The Splendid Grape

A Look into the World of Wine from a Novice Perspective

Domaine Courtois Cotes du Rhone Paired with Salade Lyonnaise Sandwich December 16, 2012

Filed under: Cooking with Wine,World Tour of Wine — Chloe Nichols @ 5:13 pm
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I have arrived in the Rhone Valley and, like all of the French wine regions, there are many sub-regions.  I decide to go with Lyon – mostly because it is the gastronomy capital of France.  The first order of business is to figure out what to eat.

Maybe it is because it is winter or maybe it simply because I really like to eat, but I am really enjoying the food part of my journey.  I had Fricassee de Poulet at my last stop, so I am thinking maybe some kind of red meat dish would work.  I could then pair it with a red wine.  I was originally planning to make Pot au feu, but after reading the ingredients and instructions, I realized it was a bit over my head.

So, I continued my search, and oddly enough, each search led me to Salade Lyonnaise.  Salade Lyonnaise is basically a salad with bacon, a Dijon dressing and a poached egg on top. I decided it was fate (and I am a huge fan of poached eggs), so I started to look for a recipe.

That is when I found a recipe for Salade Lyonnaise Sandwich on a blog called A Cozy Kitchen. I was super excited by this recipe (and the picture was gorgeous) and right away could envision myself eating this sandwich and sipping a glass of white wine.

salad lyonnaise sandwich

With my dinner in mind, I went back to West Seattle Cellars for a bottle of Rhone wine.  I settled on a bottle of Domain Courtois La Source 2011.

I modified the Salade Lyonnaise sandwich recipe slightly, using some old red wine that had been open a bit too long instead of the red wine vinegar, mixed greens and a basic roll.  I gave it my flair :)

The sandwich turned out quite tasty, and while I normally do not like bacon (I know, I am weird), I didn’t mind the flavor it gave to the meal.

Domaine Courtois La SourceThe wine was a lovely accoutrement to my dinner.  Pale yellow in color, it has a very fresh, almost green nose, with hints of citrus, pears and ginger.  I could taste white grapes, ginger and a hint of citrus, and the wine was overall very light and airy.  The freshness of the wine cut through the salt of the bacon nicely, and the salt of the meal actually brought out more fruitier notes of the wine – green apples.

I could imagine myself sitting on the back porch on a hot summer day, eating the sandwich and sipping this wine.  A perfect porch wine.

With a full tummy, I am heading to my last stop in France – Provence.

 

Touring the Burgundy Region of France – Two Great Wines & Beef Bourguignon November 11, 2012

Filed under: Cooking with Wine,World Tour of Wine — Chloe Nichols @ 11:19 pm
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Beef Bourguignon & Burgundy Wine

Beef Bourguignon & Burgundy Wine

I left the Champagne Region and headed over to Burgundy.  The Burgundy region is in Eastern France and the wines are primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. There are 6 regions within the Burgundy region, so there are many different types of wine to chose from.  This is also the birth place of coq au vin, Dijon mustard and beef bourguignon.

But before I tried the local fare, I would want to visit the Autun Cathedral and take a ride down the Canal de Bourgogne.

And now, time for some dinner and drink!  I knew right away I wanted to try beef bourguignon, but I wasn’t sure about the wine pairing.  I have to come clean, I failed to recognize the complexity of the various wine regions I have encountered thus far – there is so much to learn. Plus, every time I hear the word burgundy, I think of the movie Anchorman – and Ron Burgundy.

cooking beef bourguignonSo, I did what any little sister does, I called my big brother, Ian.  He told me that he would take care of the wine for this leg of the journey, if I took care of the food – easy enough.  My husband, Michael, has a culinary degree, so it was the obvious choice to let him cook our beef bourguignon.

Ian brought over two wines – a Camille Giourd 2009 Bourgogne Grand Vin de Bourgogne and Digioia-Royer 2010 Bourgogne Appellation Bourgogue Contolee Pinot Noir.

The Camille Giourd had a light ruby-red color, with a very light nose of raspberry and the palette tasted of tart cherries.  The Digioia-Royer was similar in color, with a richer nose of plums, blackberries and cherries and a palette of raspberries and tart cherries.

Honestly, I was surprised by the tartness of both of these wines.  To this point, most of the wines I have tasted have been American, primarily California and Washington, so the taste of this authentic French wine was a shock to my palette.

But both wines did pair nicely with the meal.  The beef bourguignon was a savory, rustic dish.  And our side dishes of steamed fingerling potatoes and petite carrots brought out earthy notes.  The tart and earthy flavors of the wine melded nicely with the beef, which does support the argument that the native foods and wines are always the best pairings.

Ian also gave me some good nuggets of information about the Burgundy region.  The Burgundy region is basically a big hill with a highway running through the middle.  The wines that are labeled with Appellation Bourgogne Controlee mean that the grapes are from all over the Burgundy region, and most of these wines are made from the grapes at the top of the hill.

