Wine and Walnuts

Cotes du Rhone Blanc Les Abeilles 2008

Jean Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Blanc Les Abeilles 2008

In keeping with my summertime experiment of finding whites to love, I recently tried this white Cotes du Rhone (France). I’ve had many, many a red Cotes du Rhone, but a white one?  Never.

Like red Cotes du Rhones, white CDR’s are a blend of grapes.  This particular version is a blend of 40 % Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 20% Viognier , and 10% Roussanne.

Now, I consulted both of my tip-top go to wine resources – Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, and Mark Oldman’s Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine (both of which I highly recommend) to find more information for you (and me!) on white Cotes du Rhones. 

But here’s the thing, white CDR’s aren’t really mentioned in Oldman’s book at all, and in even Zraly’s bible/tome, they get a very passing mention.  As in here’s a chart of the major wine regions in France, and the Cotes du Rhone region produces “mostly reds.”  Yep, that.is.it.folks.

What gives?

What this tells me, if nothing else, is that not a lot of people know about white CDR’s, and even fewer people drink them, so if you do, you are really special.  Let’s just go with that, shall we?  ; )

I bought this wine locally, for around $14, at Temptations in Porter’s Neck.

Since I had nothing else to compare this wine to, and finding no real information about white CDR’s elsewhere, I’m going to rely on the info I found on the Jean Luc Colombo website, see below.  You’ll also find below some food pairing guidance from the winery.

Les Abeilles Blanc – 2008

Vines and Cellar
(From Jean-Luc Colombo website)

Grape varieties: 40% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 20% Viognier, 10% Roussanne
Terroir: The vineyards are located in the heart of the Côtes du Rhône; Cairanne, Rasteau, Vacqueyras.
The grapes are harvested manually in small cases, respecting the quality of the fruit.
Upon reception in the winery, the grapes are vinified at low temperature in stainless steel, temperature controlled vats.

Tasting

Robe: Beautiful, brillant, light yellow with hint of green.
Nose : The nose offers fine and intense floral aromas and notes of fresh fruits like candied lemon with a nice freshness.
Palate: Nicely rounded and fresh., it surprises by it is complexity, its freshness and lively structure.
This wine will continue to develop its’ palette of aromas.

Pairing
Mackerel sushi, Wasabi de Thon and Casserole of Kobe Beef.

Back of bottle notes:

Les Abeilles, or “the bees” in French, is a virtuoso white wine of traditional southern Rhone white grapes.  Supple, harmonious and full-bodied, with floral and fruity aromas.  Complements a wide array of hors d’oeuvres and salads, as well as fish dishes, white meats, and Asian-influenced dishes.

Cheers!

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rosé

I recently wrote about the white version of this wine, and how excellent it is for summer time drinking. I’ve just had the Rosé, and I can say (emphatically), it is just as perfect for that job. 

Remember, this wine is light, spritzy and fresh, with low alcohol, so it really is ideal for hot summer weather, outdoor parties, BBQ’s, boat trips, drunken brawls in the front yard, and all manner of summer time fun. 

It is non-serious and not expensive, just what you want to be drinking when you’re by the pool or outside at a friend’s house, waiting for your hot dog to come off the grill. (Good shorthand to remember, pink with pork, pink with pork, pink with pork . . . )

The Rosé version is very fruity, with strawberry and raspberry notes, and nice acidity.

Now, as a responsible citizen, I feel like it’s my duty to warn you that this wine is very easy to drink lots and lots of before you know how that happened, because of its low alcohol content, effervescence and freshness. 

If you’re like me (and I hope you are, otherwise I may have a bad problem), you’ll be hanging out with your friends drinking this wine, and by the end of the night, notice you’ve killed 4 bottles between the three of you.  And where did it go?  Because it won’t feel like you’ve had that much to drink.  Trust me on this one.  ; )

Another helpful pointer:  this wine, like the white version, is best drunk when very chilled – it’s just not nearly as nice without a serious chill on it.

In addition to non-serious pork “dishes” like hot dogs, this wine would be ideal with salads, seafood, and what I’m having with it tonight:  leftover chicken, tomato and pesto pizza.  : )

It’ll set you back about $8.99 locally, in Wilmington.

