Drink Wine With Me

Archive for the ‘France’ Category

This summer I had the opportunity to attend two wine and cheese pairing classes at City Winery in NYC.  Located at 155 Varick Street, City Winery is the first fully functioning winery in Manhattan and was founded by Michael Dorf.  His vision was to create a  space in the city where you can go and enjoy amazing wines paired with great food and live music.  Along with the many concerts they have scheduled they also offer special event dinners with winemakers, a private dining room, as well as a barrel making program for individuals or corporations.   One of the coolest things I love about City Winery is that when you order one of their wines by the glass it comes straight from a barrel in the cellar through the tap and into your glass, skipping the bottle altogether.  You simply can’t get any fresher than that!

The wine classes that I attended were in partnership with Murray’s Cheese, Manhattan’s oldest and most renowned cheese shop.  My favorite was in honor of the World Cup and the teams competing were France vs Italy.  It featured 2 Italian wines and 3 cheeses against 2 French wines and 3  cheeses.  While I loved all the cheeses we tried no matter what country they were from, in the end France won out for me.  No  surprise there.  I absolutely loved the French red Chateau d’Or et de Geulules Costieres-de-Nimes Les Cimels 2007.  This wine was dark ruby in color, had aromas of cherry and blackberry, and had tons of spice and dark fruit flavor.  I do have to give Italy an honorable mention for the white wine we sampled- Fruilano Bastianich 2007.  This wine was pale gold in color with a sweet honey aroma, and was drier with lemon and pear flavors.  It paired beautifully with the Petit Billy goat cheese from France.  Other cheeses that were standouts were the Pyranees Brebis, a sheeps milk cheese from France and the Taleggio from Italy.  This Taleggio from Murray’s wasn’t as ripe and soft as the ones I have bought but the flavor was still excellent especially when paired with the French red wine.

I loved this concept of having 2 wine regions face off and having everyone pick their favorite.  It would make for a great do it yourself wine tasting party and the options would be endless:  Australia vs New Zealand,  Washington vs California, Chile vs Spain, I could go on and on.  Thanks to City Winery for offering these educational and fun classes.  I can’t wait to see what the next classes are on the schedule!

Lately I have been trying to learn more about French wines and the regions that produce them.  When most people think of Bordeaux wines they have a tendency to assume that they are very expensive.  While these wines do sell at auctions for big bucks there are great quality Bordeaux that sell for extremely reasonable prices.  After perusing the aisles of my favorite local wine store I came across Chateau Pailhas Bordeaux 2005 from France.  My first impression of this wine was that it hits you with a big and bold flavor.  It is very dark brick red in the glass and has a spicy aroma.  Upon tasting,  this red wine has very pronounced blackberry and dark cherry flavors and has a nice long dry finish with the spiciness on the back end and lingers nicely on the tongue.  This Bordeaux is 13.5% alcohol and is a blend of 70% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon, and 15% cabernet franc.  Chateaux Pailhas is an excellent value at under $12 and was the perfect companion to our steak with gorgonzola sauce, sweet potato fries, and rocket salad with parmesan.

On a recent trip to my local discount wine emporium I found a very good Cote du Rhone that may rival the Perrin & Fils that is currently listed in my favorites box.  Seeing that the price was right and knowing I have had great success with lighter style French red wines, I decided that I probably couldn’t go wrong in purchasing this bottle.  Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallele 45 Cote du Rhone 2007 from France is medium bodied and slightly dry.  A blend of 60% grenache and 40% syrah, it had a pretty deep red color with a sweet, caramel and berry nose.  The wine is fruit forward at first with notes of blackberry and cherry and had a great spicy finish that I love in my red wines.  I think it had nice depth given the 14% alcohol and I experienced some mild tannins.  Paul Jaboulet produces this wine from 25 year old vines and ages it in stainless steel tanks.  I find Cote du Rhone to pair well with just about any dish from meat and fish to Indian and Thai cuisines.  This wine was rated 88 points from Wine Spectator and retails for under $12.

Since I gravitate towards all things French, it is no surprise that I also love French wines.  At many of my local wine shops there are plenty of inexpensive Cote du Rhone offerings.  By far my immediate favorite is Perrin & Fils Cote du Rhone Villages 2006 from Chateau de Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley.  I first tried this version at a wine tasting and was blown away by how great it was.  I went on to order several bottles and have really enjoyed each experience upon drinking them. 

The reason I am so impressed with this red is the explosion of flavor that comes with every sip.  A blend of 50% syrah and 50% grenache, it’s slight  floral and licorice aromas lead into full rich black cherry and plum flavors with a light spice and a hint of oak.  There are mild tannins present and there is a smooth and long finish on the palate.  I find this wine on the lighter side even though it is categorized as medium bodied.  This makes it a great companion not only to grilled meats and cheeses but  it also pairs well with spicy Thai and Indian cuisines.  It is rated 90 points by Wine Spectator and retails under $18.