Hey Art historians – here’s some real art for the Nouveau lover. A brief history of Nouveau from Georges Dubœuf.
2003 - Our first party in Guelph
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Tag Archives: Beaujolais
Road Trip? The Geography of French Wine
Reims to Rhone - the perfect iTrip
I am planning early for retirement. Champagne to Chateauneuf – that’s my first road trip! And I do believe that despite what my iPhone says, it will take more than 6 hours and 25 minutes. Here are the details …
The only thing I’ll need is a convertible as I already have a good-looking wife for the passenger seat (an essential part of retirement).
From the bubbles of Champagne to the Pinot Noirs of Burgundy I promise only to take country roads.
On to Beaujolais (which although technically part of Burgundy serves up Gamay grapes) where I can track down Georges Dubœuf and ask him why he connects his “o” and “e”.
Lyon is the most northern point of the Rhone and the gastronomic capital of the world. I am a gastronimic fan. We will stop for dinner.
The Northern Rhone Syrah wines inspired the Shiraz movement all over the world. It’s a good stopover before I get to my favorite French wine region – the Southern Rhone - where wines are made with a blend of as many as 13 grapes.
This trip needs some careful planning. Some further research is forthcoming as there is much to look forward to.
Labour Day Classic – Comfort Day
If you live in Ontario then you know that the Labour Day Classic features the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Other parts of Canada have similar “classics” that actually feature much better teams but I like my CFL local.
Labour day is the ultimate comfort day if you have anyone in your house that starts school tomorrow or teaches again after a summer in Europe. I have short ribs, from Valeriotes Market, braising in the oven (4 hours at 25o) and am making mashed potatoes to serve with them. This is a comfort wine day – the day when you reach in the cellar, or cupboard, and pull out an old favorite. These are the wines that I recommend becoming your old favorites.
1. Nero D’Avola LCBO 143164 | Price: $ 9.95 from Sicily – a simple red at a great price. Leave a couple in your basement at all times.
2. Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier LCBO 624494 | Price: $ 14.95 South Australia – a manly Shiraz on a cool day but she’ll like it too.
3. Bouchard Pere & Fils Gamay Macon LCBO 164582 | Price: $ 13.95 France. If it warms up outside today I may lightly chill my new favorite from the LCBO.
Go Argos!
Brouilly by DuBoeuf – everyday red
This is one of the most beautiful bottles you can buy. That’s why I put it in the “impress at a party” category. Even my earlier embarrassment over the Beaujolais region – Wine Lesson Number 1 – doesn’t stop me from recommending this great wine.
DUBOEUF BROUILLY, Beaujolais
LCBO 70540 |Price: $ 16.95
12.7%
Description
A Grand Cru, this Beaujolais is not so light and fruity that you want to gulp it, although it’s tempting and possible. There is nice structure so that the tannin works perfectly with the cherry and berry in the wine. Also, it comes in a cool bottle that will stand out on your table and impress as much as the wine. This should be served lightly chilled
Wine Lesson Number 1
Sometimes the best lessons we learn are learned “the hard way”, which is a nice way to say that we learned them “because of something incredibly stupid that we did”.
So it’s Christmas time in my house – actually in many other places as well – and the decision of what is the best wine to drink for Christmas dinner was on my mind. As I pondered, I realized that I forgot wine lesson number 1 – a lesson I learned the hard way.
While visiting France two summers ago I engaged Roger in conversation. Roger is a Parisian, a man who has lived through a coffee shortage in WWII, married well (a beautiful Brazilian professor), is smart enough to now live in Antibes, and of course is an expert in all things French. As we were talking I thought that I might impress him and get some information at the same time.
“What is your favorite region of Beaujolais?” I asked, thinking myself clever that I know a little about the wine regions in Burgundy. Roger paused (sighed), looked at me closely (too polite to spit at me), and with a slight tilt to his head (instead of shaking it) replied, “It depends on what you are eating”.
It depends on what I am eating. For me, time stopped as wine lesson number 1 slowly worked its way through my brain. I wanted to raise my arms, look heavenward, and scream out loud “Of course it depends what I’m eating!”.
The French are well-known for their patience with stupid foreigners, and yet Roger graciously allowed the conversation to continue. The sumac encrusted frenched lamb chops that I was going to make would require a Fleurie - of course I wanted a Fleurie! – but what I really wanted was to go back about 5 minutes ago so that I could stop myself from asking a stupid question.
So what did I learn? Don’t try to impress a Frenchman with a wine question, a lesson I will do doubt forget before my next visit. Also, that I wanted a Fleurie.
Come to think of it, for Christmas this year I want a Fleurie.
