September 2009 Entries
As the third in the series was being broadcast last night, I realised that I needed to blog on the wines I would use to accompany the recipes in programme 2, so here goes:
- The Leek Rissotto with Parmesan Chips - You could go for either a red or white wine for this dish, but I am really tempted to go for a good rose, by that I mean one that is dry and full of flavour, and preferably one that has been made with half an eye on drinking it with food. I can think of nothing better than Aldeby Wines' very own Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Rose. If you were to go for a white wine try an unoaked Chardonnay, preferably from a cool climate like Chablis (From the Aldeby Wines list try the Petit Saint Aunes Blanc 2007). Alternatively if you prefer a red then try Beaujolais, but a village or Cru wine (from our range try Domaine du Grangeon Gamay)
- Chicken Salad with Cous Cous and Oranges - Take care the acidity in the orange can destroy and unwary wine! Try a Pinot Noir, but one that is not trying to be Burgundian, I would try a Pinot from Chile, but make sure it is not a cheap one pay say £8 or more. (From our list: The Domaine de Raissac Pinot Noir 2007)
- Bubble and Squeak Cakes - These look good, and when eaten with bacon, or a gammon steak would be great accompanied by something big, try a Barossa Shiraz, or a better Chilean Merlot or Carmenere (or better still the Domaine des 1000 Roses Cuvee Lea)
- Quick Tomato and Cream Sauce - Assuming you eat this with pasta, I would recommend opening a bottle of Chianti, or another Italian wine made with lots of Sangiovese. The wine needs to have sufficient acidity to cut through the cream and work well with the tomato. (From Aldeby Wines the Bois Moi from Le Chemin des Reves fits the bill in terms of slighty raised acidity)
- Fresh Mackrel with Roastred Rhubarb - This is difficult to match, but I would try an aromatic white wine, like Torrontes from Argentina, or Albarino/Alvarinho from Spain/Portugal.(From Aldeby WInes try the 100% Clairette - Cuvee Praelude from Mas de Valbrune)
- Rhubarb Tart with Marscapone Cream - this sounds lovely but not over sweet, so a sweet rather than luscious wine would work well, try a Sweet Chenin Blanc from the Loire, or possibly a Vin Santo from Tuscany. (From our list I would instantly go for Domaine Grangeon, Cuvee Grangeon, and if it didn't quite work with this dessert it would be lovely on its own after the meal!)
That's all for now, I will blog on Programme 3's recipes soon
Ian
Aweek or two ago I blogged on the aging ability of red wines from Languedoc, and in the blog I said that I would come back to talk about aging the white wines of the region, So here goes.
In general most white wines from the South of France tend not to be greatly improved by aging. They tend to be rather simple and are much nicer drunk on the fruit while retaining their freshness. The majority of these are Vin de Pays d'Oc. They tend to be made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or increasingly from Viognier or from varieties we associate with the region like Grenache Blanc, Roussanne or Marsanne, and of course the very underrated (when it is good) Picpoul. Increasingly these wines are becoming more and more drinkable, and it is possible to find some lovely wines for early drinking. Areas I like for this type of wine include the Vin de Pays du Duche d'Uzes, Vin de Pays des Coteaux du Salagou, and the Vin de Pays des Cotes du Thongue, and AOC Picpoul de Pinet.
However there are a small number of producers who try to make white wines that will improve with age. They tend to follow the same ideas as the best red wine makers:
- They look for the "right" terroir for the variety
- They only harvest at low yields
- They are very careful in their vinification
Often these producers will use oak barrels of various sizes to ferment or age the wine. The varieites that interest these producers tend to be Grenache Blanc/Gris, Rousanne and Marsanne. There are also one or two age-worthy Chardonnays and the occasional Chenin Blanc that are fascinating. The wines will have a lovely heavyish, oilyish texture, and be full of complex white fruit, floral, melon, and tropical fruit flavours, often with some spice and occasionally a herbal note. They are always well balanced, and often have a great persistence of flavour.