Tasting Note (from K&L Wine Merchants, at klwines.com)

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rosé

“Casal García is one of Vinho Verde giant Quinta de Aveleda’s labels. They produce a lot of wine, but they are extremely organized, quality oriented, and produced the first rosé I ever tasted from the Vinho Verde region. Produced from Azal tinto, barraçal, and Vinhao grapes. Like white vinho verde, this is slightly effervescent, fresh, invigorating stuff. Just a hint of residual sugar balances out the red fruit, acidity, and fizz. Chill this one and drink it in warm weather for a real treat.”

Cheers!

Le Catalan, Wilmington, NC

Because I am and have been a server off and on for a few years, when I get great service, it leaves an impression. (For example, I wrote about the great service my friends and I enjoyed at Circa 1922 back in January of this year from Bill. Bill was awesome.)

Recently some friends and I went to Le Catalan to celebrate my birthday.  Leanne waited on us, and Leanne was infinitely patient, always there when we needed her, and as an added bonus, very entertaining, fun, and bubbly.  I’m thinking she should be a professional entertainer of some kind, because she had that special something.

There were five of us, and not only did we want 5 separate checks, various people also wanted to split things up, and put things I was ordering on their checks, since it was my birthday.  It was a big ol’ mess, every server’s worst nightmare.  But Leanne was so very gracious.  Her response to all this was:  “No worries. It’s really no problem at all as long as I know about it first!”  And she meant it. She was as kind as she could be to all of us, no matter what requests we made.

What a trooper she was the whole evening. : )

So here’s to ya, Leanne!

(P.S. the chocolate mousse here r-o-c-k-s. You must try it.) 

Seigneurs de Bergerac Rosé 2009

I’ve said many times here that Rosé can be a great bargain, because many people tend to lump it into the white zinfandel category and won’t try it, therefore it’s not an easy sell for wine retailers. This is good for you, smart wine shopper, because it means you can find some real values in Rosé, if you’re willing to make the commitment.  : )

I recently tried three French Rosés that I think are well worth the price, and want to share my joy. You can find all three locally here in Wilmington.

Today’s selection is:

Seigneurs de Bergerac 2009 Bergerac Rosé

Bought locally at Temptations in Porter’s Neck, for about $11.

50% Merlot/40% Cabernet/10% Cabernet Franc

Alcohol 12.5% by volume

Imported by Victoire Imports Co, Sonoma, CA

Tasting notes on bottle:  “This light, fresh Rosé from the heart of Bergerac has a charming mix of strawberry and spice in the nose.  It is well balanced and fruity on the palate, and has the good acidity that leads to a crisp, clean finish.  This will be a great spring and summertime pleasure, with light cuisine, or by itself.”

Ok, yes. It had nice acidity and a crisp, clean finish. I had it all by itself one night, which was perfect, then finished off the bottle the next night with sharp cheddar cheese and crackers as a late night snack, a wonderful combination. 

Next up on our “three French Rosés, well worth the price” series:  a lovely Rhone blend Rosé from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.

Cheers!

Three Winds Sauvignon Blanc 2008

I think I’ve almost turned myself into a white wine drinker, and not just because it’s already blistering hot here in the not-so-deep-South either. 

Sure, we all know whites and Rosés are much more palatable in the summer Southern months than reds, but because it has been so hot here lately, and I have been indulging in way more white wine than I normally do because of that, I’ve found some I could actually love all year round.  Yes, all.year.round.  Go figure.

This is a revelation to me, as I’ve been a red wine drinker all of my adult life, only toying with whites very rarely. It’s Rosé in the summer for me – not white.  So I feel like I’ve found a cool new best friend who I can’t seem to spend enough time with, as in, “I didn’t know how cool and interesting you were!  I really, really like you!”

And that’s why I love today’s wine choice, Three Winds Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – it’s interesting, it’s tasty, there’s some there there, it’s locally available, and it’s really inexpensive for the quality. 

Pick it up for $7.99 or so at Temptations Everyday Gourmet, both locations.

(Speaking of price, there are alot worse ways to spend $8 on wine and not be near as happy as you will be with this purchase.  It’s $8 bucks, and it’s really decent, c’mon.)

Tasting Notes:
Tropical fruits and melon on the nose, with a crisp lively palate. Good acidity with a clean finish.

Appellation:
Vin de Pays d’Oc.

Check out the winery Fact Sheet here.

