Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
For fans of fuller-bodied sparkling wines (me, me, me), this is a super option.
There’s apple and pear on the nose. This French champagne offers an earthiness and mouth-watering apple and peach flavors with hints of vanilla. Long, dry and completely enjoyable finish.
Nicer than most champagnes at this price point.
90 Points Wine Spectator.
Pairings: Lobster, ripe berries, cheese souffle.
Style: Sparkling
Grape Type(s): Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir
Region: Champagne, France
Around $40.
Nearly black in the glass, this Argentine wine is fragrant with dark berries on the nose. On the palate, this medium to full-bodied wine offers aromas of ripe raspberries, dates and notes of pumpkin pie spices. The finish is medium in length and showcases oaky and peppery notes.
I poured half the bottle through my Vinturi wine aerator and had the rest straight out of the bottle. Aerating or decanting would be optimal for this young wine.
Pairings: Grilled rack of lamb or Thai food.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Malbec
Region: San Juan, Argentina
Around $10.
This wine was provided to me for sampling and I am adding to my repertoire as it is truly enjoyable.
World Malbec Day, April 17th, offers an interesting platform for Malbec lovers to compare wines of this varietal, share their thoughts about them on Twitter and Facebook, see what other tasters have to say and add new wines to their favorites list.
If you’ve never participated in an online wine tasting, it’s great fun:
What I’ll be uncorking for the big day:
Remember to use the hashtag #MalbecDay to participate in the celebrations on Twitter (are we connected there? @foodwinechickie) or share your tasting notes on the Wines of Argentina Facebook page.
About Malbec: Malbec is medium to full-bodied and offers ripe fruit flavors of plums and blackberry with notes of vanilla, spice and tobacco.
Typical Malbec Food Pairings: Red meats are the perfect pairing for Malbec, but it can also stand up to spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian foods. BBQ is great matched with Malbec.
Salud!
Veronique
It’s springtime and for me, that means the official start of grilling season (I grill in the winter, but less often). Using fresh spring produce is such a treat and when peas are in season, I’m drawned to rack of lamb, grilled simply over a mound of sweet, minted pea purée.
Ingredients:
Directions:
6 servings.
I felt fortunate to sample this outstanding Pinot Noir at a local wine tasting last week. Just everything I love about this varietal: Beautiful purple in the glass, noseful of cherries and rich yet bright flavors of ripe cherries, raspberries and wild strawberries.
This fruit forward French Pinot Noir is silky, elegant and just super.
Pairings: Roasted turkey, grilled chicken or duck and pork.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Pinot Noir
Region: Burgundy, France
Around $45.
I had the pleasure of sampling this outstanding Riesling from Alsace at a recent wine tasting. The vines from which the grapes for this wine are gathered are over 50 years old and 100% hand-picked.
The nose is pungent with citrus and floral notes. The bold flavors are of peach, pear and nectarine with a super combination of richness and freshness. The long finish offers hints of licorice and a little smokiness.
Just a very enjoyable wine that could benefit from some cellaring.
Pairings: Buttered lobster, bouillabaisse, blue cheese dishes, Thai food.
Style: White
Grape Type(s): Riesling
Region: Alsace, France
Around $40.
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Cheers,
Veronique
Everyone at work knows I am a food and wine blogger. At Christmas time, Judie, who I work with, brought me a tin of handmade caramels that she told me were a family heirloom. Her Aunt Mary’s caramel recipe is loved by everyone in her family, but Judie is the only one to carry on the tradition of caramel-making. Since the caramels were some of the best I have had, I implored her for the recipe, but alas, she would not part with it.
Come January, and my 40th birthday, Judie brought me a mini gift bag with, to my surprise and joy, a copy of Aunt Mary’s Caramel recipe in it. It is with Judie’s approval that I share the recipe with all of you.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Yields about 65 caramel squares.
Notes: Do not double the recipe. Make sure you wear a mitt when pouring the hot liquid into the pan to prevent burns from any splattering.
Me on my 3rd birthday
Today, I turn 40 years-old. I come to this milestone with satisfaction, both personally and professionally. To keep this post food and wine-focused, I’ll reminisce about some birthday traditions and memorable birthday meals I’ve cherished over the years.
When I was growing up in Quebec, my mom would often make my sister and me crepes for our birthday breakfasts. The first crepe would have our first initial “stamped” into it with her spatula and we thought that was awesome. When I got a little older, my special birthday dinner became a stuffed beef tenderloin with peppery sauce and mashed potatoes. It’s still no doubt a favorite of mine, when fixed by mom. Another birthday tradition when I was little, was to have my grandma make me a birthday chocolate cream pie. Yea, no cake, always this mile-high pie that I often still crave.
Now that I live in the New York metro area with no family around to help celebrate, my guy always plans a special night out in Manhattan. The restaurant is always kept a secret with me getting clues every few days as to the location or perhaps chef, as the big night gets closer. What fun!! Over the years, we’ve dined at Daniel, Bouley, Nobu and others that are foodie favorites.
This year, my girlfriends from Florida flew up to help celebrate the big 4-0 with me and some of my friends. We I say that “we” celebrated, I mean that the two of them celebrated the fact that I’m no longer in my 30s and have FINALLY joined them in the 40s. As we always do when they come visit, we had a foodie weekend with tons of diet-unfriendly grub. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Did you see the chocolate cream pie they made me that I posted a few days ago!??
I look forward to what’s to come in this new decade. Onwards and upwards!
Veronique
See the South Florida Food and Wine interview about yours truly, Food & Wine Chickie: http://bit.ly/cBRpAK
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