The best wines will usually be made in the areas where the vines get chance to recover from the heat of the summer's day by being cooled by breezes through the night, so for example, the parts of the Coteaux du Languedoc that are nearer the mountains are a good place to look, these include the Terrasses du Larzac, and Pic Saint Loup.
White wine making, with the intention of producing a wine to age, is a relatively new thing in Languedoc, for example Pic Saint Loup has an Appellation for red and Rose wines, but must use the regional AOC Languedoc for white wine, despite it having a lovely white wine terroir - I understand that the local Producers Union has begun the process to apply for an AOC for the whites, but that it may take 10 years for them to persuade the appropriate bodies that they deserve one!
So, dry white wines from the South of France are generally intended for early but pleasurable drinking, though there are a few producers who are trying to make a longer lived wine that will develop with age. Just take care when buying to age, always take advice from a Wine Merchant or Producer you trust.
It seems sensible to point out a few of each type from the Aldeby Wines List:
Early Drinkers - Up to 3 years old
Wines to age
I hope this is of interest. Soon I will give you the low down on a new wave of sweet wines that are slowly becoming more evident in the South of France.
Ian
I have just watched the first in the series of Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers thanks to the BBC i-Player. I have always been a fan of Nigel Slater, his philosophy on food has often matched mine. I particularly like the way he uses what he has around, and what takes his eye in the shops. He also seems to be particularly keen to eat according to the season, something that I am keen to do. I really don't think we should be eating strawberries in December, or brussel sprouts in May.
On thing that struck me while watching the programme was the lack of any wine - food matching that goes on in just about all of the cooking programmes on UK television. It got me thinking about what I would match with the five dishes NS prepared:
- Hot Chicken Cakes with Herb Mayo - This dish will have plenty of flavour and a good Grenache based red wine will suit it, so a good village wine from the Southern Rhone from say Gigondas, Vacqueyras or Chateauneuf-du-Pape (from the Aldeby Wines list I would pick either Domaine des 1000 Roses Pierre Figee, or Plan de l'Om Miejour.
- Nigel's Adaptable Bean Soup - You could go either white or red with this dish. The white would need to have a bit of body, but I think it needs to be unoaked and fairly robust, I would probably open a Chardonnay, or perhaps a Chardonnay blend (from the Aldeby Wines list I would pick the Domaine Grangeon Cuvee Fermiget, a Chardonnay Viognier blend). If I was inclined drink a red wine, it would need to be lightish, but with plenty of fruit flavours - perhaps a Loire Cabernet Franc, or a bigger style of Beaujolais (from the Aldeby Wines list I would try the Domaine Grangeon Gamay, or the Chemin des Reves Bois Moi)
- Free Form Trifle and Custard - This really doesn't need a glass of wine, it just looks great! Save the sweet wine to drink as a digestive!
- Goats Cheese on Garlic Toast - This is an easy match, though you may be surprised to hear that it demands a white wine. I would go for a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire (say a Sancerre) or a bry white from Languedoc containing some or all of Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Clarette. (from the Aldeby Wines list the obvious choice is the Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Cuvee Sainte Agnes Blanc)
- Tidy Friday Pan Fry - What a good looking dish! It need a glass of red, no it demands a glass of red! On a Friday night having worked all week it is only right to have something nice to eat that is simple to prepare - this dish is perfect - but also to drink something really nice. Something with a bit of power, with a fair bit of Syrah or a fair bit of Cabernet Sauvignon would be great, i.e. a good St Joseph (or Cornas), a nice Western Australian Shiraz, a very good Chilean Syrah or a Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux, a good Cab from Klein Constantia, a Super-Tuscan with lots of Cabernet in, or whatever takes your fancy! (from the Aldeby Wines list I would pick the Mas d'Agalis "Yo no Puedo Mas d'Agalis" if I was inclined to Syrah, or the Domaine de Raissac Gustave Fayet if Cabernet was the choice. If I couldn't decide I would go for Domaine de Rieussec Gentilhommiere, which blends the two!)
I really must stop thinking about food. I have only just eaten my lunch and I am hungry again!
Ian
PS Click here, to go to the main Blog page for more on matching wines to the food cooked by Nigel Slater in this series
I have just got back from a few days in the South of France where I was lucky enough to get the inside information on the 2009 vintage from a few producers in the eastern part of the Herault departement.
