Tag Archives: rabbit

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.

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To a Happy 2011

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Last year was a year of new wines. Starting at a new company as well as completing WSET Advanced opened my palate to a plethora of exciting wineries and wine-producing countries that were formerly outside of my comfort zone.

I fell in love with Sangiovese, confirmed my convictions for Riesling (the king of all white grapes!), and rediscovered Syrah and Zinfandel, not to mention rekindled my romance with Japanese blended and single malt whiskies!

It was also a year of record high – and low – points in my life as a gourmande.

I started buying groceries at farmers’ markets, I tried wine-fed Sezmu beef, I ate organic Alberta rabbit in Alberta, and I dined (multiple times!) at one of the top winery restaurants in the world.

I made small steps toward eating more sustainably, too – I stopped eating farmed salmon and mass-produced livestock, which pretty much means I am a vegetarian on most days – something I never would have foreseen myself doing a mere 10 years ago.

On the flip side, I also knowingly consumed countless frozen pizzas and snacked on innumerable Pizza Pops (an Achilles Heel, one might say).

I also accepted a coworker’s gift of an Egg McMuffin, which in doing so, I halted a nine-year boycott of McDonald’s (both a health decision and a consumer statement against globalized food chains – I’ll save that topic for another day) by favouring politeness to others over personal integrity.

I felt terrible about eating all that junk, and clichéd as it sounds, my body did too.

I realize there is the argument that people of ordinary means lack proper access to sustainable food; I confer, and agree that I too often lack the budget and/or time to get out to where there is sustainable food (there’s certainly nothing within walking distance). But the older I get, and the more discriminating I get when it comes to wine, culture and the people around me, the more I wonder – why am I not more judicious about the staples that actually keep me alive: Food?

So I am making a goal for myself to keep treating myself better in 2011. Whether it’s using supreme ingredients in everyday meals or using everyday ingredients to cook supreme meals; I want to be active, aware and ethical about choosing what goes in my glass and on my plate. Ultimately I think this will increase my happiness as well.

With that thought, my 2011 new year’s wishes for you: May your glass and stomach always be full with satisfaction, may you be healthy, and may your table always be full of good company.

Holiday Roundup, Part Four: Banfi Centine Toscana IGT 2005

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For the next few posts, I’ll be speeding things up a bit, otherwise I may not get through all my holiday back-blogging until next Christmas, and there’s just too much wine to be talked about. Enjoy the quick reads!

Big glass or little bottle? You decide.

Tasting Notes

Purchased and opened December 26, 2009. Roughly 60% Sangiovese with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This Tuscan red is a deep maroon-coloured potion of red and black fruits with hints of dark chocolate and espresso on the nose. Big tannins and lots of acidity amid the rich, dry and flavourful palate of black and red berries, black tea and savoury notes indicate both a couple more years’ worth of ageability as well as huge food pairing potential. Pull a Leonardo da Vinci and pair this with an indulgent Florentine meal of ribollita soup (a cannellini bean-based vegetable soup) with pappardelle alla lepre (egg noodle pasta with hare/rabbit sauce) or agnello al rosmarino (roast leg of lamb with rosemary). Cin cin! $28 for standard 750 ml, or $15 for 375 ml bottle