General food matching advice:  SB’s are typically great with fish and all kinds of white meat; also, pair them with citrus-y dishes, tomato based dishes, fried calamari, and for cheeses, SB’s work well with goat cheese, Brie and other soft, mild, white cheeses.

Cheers, and Bon Appetit!

Fried Mac & Cheese, seriously delicious (pic by Carolyn Morgan)

I cannot be-lieve my luck! I happened upon the best fried thing I ever ate last Saturday, at this adorable little restaurant downtown called The Eat Spot. And as an added bonus, I had a pretty damn good salad there too. But really, who cares about salad, because I had fried mac-n-cheese — am I right? Mac-n-cheese that even now, a week later, makes me salivate just to think about it.

We ended up at The Eat Spot because my friend Carolyn and I decided to have lunch at one of 3 or 4 recently opened downtown restaurants, which I was in charge of choosing.  So I did what any normal person would do, and spent the better part of 2 hours researching online for the best place to go.  Because I’m obsessive that way.

My list went something like this:  The Eat Spot, Press 102, or Café Bossanova – which one to try?  I chose The Eat Spot because when reviewing the menu online, I had a helluva time deciding what I’d order when I got there, always a good sign.  There were many dreamy selections, AND all at very good prices.

I started with the fried mac & cheese, described thusly on the menu: Deep Fried Mac & Cheese, 3.00.  Really?  That’s it?  Such a generic description for such a sublime thing! What you get is two “bars” of deep-fried delight, with some kind of maybe horseradish dipping sauce (?) of some kind – whatever it was, it had a nice little kick to it, and was delicious.

My “main course” was the Strawberry & Brie Salad, a salad of mixed greens with toasted walnuts, crispy brie croutons & strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, for $7.99.  I don’t even remember what my friend Carolyn had, as I was too busy blissfully devouring the food in front of me. I am not making that up.

There was a nice little selection of wines by the glass, and we both had the Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, a perfect compliment to our salads.  (Oh, that’s right, C. had some kind of salad, and to-die-for onion rings!  It’s all coming back to me now!)

I could go on ad nauseum about all the wonderful things on the menu I wanted to try (friends, this girl had a seriously B.I.G. appetite), but I’ll just cut to the chase and let you take a look at the menu here.

And you can take a look at Liz Biro’s review of The Eat Spot here.

I beg you, and I am completely serious about this, please, please visit The Eat Spot, and tell all your friends to visit it too, because we all know how restaurants come and go in this town, and we do not, I repeat, we DO NOT, want this one to go away.  Trust me on this.  We.Do.Not.

I’d give up air conditioning in August just to make sure this place makes it.  : )

The Eat Spot
34 N. Front Street (corner of Front and Princess)
Wilmington, NC 28401
Ph (910) 763 5366
Fax (910) 763 5380
Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde

I’m seriously expanding my summer wines repertoire with this one.  For me, it’s all about red wine, then in summer, I switch to mostly Rosé.  But here’s a white wine I could love every night of the week.  Seriously.

Vinho Verde is from Portugal. It’s light, fresh, and effervescent — an excellent summer sipper on it’s own, but would also pair well with lighter seafood dishes, salads, and fruit even, all the things you like to eat in summer. It’s not at all a serious wine, but one meant to be drunk while you’re enjoying your usual summer fun.  ; )

As an added bonus, it’s alcohol content is low, around 10%, so you can drink a fair amount of the stuff without becoming worthless.  And, it’s around $8.00 a bottle, a true bargain.  (I bought it locally at Temptations Every Day Gourmet.)

If you do lots of entertaining in the summer, especially of the outdoor variety, I highly recommend buying a couple of cases of this!

Check out the tasting notes below from selectwinesllc.com for more info on this lovely, delicious wine.

Vinho Verde, Portugal

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde is a white wine to try if you appreciate a quality wine with no pretension of greatness. It was cited by wine expert Daniel Johnnes as “one of the most delicious light white wines I have tasted in a long time.”

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde is a blend of the native Portuguese varietals Loureiro, Trajadura, Arinto and Azal, from the Vinho Verde appellation of Portugal. It is light yellow-green in color, with a nose of citrus, and a crisp, spritzy acidity. Light in body with no oak and no tannins, Casal Garcia is light and refreshing, and ready to drink!

Cheers!