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!!
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