We went to Ransome's Dock for lunch yesterday with some friends. We were keen to try some of the new Austrian wines that are on the wine list. We started with a lovely riesling, which we all agreed was a perfect match for the spring day!
As only some of us were having dessert, we decided to order a sparkling wine with that course so that those of us who weren't eating pudding could at least sip on something. The restaurant always has interesting things to choose from, and we selected the Miguel Torres Reserva de la Familia, a brut pinot noir sparkler from Chile. My past experiences with sparkling wines from Chile have been mixed - they can be very good and they can be a bit of nothing. But I trust Ransome's Dock, they're only going to put something good on their list. And this wine was very good!
It had tons of bubbles, always a big bonus for me. It also had a light, pleasing aroma, with hints of fresh flowers like jasmine combined with crisp orchard fruits. It tasted like juicy apples, with neither too much sweet or acid flavour. Best of all, it was enjoyed as much on its own as by those drinking it with their desserts, everyone around the table had positive things to say.
If I could find this in a shop, I would buy it as an easy-drinker at home. It can easily compete with the better proseccos and cavas that I've had, as well as some of the small-maker champagnes.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Not a Special Occasion
As I've been putting bottles of champagne on the champagne shelf in the refrigerator, I noticed that I tend to avoid 'the good stuff' - the vintage bottles that my husband gave me for Christmas - thinking that maybe I'll want them for something more special in future. But then I realised I wasn't walking the walk. These bottles deserve to be drunk to be enjoyed, not just on special occasions! So I put a bottle of Bruno Paillard NPU 1990 in the fridge, and we drank it on Saturday.
Seriously, there was nothing special going on. It was a nice day - we grilled steak, asparagus, and potatoes. And we really, really enjoyed the lovely richness of the champagne with it. It was a beautiful amber colour and tasted of stewed apples and yeast - dense fruit, with a long, rounded finish. As before, more bubbles in this champagne would make it perfect, but it was still pretty fantastic!
Seriously, there was nothing special going on. It was a nice day - we grilled steak, asparagus, and potatoes. And we really, really enjoyed the lovely richness of the champagne with it. It was a beautiful amber colour and tasted of stewed apples and yeast - dense fruit, with a long, rounded finish. As before, more bubbles in this champagne would make it perfect, but it was still pretty fantastic!
Friday, 25 March 2011
A Small Bottle
This is going to sound like a wierd thing to say, but I really like lentils. It's not the sort of food that makes most people (including my husband) go 'yum!', but for some reason, they do it for me. I always have an eye out for new recipes with lentils, and found a good one this week for lentil, spinach, and potato stew. I made it last night, a bit to my husband's dismay.
He perked up a bit as he smelled the stew cooking - but before we were ready to serve it, he started rummaging through the fridge, looking for something good to drink with the stew in case he didn't like it. Out came the bottle of Billecart-Salmon brut reserve. It seemed kind of extravagant drinking such a nice champagne with such a wholesome meal, but I wasn't going to turn down one of my favourite champagnes. It went really well with the lemony-minty flavours of the stew, too - which my husband even liked!!
On pouring our second glasses of champagne, though, my husband commented that we must have gotten a small bottle, as the champagne didn't seem to go as far as it usually does : )
He perked up a bit as he smelled the stew cooking - but before we were ready to serve it, he started rummaging through the fridge, looking for something good to drink with the stew in case he didn't like it. Out came the bottle of Billecart-Salmon brut reserve. It seemed kind of extravagant drinking such a nice champagne with such a wholesome meal, but I wasn't going to turn down one of my favourite champagnes. It went really well with the lemony-minty flavours of the stew, too - which my husband even liked!!
On pouring our second glasses of champagne, though, my husband commented that we must have gotten a small bottle, as the champagne didn't seem to go as far as it usually does : )
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Spring!
Saturday was a glorious day - brilliant sunshine, blue skies, the smell of hyacinths and daffodils in the air. How could you not drink champagne on a day like that? We opened a bottled of Maison Lenique 2004 in the afternoon, as we lounged in the garden with the FT, and sipped, and enjoyed, and relaxed. It was an 'aaahhh' sort of day.
Back to Borough Market
I had to go to Borough Market again on Friday - to buy shrimp for dinner and some meat for a meal I made this weekend. As usual, to reward myself for braving the crowds, I stopped into Bedales to see what bubbles they had. I chose a Brut Reserva Rose cava from Joan Sarda, thinking that it might complement the orange sauce I made with the shrimp. This wine is a 50/50 mix of grenache and monastrell grapes - an unusual combination for a sparkling wine.
The shrimp were delicious, the cava less so. I was surprised when my husband said he liked it. When I asked why he said it was because it actually had some flavour, unlike so many rose wines and cavas. But to me, the flavour was completely unbalanced. The cava hit the front of the tongue with an overpowering sweetness, and then milliseconds later hit the back of the tongue with an unpleasant sour taste that lingered. I just didn't like it. This was not a 'sip in the garden as an aperitif' sort of cava - it needed food to mask the sweet/sour dichotomy, and even then, the sour finish predominated.
