What to pair with a white wine from Rioja? Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce. Well, I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.
This recipe was inspired by “Spain on a fork”. This is a great site to search for Spanish inspired dishes!
This recipe is quick and easy, with maybe 15 minutes tops of actual cooking time on the stove. You can use fish other than cod also, just be aware that the cooking time may need to adjust if you have a lighter or meatier fish.
As we were pairing this with a white wine from Rioja, and the dish calls for wine…well, since it only required 1/2 cup, I used the wine I would be serving it with. This helps tie the pairing together.
We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.
The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.
Cod in a White Wine and Saffron Sauce
Ingredients
2 – 7 to 8 oz cod fillets
2 tbs olive oil
½ small yellow onion chopped
1 clove of garlic finely minced
¼ cup diced red pepper
½ tsp saffron threads
½ cup dry white wine
Salt & pepper
Fresh chives
Lemon zest
Directions
Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
Cook 3 minutes
Add the garlic
Cook 30 seconds
Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper
Add the wine
Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
Cover and cook 4 minutes
Carefully flip the fillets.
Cover and cook another 4 minutes
Remove from heat.
Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
Garnish with chives and lemon zest.
Additional sides
We roasted some potatoes with lemon and put together a salad with seared lemon slices, goat cheese, and almonds topped with a honey & white wine vinaigrette.
This all comes together pretty quickly! The potatoes can roast while you cook the cod! I did need a minute to sear the lemon slices, which I did in a pan with olive oil and a little brown sugar.
Watch for the potato recipe coming soon!
Finca Alto Cantabria from Conde Valdemar
The White Rioja we paired with this dish is made of 100% Viura which is the predominant white grape in the Spanish Region of Rioja. This region is mostly known for its red wines based on the red grape Tempranillo, but barrel-aged white wines are also traditional in this area.
Finca Alto Cantabria Viura 2017 from Conde Valdemar
Yield: 2
Cod in a white wine and Saffron Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
What to pair with a white wine from Rioja? Well I knew it wanted to be a Spanish inspired dish. With the wine we had which was 100% Viura I knew that I needed a flavorful dish for this oak-aged white wine, as while it would be bright, it would also be rich and the dish would need to stand up to that. I settled on fish cooked in a sauce and this recipe for cod cooked in white wine and saffron came close to what I was looking for in the flavor profile.
Ingredients
2 – 7 oz cod fillets
2 tbs olive oil
½ small yellow onion chopped
1 clove of garlic finely minced
¼ cup diced red pepper
½ tsp saffron threads
½ cup dry white wine
Salt & pepper
Fresh chives
Lemon zest
Instructions
Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper
Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat
Let this warm for a minute and add the onion and red pepper
Cook 3 minutes
Add the garlic and stir
Cook 30 seconds
Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper and stir
Add the wine
Bring to a boil then add the cod fillets
Cover and cook 4 minutes
Carefully flip the fillets. Cover and cook another 4 minutes
Remove from heat.
Plate the cod, spooning the sauce over it.
Garnish with chives and lemon zest.
Notes
We served this with roasted lemon potatoes and a salad with seared lemon, goat cheese and almonds with a white wine & honey vinaigrette.
The wine was a beautiful Finca Alta Cantabria from Conde Valdemar made of 100% Viura fermented and aged in New French Oak.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
The end of 2020 has been fast and furious! We are sneaking in a little quiet time, between planning for 2021. It’s that time of year when we grab the calendar and fill in those wine and food industry events for the upcoming year.
With so much being still in limbo, we have mostly virtual conferences to begin the year, but we do have hope that we will be able to get back to live events before the end of the year.
Here is a sampling of some of the Wine and Food Industry Events we have discovered for this next year. We would love it if you would share any others that you know of, in the comments!
International Food Influencer Virtual Summit and Conference
January, March, May, July and October!
We attended the Virtual International Food Bloggers Conference this past year. While this is not a wine event, it is produced by the same folks that do the Wine Media Conference (more on that later).
It was a whirlwind few days packed with sessions on writing, social media, photography, video and live-streaming, and more. Many of the sessions applied directly to Wine Media and others that were more food-centric were appealing, as we often do wine and recipe pairings.
This year, they have scheduled multiple shorter events, the first of which will happen on January 15th and will focus on Social Media with sessions on Instagram Stories, Advanced Content Marketing, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.
They offer an a la carte registration at $7 per session or you can get an All-Access pass for $25. Both include access to the appropriate recordings in case you cannot join live at the time of the conference.
Additional Virtual Summits will happen throughout the year
March 18 – Website + SEO virtual summit
May 12 – Monetization virtual summit
July 13 – Productivity virtual summit
All leading up to the in-person conference scheduled for El Paso in October!
The Oregon Wine Symposium is a conference developed to deliver education and current research to the Oregon wine industry.
It will be held this year in February as a Virtual event from February 16th to 19th.
Along with a virtual trade show, there are sessions on Viticulture, Enology, Business as well as Networking sessions in this 4-day Virtual event.
Leaf removal, Creating an Inclusive Workplace Culture, Grape Smoke Exposure Impacts, Cover Crops, DTC, Advertising Strategies for Social Median and e-commerce, Dealing with Extreme heat events, Barrels and Wine distribution are just a few of the topics of sessions that will be covered.
In addition to the sessions, the Keynote will be given by Futurist Steve Brown of Possibility & Purpose. Steve was the Chief Evangelist at Intel, imagining the world 15 years in the future. He will be speaking on business in the post-pandemic world.
This is great for anyone in the Oregon Wine Industry and I feel grateful to be invited to attend to learn more on this plethora of subjects!
They have early bird rates available until January 15th!
I attended the Somm Con Virtual Conference this past year and was thrilled with the 5 days of amazing speakers covering so many of the world’s wine regions. The sessions were all recorded and through SommGo I could go back and rewatch any that I needed to and catch any that I might have missed.
This was an amazing educational event.
The next Somm Con Virtual Conference is set for March 14th-16th and will have over 25 sessions live and recorded covering wine, beer, and spirits.
The full schedule will be released in February and they have early bird passes available right now for $75.
Finally, if we are lucky, we get to an in-person event.
This conference was scheduled for last year and due to the pandemic was postponed. We attended the virtual conference that was held, which had great information, but when you are a wine writer, there is nothing like being out in the vineyard.
The conference is scheduled for August 5-7 in Eugene Oregon and they are working hard on all the safety precautions to make this happen.
Also, there are pre and post excursions into wine country that will feature Southern Oregon as well as the Willamette Valley.
We have attended a few of these conferences in the past at locations including: Santa Barbara, California; Walla Walla, Washington; and most recently in 2019 New South Wales, Australia!
One of the fun sessions during the conference are the Red and White Wine Socials. These are speed tasting session, with 5 minutes with each winemaker and wine. You can see some of that in action at this link! Speed dating for wine – Red Wine Social at the Wine Media Conference
In addition, the Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference will be happening in Oregon on August 3-5, produced by the same company. They do offer discounts if you want to attend this conference in addition to the Wine Media Conference. For details on that conference head to https://winetourismconference.org/
VirtualWineEvents.com
Of course, there are many more virtual events available out there worldwide! Amber of Spitbucket, worked fast at the top of the pandemic to create a hub for listing all of the many available events. You can find that at https://virtualwineevents.com/events
Search by date or type, see what is popular! Some of these are Wine and Food Industry Events and many are open to consumers. There are listings for paid classes as well as free events including IG Live events. They have also added a section for searching for videos. If you are researching or studying wine, this is an amazing resource!
They have had an inside look at seeing the way that consumers are interacting and what they are looking for, which is really fascinating. Some of the things Amber shared with me included their 7-month engagement rate by country. Australia led with the UK and US following. Next up was Hong Kong, followed by Canada, South Africa, India, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand. Yes, this is just one site, but it’s an interesting look inside where wine consumers looking for Virtual Wine Events are located. I look forward to seeing how the data on engagement from their site lines up with what the future of the industry is. (if you are into this kind of geeky details, check out the recent Twitter thread that Amber shared on their analytics! https://twitter.com/SpitbucketBlog/status/1344286105449988097)
Other Wine and Food Industry Events?
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I know that there are many more wine and food industry events both Virtual and hopefully in-person coming up in 2021! Share with us what you are looking forward to in the new year in the comments!
Wine & Food Industry Events we have covered in the past
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
When I say Bordeaux you probably immediately think of big red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. It would be rarer, but perhaps you think of Sauternes, the sweet white wines from the southern part of Bordeaux. Well, we are heading that direction this month with the French #Winophiles.
We are led this month by Linda Whipple of My Full Wine Glass and Jeff Burrows of Food, Wine, Click. You can read Linda’s Invitation post here.
If you are reading this in time, you can join us on Twitter for a conversation on these wines and what each of the French #Winophiles chose to pair with them! Saturday, November 21st at 8 am PST (I know it’s early, but it’s fun!) on Twitter. Just follow and use #Winophiles to join in the conversation.
How Sweet wines began in Bordeaux
Sweet wines find their start in Bordeaux in the 1600s when the Dutch arrived bringing with them a taste for sweet wines and a bit of knowledge from their travel through Hungary where you find Tokaji and Germany with their Rieslings.
43% of the sweet wine in Bordeaux comes from Sauternes, which is delicious, but we are digging deeper and we are talking about the other 57%.
Vignoble de Bordeaux
The Grapes of Sweet Bordeaux
White grapes of Bordeaux are primarily Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle with Sémillon being the shining star of the sweet wines. Sauvignon Blanc is added for its citrus notes and Muscadelle in smaller quantities for its floral aromas and smooth texture. You will find areas where Sauvignon Gris is included, a mutation of Sauvignon blanc.
Noble rot of a wine grape, botrytised grapes - Photo adobe stock evryka23
Botrytis Cinerea
Botrytis Cinerea, the magical fungus that creates these sweet wines, is known as “Noble Rot”. It is actually the same fungus that eats up the oranges that you have left too long in the fridge.
