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Photos from the 2008 Toast the Season wine tour Here's a slideshow of photos from our 2008 Toast the Season wine tour. You can see a bigger slideshow on Flickr and download large pictures there as well! ShareThis
PAUILLAC CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 2002 noté 94 parker CHATEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILDMILLESIME 2002 NOTE 94/100 BY PARKERL'ENCHERE IS FOR TASTING BOUTEILLENOTES deep color, almost black purple very dense. Nose reveals first few notes Empyreumatic, toasted and roasted, then aeration appear notes more floral violet and lilac, and the fruit of cassis, the walls and black cherry. in the mouth is very smooth, perfectly balanced between a well structured tannic frame, both fond and well refined, and melant cloud of flavors both the spices, vanilla, cassis, fr
Champagne Cocktails If you are looking for a special treat, why not spoil yourself with a Champagne cocktail? Perfect for any party or celebration, you?ll get a truly spectacular cocktail, along with all the taste of your favourite Champagne. To help you get started, give these ideas a try. Traditional Champagne Cocktail For the classic Champagne cocktail, add four drops of Angostura Bitters to a sugar cube in a Champagne flute. Pour on a dash of brandy and top up with Champagne. Then sit back and enjoy the tas
November 07, 2008 Earworm don't know about the rest of you but I'm exhausted. Hours of rigidly hanging off the edge of my ashtray with one hand clinging to my facebook, and preparing to be the angriest voter in the world while hoping for the best takes a lot of a guy. Then, the celebration, followed by attempts at discretion - no need to be obnoxious about it, right - leading to clandestine hugs and jumping up and down... Oh, and then there's the day job.What a week.And now the weekend. The usual chores, friends' h
Cherry Stop Meet the Winemaker Event Stop features John Kroupa of Peninsula Cellars on November 11th Each month the Cherry Stop hosts a special Meet the Winemaker event highlighting the wines one local winery. On Tuesday November 11th guests will gather to enjoy food and wine pairings while learning about the wines from Peninsula Cellars. Cost: $12, space is limited to 30. Make your reservations by calling 800.286.7209 or visit the store on Front Street in Downtown Traverse City. Wine lovers be sure to ask about th
101 Champagne Cocktails Happy Election Day, everyone! Like most of you, I?m going to spend the rest of the day glued to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and Comedy Central (Daily Show/Colbert Report special!) watching the results roll in. I have CNN.com set up to track the local results I care most about (just say no to prop 8, yes on prop 2). I have a fridge full of beer and a bar full of booze to drown my sorrows if any of the unmentionables happen. I am so ready for this. I don?t think I?ve been this amped about watching elec
Dolcetto Wine Dolcetto is a type of grape that is used to make a dark very black wine. It is native to northwestern Italy and is primarily grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. Ironically the name means ?sweet little grape? but in the end the grape produces a very elegant and sophisticated dry wine. The wine is also often described as being moderately acidic. It is meant to be aged at least one year before it is suitable for drinking. It cannot be aged too long or it starts growing too thick. I
Easy Cheese Fondue Recipes ? Could They Make You the Star of the Evening? It can be hard to plan a wonderful evening with family and friends. You have to juggle with arrangements for your kids, food allergies, meal preparation and? of course you also have to make your home presentable. Fortunately, easy cheese fondue recipes can help. As long as none of your guests are lactose intolerant, cheese fondue can be the answer you were looking for. Now that fall has officially arrived, you can share this delicious appetizer (or main entrée if you wish) with your best frien
Estate of the Day: $8.4 Million Brick Manor in Stony Point, New York Exclusive Gated Community! Newly constructed approximately twenty one thousand square feet all brick Manor estate with an additional thirty eight hundred square feet in the Carriage House which is attached to the main house via covered breezeway and underground tunnel. Features of this magnificent home includes eight car garage, automated lighting throughout entire house, security cameras, and audio and video Crestron system. Additional amenities include custom cherry library, an office, bill
Cherry Stop Hosts Wine Event 10-14 Stop Features Wines of Chateau Chantal On October 14th from 5:30pm - 7:00pm The Cherry Stop will host their first wine tasting event. A representative from the winery will present and discuss the wines. They will feature six of Chateau Chantal?s wines and serve a selection of easy to prepare hors d? oeuvres to complement the wines. Seating will be limited. Tickets are $12.00 per person and may be purchased at The Cherry Stop or ordered by phone. This will be the first in a series of
