Wine

February 7, 2015 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Surprise Me!

When you have a 2006 Côtes du Rhône in the wine rack, you don't just serve it with anything, especially if it is a Rasteau. This is a wine for certainty, not a wine you pull when you're serving a frozen dinner. (Okay, I know anyone who reads this blog is most likely not making a TV dinner, but you get my point.) If I were to think of things to serve with a Rasteau, salmon would not leap to mind. Yet, I do know that, if your guests are solely red wine drinkers, a Côtes du Rhône is a good choice for salmon. So, for today's pairing I actually surprised myself, and in a good way. I decided to put my [...]

February 1, 2015 3

IN THE DEPTH OF WINTER, I UNCORK A BOTTLE OF ROSÉ

The snow is over three-feet deep in some places around our home in coastal New England. The wind is howling, shaking the loose window panes of this 18th-century house and causing a shrill whistling noise. A “Winter Storm Watch” is in effect for tonight, when an additional twelve inches of snow may begin to fall. Even parts of Provence may see a dusting of snow by the end of the week [...]

January 18, 2015 14

YOU KNOW MIRABEAU ROSÉS, BUT HAVE YOU MET THE RED WINE?

Have you ever had a dream that you really wanted to follow? One that tugged so hard at your heartstrings that you resorted to cold showers to quell those feelings? Stephen Cronk did. And, now, after harboring this dream for some 25 years, this handsome man with [...]

January 3, 2015 14

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Hearty New Year Greeting (and Pairing)

I can't think of anything I enjoy more than lamb with a rich, full-bodied red wine by its side. A bottle of 2007 Éternité has been sitting in our caves (okay, it's a wine rack) waiting for the right meal. It's Christmas, and Provençal lamb shanks have been braised; the Éternité joined the celebration. With its blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, this Rhône wine was perfect for the earthy, tomato-y, citrus-infused lamb. The nose was deceptively light, but the first taste was full, fruit forward (blackberry and cherry), and spicy. After a taste of the lamb, the intensity diminished only [...]

December 14, 2014 0

Le Vin Cuit from Mas de Cadenet est Arrivé!

in Cuit is a "cooked wine" that is traditionally enjoyed during the Christmas season in Provence. Although most of this holiday dessert wine never makes it out of the small village in which it is made, it is made and sold to a wider audience by a handful of wine producers in [...]

December 10, 2014 12

RAW AND ROLLE

Oysters are everywhere in Provence this time of year. Often likened to the American turkey at Thanksgiving, oysters—along with foie gras and caviar—are an integral part of the holidays in France. Half of the country’s annual production of oysters is consumed between [...]

December 6, 2014 0

Stephen Cronk Feeling Sanguine about 2014 Mirabeau Rosés

This morning I spoke with Stephen Cronk, proprietor of Mirabeau in Provence, who told me that he and winemaker Jo Ahearne just wrapped up the final blending session of the Mirabeau 2014 rosés. Woo-hoo! [...]

November 16, 2014 9

LE CLOS DE CAVEAU: PIONEER IN ORGANIC VITICULTURE IN SOUTHERN RHONE VALLEY

“Is there alcohol in that [wine]?” was a common question when Gérard Bungener, Henri’s father, first adopted organic practices in his Vacqueyras vineyard. Now, twenty-five years later, it is hard to fathom such a question. [...]

November 5, 2014 0

Out Out Damn Rosé

Red wine grabbed the spotlight from their much-lauded rosés at Château Léoube's recent portes ouvertes on the Cap Bénat peninsula in Bormes-les-Mimosas. The star of the show was the first official vintage of Léoube Collector, a single varietal Cabernet Franc, a first of its kind [...]

November 2, 2014 22

MY DINNER WITH SACHA LICHINE

When the invitation for dinner with Sacha Lichine popped up on my screen, I couldn’t help but think of my grandfather.

Just above my desk, wedged into the middle of a crowded shelf, stands a faded purple book entitled “Wines of France.” The book belonged to my grandfather and the author was Alexis Lichine, Sacha’s father, otherwise known as “the Pope of Wine.” [...]

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