Here’s the deal. When Botrytis Cinerea is in a constantly humid environment, it is Grey Rot (like on that old orange in your fridge), but if, as in this region, you have humid mornings followed by dry afternoons, it becomes Noble Rot. Affecting grapes with thin skins, it grows in the morning humidity and is kept in check by the afternoon dryness. This shrivels the berries, concentrating the sugars and acids, and imparts its own flavors of honey and dried mushroom.
The regions in Bordeaux for Sweet Wines
Head south from Bordeaux on the Garonne River and you will find 8 AOCs with sweet white wines:
Bordeaux Supérieur, Cadillac, Cérons, Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire, Loupiac, Moelleux, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.
Head to SweetBordeaux.com for all sorts of wonderful details on the regions for sweet wines.
Bordeaux Vineyard at sunrise in autumn Entredeuxmers Langoiran Gironde France - photo adobe stock by FreeProd
Styles of sweet wines in Bordeaux
Liquoreux – This is the sweeter style. They are more concentrated, sometimes (when the year is right) they are made from grapes with botrytis, that noble rot that concentrates and sweetens the berries.
Moelleux – These are semi-sweet wines. Here fermentation is stopped when the sweetness level desired is reached, killing off the yeast before it eats all the sugar so that some is left in the wine. This style is its own AOC and covers the entirety of the region.
*We received 4 sample bottles of wine for this tasting. The wines were provided free of charge, all opinions are our own.
In 1954 Henri DuCourt acquired this property with vineyards of white grapes planted on loamy soils, in the Entre-Deux-Mers. They have 26 hectares here at Château La Hargue planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Sauvignon Gris.
Bottled under the Bordeaux AOC it is made in the Moelleux style. This wine is best enjoyed young and they suggested that it would pair with foie gras, grilled fish, desserts including chocolate desserts, and bleu cheese.
The Details:
Moelleux style
Blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon
Aged in Stainless Steel
Annual production 80,000 bottles
ABV 11%
SRP $15.00
Our Notes:
This was the lightest of the 4 wines in color. It was almost clear in the glass with flecks of green. The nose had florals reminiscent of honeysuckle nectar, those tiny sips that we would drink like fairies as a child. There were rocks, and limestone, and pear. It is semi-sweet but very clean and refreshing.
Within the AOC Premières-Côtes-de-Bordeaux Moelleux in the District of Langoiran you find Château Tanesse. This Château is owned by the Famille Gonfrier, who own 19 Chateaux.
“Located on a high hillock among Langoiran’s sloping vineyards, this Bordeaux charterhouse was built during the second half of the 18th century by the Tanesse family. The property is surrounded by 30 hectares of vineyard atop very old foundations. Overlooking Langoiran’s medieval 13th-century castle, a magnificent panoramic view stretches from the edge of the Sauternais to the outskirts of Bordeaux while following the meanders of the Garonne River.”
Muscadelle vinified in Stainless Steel, then aged in barrels
Sauvignon, partially vinified in oak
Average Vine Age: 17 years
ABV 12.5%
SRP $16.00
Our Notes:
This wine was a very light clear lemon color. Sweeter on the nose than the La Hargue, I got less floral and more dried apricot. On the palate I noticed vanilla and musky fruit (Muscadelle) with light spices. It reminded Michael of the sauce in a baked apple pie. It had enough acid to make my mouth water.
Produced by Y. Armand & Fils. The Armand family owns Château La Rame and Château La Caussande. This is a family affair. Between the 2 Chateaux they have 50 hectares of vines over 6 AOCs, making sweet white wines from 2 AOC’s Cadillac and Sainte Croix du Mont. Our wine came from Sainte Croix du Mont.
There are 8 hectares of vines in a clay-limestone soil that has a unique sub-soil with fossilize oyster beds dating back to the 1st tertiary era (22 million years ago).
The Details:
Licoureux style
95% Sémillon 5% Savignon Blanc
Aged in SS and 30% oak
Average vine age: 50 yrs
Production 24,000 bottles per year.
SRP $35
Our Notes:
This wine was a golden yellow color with a nose of caramel, apple, sweet syrup with fruit, and concentrated honeysuckle. On the palate I got more of the spice notes like candied ginger droplets. It was warmer and toastier with fruit notes. Sweeter than the other two being in the liquoreux style, but still light on the palate.
Made by Famille Boyer who own Chateau du Cros in Loupiac, Chateau Haut Mayne in Cerons and Clos Bourbon in Paillet.
The backstory…in 1196 Richard the Lionheart allow the construction of the “Vieux Chateau du Cros. During the Hundred Years’ War, it was partially destroyed. Built back over time it passed finally to Francois Thevenot in 1921. It was inhabited until 1940 when it was requisitioned by the German Army, it was damaged during the German occupation and fell to ruin.
While the Chateau itself is ruined, the estate is thriving. 60 hectares of vineyards surround the medieval castle on the hill overlooking the Garonne.
Francois Thevenot’s Great, great-granddaughter Catherine d’Hulluin Boyer now runs the vineyard, taking over from her father in 2004.
The vineyard is just 80 meters from the Garonne on the right bank. The hill is 90% limestone.
The Details:
Liquoreux Style
90% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon, 5% Muscadelle
Average age of vines 60 years
Manual harvest with 5 successive sortings
12 months aging in barrels
Production: 22,000 bottles per year
ABV 13%
SRP $30.00
Our Notes:
This was the darkest of the wines, almost copper in the bottle, appearing more golden in the glass. It had deeper fruit notes of cooked nectarine with spices and vanilla, and poached pear notes. It was very well balanced.
Pairings from opposite sides of the globe
I spent quite a bit of time searching for pairings. Down the rabbit hole of the interwebs, I found all sorts of amazing things and spent hours and hours finding fascinating information. In the end, we settled on two meals. One featuring Asian flavors and the other leaning more French.
Asian inspired lunch of Thai Pumpkin Soup
and
Spring Onion & Ginger Cod with Fried Noodles
Knowing that Thai food and Riesling are super compatible, I decided to venture to Asian flavors with our sweet wines.
We began with a Thai Pumpkin Soup. I found this recipe at “Dishing Out Health“.
It all cooks in the dutch oven. The quick version: sauté carrots and onions, add tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes, add red curry paste, ginger, and garlic pumpkin spice, and then Pumpkin puree & vegetable broth. Finish with coconut milk and lime juice.
For the cod dish, I riffed off this recipe from Ang Sarap.
It included thinly sliced ginger soaked in Chinese cooking wine, so I used the La Hargue instead!
The fish is marinated and deep-fried which is not something I do very often. This gets tossed with a sauce of fish sauce, soy, sugar, cornstarch, pepper, and chicken stock, as well as the drained ginger, minced garlic, and spring onions.
We served this with fried noodles. Just some good ramen noodles, cooked then fried in oil and tossed with a sauce of brown sugar, soy, and fish sauce.
Asian cuisine pairing with the Sweet Bordeaux
This pairing was good! The La Hargue was fresh with just a touch of sweetness and had enough acid to cut through the thick umami of the fish dish and picking up the ginger in that dish. The acid was just right to pair with the Thai soup and would have been good with this even if it had been even spicier.
The other wines each played off the bit of spice and umami, each was good in its own way. I did find that the Chateau du Cros from Lupiac reached in and pulled out umami notes in the soup.
The wines all went well with the sweetness and umami of the cod dish and the savory noodles.
The French lunch – Gratin de butternut a la d’Auvergne & Carmelized Fennel Salad
I made two small gratins with diced butternut squash, crème, d’Auvergne cheese which is a soft cow’s milk bleu cheese, topped with walnuts and parmesan cheese.
For the caramelized fennel salad, I made just enough for two servings out of one large bulb of fennel. It was really good and I wish I’d made more. Check out the recipe here and feel free to double or quadruple it!
You slice rounds of the fennel and cook the rounds in butter and olive oil. Set those aside and add a mixture of sugar, salt, and pepper cooking for 30 seconds, then toss the fennel back in to coat and cook just a little more.
Scrape this into a bowl, including all the delicious crusty bits. Toss with minced garlic, shallot rings, and some dill.
I plated this on a bed of arugula and topped it with crumbled goat cheese, lemon zest, olive oil and garnished with fennel fronds.
The French pairing with the Sweet Bordeaux
These dishes really won the day. The gratin made the La Hargue appear sweeter, and enhanced the Château Tanesse aromatics. The caramelized fennel salad was delicious and brightened in contrast with the 2 sweeter wines, especially with the Château du Cros Loupiac.
Yes, of course, there was dessert!
Of course the first thing that comes to mind when pairing Sweet Bordeaux wines is dessert. I found a beautiful recipe for Dark chocolate pudding with pears. I made homemade pudding, not the kind from a box. It was my first time and it seized. Oh well, we ate it anyway and it made a pretty picture.
I enjoyed the wines with the pears, which were drizzled in honey as the slices cooked and caramelized in the pan. I found this went best with the two sweetest wines the Château La Rame & the Chateau du Cros.
But my dessert pairings were not done! The next day I made a peach crumble. Here the dessert came out beautifully AND it paired wonderfully.
The French #Winophiles
Check out what my French #Winophile Colleagues thought of these and other Sweet Bordeaux wines and what fantastic things they paired with them!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Roussillon. It’s not a French wine region that you hear much about. But that is changing. This month the French #Winophiles are digging into this region and of course, we are not doing it the easy way. In a region known for its fortified wines, we are taking the road less traveled and exploring their white wines.
We are led this month by Lynn of Savor the Harvest. She did a thorough piece explaining the region, that you can find here. As well as a preview post you can see here.
Join us on Saturday, July 18th at 11 am EST (or 8 am PST) on Twitter as we discuss the wines of this region. Scroll to the bottom to see the other pieces written by this group of wine writers on the subject.
Where is Roussillon?
Let’s start with where we are. We are in France. We probably gave that away, since this is the French #Winophiles. And, this is the South of France. Can you smell the garrigue?
Map of French Wine Regions
The Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Region in France
We are on the west side of where the Rhone River empties into the Mediterranean sea, in the Languedoc/Roussillon region. Specifically, we are in Roussillon, the southern part of the region, bordered to the east by the Mediterranean sea, the west by the Pyrenees and the south by Spain.