Sangria Drink-Through #1: Fig-Cherry-Cognac One of the goals on my 101 Things list is to complete a cook-through project, where I make every recipe in one of the cookbooks that I have. To keep this project manageable, instead of life-consuming or tedious, it only makes sense to choose one of the shorter, single-subject cookbooks. And while a creme brulee or grilled cheese blog project would probably be fun, I have chosen Sangria: Fun and Festive Recipes by Mittie Hellmich to do a drink-through. The rules: I?ll make all of the sangri
Foggy BBQ G&T joined me for dinner, and brought marinated steak and banana cream pie, as well as some wine (another G-B Pinot? sigh). T prepared the grill, with some help from me, and grilled the steaks to perfection. I marinated summer squash (both from the garden and the farmers market) as well as cherry tomatoes from the garden, red and yellow squash, red onions, crimini mushrooms, and big chunks of garlic in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, mixed with some basil and oregano from the garden,
Seafood Kabobs Kabobs September 3rd, 2008 by viccarfy1968 Seafood KabobsHow to make Seafood Kabobs? Simple! Seafood Kabobs3/4 cup olive oil1 tablespoon white wine vinegar1 tablespoon fresh lime juicePeel of 1 lime, grated1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley1 garlic clove, finely chopped2 tablespoons freshly-grated ginger1 1/4 pounds sea scallops8 skewers2 to 3 green or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces32 cherry tomatoes32 small mushrooms, ste
That's neat! Thursday now on to our next stop, join me (or one of the girls) in bringing you something neat every Thursday. So what's neat about this, you ask. Well, it's FREEBIE time!!! We will create a freebie using one of Pamela's stuffs, this could be something like an element cluster, a paper pieced element, embellished frame. Something to give you a taste of what the kit/paper pack can be used for. Especially with paper packs to show a different way that you could use papers other than just backgrounds
ground cherry sauce weekend, Jamie of Wayward Seed Farm generously introduced me to ground cherries. She let me taste one right there at their North Market stand while I was picking up my weekly box of produce. I was so intrigued, I just had to take some home. After using the fruit to make a sauce I [...]
Noah Muscat Sweet Dessert Wine ?05 - Dessert Wine Review Alc/Vol : 16% Size : 500 Region : Israel Type : Sweet Dessert Vintage : 2005 Color : White Varieties : Muscat, Dessert Wines Producer : Noah Price : $ 12.79 Purchase :FinestWine.com Description : Israel?s Noah Winery introduces their first Sweet Muscat Dessert Wine. Fortified to 16 percent alcohol, this wine has 150 g/l residual sugar and can therefore be aged for many years. Dan Region grapes (pre-?67 Israel). Fruity, nutty with a smooth yet long finish this wine is a great aperitif
Dunham Cellars 2005 Semillon Ice Wine - Dessert Wine Review Type : Dessert Wine Vintage : 2005 Region : Washington Weight : 5.00 lbs Price : $55.00 Purchase :FinestWine.com Description : Dunham Cellars is dedicated to crafting wines that are age-worthy yet approachable. This delicate balance begins in the vineyard, with the cooperative relationship maintained between grower and winemaker. All fruit is hand-harvested, and then treated to gentle crushing techniques and extended maceration (cold-soaking). The wines are aged up to 24 months in a blen
How To Make Home Made Wine Recipe Some Simple Tips About How to Make Homemade WineIn our quick evolving world where information and technology have made an enormous progress the old processes often are lost, we know how to produce in the quickest way and with the least amount of money and traditional production manners are treated as meaningless. Luckily there is a growing group of people who like to do things the old fashion way. They are learning how to make homemade wine, brew their own beer and make their own beverages. If
Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX 1979 - Dessert Wine Review Varietal : Pedro Ximenez Category : Dessert Wine Region : Spain : Montillia-Moriles Producer : Bodegas Toro Albala Vintage : 1979 Price : $ 27.89 Purchase :FinestWine.com Description : Small quantities of sun-dried Pedro Ximénez grapes are responsible for what is known as a Spanish national treasure. Rich, luscious, amazing! Source : http://www.shop.appellationnyc.com/
Guelbenzu ?Red? 2007 Spanish Red 2007 "Red" Spanish Red, Spain Ken's Wine Rating: Good+ Price: $12 KWG Score: 89.5 No. Professional Ratings: 2 # of Cases: 5,000 This is the entry level red from this producer and the third wine that I am recommending from their portfolio. This bright ruby wine opens with a ripe black cherry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is smooth, soft, nicely balanced, and very easy to drink. It has tasty light black cherry flavors with a touch of oak on the back palate. The finish is dry and
I am sure you are tired of me cooing over Hunt Country Vineyards. Since the mid-1980s, when I first discovered them at Union Square Park, in New York City, I have been fascinated by them. But my admiration for them comes from my respect for their improved quality over the years, and their incredible growth, both of which are a great example of what one can accomplish in east coast wine.
