Tag Archives: chicken

Wicked Gamay

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Reader Warning! This blog post is rated S as it contains content of a smooth, sensual, slightly sassy and Chris Isaak nature. Palate discretion is always advised.

With apologies to Mr. Isaak, the crooner himself:

What a wicked Gamay you play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say
You never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do
To make me dream of you
And I don’t wanna fall in love
(This Saint-Amour is only gonna break your heart)
And I don’t want to fall in love
(This Saint-Amour is only gonna break your heart)

Mmmm… This wine I’m enjoying tonight is arguably as sexy as this song’s music video.

Saint-Amour… Ahh, the eponymous wine of love. This small, obscure Cru (classified) appellation is in the northernmost part of Beaujolais, which itself is technically part of the Burgundy region of France. Like its bigger sisters, Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages (and let’s not forget France’s illegitimate love child, Beaujolais Nouveau), Saint-Amour wines are made of 100% Gamay.

Gamay (rhymes with gold lamé, a very sexy fabric) reigns supreme in this part of the world (Beaujolais and parts of the Loire Valley), and found only in trace amounts elsewhere – Canada is in fact one of the only other major locations where Gamay is used in commercial winemaking.

What else is sexy about this wine? Okay, how about the kick-ass 2009 vintage. It was one of the best years for winemakers in France in recent history – perfect weather conditions during the growing season and at the time of harvest helped render these grapes into vinous va-va-voom.

Henry Fessy Saint-Amour 2009

Owned by Maison Louis Latour, the house with the most Burgundy Grand Cru acreage in the world, Henry Fessy’s Saint-Amour land totals 1 hectare.

She is a trendsetter with her iconic orange neckwear. Even the label, her shirt, is looking sultry as it peels off the chilled, condensation-coated bottle, seductively. And a moustache logo to boot? Win, win and win.

Brilliant ruby in colour, this wine exudes a gentle nose of raspberries, red plums, blueberries, mineral and a hint of violets. The palate is juicy yet delicate, with incredibly silky texture, a fairly light to medium body, low tannin and an intriguingly un-intense but persistent finish – like the time your romantic date with The One ended exactly the way you wanted. Oh, you know what I mean. Hey, this wine made me blush too.

Pair this elegant beauty with silk pajamas; or better yet, creamy moussaka, baba ghanouj, rare lamb chops, skin-on grilled chicken thighs (skin is sexy, my friends), rabbit or duck breast. I enjoyed it immensely slightly chilled, and I hope you will too.

$25 in BC Liquor Stores. Recently rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Links

 

Riesling: Not Just for Schnitzel & Giggles

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… although my favourite white grape sure does often make me smile, like it did tonight!

I’m fairly self-aware that I am probably preaching to the choir of Riesling lovers everywhere, and possibly regurgitating the same ol’ rhetoric used by said fans – but at the same time, I also know that it’s precisely because of the somewhat inspirational effect that superior quality Riesling has on those who love a fine wine that I love the king of white grapes.

I can’t help waxing poetic about a great Riesling – the experience just begs to be shared!

Riesling holds a tenuous reputation within the spectrum of wine consumers. It is both the grape attributed to many an undrinkable bottle of watery mainstream plonk as well as the main ingredient of a small collection of the world’s most supreme, complex and transcendent examples of white wine.

High in natural acidity, unmatchable in its range of aromatics and very engaging with the land it is planted to, quality Riesling is one of the best grapes through which to fully experience that loaded, often misused wine term: terroir.

This chameleonic, characterful grape is capable of evoking everything – from the austere to the exotic, from bone dry to molasses sweet, from stony to steely to green to orchard to floral to tropical to oily to gassy to mushrooms – you name it, Riesling’s got it all in spades.

Tonight at my WSET Advanced class I tasted a couple of very worthy wines that instantly lifted my mood and got me grinning so wide I had to blog about them.

I hope these pique your interest in Riesling as much as they excited my tastebuds!