From snow-capped peaks to the Mediterranean Sea
When people discuss beautiful wine regions, this should be at the top of their list. Take a moment, immerse yourself in this slideshow of this stunning region with it’s diverse beauty.
View of the Catalan Pyrenees, a natural park in France by Leonid Andronov, Adobe Stock
Vignoble avec vue sure le Mont Canigou dans les Pyrenees Orientales (France) by matteo Scarano Adobe Stock
Haute Pyrenees et Pyrenees Orientales by Jimjag Adobe Stock
Coastal path in the Paulliles Bay, France by ThePP66 Adobe Stock
Colors French town and castle Collioure by JackF Adobe Stock
Beautiful dramatic sunset sky over small bay of Collioure, France by DigiHand
316 days of sun. 37 stunning miles of coastline with the snow-capped Pyrenees rising inland. The area is sheltered in an amphitheater created by mountain ranges. North you have the Corbieres, West the Pyrenees-Orientales and Mont Canigou, Alberes to the south, and of course the Mediterranean Sea to the east. Then the rivers the Agly, the Tet and the Tech, cut through the region, creating it’s 3 valleys.
The winds here are similar to the Mistral in Provençe. Here however, the winds come from 8 directions. These winds keep the grapes dry and pest free.
The History
This is one of the earliest regions for wine in France, with 28 Centuries of winegrowing under it’s belt. The Phoenicians brought wine grapes to the shores of the region in 624 BC.
Tautavel on the northern edge of the region is home to the cave Caune de l’Arago in which the oldest human remains known in Europe were found. Tautavel Man dates back 450,000 years.
The region’s name has two sources; ruscinos was the name for the small prehistoric houses in the capital city Perpignan. The name also refers to the red clay, schist, and limestone soil found in the vineyards, rousse for a shade of red and sillon for furrow. (Source Roussillon Wine – Ten Facts That May Surprise You by Liz thatch MW)
The beauty of the region has attracted artists such as Dali, Matisse and Picasso. As such it is scattered with museums and of course cafes.
The Culture – French Catalonia
This region is considered French Catalonia or often called Northern Catalonia. As recently as 2017 there was a push for declaring independence from both France & Spain. The people here consider themselves Catalan and the Spanish influence is apparent.
Foods here often have a Catalan influence. You find seafood stews, paella, shellfish as well as lots of vegetables and olives and meals are often more of a tapas style.
The Wines & Vineyards
Vineyards in the region can be quite diverse in soil, climate and aspect. 3 rivers and 8 winds, means multiple valleys, with soils that change as they are washed or eroded down and microclimates from different aspects in these nooks and crannies of the terrain.
While known for Vin Doux Naturel, over 80% of the wines are dry. Here you find the highest percentage of organic and biodynamic vineyards by hectare in France. There are 24 grape varieties in the region. For still wines, you will find most often, red blends of grenache, syrah, mourvédre and carignan and white blends of grenache blanc & gris as well as macabeu.
Maury
The wine we chose came from Maury, an area known for it’s vin doux naturel. Our wine is labeled AOC Cotes du Rousillon Blanc, not because it does not come from Maury, but because it is not a vin doux naturel. The Maury AOC only permits fortified vin doux naturel wines.
Maury sits on the northern edge of the region in what I find repeatedly referred to as “the hinterlands” in the Agly valley. I have a friend whose parents own a B & B in the region, and the photos I have seen of the region are enchanting. It’s a place in the universe that I intend to visit.
Mas Amiel and the gambling bishop
The story… almost 2 centuries ago, the Bishop of Perpignan and Civil engineer Raymond Etienne Amiel are gambling. The bishop bets a piece of land “Domain de Goudous” in a game of cards and Raymond wins. Thus begins Mas Amiel.
Purchased by Olivier Decelle in 1999, this is now the largest private cellar in Maury. The property, which when the Bishop lost it had just 10 hectares of vines, now has 170 hectares planted. Yields, as they tend to be in Roussillon, are small.
While there remains high demand for the sweet wines and it remains more than half of what they produce, they are beginning to focus on dry wines.
Mas Amiel Vertigo Blanc 2015
MA (Mas Amiel) 2015 Vertigo. A white wine blend of Grenache Blanc blended with Maccabeu, Roussanne and Marsanne. From Maury in the Roussillon wine region in the South of France.
This dry white wine is a blend of grenache blanc, maccabeu, roussanne, and marsanne. The grapes are grown on schist laden slopes that face southwest. These are younger parcels in the area of Mas de Las Fredes. This wine is aged in vats on fine lees until bottling.
Our Pairing
So what to pair this with? I was channeling the Mediterranean. While this winery is inland, I can picture the Maury River, running into the Agly, and out to the sea. As this was a white wine, it was calling a bit for seafood. We cooked up some mussels and had some crusty bread. We also paired with bleu cheese stuffed olives, nectarines, capers, green apple, prosciutto (as I lacked any Jamon), goat cheese, almonds, and anchovies.
Tasting Notes
The color was a medium yellow, deeper than I was expecting. The nose upon opening was heavy with petrol. After being open a bit, it mellowed to beeswax and slate and carried apricot and stone fruit notes. On the palate, it was dry with medium acidity and pronounced flavors of unripe peach, Meyer lemon, and lemon pith. It was heavier than expected in the mouth, rich yet clean, with a long finish. It is a wine that takes itself seriously. Perhaps as it is a 2015, this adds to its weight and maturity. Of course, the lees aging adds to the mouthfeel. It retails at $25.99.
So, will I venture this way again?
Absolutely. I am enchanted with the region, the snow-capped mountains, the lakes and rivers, and then the shore of the Mediterranean. I will vacation here virtually, traveling in a bottle, any day of the week. This was just a dive into one white wine. With the variety of soils and microclimates, grape varieties and styles, there are many more wines of Roussillon to explore.
16 More pieces on wines of Roussillon by The French #Winophiles
I am lucky to be in good company. The posts below will give you more insights and perspectives on this region and its wines. You can also join us on Twitter for a chat on Saturday, July 18th. You can follow us using the hashtag #Winophiles. But if you have a comment we would love to hear from you, don’t be shy! The chat starts at 8am PDT
I mentioned I have a friend whose parents own a magical place near Maury. If you are heading to the area and want an enchanting place to stay, look up Villa du Parc in Prades https://www.villa-du-parc.com/ And if you find you are in need of a Yoga Class while there my friend Anouck teaches in Perpignan. Yep…this is really a region I need to visit. In the meantime, I will close my eyes, sip a glass of Roussillon wine, and daydream of my visit.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
The world has changed. The current pandemic has thrown many of our plans into disarray, if not canceled them completely. When faced with this sudden change, we innovate and over the past months, I have seen quite a bit of innovation. This is a way to get by and make it work, while people are trapped and can’t travel. But truthfully, some of it has turned out to be easier and more effective than the way we were doing things before. I anticipate many of these innovations will stay around and become normal.
Just last year, I took a class online. It was a weekly class and the format allowed for comment and questions live through the interface. I also did some online seminars, scattered in with trips to wine country.
Now that we cannot travel, this has become the norm. I attend Zoom “Happy Hours” with friends and wine colleagues, and Zoom reunions and family gatherings. This might not replace the real thing forever, but in many of these cases, many more people were able to attend. While flying in or driving was not an option, by cell phone or from their home office or laptop in a coffee shop was easy. Perhaps, for now, this is our replacement for in-person events. I do thing, in the future, this will be integrated into events, allowing us to gather electronically, more often that we were able to in person.
I have had the opportunity to interact with people in the wine industry much more in the past few months than ever before. Daily I can attend Facebook and Instagram Live chats with winemakers, there are Zoom meetings, multiple seminars, classes, virtual tastings and even trade fairs. I will highlight a few I have attended and I look forward to hearing about those that you have fit into your schedules.
The structure for online Trade Fairs
A few weeks ago I received an email inviting me to join Italian Wine Week online. The event, sponsored by Wine Pleasures, had intended to be a live event with sessions on Italian regions, with winemakers sharing their wares. With the current situation, they decided to make this a virtual event.
One of the great benefits of this is that people worldwide can attend, without having to arrange for time away and travel. I attended this as well as the Spanish Wine day event that just passed and I am set up to attend their upcoming Sparkling Wine Week, which will happen on July 1st & 2nd.
Mind you, for me, this made for early mornings. The conference was on Italian time, so it was 4 am for me. But I was determined to be a part of the live process. They do record the sessions, so you can watch them back at a reasonable hour. But after my first live session, I was sold on the benefits of enjoying it live.
Anthony, from Wine Pleasures, led the sessions. Typically there was an introductory session with a wine educator followed by interviews with 3 or 4 winery presentations. The wineries had an opportunity to share background on the winery and vineyards and then present 2 wines. The chat was open for questions and people could post from around the globe. The sessions I participated in had attendees from Italy, Sri Lanka, China, Virginia, Colorado, UK, LA…it’s an eclectic bunch. There were links to schedule one on one meetings with the wineries for buyers after the sessions. Wineries were also encouraged to voice the export markets they were interested in pursuing.
Ah… the stumbling blocks of technology.
It’s not always smooth. The people presenting are in multiple regions, dealing with Wi-Fi and other issues. They are often working with a technology they may not be familiar with. There are delays, times when you can’t see the label. At times the planned video doesn’t want to play, or the winery for some reason can’t connect. You have the typical calls to mute your mic, as well as talking heads with no sound because their mic is muted. This at least has started to become normal for us. We understand the difficulties and Anthony navigates them quickly, being very respectful of everyone’s time. I’m sure for him, at times, it feels like herding cats.
Italian Wine Week
During Italian Wine week the first day began with a session on Terroirs and wines from Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Vino Nobile, Umbria, Lazio and Puglia.
Following that session, there were presentations from wineries in Lazio, Veneto and Chianti. Matteo Bellato presented on the Native Grapes and soils of Fruili Venezia Giulia, followed by Winery Presentations from Giovani Foffani of Foffani in FVG and Linda of Usigliano del Vercovo in Tuscany.
