posted on 28 April 2009 by sarah
I went out to dinner last week to a quirky restaurant in Harvard Square. It is a favorite of mine because the bar is lively, the food is delicate and fun, and there is a bar menu for those of us that want something delicious but can’t shell out the big dough. I dined with two close friends. The night was festive, marked by stories of scandal in the office along with the current dating dramas of my lovely and single friend.
While dipping into my asparagus custard and discussing male pattern balding I noticed my wine glass was empty. The waiter appeared in a flash angling for another glass. Fortunately we had recently ordered a bottle of Cabernet so I was not going to be without for long. The waiter scowled, “you ordered salmon; it will be DISGUSTING with that Cabernet!” I sheepishly shrugged and looked at him as if I had just been caught licking the inside of an empty Lays potato-chip bag – plastic covering my face, crumbs falling down my shirt. “Ooops.”
The truth is that it was a delicious Cab and I didn’t want to budge on my salmon selection. Perhaps it wasn’t the best combo but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some wines do in fact pair better with food than others. Wines that are particularly food friendly tend to have a high acidity level. The higher the acidity the more alert your taste buds seem. That is my very scientific explanation - picture taste buds standing at attention.
This Vouvray Sauvion 2007 is great with food. With notes of melon and pineapple it has a nice level of acidity. It is dry to off dry and would go well with the slight sweetness of lobster or scallops – or a burger if you prefer to piss off waiters. Loire wines tend to exhibit characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors. I didn’t know a lot about Vouvray wines but learned that they have some of the most complex and diverse plantings in the world leading to incredible blends. The whites are mainly based on the Chenin Blanc grape.
So next time you get an unwelcome eyebrow in regards to your wine and food selection I recommend:
1) Cock your head to the side and say, “Well now little man, it sure is better than that miller ice I’ve been drinkin’ at home!”
2) Laugh awkwardly and then start crying silently.
3) Think about the food you are eating, think about the wine you are drinking, and if you don’t want to make a change, politely tell your waiter to put the cork where the sun don’t shine.
Tags: Chenin Blanc, france, French white, Loire, Sarah Osteen, Vouvray, white wine
Category: Girl on Grape | Comments (1)
posted on 26 March 2009 by sarah
Nick Nolte may have the most memorable train-wreck of a mug shot but my favorite is Bernie Madoff who managed to sustain that uniquely smarmy semblance of a smile prior to being led to his stylish new Manhattan holding cell. You gotta hand it to this guy for deceiving hundreds of educated and well-informed investors, all-the-while knowing that he would eventually get caught. His reckless disregard for the law and ethics is worthy of some sort of financial Oscar, or at least an Emmy.
The 2007 Chateau Haut Lavigne is neither unethical nor the cause of life-long financial distress. But this Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blazes a trail for its deception. The wine starts off like a typical sauvignon blanc, a friendly white I would recommend with appetizers. Suddenly mid-sip this wine turns into some kind of champagne-esque white. That’s right; this wine is running a FONZIE SCHEME on me!
You know The Fonz, the 5’6’’ all-American garage mechanic heartthrob who depicted life in the 50s through some sort of bizarre 70s and 80s lens? Much like Dirty Dancing (took place in early 60s, filmed in full 80s cheese) Happy Days was a myriad of contradictions, just like Bernie. If only Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli could have spoken with Bernie Madeoff, maybe he could have taught him a few things. “Hey, you wanna satisfy the expectations of high returns promised to clients? “Aaaayhh!”
So back to our friend Chateau Haut Lavigne, this is a great cocktail or celebratory wine. I wouldn’t commit all my assets or courses to it but mixed into an evening of whites its complexity and mineral tastes will be sure to raise some eye-brows.
-Sarah Osteen, not a crook
Tags: bordeaux, france, French, French white, Sarah Osteen, White Bordeaux, white wine
Category: Girl on Grape | Comments (0)
posted on 22 March 2009 by jeff
The Languedoc does not have the reputation for producing wines of finesse that its more northern french brethren have. They are uniquely Mediterranean wines: wines that reflect the region’s ancient, and cosmopolitan heritage. What the Languedoc lacks in Bordelais gentility and Burgundian abstraction, it makes up in sunny approachability.
Le Grand Noir captures the rough-and-tumble accessibility of the area. The wine is made of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, (note the modern terminology of the latter). The wine is technically classified as vin de pays, which allows Languedoc growers to produce and label wines made from grapes outside of the region’s traditional viticultural context. In simpler terms, this means that a winemaker can make a wine from say, Merlot, and label it as such, rather than being confined to local, lesser known varietals such as Carignan, or Cinsault.
In the glass the wine is an earthy, slightly rusted red. The nose is somewhat conflicted; it leads with the spiciness of the Syrah, but definitely suggests the slightly under-acidic juiciness of the Cabernet.
On the palate the wine is best described as fun. This is the kind of bottling that wine-business old-timers refer to simply as, “good juice.” There is nothing particulary complex about the wine; it has strong, red/purple-hued fruit, and a straightforward, if a bit workman-like, structure.
With an $11.99 price tag this wine is head-turningly good. I suspect it will be even better outside this summer, paired with a very large, recently grilled hamburger. I recommend you check this wine out soon. Look for the wine with the large sheep on it.
J.
Tags: cabernet sauvignon, france, languedoc, sheep, shiraz, vin de pays
Category: Wine Reviews | Comments (1)
