Serge the Concierge

Drinking Outside the Box takes the Snob out of the Wine

At a recent wine tasting I was more than a bit turned off by a fellow attendee who did not seem to know a technical detail she would not like to mention.

Have we forgotten that good food and good wine is supposed to be fun, pleasurable not a doctoral pursuit?

Simon Woods of Drinking Outside the Box ('Wine for people who have a life) understands that and takes the snob out of the wine.

He also has the good taste to reference 'New Order' (one of my favorite bands) in his latest ditty Everything's gone green - the whites (and reds) of Galicia (July 16).

Makes me wonder why I have not mentioned Rías Baixas (old map above from region's site) and the lovely whites from the area, Albariños, not to forget the Celtic connection.

I have to correct that and share my tasting notes on Adega Eidos for example.

Cheers Simon!

Foodies Vacations: Cooking Schools in Australia, Pork Butchery to Stocks and Soups

Your inner chef might have forgotten that cooking and food is not just about being romanced by Provence or Tuscany.

In Cooking Schools Around Australia (Australian Traveler, May 2007), Christine Salins offers a number of destinations down under for Foodies Vacations.

It runs the gamut from barbecued seafood class at the Sydney Seafood School (opened since 1989) in Sydney's Fish Market which she says attracts 10,000 students a year to gourmet vegetarian cuisine with Nadine Abensur in Byron Bay.

Her more recent book is Enjoy.

Asian food has its place of course with Thai 'Cookery Retreats' at The Tamarind in Maleny, Queensland with chef Paul Plain.

Want to get down to basics the PodSchool in Canberra recently offered Stocks, Soups and Sauces, teaching how from the 3 basic stocks, beef, fish & chicken you can create the best sauces and soups.

I almost forgot to mention programs at wineries such as Chapel Hill (McLaren Vale) which has a Pork Butchery Session on August 8th with Ian Shaw from Ellis Butchers who will break up a pig and explain the cuts, while Chef Peter Hogg creates dishes using the appropriate technique for each cut (10.30am – 1.30pm).

A quick trip down under for a change.

15 Days Motorcycle Wine Tour de France, Naps Included?

My friends at Kermit Lynch have been posting their Tour de France Wine of the Day when the inspiration comes.

On July 15, they picked a 2008 Cheverny Rosé, Domaine du Salvard by Delaille from the Loire Valley (pictured below) for Stage 11.



Out of curiousity, I went to check if anyone else was matching wines with the Tour de France stages.

Nothing came up, instead I unearthed a 15 Days Motorcycle Wine Tour de France (by AdMo-Tours) taking place from September 2 to September 16.

Intriguing

Are naps included?

Elbowing your Way to the Spit Bucket, Spitting with Elegance, Wine Tastings

Things can get crowded at Wine Tastings, so it can be as much of a challenge to get to the Spit Bucket as it is to find a spot at the table itself.

I noticed a few individuals who carry their own spitit cup.
At least they stare only at their own leftovers.

You might find the whole spitting thing gross but who can drink if only a bit of anywhere from 50 to 200 wines at a tasting without getting sloppy drunk.
Can you do it with elegance, I am not sure.
It helps if the buckets are cleared quickly so the level in them is low, prevents accidents.

In How to Spit Wine (Chow, June 27, 2009), all around wine guy Matt Skinner practices the pursed method (see video below) and suggests you keep (swallow) one quarter of each wine for a real sense of taste and texture and spit the rest.

Before I leave the scene, I might get some food and a second helping of a wine I particularly enjoyed that day.

I did just that at the Top Rated Sud de France Wine Tasting on July 13 with cheese, charcuterie and La Coume du Roy 'Maury' (2004, 100% Grenache).

How do you handle it?

Felines Picpoul, Poujol Pico, White Wines that Taste like Love in the Afternoon

Long and exotic (like love on a summer afternoon?) is how they describe the finish on Domaine Felines Jourdan 'Picpoul de Pinet' (2007)...good structure and acidity.

In the words of The Wine Society, Pinet near Mèze and Sète, "has been planted with vines for over 2000 years. The vineyards lie just inland of the Mediterranean. The grape picpoul, or piquepoule, lives up to its French name: 'pique' (sharp and lively) and 'poule' (soft and maternal)."

Another off the beaten path white wine I tasted today was the Domaine du Poujol 'Pico' (2008) an unusual threesome of Rolle, Carignan Blanc, Roussanne.

This Vin de Pays de l'Herault is just like honey as Jesus and Mary Chain once sang, fresh, perfect for summer.

Domaine du Poujol is situated to the North West of Montpellier in the South of France

I tried both for the first time at Sud de France Top Rated Tasting in New York on July 13. They should retail for around $14 in the US Sante!

Will Top Rated Wines Move Me at 'Sud de France' Tasting, New York, July 13?

Well even if some of the wines getting the top ratings from US wine critics at the Sud de France Tasting on July 13 fail to move me on the eve of Bastille Day, no heads will roll under the guillotine.

The master of ceremony will be wine critic slash aspiring novelist Jamal Rayyis (pictured below) responsible for five editions (or is it 6) of Food & Wine Magazine's Wine Guide.



In any case, I will be sipping and spitting for you from 2 pm to 6 pm at the Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon in New York ans surely discover new favorites of my own.

Douce France, Joli Pays de Mon Enfance!