Day 2 continued with a session on Amarone della Valpolicella & the Wines of Scenic Lake Garda followed by winery presentations from Montepulciano, Tuscany, Orvieto and Trentino Alto Adige as well as a winery in Puglia. A final session brought us Travignoli from Rufina, Carus Vini from Chianti Classico, and Masseria Cuturi from Puglia. So as you can see, we covered quite a bit of territory.
Spanish Wine Day
Spanish Wine Day was 5 and a half hours of detailed information, broken into 5 sessions. Sarah Jane Evans, MW, presented 2 sessions one on “New Wave Spanish Wines” and one on “Mencia and the Fresh Red Wines of the North West”. In between, there were winery presentations from Tormevinos Selection in Bizkaiko Txakolina, Hammenken Cellars in Rias Baixas & Jumilla, De Muller in Priorat & Tarragona, Bodega Otazu in Navarra, Bodega Forcada – Rioja and Bodegas Mata Mate in Ribera del Duero. The day was split with a session on Cava de Paraje Calificado.
Upcoming Sparkling Wine Week
Sparkling Wine Week promises to be even bigger and more intense with Sparkling Wines from all over the globe. It is scheduled for July 1st and 2nd I’m looking forward to the learning and sharing that with all of you.
Wine Pleasures will also be holding the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) in Friuli Venezia Giulia in October if all goes well. This is currently scheduled to be a live event. You can find all the details for that at https://www.iwinetc.com
Online Conferences
With the inability to travel, many conferences have canceled. Some, however, smartly decided to hold an online conference. While you must cancel or postpone, you don’t want your attendees to forget you. I was recently invited to attend the online International Food Bloggers Conference. The conference is produced by Zephyr Conferences, who also produces the Wine Media Conference.
International Food Bloggers Conference
The International Food Bloggers Conference held a 3-day Virtual Summit covering subjects from Social Media, to Websites, to Q/As with Chefs. Francis Lam of The Splendid Table spoke. There were sessions on Getting Paid to Write on your blog, how to do a photoshoot remotely, Digital Marketing, Doing Live video, and a Real Talk session with Foodies of Color.
Yes, this didn’t deal directly with wine, but for online wine writers, there was plenty that was applicable. The speakers were all well informed and the content was concise and helpful.
These sessions were beautifully led by Sarah of Zephyr Conferences, who moderated and assisted the speakers. Rather than back to back sessions, these were spread out starting at 10 am EST, every other hour for the 4 or 5 sessions each day. So an hour on and an hour off, to have lunch or get some other work done in the office.
They offered this Live for free. In addition, they offered an All-Access Pass for $20, which allows you to download the sessions and play them back at your leisure. For some of the sessions, this was very helpful as there was quite a bit of information and it moved quickly.
The speakers, of course, have products and classes available at an extra charge to go further in-depth on the subject. That said, the information they provided was thorough, it was not just a teaser.
They will be doing a second virtual event in January from the 13th to the 15th. You can find information about them here.
Virtual Tastings
If you are a member of a wine club, it is almost guaranteed that you have received an e-mail about purchasing wines for a virtual tasting. It’s a brilliant way for wineries to make sales and create a way to interact with their club members. While attending an event where you can taste with the winemaker is great, a virtual tasting allows you to pop the bottle at home and video chat with the winemaker from the comfort of your own couch. Winemakers who were previously seemed out of reach suddenly were accessible in this format.
A Community Event Virtual Tasting
More than wine clubs, wine shops and bars have started to do this also. We attended a Virtual Tasting with a new wine bar in town. This recurring event had begun as a live event called “Pour in the Alley” by Ferguson’s Downtown. They brought together Garagiste Wine Bar & Cured & Whey Cheese Shop. When the pandemic hit, they had to go virtual and you know what? That’s okay. We did a pickup for our 2 bottles of wine, with a cheese plate included from Cured and Whey and enjoyed these via a Zoom Chat at home. Ferguson’s moderated, with the guys from Garagiste talking about the wine, Cured & Whey talking about the cheese.
The particular event we attended, was part of the Winemaker Series, so the maker of these two wines Greg Brewer from Santa Barbara, was live with us, speaking about the vineyards and the wines and answering questions. It was a wonderful evening!
The Big Rig Jig sculpture at Ferguson’s Downtown
Cured & Whey Gourmet Market and sandwich shop storefront
Garagiste LV on the corner of Casino Center & California in Las Vegas’ Arts District
Virtual Pour in the Alley Team
Other Seminars and events and how to find them
There are so many ways to connect and learn in the industry. Amber at “Spitbucket” actually created a site called Virtual Wine Events by Spitbucket. This site works to compile as the events that are happening as possible. You can search by day or type of event, paid or free, and they have a Trending Events box that will tell you what everyone else seems to be interested in. Kudos to Amber and her wife for putting this site together to help us all through these times. More than just drinking wine while we isolate, we can build our wine education.
What does the Future hold?
I’m grateful to be able to attend these online sessions. There is nothing like speaking with a winemaker to increase your understanding of a region. But is this what will become our new normal? I don’t mind the idea of buyers narrowing their search for a wine, looking first at the winery’s story and second, tasting the wine. I mean, that’s why I’m here, to dig into the stories behind the wine! But how can this process evolve and work better? Are there ways to get samples of the wines into peoples hands? And while the sessions were informative, how can they be even more interactive? Those are the questions I am interested in.
As we wade into our new normal, I think there are so many different ways that we can find to connect in even better and more meaningful ways, within the wine industry and beyond. I look forward to seeing the innovations that move us forward.
What have you found?
We’d love to hear from you on what remote events you have been interested in and attending. Have you seen innovation happening in the industry? What has stood out as an amazing interactive means of communication in the wine industry or beyond? Share with us in the comments!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
It was a lovely afternoon in the Walla Walla Valley and Tim & Jennifer walked us around the property. (You can hear the crunch, crunch of the gravel under our feet in the video). Their Valley Grove Vineyard is located just north of Walla Walla Washington.
From the Blue Mountains to the Ocean
We walked down to where they hope to build their winery. Tim pointed out the tree line, which is the property line. It is also where the creek flows. This creek flows into the Walla Walla River, then into the Snake River and eventually into the Columbia River. Then the Columbia carries this water through Portland Oregon and finally out to the Pacific Ocean. The creek is fed by the Blue Mountains, which we can see in the distance. Over the course of a year the creek rises and falls pretty dramatically. Rain or snow melt will see it rise 5 to 6 feet beyond where we see it now.
The vision for the future
Where the winery will be…
The winery will be built in this area facing the Blue Mountains to the west. They will landscape and add some more vineyard. The idea is to include a porch where people can take in this view. There will be grass. It will be a place where people can wander and take in the splendor. (Oh dear…yes, I have been binging West World)
The park
We walk on to the pond, the area they like to call The Park. It is a man made irrigation pond. Already it is beautiful, with lavender around the edges and some fish. They will landscape here and picture dinners and maybe a band. (They have Wednesday night Jazz at their Walla Walla tasting room, an event we will get to later on this day).
History on display
The bare cliff wall below the Audrey block at Amstrong Family Winery’s Valley Grove Vineyard
We walk on beyond a bridge that straddles the creek and turn to see this amazing exposure of soil, a cliff or ledge of sorts, beneath the Audrey block of Cabernet. Here you can see the layers of wind blown loess that the roots are growing through, and eventually the layers of ancient riverbed.
Nature won’t be kept down. A couple of reborn volunteers in one of the pulled up blocks
We walk to another old vineyard patch. There are a few straggly vines popping up. This used to be a vineyard but with winter damage they determined to pull it up. Still, vines struggles to continue, trying to come back. Eventually they will plant vines here again. They are pondering on Cab Franc, or Riesling or perhaps Gamay. While there is not much of any Gamay planted in Walla Walla, Tim things it might do well. It’s cold hardy and you can harvest it early to make a lighter red or rosé.
The historic barn
The Historic Barn at the Armstrong Family Winery’s Valley Grove Vineyard
Built in 1895, the barn is on the Historic Barn Register
As we walk to the barn, Tim tells us why he feels the so important.
The thing about it is that it kind of connects this site to the history of this land. This is agriculture and it has been agriculture. It’s just really neat to have that history here and be able to tell the story about how, it wasn’t grapes, but people have been farming here for a really long time. We like the historical character that that barn brings to the property and how it ties us to the history.
Tim Armstrong, July 2019
The barn dates to 1895 and they do have it registered with the Heritage Barn Register. Considering the shape it is in, it is probably beyond repair, as far as actually turning it into a usable building from health department standards. Barns were not built for those kind of things. Still the historic character of this building and it’s iconic presence on the property…they will keep it for it’s historic character.
The vines are older than they look
We walk on to the Emily block of Cabernet which you drive past to arrive at the house and cottage. The vines here are almost 20 years old, but by looking at them you would not immediately know this. When they bought the vineyard, there was some extreme winter damage and the vines needed to be retrained. They have spent the last few years doing just that.
The vines were cut back to the roots, the new shoots grew to become the trunk and now after 3 years they were going to get their first harvest in 2019. This is different than planting new vines, the grapes have the advantage of a root system that has already had time to dig deep.
When you look closely you can see that the base of the plant is pretty big. Where it enters the ground the base is about 1 foot in diameter. Tim pointed out the suckers at the bottom of the vines.
This is the grapevine basically saying “I’ve got tons of energy in my root system, more energy than the canopy is currently supporting based on the trunk size.” So it is just pushing up suckers. We’ve been through here to clean this up once this year, an we’ll go through to clean it up again, here in the next couple of weeks.
Tim Armstrong, July 2019
Clones and canopy management
This is all clone 4 cabernet. Clone 4 is the Mendoza clone which was imported from Argentina. This clone is noted for it’s typicality, the herbal character that Cabernet Sauvignon is known for.
Vines running North to South in the Valley Grove Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA
Vineyards here run north south, so canopy management is pretty straight forward. The morning side of the vines will have the leaves thinned to allow the grapes to soak up the sun. On the afternoon side, where the sun will be much hotter, they allow the vines more sprawl, leaves covering and protecting the bunches of grapes from sunburn.
