Dancing Spoon

Wine Sale at La Tour d'Argent

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Not the Bargain Basement
Just in time for the holidays, one of the most famous Parisian restaurants, La Tour d’Argent, is having something of a yard-sale. Well, a cellar-sale really. La Tour, as it is affectionately known, will be auctioning off 18,000 bottles from it’s historic wine cellar on December 7 and 8, 2009. For example, if you've got about $1800 there's a nice bottle of Corton, a red Burgundy, vintage 1895, that you can snatch up.

But don’t worry if that’s beyond your price range. There’s a 1983 Pétrus, a magnum, that will go for only about $1,350. And then there are the Premier Cru Bordeaux classics, Château Latour, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion, Cheval Blanc and Château Margaux. Burgundies, which make up 60% of La Tour’s current cellar, to be auctioned will not include the big boys like La Tâche and Romanée Conti, but Meursault Clos de la Barre Lafon, Puligny Montrachet Referts Sauzet and Vosne Romanée Jayer.

Emptying out 18,000 bottles of wine from one’s cellar may seem like a lot, but for La Tour it is merely about 4% of the 450,000 bottle cellar! That cellar consists of 27 rooms that are seven stories below La Tour’s dining room.

La Tour d’Argent (http://www.tourdargent.com/) overlooks Notre Dame on the Left Bank of Paris at 15/17 quai de la Tournelle, 75005 Paris. À votre santé!

---

 

Foodie's Emporium is an Amazon Pro Merchant!

---

Beaujolais Nouveau for T-Day

Wine About

by Eric Olson
Years ago we always looked forward to the arrival, just before Thanksgiving, of the Beaujolais Nouveau wines from France. Bottled and shipped almost immediately after being picked, these wines were fun, interesting, another reason to celebrate and highly anticipated. Success almost ruined the idea as more and more large shippers got on board and would ship anything that was red, some tasting more like colored water than wine. I've always liked the idea, however and this year sought out a small producer who neither chaptilize (adds sugar) or uses artificial yeasts, in other words "real wine".  Wild yeasts exist on the outside of grape skin and are a critical piece of the wine making puzzle. They are more difficult to handle than artificial yeasts but make much more interesting wines. The '09 vintage is excellent and, like all Beaujolais Nouveau vintages, cannot be delivered to any store until the Thursday preceding Thanksgiving. We all have an equal opportunity to discover the "vintage." If you've been part of a Nouveau celebration and came away unimpressed, try some made by small farmers who do it the old fashioned way. Fortuitously Beaujolais is an excellent choice with Turkey and all the trimmings.

---

---

T-Day Kitchen Helpers from Foodie's Emporium
Just in time for Thanksgiving! Foodie's Emporium has just added Cuisipro cook's tools. Cuisipro tools are innovative, stylish, and time-savers.

Cuisipro Herb Keeper This clever solution for storing and extending the life of herbs, the Herb Keeper is a perfect way to enjoy flavorful meals with the addition of fresh herbs. • Keep herbs fresh longer!  Suspended tray holds herb bunches together for easy access. Removable tray lifts for easy draining. Stems are immersed in water for freshness and hydration to extend life of herbs. Can accommodate large bunches of herbs or bundles of asparagus. 25 year warranty!

Cuisipro Fat Separator  This gravy separator has a unique plug which blocks fat out of the spout until fat and gravy are separated. Once separated, the lid can be snapped up to unplug the spout and release lean gravy. No more greasy gravy. This handy tool takes the fat off gravies and sauces with an innovative plug. Flip-top to open lid. Oversized rim prevents spills. Dishwasher safe. 4 cup capacity. Create clear, healthier gravy and sauces with this unique kitchen tool. Heat-resistant strainer catches unwanted food particles. 25 year warranty!

Find Handcrafted Knives, hand selected Cook's Tools, and unique Gifts for foodes at Foodie's Emporium!

---

Choosing Bordeaux Wines

Wine About

by Eric Olson
Well, it's Tuesday evening about five o’clock in the early evening and as the temperature is going down outside, my feelings for Bordeaux go up inside. Haven't touched one all summer as I find them too aggressive in warmer weather but not so in the fall and winter. Just opened the newly arrived Ch. Haut-Gacherie, 2005 vintage and find it a nice "transition" Bordeaux. Certainly not too aggressive, but fairly mild with some modest tannins, and simple fruit and earth flavors. Good beginner wine if your interested in trying what I'm talking about for a modest $12.

The Bordeaux region is close to the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest section of France and produces an enormous amount of wine. The world's most famous wines, Latour, Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, Haut Brion, and Petrus to name a few, make up only a minuscule amount of what is produced and are out of most mortals reach. The good news: this vast ocean of wine produces many very fine affordable wines.