Cheese, Vermont-France Terroir Exchange kicks off Taste of Champlain Festival, July 8-12

As Vermont celebrates Champlain Quadricentennial, the 400th anniversary of French explorer Samuel de Champlain’s arrival to the lake that now bears his name in 2009, food had to be part of the equation.

The Taste of Champlain Food Festival kicks off on July 8 with morning seminars, tastings and discussions focus on the potential and importance of “origin of product” with experts from Vermont, France, and beyond. Guest speakers included cheese expert and microbiologist Sister Noella Marcellino (subject of the PBS documentary The Cheese Nun), French sensory expert Florence Berodier, and professors Amy Trubek of UVM and Pierre Merel of the University of California at Davis, among others.

It is followed by an Evening Tasting Event from 7 to 9pm with some of the most prestigious AOC French cheeses and the finest Vermont artisanal cheeses, all paired to perfection with Vermont and French wines and other specialty products from the state.

It takes place at Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts (Burlington).

Tickets are $50 and available at City Market (also in Burlington), by phone at (802)-264-0766.

I did noticed that City Market launched special products to mark the celebrations:

"The Quad-a-Poundah ($7.49/lb) is a delicious blend of local LaPlatte River Angus ground beef, Vermont Smoke and Cure bacon with a zesty Montreal-style seasoning. The Champlain Wrap ($7.95) combines Maple Ham and Brie cheese topped with Maple Honey-Dijon Mustard and greens.  In addition to the specialty burgers and wrap, the Co-op features Boyden Valley’s Quadricentennial Wine ($14.99) and Shelburne Vineyard’s Cote de Champlain ($12.99)."

On July 11, the Consumed to Thrifty in search of week-end plans can visit a FREE "open-air showcase of the region’s finest providers, from freshly harvested produce to locally produced honey, cheeses and gourmet prepared foods" on north and south sides of City Hall Park" from 8:30 a.m to 2 p.m.

At $5 per dish (proceeds benefit Burlington City Arts education scholarships) get your fill of everything strawberries at the Strawberry Festival also on Saturday, July 11 at the Food Festival Tent on Main Street, between St. Paul & Pine Streets from 11:00am to 5:00 p.m.

Looking at what local Indians used to eat and grow when back when, Alice Levitt reports in Indian Summer (July 09, Seven Days) on the recreation of an Abenaki Traditional Garden.

All in all a blend of cultivating, culture and history...

On 4th of July, Give us Liberty, Give us French Wine suggests Inspiring Thirst

In Independence Day Wines (Inspiring Thirst, July 3), Clark takes a contrarian view on the Buy American for July 4th take.

Here is his argument:

"Why on earth would you buy a bottle of French wine to go with an Independence Day celebration? I’d argue that the first bottle you look for should be from France! I believe it was the involvement of the French Navy in the Revolutionary War that played a major factor in the U.S. sealing the deal. Also, let us not forget that it was the French who gave us the Statue of Liberty. So, clearly, we should raise a glass to the French this weekend!"

I have to disagree with him on the point of wine stores promoting American wines mainly.

I walked into one today who had a Rosé wine sale going.

They were not all French yet the French contingent was a good third of it with the Loire Valley, Provence and Languedoc being represented.

No Bandol like the La Tour du Bon 08 (pictured above) picked by Clark though.

Related: Back to the Loire, with Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rose 2008, All Cabernet Franc

Happy Canada Day to Our Friends Up North, Should I Visit Toronto this Summer?

It's July 1st and Canada Day festivities are either happening or ready to roll across the land up North.

While driving up the New York Thruway a few weeks ago, the distance to Toronto showed up on a sign which prompted the question of whether a summer visit to Toronto should be considered.

The program for Canada Day in Toronto seems top heavy with country and bluegrass which I am not sure fits my present mood.

On the other hand, the city Summerlicious 2009 which kicks off on July 3rd and runs until July 19 sounds appetizing:

Each restaurant will offer a special 3-course prix fixe menu where patrons can sample the establishment’s delicious fare. The prix fixe menus are available at lunch and dinner at the following price points (some restrictions may apply):

$15, $20 or $30 lunch menus*

$25, $35 or $45 dinner menus*

Amongst the Top 25 Menu Picks for the Event is Mildred’s Temple Kitchen with its lean and clean decor (see below).

As for museums, cheese shops and patisseries, shops and wine stores I should check if make it to Toronto, I should trust your advice on that as I start with a blank slate.

Happy Canada Day!

Back to the Loire, with Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rose 2008, All Cabernet Franc

Been invited to a barbecue on Sunday, it was suggested that I pick some beer on the way and decided to add French Orangeade and a bottle of Rosé Wine to the drink basket.

The store I visited offered only a few Rosé Wines including some Tavel and a Chinon.

Since my last Rosé pick was from Provence and the Chinon was a Cynthia Hurley selection and I trust her good judgment I went with the Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rose 2008, all Cabernet Franc.

The people at Carlo Russo (I did not buy it there) sing its praise and state that "this Rosé with its nervy charm and Cabernet Franc essence will completely win you over. You will be passing up your favorite summer white for it".

Those attending the party must have agreed as the wine was gone in no time, they left me just enough to charm my taste buds.

Guess I have to get another bottle or two of this Couly-Dutheil Chinon Rose 2008 before it's gone from the shelves.

Should cost you around $14-$15

Related: Rose Wines, Loire (Wilfrid Rousse) or Provence (Les Belles Bastides)?