Other sources
While this year they will make their first estate wine from the Valley Grove vineyard, they have been making wine since 2010. In that time they have connected with several vineyards where they continue to source fruit. They are making wines that are both Walla Walla AVA as well as Columbia Valley AVA.
Tim tells us about Discovery Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills.
they have this amazing vineyard site that sits up above the Columbia River, literally on the bluff above the river, looking into Oregon. It’s just this gorgeous site with the wind coming up the river all day long.
Tim Armstrong on the Discovery Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, July 2029
In addition, they pull fruit from Walla Walla’s Seven Hills Vineyard. Seven Hills is one of the 1st commercial vineyards in Walla Walla. From the Yakima Valley they source from Dineen, outside of Zillah and Sugarloaf. The Bogie’s blend we tasted with them on the patio is a Syrah/Cab Franc blend that comes from Elephant Mountain. (add the link to elephant Mountain)
Visiting them
While they work toward building their winery on site, they work out of a Walla Walla custom crush facility. But don’t worry, there are lots of ways to experience their wine. They have tasting rooms in both Woodinville (outside Seattle) and in Walla Walla. The Walla Walla tasting room is charming with a great staff and Jazz on Wednesday nights.
If you want to see the barn and the beautiful Valley Grove Vineyard, you can book a stay at the Armstrong Vineyard Cottage. This beautiful vacation rental on the property has two bedrooms and a wrap around porch, a full kitchen and a fireplace. You are likely to meet Bogie, their beagle or the resident cats, while you take in the breathtaking views.
Bordeaux… You think rich red wines, Cabernet or Merlot based. Or perhaps you think of Sauternes, those luscious sweet wines from southwest Bordeaux. But when you think of Bordeaux, do you think of bubbles? Probably not.
It’s not easy to find crémant de Bordeaux in the US. I checked local wine shops, to no avail and then searched online. After going through 8 sites, I found 3 crémant de Bordeaux wines on one of the larger sites. I snapped up 2 bottles and noticed when I went back to jot down the details on the wines, that I had purchased the last bottle they had available of one of these wines. (Okay…I did find one by the glass at a local restaurant. More on that later.)
So why am I talking about them, if they are so hard to find? Well, like with anything, supply is often dictated by demand. So let’s increase the demand. Go ask for a crémant de Bordeaux! Let’s get a few more available in the marketplace!
These are delicious sparkling wines made in the traditional method that are a fraction of the price of Champagne!
Crémant
The word “crémant” means “creamy” and refers to the fine bubbles in these wines. (Notice that fine stream of bubbles coming up from the bottom of this glass).
There are some rules for using the term “Crémant”. (Crémants.com)
must be within the protected designation of origin (PDO)
grapes must be picked by hand
they must age for at least 12 months
they are made in the méthod traditionelle (Traditional/Classic Method)
limit of 100 liters for 150 kilos of grapes pressed
maximum sulfur dioxide content not over 150mg/l
sugar content is less than 50g/l
Crémant de Bordeaux is one of eight french Crémants.
These are classified by region and include:
Crémant de Loire
Crémant d’Alsace
Crémant de Bourgogne
Crémant de Die
Crémant de Limoux
Crémant de Jura
Crémant de Savoie
Crémant de Bordeaux
***Side note….there is also Crémant de Luxembourg, which is from Luxembourg outside of France. It’s the only place outside of France where the term “crémant” can legally be used. (Wine Folly – All about Crémant Wine)
Crémant de Bordeaux
While sparkling wines have been made in Bordeaux since the 1800’s, the appellation was not official until 1990! While production has been typically pretty low, it’s currently increasing, especially the rosé. Two of the 3 wines I found were rosé. This is probably to be expected in this region. Crémant de Bordeaux is actually one of the largest appellations in France in regards to geographical area with more than 500 different vineyards. (Bordeaux-Magazine-US/The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Cremant-de-Bordeaux)
Vignoble de Bordeaux
As of 2018 crémant de Bordeaux was selling 6.4 million bottles each year. The overall Bordeaux AOC encompasses 111,400 hectares, 910 of these hectares are designated for Crémant. Most of these wines are sold on the French market, with just 20% headed to export markets. (Crémants.com)
Grape varieties for crémant de Bordeaux
So the other great thing about crémant is that you get to taste sparkling wine from varieties other than the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier of Champagne. These wines are made from the grapes of the region and for Bordeaux that means…
Red grape varieties for crémant de Bordeaux rosé
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Malbec
Petit Verdot
Carménère
White grape varieties for crémant de Bordeaux Blanc
Savignon Blanc
Sémillon
Muscadelle
Primarily, as expected, with rosé you see Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon used for these wine with smaller amounts of the other grapes sometimes. Typically these are Cabernet Sauvignon dominant. For the white sparklings, again, the primary white grapes of the region and they are Sémillon dominant. Keep in mind that rosé just indicates skin contact for color, I had a white crémant that had Cabernet Franc as part of the blend. It was not allowed extended skin contact so it imparted no color to the wine.
On to the Wines
Amelia Brut Rosé
Remember when I mentioned that I found a crémant de bordeaux by the glass locally? Well this was the one. I had already ordered the wines online, when a friend and I had dinner at True Food Kitchen. They offer 3 sparkling wines on their menu and one was the Amelia Brut Rosé. The bartender was kind enough to let me do a bottle shot.
Amelia Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé
Coupe of Amelia Crémant de Bordeaux
Winemaker notes
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
12.5% abv
fermented over 3 weeks in cool temperatures
aged sur lie 2 months before bottling
rested another 18 months en tirage
SRP $23.99
They served this in a coupe and the bubbles were really hard to see, but the wine did feel effervescent on my tongue. When we served this at home, I noticed the same thing. It is aromatic with red and black fruit notes.
The grapes for this particular wine hail from the Entré-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. Entré-Deux-Mers means, “between two seas” which indicates it’s location between the Garonne & Dordogne rivers in the central part of Bordeaux. (You can see this on the map above.)
Sémillon is the main grape used in the sweet white wines of Sauternes. It’s also one of the major varieties from the Hunter Valley in Australia, where we were able to taste quite a few dry sémillons. This variety ages very well developing nutty flavors.
Pairings
Suggested pairings for the Amelia rosé included “flavorful cheeses, fresh seafood or meats, like duck, chicken and pork, with flavorful, fruit-based sauces”. The Calvet…well, it was tougher to find information, but I found mention of serving it on it’s own or with dessert.
Crémant de Bordeaux snack pairing with berries and cheese crisps.
After a small snack of raspberries, black berries and cheese crisps, I settled on surf and turf for dinner! We did a simple salad with crab and then bacon wrapped filets that I topped with a berry sauce. (Blackberries, raspberries, rosemary, sage, red wine, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce). We finished off the meal pairing with apple turnovers. (Yellow fruit? That’s all I could come up with).
Crémant de Bordeaux pairings, crab salad and bacon wrapped filet with berry sauce
The Calvet went well with the crab salad, the Amelia Brut Rosé was heaven with the steak. The berry notes pulled to the front with the berry sauce and the fat in the bacon was balance beautifully by the acid in the wine. You know, bubbles, they are just really wonderful. They are joyful and they clean your palate making each bite as delicious as the first. I was sad when my steak was gone.
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux with apple turnovers
The Calvet went beautifully with the dessert, nicely playing off the sweet softness of the apples.
More on crémant de Bordeaux
While I was only able to find these two crémants, I do have a friend in Bordeaux who wrote a piece on one of the larger producers in the region. Les Cordeliers where they have been producing sparkling wines for over 120 years. It’s well worth the read and has some stunning photos.
Jennifer has tons of great insider information on the Bordeaux Region that you can find on her site Bordeaux Travel Guide.
The French #Winophiles
Of course the reason we are discussing crémant de Bordeaux is because it is the French #Winophiles topic for March! (Thanks Guys for an excuse to drink Crémant!) You can join us on Saturday March 21st at 8 am PST on Twitter, following #Winophiles to join the conversation and hear about all the Crémants we all tasted! Then for more info…check out all the pieces below!
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
We’d been up early, catching sunrise in Naches Heights, just outside the city of Yakima. After a quick bite to eat we went to meet Justin Neufeld, to talk about his JB Neufeld wines. We met out at Gilbert Cellars where he is the winemaker. Soon we were to find that there was a connection there. He had grown up in this area.
Justin Neufeld’s journey to wine
Justin graduated from High School in Naches Washington, just outside of Yakima in 1998. Unlike many in this region, he did not come from an agriculture family. His father was a carpenter and his mother a nurse. Like many he was ready to get out of the valley. So he went on to U Dub (University of Washington or UW) to get a degree in molecular biology.
During his junior year, he got the wine bug. UW did not have a oenology or viticulture program at that time. So he did a bit of reading and researching on his own. This pull of viticulture was also the pull of home. Seattle is great, but it takes getting away from rural lands to appreciate them. He returned to the Yakima Valley.
Justin is currently the winemaker and manages the vineyards for Gilbert Cellars as his full time gig. Still, he always knew he wanted to have his own winery. He and his wife Brooke (the B in JB Neufeld) created and run JB Neufeld.
JB Neufeld and Cabernet Sauvignon
Justin didn’t start out planning to make Cabs. Early on he had a couple of Bordeaux wines. That gradually led to exploration into those blends and finding that he was intrigued by the Cabernet Sauvignon in them. Of course there are a lot of cabs in Washington, so he started tasting them. The Yakima Valley is diverse with multiple microclimates.
Justin began by doing vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvignons, working to show the differences in climate and site through the wines. Eventually he found he could craft a better wine by blending these sites. He would use Red Mountain AVA fruit as a base with it’s structure and ripe fruit. Then blend in cab from cooler areas that are softer with almost chalky tannins and more complexity. Then there is Red Willow fruit….
That’s a really unique site. It doesn’t fit that upper valley, cooler site profile of the chalkier tannin and floral notes. You know I’ve only worked with fruit now for 2 vintages, but so far it’s really unique, it takes on a more earthy minerality type character on the nose. There’s still some dark fruit for sure, but almost a similar structure to the Red Mountain. It’s pretty cool.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019
We second the love of Red Willow Vineyard fruit. It’s an amazing site. You can read more about our visit with Mike and Jon Sauer at their beautiful vineyard here. You can look forward to seeing more on our visit to this stunning vineyard run by some truly wonderful people.