Tasting Notes

Bischölfliches Riesling Spätlese Ayler Kupp Mosel Prädikatswein 2008

I’ll spare you the German lesson… Here’s the Cole’s Notes version of the wine’s name:

  • Bischölfliches = producer
  • Riesling Spätlese = Riesling picked at the Spätlese sugar level (4th highest in a range of six; typically indicates late harvest)
  • Ayler = belonging to the township of Ayl
  • Kupp = the single vineyard site or Einzellage of Kupp
  • Mosel Prädikatswein = made in the superior quality region of Mosel (formerly known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer; Ayler Kupp is actually located in the Saar part of this riverside region)

Pale lemon green in colour, with fairly intense, youthful aromas of wet rocks, chalk, white flowers, citrus peel, grapefruit juice and limes. Medium-sweet on the palate with a strong backbone of acidity and fairly light in body, the wine showed fragrant aromas of juicy citrus, apple, pear, rose petals, minerals, more lime and a hint of petrol. The finish is long and delicious. Quite low in alcohol at 9% a.b.v.

All in all, a superb wine that is amazing for the price and can be cellared for the medium term, where it will improve and gain even more complexity over time. I’m told the 2007 (same price) is even tastier! $30

For a food pairing, I’d recommend a fresh, coconutty Thai curry sauce, served over fresh spot prawns and fragrant Basmati rice. Also, you could never go wrong with a platter of fresh fruit, cheeses and quince paste.

Schloss Schönborn Riesling Spätlese Erbacher Marcobrunn Rheingau Prädikatswein 2008

Cole’s Notes:

  • Schloss Schönborn = the estate of Schönborn
  • Riesling Spätlese = see above
  • Erbacher = from the township of Erbach
  • Marcobrunn = the single vineyard or Einzellage of Marcobrunn
  • Rheingau Prädikatswein = made in the superior quality region of Rheingau

Light yellow in colour, a fantastic, intense bouquet of citrus, orchard fruits, tropical fruits, musky honey, apricot and soft spice aromas greets the nose. The medium-bodied palate is medium-sweet with a clean, refreshing undertone of acidity, meanwhile dazzling the tongue with a complex range of flavours including ripe, juicy apple, pear, peach, apricot, honey, some citrus and hints of baking spices. The taste lingers on forever on the incredible finish.

Outstanding already and will continue to get better with up to 10 years of further bottle aging. 9.5% a.b.v. What a treat it was to taste this. $50

Food pairing: Try chicken or fish korma, a mildly spiced, sweetish Indian curry that contains raisins and coconut cream; or perhaps a baked Dungeness (or Alaskan King) crab dish, very lightly seasoned if at all.

[Ed.: I typically write brief personal remarks in the margins of my WSET notebook during the tasting portion, apart from my formal notes. The Bischölfliches Spätlese above I had labelled as "YUM"... My footnote on the following Schloss Schönborn wine was "YUM!!!"]

Lungarotti Rubesco di Torgiano 2004

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Torgiano is a beautiful commune in the Umbria region of Italy, situated exactly between the “calf” and the “shin” of the wonderful boot-shaped country.

Time stands still in Torgiano. (Photo from Wikipedia)

It’s apparently a hotbed for (agri)tourism too – a quick internet search for Torgiano reveals primarily vacation home, hotel and B&B sites. One can rent a cozy farmhouse (similar to a California rancher) to soak in all the sights and smells for anywhere between 350 – 550 Euro a week.

Lungarotti is probably Torgiano’s best-known winery, and verily what put the commune on the proverbial map. The local wine and olive oil museums, two of Torgiano’s largest attractions, were founded by the winery’s namesake and winemaker, Giorgio Lungarotti.

Rubesco, roughly translating to “blushing”, is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, the popular Tuscan grape, and 30% Canaiolo, an indigenous varietal native to the region.

This is a terrific, versatile wine for food pairing or simply enjoyed with a cheese plate and a good book. If you’re not into trying a full bottle, it’s currently on the by-the-glass wine list at Uva Wine Bar and is excellent with their Umbrian lentil bruschetta.

Tasting Notes

A rather light, clear garnet hued wine with some bricking around the edges – this is a wine to drink now or very soon. Red fruits, cherry, subtle herbs (like dried oregano, sage or thyme) and a bit of sweet spice and milk chocolate form a mysterious bouquet. Fine tannins frame this evenly acidic and flavourful medium-bodied wine with lots of finesse. More red fruits and savoury herb on the palate with a sweet oakyness that provides a lengthy finish. My instinct tells me to stick with Italian fare and opt for full-flavoured dishes such as chicken cacciatore or pesto – other bistro classics like tapenade or pissaladière would be great too. $20

Useful Links

A great New York Times article on Lungarotti’s reserve Rubesco wines:

Uva Wine Bar (open every day during the 2010 Winter Games!)