Bordeaux wines are, when made well, rich, layered, fruity, and very, very dry, with complex earth and mineral components that compliment a wide array of foods. They are made from predominately Cabernet Sauvignon grapes when grown on the left bank of the Gironde River, or Merlot grapes when grown on the right bank. A must for all serious wine drinkers, Bordeaux wines are the apex of drinking pleasure when served properly. But, with over 7000 chateaux and over 40 sub appellations, they are a wine student's nightmare. Some thoughts...

All Bordeaux must be made with only five grape varieties: the Cabernet grape dominating on the left bank (or Medoc side); on the right bank (St. Emilion, Pomeral and many other "lesser" appellations), Merlot is the main ingredient. It's takes a real expert to discern the right bank wines from the left, and so my point is, why bother? To search for a St. Emilion, for example, is not necessary. Vintage and price is much more important than appellation. If you want to spend $20 on a St. Emilion, fine, but you might be better off with a wine shop that can guide you to a better $20 Medoc or St. Julien. In other words, it should be a good Bordeaux you should seek, not any particular region over another. Vintages are important in Bordeaux, but as I said earlier they are sometimes self leveling (But What About Vintages?). You will pay less for the 2004 vintage than the highly acclaimed 2005, so the ‘04 may, in fact, be the better value.

On and on we can go but I do not want to confuse or scare you off. The best thing to do is visit your local wine shop and talk about the wines and taste some examples. It is much easier to talk about wine than to write about it. Especially after a few tastings.

---

---

---

But What About Vintages?

Wine About

by Eric Olson

I realize that there is an awful lot of stuff you have to know to make informed choices about wine, and vintages probably scare more of you than anything else. What should you know about vintages, and should you really even care about them? Well, to be succinct, the more you know the better. But vintages sometimes are self-leveling: in other words, an inferior vintage of a wine will cost less than a good vintage of the same wine. So might you get a decent value buying a better wine in a lesser year? Hopefully.

We can take off a little vintage pressure for California wines by saying, "don't worry about vintages in California."  A very argumentative statement, but with very few exceptions, very true. California weather is not as variable as most European countries, so unless you like to worry, don't worry.

Some Summer Wines

Wine About

by Eric Olson

As most of you know, and to a fault more than likely, I love to find new things. I've always said, "I'd rather be disappointed than bored." The wine doesn't exist that I'd want to drink all the time. Some wines, when you try them for the first time, transport you to a new world that you never knew existed. One sip and your hooked with an entirely new flavor profile of a wine and your choices will never be the same again. St. Peray Blanc, from the Clape winery in Cornas (northern Rhone), France, was one such experience. One hundred percent Marsanne (a northern Rhone white wine grape), it has beautiful texture, flavors of peach and wet stone with good acidity and a long ingratiating finish. Truly an old world gem from a great winemaker of the old school, August Clape. About $28.

Château d'Yquem Video Part 2

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Sandrine Garbay, Château d'Yquem's cellar master and winemaker, talks about how Chateau d Yquem changes in taste as it ages. Interviewed by Dancing Spoon Community member Per Karlsson, this is the second of two video interviews. She has been in charge of wine making since at Château d'Yquem 1998. More of the Sandrine Garbay interview.

Garbay begins with young vintages just after bottling and talks about how the taste evolves to more complex flavors with age, all while we are tasting the 1998 vintage! The young the wine is very much about the fruit and exotic aromas. With age it evolves more to dried fruit and marmalade tones. As it ages even further, it turns towards coffee and caramel notes, toast, and roasted aromas... Enjoy!



We take a peek at the vintages 1989, 1982, 1967, 1945, 1937, 1929, 1921, 1893. . . One can always dream!



Chateau d'Yquem is located in Sauternes in Bordeaux and is one of the worlds most expensive sweet white wines. It is in fact simply one of the worlds most exclusive wines. Yquem is the biggest property in all of Sauternes having 100 hectares. The size adds complexity and depth to the wine.



In part one of our video interview, Sandrine Garbay talks about the chateau, her own background, the estate and about how to match and pair sauternes, and Yquem in particular, with food. Château d'Yquem Video Interview, Part 1.

---

Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

---

Château d'Yquem Video Interview

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
They pick each individual grape by hand. They pick the ripest fruit; they pick the most rotten. If they are not ripe enough and not rotten enough they leave it for the next wave of picking. They are, of course, picking grapes for the legendary Château d'Yquem, the very best Sauternes, one of the most remarkable wines in the world. Château d'Yquem is located in Sauternes in Bordeaux and is one of the worlds most expensive sweet white wines. In fact, it's simply one of the world's most exclusive wines all categories.

Sandrine Garbay, Château d'Yquem's the chief winemaker and cellar master (maitre de chai) is interviewed by Dancing Spoon Community member Per Karlsson . She has been in charge of wine making since at Château d'Yquem 1998. More interview information.