New clones
Washington State started with Clone 8 and it continues to be the most widely grown clone in the state giving consistent fruit and yields. But there are other Cabernet Sauvignon clones making their way into Washington. Justin is pretty excited about some of these.
337 I’ve kinda been geeking out about. They’re still really young vines, but they have a different profile from clone 8, they are a little more red fruit. A little bit grittier of a tannin and rather than being vegetal when they are picked green they are more herbaceous. So I’m really excited.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019
I found an interesting piece by Shannon Dininny on goodfruit.com about Cabernet Sauvignon clones in Washington State. Most of the discussion was regarding yields and reliability, as opposed to flavor. None-the-less it’s an interesting discussion if you want to nerd out about that stuff. https://www.goodfruit.com/wine-grape-growers-weigh-in-on-cabernet-sauvignon-clones/
When it comes to the clone Justin is speaking of, clone 337, it came up from California. It is a clone that can make very extracted wines and lacks the typical herbal character when picked late. In a comparative tasting of clones from Bell Wine Cellars, they noted that 337 had the most lush profile when compared to clones 6,4 & 7. What does all this mean? It’s like Justin said, you can blend Cabernet from different clones and different sites to create a more complex wine.
Cabernet a “stubborn” grape
We spoke a bit about Cabernet and how it expresses terroir. Syrah and Pinot Noir are notably varieties that express location. They are wines that take on notes of their climate, soil and anything the winemaker throws at them. Kind of like a person with a full closet in tons of different styles.
Cabernet is noted for being, as Justin calls it “stubborn”. It does not show site as dramatically as Syrah or Pinot. With Syrah or Pinot Noir, when you pick, at what ripeness level, can also have a dramatic affect on the wine that you bottle. Cabernet on the other hand has a wider picking window that won’t show a great difference. It can also handle oak better without being overly influenced.
He noted a tendency to pick late to avoid any vegetal notes. Justin feels that causes you to lose complexity in the finished wine. He prefers to pick a little earlier.
I think, personally, my opinion is that a lot of Cabernet Sauvignons are pushed a little too far. They go to ripe and then a little past because they don’t want any vegetal character. I’ve found that when you take it to that next level, a lot of that wonderful complexity is sort of gone. So that’s what I’m trying to shoot for, timing wise, with picking at a point where there might be a little bit of vegetal. I’d rather it be herbaceous. You just get a lot more complexity in the nose and I think the terroir shines through a little bit more.
Justin Neufeld, July 2019
Soils and microflora
Parts of the Yakima Valley sit in the Missoula Flood Plains. This was the tremendous floods that spanned 2000 years after the last ice age. This flooded the Columbia Valley and down into Oregon. You can read more about these in our post with Rudy Marchesi at Montinore Estate. For more about how it affected the Yakima Valley see our conversation in the vineyard with David O’Reilly with Owen Roe.
The floods deposited soils and the levels in the Yakima Valley get to 1200 to 1300 feet. Above that are older soils. These soils affect the wine, but Justin is digging deeper. He is interest in the microflora. Microflora you hear about these days regarding your gut (kombucha and keeping the micro flora in your gut healthy). But you find them in soils also. Microflora are defined as: bacteria and microscopic algae and fungi, especially those living in a particular site or habitat.
Justin is fascinated by the microflora which has a symbiotic relationship with the plant. These microflora would also be affected of course by the composition of the soil. It’s yet another factor in “terroir” or the sense of place that you find in a wine.
Terroir and all it’s variables
We had discussed the difference in micro climates and soils, and it’s interesting to see all the variables. Red Mountain is hot and early. Bloom can happen here 2 or 3 weeks earlier than the rest of the Yakima Valley. This gives Justin more hang time on that fruit. He spoke with Fred Artz in Red Mountain and discussed the wind they get there. Wind can stress the vine and delay ripening. But if it’s a sustained wind it causes thicker skins, which give you more accumulated tannins. So wind is a significant part of the terroir in Red Mountain.
The full time gig at Gilbert
Being the head winemaker at Gilbert Cellars is Justin’s full time gig. He works with Assistant Winemaker/Oenologist Dusty Jenkins. Other than some extra help at harvest, between the two of them they do most everything regarding wine making.
Gilbert is primarily from estate fruit and they focus on Bordeaux varieties. They do have a wide variety of vineyards from Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Wahluke Slope AVA and the greater Columbia Valley AVA. The River Ridge Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills AVA is the one with the new Cabernet Sauvignon clones Justin is really excited about.
In addition to Bordeaux style wines they are doing a Rhône white blend of Grenache Blanc and Viognier, called Vin du Vallee. They also do a Rhône red called Allobroges which is a GSM.
Gilbert is a busy spot in the Summer. They do a full concert series on the beautiful grounds that you see behind us in the videos. Music in the Vines celebrates it’s 10th season in 2020.
Getting ahold of some JB Neufeld wine
JB Neufeld Cabernet Sauvignon
JB Neufeld can be found through a variety of distributors. You can check out their distributor page.
You can also order direct from their site and feel free to contact Brooke for more details!
It’s Taste Washington Wine Month, so we will be featuring some great Washington wineries and vineyards throughout March. So check back as we visit some other regions in the state! Here are a couple of links in case you want to dig a little deeper into Washington wines.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
During #ouraussiewineadventure in October we traveled to the Mudgee Region of New South Wales to spend a day exploring the town and the wineries that surround it.
Mudgee, through the fires and the drought, is still open for business!
From the beginning, I want to acknowledge that they are having a tough year, as is all of Australian wine country. Mudgee, like most regions has been impacted by the drought and the bush fires. While the fires are not directly in the vineyards, they must deal with the smoke, the increased lack of water, the slowing of tourism during the fires and on a more personal level, many employees and their families may be directly affected by the fires.
The thing is, they are still open for business and you can support them by getting out to visit. What? You are not in Australia you say? Well get yourself to a wine store and buy some Australian wine. Ask for wines from wineries other than Yellow Tail! Increase the demand for these wines. Drink them and talk about them. That’s what we plan to do. Wine is a product that takes months to years to be ready for sale, so you will find these wineries have white wines available that were bottled this spring and reds that may be anywhere from the 2013 to the 2018 harvest, not to mention older bottles of sparkling or sweet wines. There is plenty of wine that they have ready for you to enjoy.
#Feelthelove
Cara George CEO of Mudgee Region Tourism, told us that they are doing a campaign in February around Valentine’s Day called “Feel the Love in the Mudgee Region”.
We are waiting with open arms to welcome visitors. #feelthelove
Cara George, CEO Mudgee Region Tourism, January 29th, 2020
We will use this post to tell you about this region, to fill you in on it’s beauty, it’s people, it’s wines. But you can expect that we will be following up with details on the struggles that they are facing and how they are dealing with it.
Mudgee
Mudgee is a wine region in New South Wales. It sits inland from the Blue Mountains and on the West side of the Great Dividing Range. The city is the 2nd oldest settlement West of the Blue Mountains, established in 1838.
In the 1870’s two gold rushes swelled the areas population. The downtown area is picturesque with plenty of heritage listed buildings. It is a great place to stroll and enjoy the shops and food, but don’t miss getting out of town to the surrounding vineyards.
Wine in Mudgee
The name Mudgee means “nest in the hills” in the aboriginal tongue. The name comes from the perimeter of hills that create a “nest”. Grapevines were first planted here back in 1858 by German settlers. Most vineyards are found on the gentle slopes, where you get beautiful vistas. This nest does have it’s downfalls as it can have frost prone pockets.
We drove through the Great Dividing Range from the Hunter Valley to get here and the climate here is very different. There is no maritime influence and bud burst is later here due to the cold nights.
Rainfall is lower here. If you are aware of the bush fires and the current severe drought being felt across New South Wales, you realize how much of an issue that is. Irrigation is essential here, and with the drought they are running low on water to irrigate with.
Harvest here will run a full month behind harvest in the Hunter Valley to the east. It’s warm in summer and autumn. They are at 32 degrees south here and prime wine growing regions sit between 30 and 50 degrees, so they are the warmer edge. Luckily, they sit at about 1476 feet, which helps moderate the heat.
You will find a little more than 40 cellar doors in the area and a wide range of wines, from rieslings to zinfandel.
Lowe Wine
Our first stop as we drove into Mudgee, was a visit with David Lowe at Lowe Wines. David is growing bio-dynamically and is a proponent of Slow wine. We had a fascinating conversation with him in his beautiful and busy tasting room. After wondering the property with the map they provide in tasting room to see the orchard, the compost, the gardens etc…we left with a bottle of Zin. Yep…he is well known for his Zinfandel. You can see some of our interview with David:
We headed back into town to check into our lodging. We were guided on our choice by the suggested accommodations for the Post Wine Media Conference Tour that we were unable to join. (3 tours…we couldn’t do them all, so we came early!)
We found the Parkview Hotel, just off of the main area of town overlooking a quiet park. This historic building, originally built in the 1870’s, had recently reopened after extensive renovations. It retains it’s historic charm while adding modern conveniences. They have a cafe, which sadly was not open when we were there mid week. Our suite was easily accessible on the main floor, a boon as we needed to do some repacking! There is a lovely wrap around veranda on the 2nd floor, which they made us aware of upon check in and encouraged us to enjoy. We did. With a bit of time before our sunset meeting, we sat and enjoyed the quiet of the park, with blossoms dropping from the trees and scattering and drifting across the floor of the veranda. It’s was the perfect peaceful break in the afternoon.
First Ridge Wines
Sunset found us at First Ridge, taking in the amazing views over Prosecco with Col Millott. Here they focus on Italian varieties; fiano, vermentino, pinot grigio, sangiovese and barbera. Col, the viticulturist, met us as their cellar door on the vineyard. It was after hours, being at sunset and he kindly drove back to the property and opened up their modern cellar door, that is made from 2 shipping containers.
