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November, 2002
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This month's wine explorations:
Think of Burgundy, and mythic names like Clos de Vougeot, Romanée Conti and Corton Charlemagne swirl in one's mind like great wine in a tasting glass. Burgundy is one of France's most beautiful and historic regions, and of course produces some of the most prestigious and delicious wines in the world.
We'll have the pleasure and privilege of tasting at some of Burgundy's best wine producers on two wine programs in 2003. From June 29 to July 5, you can join us for Burgundy and the Northern Rhône, 3 full days in the Côte d'Or followed by tastings at the best négociants and domains of Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage and more. Later in the year, Oct. 12 to 18, we'll combine great tastings in Burgundy with the greatest Champagne producers in our Burgundy and Champagne Luxury trip, a "Grand Cru" program featuring some of the best hotels and dining in France.
For more information, please see our Burgundy & Northern Rhône web page, and our Burgundy & Champagne Luxury Program web page.
See our full schedule of wine tours for 2003 here.
Nothing is more American than the classic Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. Most of us assume that we should therefore serve American wines with the meal. But why not try some French wines with your turkey this Thanksgiving? There are a number of French red wines that go marvelously well with this kind of food, and that will also be kind to your budget.
Turkey is a white meat that has more texture and a little stronger taste than chicken. At the same time, the classic roasted turkey with bread stuffing is a fairly simple preparation, without any heavy sauces or spices. Red wine is a good match here, but it needs to be a light- to medium-bodied red that's light on tannins, to not over-power the bird. A Chinon from the Loire Valley, or a fine "cru" of Beaujolais (like a Moulin à Vent or a Chiroubles) that are a couple of years old would be good choices. They have ripe red berry flavors and nice acidity that will complement your turkey in much the same way that cranberry sauce does, and the Chinon (made from the Cabernet Franc grape) will have some nice vegetal flavors that will go well with a bread stuffing made with aromatic herbs. A Pinot Noir from Alsace could also be an interesting choice for its lightness and lovely cherry flavors. If you've decided to give some extra "zip" to your turkey by using a spicey stuffing (perhaps with some sausage), try a Côtes du Rhône Villages like a Cairanne or a Sablet with it. The aromas of pepper and aromatic spices in the wine will play nicely off the spiceyness of the stuffing.
Here are some examples that you should be able to find at a good wine store:
Happy Thanksgiving!
We are pleased to announce our collaboration with Food & Wine Magazine's Connoisseur Club for our Cooking and Wine in Provence program, April 23-29, 2003. We'll be making two special offers to Connoisseur Club members for this great week of gastronomic exploration in southern France: a 10% discount on the price of the tour, and a special gift basket filled with Provençal goodies and an autographed copy of one of chef Tamara Milstein's best-selling cookbooks.
YOU can benefit from this special offer by signing up to become a Connoisseur Club member. Just go to their web site, and follow the simple instructions. The $49.95 one-year membership fee will be covered many times over by the savings you'll perceive on our Cooking & Wine program. It's a great deal, so don't miss out!
More information about Cooking & Wine in Provence 2003.
The third Thursday of November is just around the corner, the time when around the world, bistrots and wine bars plaster colorful signs in their windows announcing "Le Beaujolais Nouveau est Arrivé" (the new Beaujolais wine has arrived!). Due to the popularity of this annual celebration of the release of the youngest of the Beaujolais wines, we have unfortunately come to associate all Beaujolais wines with the often thin, acidic and, at best, fruity Beaujolais Nouveau. What a pity! If you've spent as much time in Beaujolais as I have, you know that there are wonderful wines there, including the appellation we'll talk about today, Beaujolais Villages.
A cut above generic Beaujolais wines, Beaujolais Villages is produced in 38 villages that are considered to have the best "terroirs" (growing conditions) for the Gamay grape. Stricter production regulations here (lower yields, hand picking) make for more concentrated, structured wines that show a certain aromatic complexity and can be kept with excellent results for as long as five years. The best Beaujolais Villages wines have ripe berry and black currant aromas, supple tannins and a lively acidity that make them an excellent match with charcuterie like dry sausage and patés, roast chicken or turkey (see Thanksgiving wines, above), or simple red meat dishes. And for you Beaujolais Nouveau fans, there is a Beaujolais Villages Nouveau (the only other Beaujolais appellation that is allowed to produce a Nouveau wine), and it's your best bet for great drinking at this coming Thursday's celebrations.
Some good ones to try: the old standby, Georges Duboeuf, makes a consistently good Beaujolais Villages Nouveau. You should also try Domaine Jean-Charles Pivot or Domaine de Nugues, whose Beaujolais Villages are hard to distinguish from pricier "crus" of Beaujolais like Morgon or Brouilly.
Visit the excellent web site for Beaujolais wines.
It's definitely a trend, at least here at French Wine Explorers: groups of friends who share a passion for wine and choose to spend their vacation together exploring the vineyards of France on a customized, private wine trip, designed and led by French Wine Explorers. There was the group of 14 Korean businessmen and doctors and their wives, all childhood friends, who spent 10 days with us in Alsace, Burgundy and the Rhône Valley, dining at the best Michelin-starred restaurants and tasting at the finest wine producers of each region. Or two couples, friends for years, who spent a memorable week in Bordeaux with us, tasting at the great chateaus they had always dreamed of visiting. The great thing for us about traveling with a group of friends is to see the deep bond they share, the laughter that seems to erupt at every turn of the road, and the special thrill they get out of sharing a great wine and food adventure in France together.
Do you have a group of friends you love to travel with who share your love of wine? Let us create a fully-escorted, totally customized, private wine vacation for you all! See our Custom Programs web page for more information.
Until next month's explorations . . .
Best regards,
Lauriann Greene, Sommelier-Conseil
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Copyright 2002, French Wine Explorers. |