The weather through the months of June, July and August was particularly dry, with only a few milimetres of rain in each month - the Pic Saint Loup had only 20 mm in July and less in August. Temepratures have been higher than normal, as had the total hours of sunshine. All this lead to the start of the harvest teo to three weeks early, the fruit was generally in very good to excellent condition, though many vines were suffering from hydric stress, leaving the grapes small and with thick skins. In some ways it is a bit reminiscent of 2003, but the producers were ready for it, and picking began very early.
At L'Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup, the white grapes were harvested very quickly over 3 days from the 18th of August. The bunches were in great condition, with uniform ripeness of the berries, and with ripe stalks. The black grapes were harvested immediately after the white grapes, with all harvested by 3-4th September, except the Mourvedre which is always late and which will be picked on the 11th September. The black grapes were also very healthy, if a little small, with lovely ripe stalks.
Overall yields are fairly low, with Pierre Ravaille calculating that the whites will produce around 25 hectolitres per hectare and the reds around 20 hl/ha.
The vinification of the white wines at L'Ermitage has begun with the sole barrique of Viognier already finished, the rest still have a fair way to go. With the warm ambient temperatures, the cooling system is working hard with the remaining barriques, demi-muids and foudres of white wine maintained at around 20 degrees. Tasting barrel samples of fermenting wines is never easy, but it is my impression that this is going t be a lovely white vintage in Eastern Languedoc, comparable to though different from the fantastic 2007. There is a great purity of fruit in the Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, with the Clairette also very pure. The Grenache Gris/Blanc is showing well, with a great attack at the start, and a good array of spice and herb (fenel) on the mid palate.
The Vinification of the red wines at L'Ermitage is also going well. Because the skins were thick it was decided to not destem all of the fruit, this helped the free run wine to flow more easily and for piegage to be performed, even so Pierre Ravaille believes that he has never had a cuve with a cap as difficult to to punch down as one of the cuves of Grenache this year - it easily supported the weight of a person!
Exemplary tannin management is going to be the key to the quality of the red wine produced 2009. Those who take care and don't try to work on the extraction of flavour and tannin as much as they do most years potentially will make great wine, as long as they are prepared to only press lightly.
Overall, yields are likely to be down on normal, with potentially fantastic dry white wines, and potentially great red wines where vinification has been managed particularly carefully. All we need to do now is wait until mid-2010 for the white wines and mid-2011 for the reds to be bottled!
Ian
I know it is Wednesday, and that I am slow to blog having been in Leamington on Saturday and Sunday, but I am only just recovering from all the fun!
The two days went very well with about 300 people tasting some of our wines, which I will list in more detail in my next Newsletter. Three or four favourites stood out, they were:
- Mas de Valbrune Rosae Rosam 2008, AOC Coteaux du Languedoc Cabrieres. A lovely rose made from Cinsault and Syrah, it is full of berry fruit, mainly strawberry, with a touch of cream and lovely hits of spice.
- Plan de l'Om Feuillage 2006, AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. A complex, rich white wine with aromas and flavours of ripe apple, pear and white stone fruits, with a floral note, spice and a lovely full body
- Mas d'Agalis "Yo no puedo mas d'agalis VII", vin de Table Francais, a big rich full powerful red based on Syrah, Carignan and a touch of Mourvedre. Pcked with dark fruit, spice a touch of leather i is supremely well balanced.
- L'Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Cuvee Classique 2006 AOC Coteaux du Languedoc Pic-Saint-Loup. Power and Elegance in a glass, lots of complex berry fruit, with additional cassis, cranberry, and spice, and herbal notes, silky tannins - a real pleasure to drink.
People also seemed very interested in holding a tasting, the idea of spending a couple of hours having a tutoured tasting of eight lovely wines is obviously appealing!
Generally we felt very welcomed in Leamington. One other bonus was to have a stand next to Fiona Sciolti Botanical Chocolates, not only are they totally hand made, but they are delicious, positively hedonistic! They can be found online at www.scioltichocolates.com
Best
Ian
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