A little disappointing from Bedales...but I have to say that I didn't ask for advice while I was there and, since they know my taste, they perhaps might have pointed me to something different.
The shrimp were delicious, the cava less so. I was surprised when my husband said he liked it. When I asked why he said it was because it actually had some flavour, unlike so many rose wines and cavas. But to me, the flavour was completely unbalanced. The cava hit the front of the tongue with an overpowering sweetness, and then milliseconds later hit the back of the tongue with an unpleasant sour taste that lingered. I just didn't like it. This was not a 'sip in the garden as an aperitif' sort of cava - it needed food to mask the sweet/sour dichotomy, and even then, the sour finish predominated.
A little disappointing from Bedales...but I have to say that I didn't ask for advice while I was there and, since they know my taste, they perhaps might have pointed me to something different.
Friday, 18 March 2011
No Real Reason...
My husband felt like having champagne with his leftovers for dinner last night, so since there was a bottle of Maison Lenique 2005 in the fridge we drank it! Champagne always tastes that much better when there's no real reason for drinking it.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Cauliflower Revival
I saw the Hairy Bikers campaign to save cauliflower on TV the other day and was reminded how much I like the vegetable, but how infrequently I buy/cook it. So I decided to serve it more often at home. Last week I made the roasted cauliflower that they demonstrated on the show and it was both incredibly easy and delicious. Following that, I found a recipe for cauliflower risotto in Jamie Oliver's Italy cook book, and decided to try it on Sunday along with some simply grilled pork chops. Both were wonderful and perfectly suited to the mild day we had - especially washed down with Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs. Who knew that cauliflower and champagne would be such a good match, but the nuttiness of the vegetable went so well with the grapefruit-crispness of the champagne. Another reason to eat more cauliflower!!
Friday, 11 March 2011
Clumsy
Me, not the champagne.
We had planned on making blueberry pancakes for dinner on Tuesday since it was 'Pancake Day' here in the UK. But my husband reminded me that it was also International Women's Day on Tuesday, and I couldn't figure out why I should cook that day, so we ordered in. We made the pancakes on Wednesday, instead. I still think that they're one of the best food matches for champagne (something most people won't put together since they only eat pancakes for breakfast), so we had a bottle of Maison Lenique 2005 with them.
While the champagne was faultless, I have to say that it wasn't my best meal. My hands weren't working very well and I had a hard time flipping the pancakes, especially since the spelt and corn meal blend that I used made them more delicate than wheat-flour pancakes. On top of that, I knocked a full glass of champagne off of the table, not only wasting perfectly good champagne but breaking one of my favourite and most expensive glasses - made even more expensive because HMRC charged me as much as the glasses cost to bring them across from the US!! Not my finest moment...
We had planned on making blueberry pancakes for dinner on Tuesday since it was 'Pancake Day' here in the UK. But my husband reminded me that it was also International Women's Day on Tuesday, and I couldn't figure out why I should cook that day, so we ordered in. We made the pancakes on Wednesday, instead. I still think that they're one of the best food matches for champagne (something most people won't put together since they only eat pancakes for breakfast), so we had a bottle of Maison Lenique 2005 with them.
While the champagne was faultless, I have to say that it wasn't my best meal. My hands weren't working very well and I had a hard time flipping the pancakes, especially since the spelt and corn meal blend that I used made them more delicate than wheat-flour pancakes. On top of that, I knocked a full glass of champagne off of the table, not only wasting perfectly good champagne but breaking one of my favourite and most expensive glasses - made even more expensive because HMRC charged me as much as the glasses cost to bring them across from the US!! Not my finest moment...
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Hooray for Me!
I found out yesterday that I passed the fourth project in my garden design course, which means I'm 2/3 done. I've been having mixed feelings about the course - while I enjoy gardening and learning, I'm a bit frustrated by the structure of the course and the learning process. Fed up enough that I had to remind myself last night that I should be celebrating the fact that I worked hard and passed. So we opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 with dinner and toasted my success. Everyone should take the time to pat themselves on the back every now and again...
Back to the Good Stuff
We had a kind of lazy weekend - I can't completely remember why or when, but we decided to have a bottle of champagne at some point. That completely fits with my theory behind champagne drinking...you don't need a good reason to open a bottle of champagne, just drink it because it's there to be enjoyed!!
I do remember the champagne, because it was very nice - G. Tribaut Cuvee de Reserve from the Champagne Warehouse. We've had this champagne before and really liked it. It held up to the memory, too - a very well-balanced wine, with just a touch of sweetness that didn't overwhelm or offend because of the perfect level of acidity of the wine, lacking any sour or bitter notes. It had a wonderful, grape-y flavour and tons of bubbles.
