deVine Thoughts

Authors:

Annabelle Evaristo, Dirk Chan

Our tour in Champagne continued from Bollinger to the equally famous Veuve Cliquot, the Champagne house with the instantly recognizable orange labels. Veuve is located in Reims (pronounced as Ranz instead of Reems) and was founded by the young widow (Veuve) of Francois Clicquot when she was only in her late twenties back in the late 1790’s – the flagship Champagne ‘La Grande Dame’ is of course named in her honor. . She was also the inventor of the famed riddling table which is used to make the wines clear. Our tour was extensive, but in discussions, much to our surprise, we learnt that the ‘La Grande Dame’ only takes a few days to blend (as the fruit all comes from the 8 Grand Cru vineyards) whereas the NV blends will take the numerous winemakers months to find the perfect blend.

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Author: Melissa Priestley

Bottle Shock is a crowd pleaser, and like all crowd pleasers it is mildly entertaining but doesn’t have a lot going on under the surface. It is certainly more akin to an average Gallo Chardonnay than an ethereal Chateau Montelena.

The movie succeeds in maintaining a very broad appeal – oenophiles get to enjoy wine references (including an homage to Sideways with the declaration that the ’47 Cheval Blanc is the “best wine ever made”), while non-enthusiasts get an aesthetically appealing story about 1970’s Californian culture. (more…)

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Authors: Ed Fong, Dirk Chan

Our visit with Christian Dennis, the International Ambassador for Bollinger was a very special day indeed.  Bollinger is one of the leading houses in all of Champagne, with an illustrious history dating back to the 1500’s and one of the few houses that remain family owned. Did we mention we love their bruts? Bolly produces a total of 2.5 million bottles  (versus 20 million produced by Moet of Dom Perignon fame). We all know of Bollinger’s vintage Bruts – Vieille Vignes Françaises, Grand Année and R.D. and the non-vintage Special Cuvée made famous by movie folklore as being James 007 Bond’s favourite bubblie. As we toured the two walled-off plots  of Pinot Noir vines that survived the famous phylloxera attack that go into the ultra-rare premium Vieille Vignes Francaise bottling (the third vineyard in Bouzy succumbed in 2004), we began to get a glimpse of the great history and tradition behind this house. Bruts are still stored in small casks, they are the only house that still employs a cooper, who is responsible for repairing 350 casks per year!

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Authors: Tonia Chrapko, Dirk Chan

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Authors: Ed Fong, Dirk Chan

Eddie and Annabelle’s adventures in Alsace finished with a visit to one of the leading biodynamically certified estates of Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss, the acknowledged rebel of Alsace…With 30 hectares of vineyards, three Grand Cru sites, Marc clearly believes great wine can only come from a vineyard with soil type that places it mark, terroir, minerals and extract. Established three centuries ago,  Marc has ran this estate since the 1971 vintage, and since 1991 the estate has been farmed biodynamically.  

Pictured are two Grand Cru wines we sampled : the 2005 Kreydenweiss Kastelberg Riesling (south-facing single vineyard looks over the small town of Andlau dates back to Roman times, full-bodied, racy, lime & spicy, very ripe and minerally), the 2006 Kreydenweiss Wiebelsberg Riesling (off-dryish star fruit, herbs, smoke, honey and exotic scents).

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Author: Melissa Priestley

Far too much ink has been spilled on the subject of food and wine pairing. While a good match may enhance your enjoyment of a meal, a bad match won’t ruin everything. Be realistic. Is it really worthwhile to stress out, spend an hour in the wine store, try to envision one hundred different wines with your future meal, then go home, discover that the wine doesn’t really match at all, spend the entire night bemoaning the failure, and only later wonder why your partner went to bed so early?

Think about the actual mechanics involved in eating and drinking. Does the food and wine actually end up in your mouth at the same time? Hopefully not, as you’ll likely be left with some unsavory floaties in your glass. Or worse, you’ll choke.

In reality, we eat a bite of food, swallow, and then take a sip of wine. The lingering flavours of the food have maybe a minute to intermingle with the wine and work its magic (or mayhem) – and then a second sip will override all but the most pungent of dishes and it won’t have mattered what you just ate. (more…)

Author: Nick Tooke

Pairing food with wine is nothing new. Imagine growing up in Italy or France before rapid transport. The food and the wine grew side by side in the same soil, beneath the same weather, and they naturally graced the same table. The safest way to still find the right combination is consider the particular region as a whole.

See the video of our “The Alchemy of Food & Wine Tasting”

But that is only where the journey begins. The best thing of all is breaking the rules and discovering a marriage that both surprises and delights. You’ll know when you taste it. Your palate doesn’ t lie. (more…)

Author: Melissa Priestley

In preparation for my upcoming course at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America, not Central Intelligence Agency, though I’m certainly going to pretend to be a spy), I’ve been feverishly studying everything wine-related. While reading about Bordeaux, I was struck by the almost glib observation that the stylistic differences between many appellations are dissolving, due in large part to modern technology and current trends. For example, the wines of St. Estèphe, once immediately discernable for their sturdy, bold profile, are now often confused with other Médoc wines that have adopted this big and bold style – a style that is currently enjoying international popularity.
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