They are located South East of the city of Mudgee and from their location you can truly see the “nest” that this valley is. Michael set up cameras to catch the views and Col opened up the walls of the cellar door and poured some Prosecco for us to sip while we chatted.
You will have to watch for our interview with Col that will be coming out later.
The sun set, and as the light began to fade, we gathered up the equipment and let Col get home for the day.
Dinner at the Red Heifer
We had planned a spot for dinner, but Col suggested the Red Heifer at the Lawson Park Hotel. It was a beautiful evening and the walk felt good.
The town of Mudgee is really a bit enchanting. By the time you get here, you have driven through quite a bit of bush and for me at least, it was a relief to see civilization. As we pulled into Church Street the town oozed charm. In the mid day sun, the parking spots along the streets were full and the town hummed with people making their way from shop to shop. Now in the evening it was quieter. The streets were mostly empty and the dark sky was pierced by the light of the clock tower. We strolled, taking it all in, until hunger pushed us to move a bit faster.
We arrived at Lawson’s and found the Red Heifer. The bar and restaurant are separate, so we grabbed a glass of local wine from the bar and, too tired to grill our own, (which is what the place is known for) we went simple with some fish and chips. It was seat yourself, casual and comfortable with the wall painted to show you all the best cuts of beef.
Full and happy, we strolled, a little more slowly now, back to the hotel.
Sunrise at Vinifera
Sunrise was out at Vinifera Vineyards, which is near Lowe Wines and across from the airport. We shivered in the cool morning, arriving early as always to catch the first rays over the vineyard. It was cloudy, so we caught bits as it broke through the clouds. Some of the vines were just hitting bud break here. We ventured back later in the day to do a tasting with Sam, daughter of Tony and Debbie McKendry who planted the vineyard in 1994 and still run it today. She has stepped in as the second generation here at the vineyards. But first…there was breakfast to be had.
Sunrise at Vinifera
Sunrise was out at Vinifera Vineyards, which is near Lowe Wines and across from the airport. We shivered in the cool morning, arriving early as always to catch the first rays over the vineyard. It was cloudy, so we caught bits as it broke through the clouds. Some of the vines were just hitting bud break here. We ventured back later in the day to do a tasting with Sam, daughter of Tony and Debbie McKendry who planted the vineyard in 1994 and still run it today. She has stepped in as the second generation here at the vineyards. But first…there was breakfast to be had.
Alby + Esthers
The Wine Media Conference would return here with a group after the conference. We could not join them, but we did grab their itinerary as a guide. They would be breakfasting at Alby + Esthers so we figured we would give it a try.
The entrance is a brick archway down an alley between shops. You feel like you are sneaking into a spot others might miss. The space opens to a courtyard between the buildings with small seating areas next to an open door into the cafe proper. There are a few seats inside, but why on earth would we not want to enjoy this enchanting garden. Words, don’t do the place justice. You’ll have to settle for some photos.
In addition to being a great spot for breakfast, they are open as a wine bar in the evening. With the lights strung over this cozy courtyard garden, I image that would be pretty amazing.
Now it was time to try to fit in another tasting or two, before heading back to the Hunter Valley.
Robert Stein – Riesling
We headed north out of the city to Robert Stein. It was still early and we were likely to be the first people in the tasting room. We pulled up out in front of the rustic looking cellar door, and took in the cloud filled sky, then strolled down to visit the vines.
Stuart in the tasting room took us through a wide range of their wines, which include styles for every palate in varieties including: cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay, semillon, pinot noir, gewurztraminer, riesling, sparkling wines, dessert and fortified wines. Their dry Riesling is the star, with multiple awards and medals.
They also have a motor cycle museum and the Pipeclay Pumphouse Restaurant, which we sadly did not have time to visit. We packed a couple of bottles (sadly the suitcase is only so big), and got ready for another drive.
More information on Mudgee
Our drive then would take us back to the Hunter Valley for the Wine Media Conference, where we had an opportunity to speak with Cara George, the CEO of the Mudgee Region Tourism. We look forward to sharing with you our interview with her, where she gives us an overview of the Mudgee Region. For more information visit:
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
At Cam’s suggestion, I picked up Jason Wilson’s “Godforsaken Grapes” to read for this month’s French #Winophiles piece. I’ve been devouring it whenever I have a moment free.
Godforsaken Grapes by Jason Wilson and a cup of tea
On Saturday February 15th, the #Winophiles will gather on Twitter to talk about indigenous french grapes, “godforsaken grapes” if you will, at 11 am EST. I can’t wait to see what other grapes that I’ve never tasted that the other #Winophiles find. You will find a list of their pieces at the bottom of this post!
As a wine lover who geeks out over obscure and underappreciated wines and grape varieties, this book turned out to really be my jam. If you are into those kind of things, I suggest you pick it up too. It’s uber fascinating!
Now that I was into the book, I needed to locate a wine from one of these “Godforsaken grapes” that was from France. *reminder…Vegas can be a wine desert, and I was really determined to try to buy from a local shop. Solenne at Valley Cheese and Wine came through for me with a Jacquere from Apremont, as well as a bit of morbier cheese to pair.
Our visit to Valley Cheese and Wine to pick up an Apremont & some morbier cheese
The cheese counter at Valley Cheese and Wine
Little did I know that the #winepw crew was diving into Savoie this month! I’ll link at the bottom to a place you can find all their posts if you want more information.
So now I have the wine and some cheese. Time to dig in deeper to the region, this Jacquere grape and perhaps some foods to pair with it.
Savoie
First things first, the pronounciation is “sah-VWA” This is not like the Benny Goodman song (Stompin’ at the Savoy) or the London Savoy Hotel, although sometimes you see it spelled that way.
Savoie is a French Department on the eastern edge of France bordered by Italy and Switzerland. Switzerland dips into France a little here with Geneva.
This is region known for it’s beauty, with vineyards, lakes and of course the alps. These are considered the Rhône Alps, and were inhabited by a Celtic tribe who fought back the Romans, until finally being overtaken in 121 BCE. The area since then has been a part of multiple kingdoms and in the middle ages was controlled by the House of Savoy. Savoy became a permanent part of France in 1860. Most of the land is mountainous, with farmland between the mountains and the lakes. The farmland is devoted to cattle, dairy, apples, grains and vines.
Apremont
My title for this piece is in honor of Apremont. This region had what is thought to be Europe’s largest landslide back in 1248 which created this environment at 1150 feet for vineyards. Soils here are chalky and they catch the morning sun. The name means “Bitter Mountain” in honor of the many lives lost in this landslide. From the Les Rocailles site
This appellation takes its freshness from the typical ground of Savoy, composed of calcareous rocks, consequence of the landslide of the mount Granier in 1248.
Apremont is one of the Cru Villages in Savoie. The AOC dates to 1973. The landslide left it barren for decades. The wine scene here began in the end of the 18th century.
Jacquère
Jacquère, the wine grape, is thought to be of french origin. This white wine grape variety, like the others in this region does not reach as high alcohol levels as other varieties. Hence, the 11.5% abv on the bottle I have. It is one of 10 grape varieties allowed in AOC Vin de Savoie and must make up 80% of the wine. It is the most widely planted grape in the region accounting for 50% of the plantings.
Wines from Jacquère can are dry and can range from floral and fruity (think peach, pear and maybe grapefruit) to mineral. These wines are typically meant to drink early.
There is a beautiful piece in the Decanter on this grape and region.
Pierre Boniface
The biggest producer in Savoie, Pierre Boniface’s Apremont is their signature wine, making up 70% of production. Pierre took over the business from his father, starting with just 20 acres of vineyard. Sadly, his children did not want to go into the wine business. Guillame Durand and Alban Thouroude bought the business from him. They are from Savoie and were college friends. You can read more on their story below in an article in France Today, as well as some information on their Les Rocailles vineyard.
What to pair with an alpine wine? The region is huge for cheese, and potatoes are in plentiful supply as are cured meats, fresh water fish, mushrooms, apples and fruits. This is a place where you live out of the cupboards, while the ground is snow covered. So we dipped into recipes from the region that were variations on those winter ingredients.
Raclette
Of course raclette was the first pairing that came to mind, but as Solenne at Valley Cheese and Wine was out of raclette from Savoie at the time, I picked up a beautiful morbier from her. She suggested I try it plain as well as melted, as it really changes the flavors in the cheese. I picked up some raclette from the Murray’s cheese counter at the grocery store and then started digging into typical Savoie dishes.
Our raclette pairing with an Apremont from the Savoie region
Fossil and Fawn, with potato chips and cheese
Potato chips with cheese (a modern raclette)
This alpine dish is simple, boiled potatoes topped with the melted cheese, a side of cured meats and gherkins. You can buy a raclette machine, which has trays over candles to warm the cheese.
Since I didn’t have one of those, I deferred to the method we had used for our raclette & wavy potato chip pairing we did a Christmas or so ago with that fantastic wine from Fossil & Fawn, that I believe Jim and Jenny called a “Gewürvignintocliniger” . Set the oven to broil, oil a cast iron skillet and put in the slices of cheese. When the slices are melted, use a spatula to slide them out and over the potatoes.
Tartiflette
Our single serving baked tartiflette
Tartiflette ready for the oven
Ingredients for the Tartiflette
I love tartiflette, discovering it a little over a year ago when planning a holiday french wine celebration. My dear friend Arnaud said it was one of his favorite french dishes. So, tartiflette was added to the menu and was a hit.
This time I riffed on a recipe, substituted muenster cheese and made two individual tartiflettes. Here’s how I did my quick version…
Saute some chopped prosciutto and onions, add sliced potatoes and cook for about 30 minutes, spoon some into each dish, topped with sliced cheese. Add another layer of both and then pour in some heavy cream. Bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes.
Le Farçon or Farçement
I came across a reference to Le Farçon, a Sunday dish that they make in Savoie. Le Farçon is meant to cook in a special pan (think a straight sided, angel food cake pan) in a bain de marie for 4 hours while the family is at Sunday mass. It is a potato cake with dried fruits and apples wrapped in bacon. Quite honestly it looked like something my friend Will would make for a football watching day!