Andre Simon, a wine writer, merchant, and gourmet, described Château d'Yquem as “distilled dew and honey with the fragrance of all of the fresh wild flowers of the field greeting the dawn.”

Those weren’t the words that flowed from my lips after tasting Château d'Yquem for the first time, but only because I lack the poetry. The 2001 vintage was rated 100 by both Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator.

Young Yquem is a beautiful brilliant golden color and the wine darkens to a deep tawny with age. And age it can do. The Antique Wine Company has a listing for an 1811 bottle priced at £41,000.00!   

---

Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

---

Wine: Healthy & Happy

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Eric Olson sent us some thoughts about wine and health:

How good is a glass or three a night for your health? Many of you have, no doubt, been reading the latest about wine and health and, like me, are quite pleased. Not in a told you so attitude, but you had to wonder why we feared a natural product from the earth that's been around for centuries, if not longer. "Wine is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" just about sums it up (Ben Franklin).

I came across a nice succinct piece from an article in Wine Spectator’s Wine & Health News entitled "Wine and Health Round-table" that had many quotes from doctors and other professionals in the health field. Amid all the claims and counter claims one quote stood out, from Dr. Mitchell Krukoff, Duke Medical Cardiac Center, as making, I thought, the best sense: "Wine is at the core of some of the most balanced human lifestyles. I'm sure you've heard of the Mediterranean diet. I think as much as chemistry is interesting – at the end of the day, the real message is where does (wine) fit in your lifestyle? How does it help balance this very amped-up, stress riddled culture that we all live in, with the ability to feel relaxed, to breath and to actually enjoy what God has given us.” Good job, Ben and Mitchell. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine tonight, swirl it around, breath deeply, relax and smile. It just might be good for you.

---

---

Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

---

A Wine Pairing Hint

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
Eric Olsen sent us a great hint about pairing wines:

Some more thoughts on matching food and wine, a sometimes difficult and intimidating task. Last night had dinner at a friends house and she was serving a tomato, shrimp, feta dish which sounded pretty Greek to me — so I grabbed a bottle of Notios, Agiorgitiko from Greece, of course. What a genius I was — what a perfect match, and why not? The Greeks, as well as French, Italians Spanish et al, have been perfecting their local dishes and wines to match and you can make use of that. The Notios was very light in tannin and fairly light in body with high acid. The tannins would clash with the acid in the tomatoes but the acid in the wine perfectly complimented the dish. Warmer weather is upon us and you shouldn't bother with heavy "attacking" wines, such as Bordeaux. I love Bordeaux, but again the tannins would be aggressive in warm weather and you should opt for less tannin and more lip smacking acid, but that's another subject. For now, when cooking Italian, or French, or whatever, don't fight history, use it.

Eric Olsen is the proprietor of a jewel of wine shop in Salem, Massachusetts . For more about Eric's shop, Salem Wine Imports click here.

---

Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

---

Wines for Easter Dinner

Wine About

by J. Michael Wheeler
There's a jewel of a wine shop in Salem, Massachusetts run by Eric Olson. Eric has some sage advice on pairing wines with your Easter Dinner:

Many of you have either one of two main courses for dinner, Ham or Lamb and I thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in concerning what wine to compliment said dishes. Lamb is pretty easy, as I don't believe there are many red wines that would fail to please. Rich, flavorful, fatty lamb does require some heft in the wine however to match perfectly... in order of personal preference, Bordeaux (big, bold, dry, and tannic to match richness and fat), Chianti Classico for the very same reasons, except the mellowing agent for the fat would be acid and not tannins. Burgundy, or Pinot Noir, Temranillo from Spain, and even, if the Lamb is cooked with a fruity sauce or accompaniment, Zinfandel from California. In short, just about any substantial red will do fine.

Ham is far more problematic due to its salty and less robust flavors. If you prefer red, than a young fruity Beaujolais or Pinot Noir (slightly chilled) will work. White and you might try a dry or off dry Chenin Blanc or a Riesling. An interesting compromise would be a dry French Rose.

---

---

Aerates your wine while you pour it!

Soiree Bottle-top Wine Decanter
The Soiree is a wine accessory that fits into any standard corked wine bottle, and comes with an extra gasket that will work with any screw cap bottle; allowing you to pour, without dripping, directly through the Soiree. Once you place the Soiree in the wine bottle, the Soiree aerates your wine as you pour it. The Soiree allows you to decant just the portion of wine you want - a glass or a carafe. The Soiree can also be used to pour the wine into a decanter, further expediting the "opening" of your wine. Soiree fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soiree. In using the Soiree to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soiree delivers a truly open wine just by pouring through it!

Hand selected wine accessories are at Foodie's Emporium! Click here.

---