sauce, cream, and custard. It was to die for, the kind of cooking I've learned to expect at Ransome's Dock.
A great start to the New Year, now to some more healthy eating for the rest of January...
Yesterday, a group of us went to Ransome's Dock for lunch, and in his infinite wisdom, my husband pre-ordered a magnum of Billecart-Salmon rose. There's something about a magnum of champagne, the bottle just seems endless, although we always manage to finish it. The champagne was only eclipsed by the fantastic company and the most delicious dessert - a gingerbread pudding with ginger sauce, cream, and custard. It was to die for, the kind of cooking I've learned to expect at Ransome's Dock.
A great start to the New Year, now to some more healthy eating for the rest of January...
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Good Bye 2010
Having had such fantastic champagne at Christmas, my husband and I took a serious look at our stock and discussed what we wanted to put in the fridge for New Year's Eve. We had a lot of good choices...but we both agreed that having been disappointed with the bubbles in some of our recent bottles, we wanted a 'sure thing' for the evening, something that would taste great and be bubbly enough. In went a bottle of Billecart-Salmon brut reserve, my favourite of the Billecart's that we own.
I guess there's no such thing as a 'sure thing', though. We wrestled opened the champagne early on in the evening, the cork being particularly difficult to remove. It looked and tasted OK on opening. But halfway through my first glass, and unusually for this champagne, the bubbles disappeared. I couldn't believe it!! My husband and I agreed that, if we were drinking the brut reserve for the first time, we wouldn't have known it was an off bottle, just thought that it was only an OK champagne (and disappointing for the price). But knowing how stunning and bubbly this champagne usually is, we knew something wasn't quite right. Hopefully our one remaining bottle of this wine will be in top shape.
So good-bye to 2010. It went out with a bit of a fizzle, but we're really looking forward to 2011 and have a bottle of Maison Lenique in the fridge to welcome in the New Year!
I guess there's no such thing as a 'sure thing', though. We wrestled opened the champagne early on in the evening, the cork being particularly difficult to remove. It looked and tasted OK on opening. But halfway through my first glass, and unusually for this champagne, the bubbles disappeared. I couldn't believe it!! My husband and I agreed that, if we were drinking the brut reserve for the first time, we wouldn't have known it was an off bottle, just thought that it was only an OK champagne (and disappointing for the price). But knowing how stunning and bubbly this champagne usually is, we knew something wasn't quite right. Hopefully our one remaining bottle of this wine will be in top shape.
So good-bye to 2010. It went out with a bit of a fizzle, but we're really looking forward to 2011 and have a bottle of Maison Lenique in the fridge to welcome in the New Year!
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