Ingredients for our version of Le Farçon, mashed potatoes, sauteèd onions and pancetta, fried apples, butter, eggs, dried currants and cranberries
Our version of le farçon prebake
Traditional Le Farçon is bacon wrapped…we went with a lighter version
An inside peak at our variation on Le farçon
Well, without quite that much time at my disposal, I found a video with a version of this dish that was a bit simpler. Every family in Savoie has there own variation on this dish. So, I watched the video (which was all in French), caught a couple of words here and there and then from the visuals, concocted my own recipe. Here is the short version:
Peel, cut, boil and mash 4 red potatoes (it’s what I had, and I riced them with Grandma’s ricer). Saute some chopped prosciutto and onions in a pan. Saute 2 sliced apples in butter. Mix it all together, add an egg and a handful of dried currants and cranberries, pour into a buttered glass loaf pan, top with a couple pats of butter and bake at 345 for about an hour. Serve sliced. Incidentally, you will find Le Farçon is even better the next day when you can take a slice and fry it in butter and serve with a fresh green salad.
Rissoles or r’zoles
Now I needed dessert. I found a reference to rissoles, an apple filled pastry that is often called r’zoles. With puff pastry in the freezer, this seemed the way to go.
This one is pretty simple. Defrost the pastry, cut into rectangles, make an apple compote (mine had orange juice, sugar and honey). Spoon the mixture in the center of each rectangle of pastry, fold over, seal, top with an egg yolk wash and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Voila!
Vin de Savoie 2013 Apremont Les Rocailles-Pierre Boniface
This wine on it’s own was dry with an overwhelming nose of bruised tart apple. By itself…not my favorite wine. Perhaps, it is a bit of an acquired taste. Or maybe this is a result of it’s age. With the food however…it was genius! It paired beautifully with the raclette, with the tartiflette with the Le Farçon and with the rissoles! As a food and wine pairing I will rhapsodize endlessly on this. This is by far one the best overall pairings I have encountered. Truly this is a food wine, destined for the local fare.
The French #Winophiles and their “Godforsaken Grapes”
What other “Godforsaken Grapes did the rest of the #Winophiles come up with! Read on!
If you are really interested in Savoie, Jill Barth from L’Occasion led the Wine Pairing Weekend (#Winepw) group on a discussion of wines from this region. Here is a link to Jill’s piece which when you get to the bottom will provide you with another 15 articles on wines of Savoie!
Meanwhile…I’m off to find some more “Godforsaken Grapes”.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
When we planned our trip to Washington, I was specifically looking for biodynamic vineyards. Biodynamics in wine is a subject I find fascinating and quite honestly, I find I really like speaking to the people who are into this practice. They feel like my kind of people.
These people are passionate, care deeply about the planet, they are detail people who are not looking to cut corners just to make a profit. They believe strongly in doing things the right way.
Choosing Hedges Family Estate on Red Mountain
As I looked at the Red Mountain AVA, I searched for a vineyard that was using biodynamic practices. Hedges Family Estate was the only one that came up, so they were kind of a shoo-in.
I continued to look into the property (and it’s stunning) and came across a video on their site, that was warm and a bit enchanting.
Then I read a bit about Sarah Hedges Goedhart and her approach…and well that pushed it over the edge, I knew I wanted to speak with her.
Sarah’s journey to winemaking
We spoke with Sarah about the history of the winery. It’s come along way from the days when her father started buying and selling bulk juice. Back then, her 12 year old self had no interest in the business and no desire to live in eastern Washington.
They came every summer from Seattle, where they lived and as she got older, she got into wine. But her true passion was to be a veterinarian. Her father insisted that she get a business degree. She got that degree in San Diego and then went to Santa Barbara to get the pre-reqs for vet school. It was there that she met her husband. Okay…actually they met in high school, but they reconnected in Santa Barbara.
Getting hooked on wine in Santa Barbara
While going to school she got a job as a tasting room manager at the Santa Barbara Winery. Her future husband was working there in production. It was there that she got hooked. They would pick 2nd harvest grapes and make bathtub wine. They had the bug, and were on the journey to start their own winery.
On to Preston in Healdsburg
They ended up in Healdsburg working at Preston, where she learned biodynamics, organics, in addition to breadbaking and olive production. This was about the entire culture of working with the land.
Preston is a kind of magical place. We visited in 2011, I remember feeling like I’d taken a step back in time. This is simple beautiful Americana with home baked breads and olives in the tasting room. This is a farm and an enchanting one at that.
Returning to the Tri-Cities
California is an expensive place to live for two people just starting out and her brother suggested they come work at the family winery. Sarah started out working on the garden and hosting people and a year later became the assistant winemaker to her uncle, when the position opened up.
When she started as assistant winemaker, Hedges was making about 100,000 cases a year. That’s quite a jump from the 8,000 cases she assisted with at Preston.
Biodynamics at Hedges
In 2007 they started the biodynamic conversion. At this point 3 of their vineyards are biodynamic and 2 are organic. Bit by bit they add livestock. Right now they have chickens and a turkey and they want to add sheep. It’s a gradual process and she wants to be sure that they understand and adapt to each part before moving on.
Native ferments
The first wine they tried to make biodynamically was in 2011, with a native ferment. Native ferments can seem simple, just leave the tank alone right? Nope. Since then they have been using the pied du cuvee method. You get a bucket of grapes and get your fermentation started there.
Soothing tunes for the wines
She has also incorporated music in the cellar. She had a white wine that was a little reductive. It seemed to her that the wine was stressed and struggling, so she asked the cellar crew to play mellow spa music. Of course they thought she was a little crazy, but tasting the before and the after…they became believers.
The Goedhart label
The label had been their dream when they lived in California, but with California costs, it was just not possible. In 2005 they moved to the Tri-Cities and started their label with a winery in the basement of the ranch house they were living in. They both had full time winery jobs and would do this in all their free time as a labor of love.
Their focus was Syrah. Not a fruit bomb, but not an old world overly lean wine either.
This wine was to be elegant with a bit of restraint. They ran the label for 6 years. On weekends they would be open for tastings and she would make wood fired breads and panini’s.
Kids, a full time job and running their own winery became too much, so Hedges took over the label. Once the kids are raised, perhaps they will try this again. In the meantime, she can continue to make their Syrah in the style they like here.
Sarah on Syrah
Sarah and I spoke about the Syrah they are growing here. They have the Joseph Phelps clone, which was the first clone available in Washington. This clone tends to be lean with herbal characteristics. Then they have the Tablas clone. This is the clone that Tablas Creek brought over from Chateauneuf-de-Pape.
She describes this clone as “Wild, savage, and fruity”. They do multiple picks over a few weeks, keeping clones and picks separate and then she can blend these to create that elegant style of Syrah that they enjoy best.
We have recently opened up two different Syrah’s from Hedges and both were pretty exceptional. My palate obviously is in line with the style of Syrah that they are making.
Sarah on the reason for biodynamics
I asked Sarah what was most important to her in biodynamics…
Preserving land for the future, for kids, for everybody. I think that’s the one thing on this planet that we’re screwing up and we really need to turn it around. What do we call ourselves? Stewards of the land it’s our responsibility to keep it around.
Sarah Hedges Goedhart, July 2019
The property is beautiful. That is reason enough to come. In addition the wines we tasted here were delicious and their was quite a portfolio of wines to taste. Sarah even brought in a couple of barrel samples for us to taste. The topper here is the people. Sarah was a joy to speak with, her father Tom said a hello as he came through the tasting room.
They had just finished a morning meeting before Sarah came to speak with us. The volume here is high. They do make quite a bit of Columbia Valley wine in addition to the Estate wines that Sarah focuses on, but it’s still a family business. It has that blend of Washington practicality with the elegance of a French Château, blended with the relaxed biodynamic style that Sarah brings.
As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Years….they used to take forever! No longer. Now they often seem to speed by in a blur. The coming of the New Year makes me nostalgic. I sit warm, happy with a full belly and I remember that this is not to be taken for granted. Time for a little reflection and gratitude.
2019
I head to social media to reflect on the year. Remember the days when we had journals or diaries or a box of photos? Well, technology has allowed us to share those memorable moments, both big and small.
Instagram is my go to photo journal. So I’m sifting through to give you an idea of my year…holy crap there are alot of wine photos! LOL!
The Quiet Time
My photo essay of the beginning of my year…snow, studying, a Valentines Day on the ice, new Ramen places, hiking at Mount Charleston, beautiful sunsets, reading by the ocean in Carlsbad, high tea with friends, the super bloom in San Diego, a blind tasting event and of course, Loki. Okay…that gets us through the quiet months.
Double click on any of the photos for a larger picture and perhaps a bit more information.
The Scenic Route
We did our typical drive a million miles summer vacation. This year it was named “The Scenic Route”. It took us from Vegas to Tahoe, to Mount Shasta, to Southern Oregon, through the Columbia Gorge to the Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and then back through the Willamette, down to the Applegate Valley and finally to Yosemite before traveling home. We met incredible winemakers, saw beautiful scenery and vineyards and while we shared the overall story of our trip this year, you can look forward to many more in depth pieces on the places we visited this year.
Studying
Then we rested…that should be what I write next. But no. This was crunch time for me. I had been studying all year to take my test to become a Certified Specialist of Wine. After a 13 week course and then months of additional study I hoped I was ready. I was…
#OurAussieWineAdventure
Now was it time to rest? Nope. We were off to the Wine Media Conference in October. Social media got to see much of our trip…there are still interviews and articles to be written in the new year. Here is a glimpse of our travels through New South Wales Australia. We dubbed it #OurAussieWineAdventure.
So, exhausted and exhilarated, we returned. At this point the holiday’s approached and our 2nd Annual 12 Days of wine celebration was at hand.
12 Days of Wine
Here is a link to that page. 12 Days of Wine 2019. You’ll find fun video reveals and details about each of the wines there.
Now we’ve come to the end of the year. It was a full year. We have writing to do video’s to create and tons of content to share with you. And…there will be new adventures. For right now…I’m going to relax and then day dream about what the New Year might hold.