The vineyards at the bottom of the hill are called the village appellations. The wines from the very bottom of the valley are called the Premier crus and the wines from right above are called the Grand crus (the best wines).  There are 32 Grand Crus.  Wow!

Enjoying wine with familyI also learned that the Digioia-Royer is from Chambolle-Musigny.  Originally, Chambolle was the town in France and Musigny was the winery.  Way back when, towns started attaching themselves to the winery to put themselves on the map, and the names stuck.

The wine and the food combination was very tasty and left me wanting more.  So, I have decided for my next stop, I will head back up North to the Alsace region.

In the words of Ron Burgundy – “Stay Class France” – and stay tuned for more French wine and food.

 

Barrister Winery Sauvignon Blanc and Roasted Chicken – Easing Into Fall the Right Way October 24, 2012

Filed under: Cooking with Wine,Washington Wines — Chloe Nichols @ 6:00 pm
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Fall is here, as much as I hate to admit it, and the rain is moving in.  In my mind, nothing cures the dull-drums like roasted chicken.  I love the way the cooking chicken fills the kitchen and the house with warm flavors.

Another great thing about roasted chicken: it pairs well with white wine.  I had a bottle of Barrister Winery2011 Klipsun Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.  I have a soft spot for Barrister Winery.  Last April, I went on a wonderful tour of the winery and have savored that experience.

The Sauvignon Blanc was faint yellow, almost clear and had a very light lemony smell.  The wine had a lovely lemon and grapefruit palette, with a sweet finish. It paired nicely with the chicken, and rounded out my meal nicely.

It also got me wondering – why am I just putting up pictures of wine, when I should include my meal too – after all, it may be more entertaining to readers to see pictures of something yummy…hmm…food for thought I guess.

Anyway, I was very pleased with the Barrister Sauvignon Blanc and that I succeeded in a nice pairing.  But then again, can you really go wrong with wine and chicken?

 

Prosecco and Japanese Curry: A Good Cure for the Common Cold July 29, 2012

Filed under: Cooking with Wine — Chloe Nichols @ 3:30 pm
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A lovely summer cold has been running through our house, and I spent the week with a stuffy nose and cough.  Since cold medicine does not work for me, I decided to turn to food and alcohol.  A nice and spicy dish ought to do the trick.

I whipped up a pot of spicy Japanese Curry, poured it over rice and popped open a bottle of Valdo Prosecco.  Now, I am not going to try to write any type of review on the Prosecco, since I do have a cold and my taste is basically gone and I can’t smell a thing.  But, based on what I read by The Reverse Wine Snob, I made a pretty good (and economical choice).

The Prosecco paired nicely with my spicy dinner.  The spice did wonders on cleaning out my sinuses and the bubbly cooled off my mouth.  I thought the Valdo Prosecco was very nice, smooth and not too dry.

I really do like bubbly and I am looking forward to trying another bottle of the Prosecco once my cold is gone.

 

Arbor Crest Merlot – A Terrific Pairing and Ingredient July 5, 2012

Filed under: Cooking with Wine,Washington Wines — Chloe Nichols @ 9:40 pm

It was a cool, rainy June day, so my husband put a 7-bone roast into our slow cooker. When we go home from work, the house smelled delicious and dinner was ready.

I had a bottle of Arbor Crest 2008 Merlot (Four Vineyards/Columbia Valley) that I had been wanting to try, and this was the perfect opportunity.

To be honest, I was a little wary of the Merlot, so far, the Merlot’s I have tried have an earthy palette (like a mouthful of mushrooms and dirt), which is not something I prefer.  I was pleasantly surprised with this bottle.

The wine was a dark red – almost like black cherries, and the nose had hints of dark cherries, blackberries, with a slight earthy undertone.  The palette was surprising to me and was not at all as I expected, but was tart, spicy and had the slightest hint of cherry.

The wine paired nicely with the roast and made for a complete and comforting meal.

We had some leftover Merlot from our meal and I did not want it to go to waste.  In my eyes, it was the perfect opportunity to make marinara.  I had been wanting to make homemade sauce for quite some time, so the leftover wine forced the issue.

My husband went to culinary school, so I had him do all the cooking, while I observed and tried to take it all in (with the goal of making marinara on my own next time).  We chopped and sautéed onions and garlic, and then added tomato paste before de-glazing the pan with the Merlot.

What struck me was the smell when the Merlot hit the hot pan and began to mix in with the tomato paste and onion and garlic – it actually had meaty smell – and smelled quite delicious.

We finished off our sauce with crushed tomatoes, herbs and a little bit more Merlot. And after the sauce had simmered about an hour, we poured it over hot pasta.  A wonderful meal and a great way to finish off a bottle of good wine.

 

 
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