Flutes of Fancy

Just in time for New Year's Eve...some alternative options for breaking out the bubbly.

Happy New Year!

Here's to a festive and happy New Year's Eve. Whatever you are eating and drinking, may it be fun.

Bonne annee! A votre sante!

The Art of the Aperitif

Looking for some cocktail ideas for your holiday party? Check out my recent article about aperitifs...

A light red that's just right

Here in Virginia, a lot of winemakers are fond of making reds with Cabernet Franc--not using it for blending, as it done in Bordeaux, but all by itself, as is done in the Loire. Unfortunately, for me, many of the resulting wines don't taste like a true expression of Cabernet Franc, but as an unripe Cabernet Sauvignon.

Head to the Loire Valley, though, and there are some beautiful examples of what the grape can do on its own. The other evening, I made a ham that had a glaze of ground cloves, brown sugar, hot pepper jelly and apricot preserves. I would typically open up a bottle of Gewurz with this dish, but I didn't happen to have any on hand. I opted instead for a lighter red, selecting a 2006 Les Gravieres Chinon from Couly Dutheil. It turned out to be a perfect match.

The wine is soft and supple, with a nice amount of red berry fruit flavor. It had a light to medium body, but could definitely hold its own against the ham's strong glaze. It came highly recommended to me by King Farm Wine Shop in Gaithersburg. You can purchase it there for about $17 a bottle.

Wheel in the Bubbly

I enjoyed many things about my dinner at Proof in DC last evening. Perhaps my favorite part, however, was the cart that was wheeled to my table at the beginning of the meal. It didn't hold cheeses (though I would have been quite happy if it had...), and thank God it didn't have raw, wrapped pieces of beef like a certain steakhouse chain who will remain nameless (honestly, if I wanted to pick out my own piece of beef, I would go to the supermarket. I came to a steakhouse because I trust the chef to pick out the best cuts.)

No, this particular cart contained shaved ice, and about eight different kinds of Champagne and sparkling wine. In short, for a bubbly-phile like me, it was a dream come true. Wine director Sebastian Zutant described each of the bottles, before we made our decision (and it was very, very difficult to do.)

In my mind, there is just no better way to start a meal than with a sparkler. Kudos to Proof for a classy beginning to a meal there.

*Almost* Champagne

I think Cremant de Bourgogne is an absolute steal when it comes to sparkling wine. After all, it's made in Burgundy, where the two major permitted grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And Chardonnay and Pinot also just happen to be two of the three grapes (along with Pinot Meunier) that are permitted in true French Champagne.

But the similarities don't end there. Cremant de Bourgogne is bottle fermented in the traditional method, so it has small bubbles and complex notes. All at a fraction of the price of the stuff from a bit up north. Yet, it's still French, so a Champagneophile needn't feel too much like a traitor.

If you have not yet tried a Cremant de Bourgogne, a good producer with which to start is Louis Bouillot. His Perle de Nuit Blanc de Noirs is a beautiful bottle. It's made with Pinot Noir and some Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais). The color is light gold, with just a tinge of pink or salmon, depending on the light. It's fermented for 24 months, which is 15 months longer than what the law requires. This adds to its full mouth feel and complexity. But it still finishes cleanly.

Try it with scallops with beurre blanc for an intimate New Year's Eve dinner. At less than $20 a bottle, you can also serve it during larger parties.

"Playin' With the Queen of Hearts"

Ahhh...Juice Newton. I'm showing my age, but I remember that song when I was a kid of about seven. And I couldn't help but hum it when sipping the 2005 Queen of Hearts Santa Barbara County Sauvignon Blanc from Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards. It had a lot of attractive honeysuckle floral notes on the nose, but for me, that was as far as it went.

The tasting notes say the wine was done in partial oak. But I'm partial to SBs done in stainless steel and only stainless steel. (That's probably why I don't drink many from California. To borrow a page from the script of Forrest Gump, "you never know what you're gonna get".) It's not always evident from the label. And one wine maker's "subtle" use of oak in SB may be too much for some drinkers, myself included.

OK, so it tastes to me like a California "Chardonnay-light." That wouldn't be so bad, but the wine also tasted a bit "hot" to me. So it just didn't end as crisp as I would have liked it too.

However, if you prefer this style of Sauvignon Blanc, the retail price is $10. You can get more info from L&L's website.

Great Wine Escape Weekend

Here is a recap of the Great Wine Escape Weekend held in Monterey last month. It was a phenomenal weekend of great food and wine, and the scenery was breathtaking too. It's a yearly event, so plan ahead for next year...you won't be disappointed.

Hahn Estates 2005 Central Coast Vent de Lucia Dry Rose

I usually think of dry roses as something to enjoy during warmer weather, maybe during a picnic or casual dinner on the deck. But at a winemaker dinner during my recent trip to Monterey for the Great Wine Escape Weekend, I sipped a dry rose that would be delish anytime of the year. There are only two words to describe the Hahn Estates 2005 Central Coast Vent de Lucia Dry Rose: "spicy strawberries." There are gobs of them, both on the nose and on the palate. The wine is made in the saignee style, and it's very similar to a Bandol. The grape breakdown is Syrah/Mourvedre/Pinot Noir, in almost equal amounts, and the color is a bit more intense than some other roses out there.

Try it with some seared duck breast or roasted pork tenderloin this season. But get your hands on it while it lasts--it's almost gone.

(Thanks so much to Hahn winemaker Adam Lazarre, and Hospitality Coordinator Angie Newton for sending me a few bottles by which to remember my trip. Salute! :-) )