I should mention, too, that the Champagne Warehouse was recently named Best Online Champagne Retailer 2011, a well-deserved award. I've acquired some very nice champagnes and sparkling wines through them, and the team has always been helpful and lovely to work with. Cheers to them!
I do remember the champagne, because it was very nice - G. Tribaut Cuvee de Reserve from the Champagne Warehouse. We've had this champagne before and really liked it. It held up to the memory, too - a very well-balanced wine, with just a touch of sweetness that didn't overwhelm or offend because of the perfect level of acidity of the wine, lacking any sour or bitter notes. It had a wonderful, grape-y flavour and tons of bubbles.
I should mention, too, that the Champagne Warehouse was recently named Best Online Champagne Retailer 2011, a well-deserved award. I've acquired some very nice champagnes and sparkling wines through them, and the team has always been helpful and lovely to work with. Cheers to them!
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Last Bottle
We did it - we finally drank the last bottle of Philizot et Fils , the dreaded numero 2. My husband put it in the fridge figuring that we could drink it with some ribs that he made. We wouldn't ordinarily drink champagne with ribs, but thought the food would squelch some of the unpleasantness out of the numero 2.
My husband poured small glasses while we were cooking. To our surprise, the numero 2 was surprisingly drink-able. We're now left wondering if we got two bad bottles (improbable, but not impossible) or if we had simply steeled ourselves against the unusual taste of this champagne. We also agreed that, while this bottle wasn't as hard work as the previous ones, it's still not a champagne that we like. It smelled strongly of play-doh, brine, and sharp green herbs and tasted less like the black pepper of the first bottles, but still very bitter. It was OK with the ribs, but completely ruined the lovely sweetness and chocolately richness of the Green and Black's butterscotch eggs we had for dessert - not a go-with-chocolate drink!
I'm relieved to be done with this - not a feeling I often get with champagne!!
My husband poured small glasses while we were cooking. To our surprise, the numero 2 was surprisingly drink-able. We're now left wondering if we got two bad bottles (improbable, but not impossible) or if we had simply steeled ourselves against the unusual taste of this champagne. We also agreed that, while this bottle wasn't as hard work as the previous ones, it's still not a champagne that we like. It smelled strongly of play-doh, brine, and sharp green herbs and tasted less like the black pepper of the first bottles, but still very bitter. It was OK with the ribs, but completely ruined the lovely sweetness and chocolately richness of the Green and Black's butterscotch eggs we had for dessert - not a go-with-chocolate drink!
I'm relieved to be done with this - not a feeling I often get with champagne!!
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
More US Bubbles
I returned to London yesterday from my trip to the US. Before I left, I had tracked down a couple of lesser-known but well-received US sparkling wines to bring back with me, and I put one of them in the fridge right after I unpacked. My husband and I had it with dinner last night - Biltmore Estate Chateau Reserve 2008 Blanc de Blancs (North Carolina).
I have a complaint right off about this wine. It was supposed to be a 2006 vintage - this is what is advertised on their website and what I ordered. At no point did they inform me that I would be getting a different vintage - perhaps most of their customers don't care about this, but I do. So points lost right there.
For the price (around $25 for the bottle) this wine was comparable to some of the proseccos that I've drunk. It's a very light wine, with sour apple flavour hitting the mid-palate followed by just a flash of sweetness and no finish. The bubbles were fine on pouring, but quickly dissipated. I was a little disappointed with it - perhaps the 2006 was as stunning as some of the reviews I read and the 2008 just doesn't compare. But I wouldn't waste the effort tracking down the 2006...
We followed the Biltmore Estate up with glasses of Maison Lenique 2005 - a world of difference between the two wines with the Maison Lenique having more creamy apple and yeast flavours, a denser, richer, altogether nicer wine. It satisfied my craving for a good glass of bubbly, something the Biltmore Estate wine didn't achieve.
I have a complaint right off about this wine. It was supposed to be a 2006 vintage - this is what is advertised on their website and what I ordered. At no point did they inform me that I would be getting a different vintage - perhaps most of their customers don't care about this, but I do. So points lost right there.
For the price (around $25 for the bottle) this wine was comparable to some of the proseccos that I've drunk. It's a very light wine, with sour apple flavour hitting the mid-palate followed by just a flash of sweetness and no finish. The bubbles were fine on pouring, but quickly dissipated. I was a little disappointed with it - perhaps the 2006 was as stunning as some of the reviews I read and the 2008 just doesn't compare. But I wouldn't waste the effort tracking down the 2006...
We followed the Biltmore Estate up with glasses of Maison Lenique 2005 - a world of difference between the two wines with the Maison Lenique having more creamy apple and yeast flavours, a denser, richer, altogether nicer wine. It satisfied my craving for a good glass of bubbly, something the Biltmore Estate wine didn't achieve.
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