Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Updated profile

It came to my attention that my personal profile was in dire need of an update. You see, I have completed my apprenticeship with Betz Family Winery, and now have taken on the responibilities of wine buyer/event planner/wine educator/artistic director/marketing director/superhuman tornado at Fine Wine & Cigars. I'm afraid that soon I will be pressured into joining Facebook.

Louis

Monday, December 6, 2010

The elusive perfect pairing

There is nothing quite like having the perfect bottle of wine, with the perfect meal. I am always trying to pick a wine that goes perfectly with the meal I'm going to eat. The wine makes the food taste better, and the food brings out the flavors in the wine. The most interesting part for me, is when you are served a wine you typically don't care for, while eating the right food. You wonder what just happened, and take another sip to see if you still feel the same about the wine.


Last night, I ate the most amazing dinner at a friends house. We had carrot soup to start, paired with Betz Besoleil grenache. The wine was fresh and fruity, and really brought out the garrigue notes from the dollop of pesto in the center of our bowls. Next we moved onto the best Cassoulet I have ever come across, with garlic sausage, goose and lamb. A special wine had already been decanted for this main course, a 1989 Jaboulet Hermitage "La Chapelle". Savory notes of brown sugar, minerality, root beer, cherry, and smoke complimented the dish perfectly.


Three servings of the Cassoulet later, a salad was placed in front of me, along with a small glass of dessert wine. The wine was a 2003 late harvest wine from Jurancon France, made from a blend of these three very unusual, Botrytis affected grape varieties: Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, and Courbu. The salad was buttercrunch lettuce, blue cheese, and hazelnuts, covered in a very flavorful dressing made from hazelnut oil. The result was one of the best food and wine pairings I have ever come across. Botrytis + Hazelnuts + Blue cheese = Heaven.


I don't usually go nuts over dessert wines like Sauternes, Port, or Madeira, but this was amazing. I couldn't get enough of the the wine. In fact, everyone at the table was getting another pour of this medium sweet desert wine. Before I could wrap my brain around just how good this pairing was, I was served an 1982 tawny port. This brought out different flavors in the salad, and the blue cheese just sang. The best food and wine pairings can come from the most unexpected dishes.

Louis

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The value of wine

Wine is my focus of study. Every aspect of wine intrigues me. Every wine producing region in the world is like a piece of a giant puzzle. I never miss the opportunity to taste wine from a region I have never explored. When I do taste a new wine, it is not enough to look at it's color and taste it's flavors. To really get the most enjoyment from a wine that is new to me, I want to know the geographic boundry of where it was made. I want to know about the climate, history, traditions, and maybe even laws that shape how a wine tastes.

The amount of time it takes to get a clear view of of just one tiny piece of the wine puzzle, is substantial. In a very young wine region, like Washington for instance, it may be easier to put your arms around its short history. Many of the most important members of our small industry are still around. You can simply call or email them to get answers to your most important questions!

Other pieces of the wine puzzle are not as easy to get a clear look at. Travel to the schist terraces of Portugal's Douro Valley, where port is made, and you will find that the best areas for wine grape growing were identified in 1756. The steep slate banks of Germany's Mosel River will send you into 16th century, looking for answers about the noble Riesling grape. If you want to explore some of Burgundy's greatest vineyard sites, that produce the most sought after Pino Noir anywhere, you will soon find out that Pino Noir was recognized as the ideal grape for these vineyards 700 years ago!

This is exactly what keeps me interested in wine. The fun of bringing just one piece of the great wine puzzle into focus, is what I enjoy most about wine.

Louis