At the Goold's Apple Fest I had the opportunity to chat with Art, but a few days later my lap top crashed, and my photos and videos were seemingly lost. Now recovered, I have the photos, but not the video. And I can file my report.
I tasted several of their red wines, and was very, very impressed.
Meritage 2006 - A blend of Cab Sav, Cab Frabc, and Merlot. Aged 14 months in French oak, flavors. Very nice!
Merlot 2006 - Beautiful hints of vanilla has strong cherry and pepper. Very, very nice!
Alchemy - A combination of Franc, Cab Sav, and Noiret. Big black cherry flavors. Some hint of spice. Not too much oak. Very nice. A great food wine.
Here's a picture of Art and Donna Pinell, also of Hunt Country.
These are wonderful reds. Art and Hunt Country are hoping to lay to rest the myth that the Finger Lakes should stick to Reisling....and these reds definitively prove fine red wines can be made in the Finger Lakes region too!
Finish of mixed berries, licorice, earth, and spice
Look for some classic Brunello character in this wine, with rich cherry and spice layers set on an earthy, chewy backbone. Also, expect to pay about $60, which is now a very typical price for a non-riserva Brunello.
While this wine is showing some nice complexity of flavor, I recommend you continue to cellar it for several more years. If you're at home and want to drink it now, simply decant it, let it sit, and sip it closer to room temperature than you might with other wines.
It's time to talk turkey again--and what wine goes with it. (image from Carolina Morning)
Every year, new visitors come to this site in search of a delicious, affordable, and available bottle of wine to pair with their holiday meal. Old friends visit, too, sometimes to suggest their own picks for the year and sometimes to take issue with something I've picked. It doesn't matter why you're here--I'm glad to see you, and hope that what follows will be helpful to you as you plan for the big dinner.
If you are looking for general advice on Thanksgiving wine and hospitality, I'd encourage you to check out this article I wrote a few years ago on issues facing the host/hostess and the guests. If you are wondering what to drink with your meal, and with leftovers, you're in the right place. Here are my picks for 2008--all of which offer great taste and great value in an easy-to-find package. Clicking on the wine's name will take you to the winery's site where you can find more information about the wine and its makers. Many of the wines I picked this year are made with organic grapes, are farmed with sustainability in mind, and/or are made by families with great stories of how they got in the business of grape-growing and wine-making. Clicking on the range of prices will take you to a list of retailers who stock the wine. Maybe one will be near you.
Sparkling Wines What's a holiday dinner without some bubbles? These two picks are great for toasts, appetizers, brunch the morning after, or drinking with the main meal. Sparkling wine has great acidity, which means it pairs with most foods and there's no doubt that sparklers are festive. NV Roederer Estate Brut ($15-$20). For my money, this is the best value around in domestic sparkling wine. Expect tiny bubbles, aromas of brioche and Meyer lemon, and flavors of apples, toast, and nuts. Just as good with food as without.
NV Domaine Allimant-Laugner Cremant d'Alsace Rose ($16-$19). If you're looking for a pink sparkler, try this one. It' made with 100% Pinot Noir and has knockout fresh strawberry aromas with light berry, mineral, and citrus flavors. Like the Roederer Brut, this wine is as good with food as it is without.
Rosé Wines Rosé wines are perfect for turkey and all the side-dishes that make us groan afterwards. If you feel that rosé wines are too "casual" for a fancy dinner, don't forget the leftovers. Wouldn't a cool rosé be perfect on Saturday with your turkey sandwich? These rosé winesare dry, not sweet, and very refreshing. 2007 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Rosé($12-$16). Fort Ross makes some of the best Pinot Noir out there, and this is the rosé version of their wine. It's a beautiful color, with raspberry and strawberry aromas and flavors and a delicious stony note that keeps it complex and interesting. 2006 Jeriko Estate Rosé ($9-$13). This is a round and full rosé, with aromas and flavors of strawberries and minerals. If you don't like watermelon notes in your wine, you'll like this. Made with organic grapes.
White Wines I'm a fan of white wines for Thanksgiving. I like their freshness, and the way that they pair so beautifully with stuffing, gravy, turkey, cranberries, Waldorf salad--you name it, these whites will go with it. They're versatile and flavorful, but won't overwhelm the food. 2006 Brooks Riesling ($14-$19). This is not a sweet wine. It's dry in style, with aromas of lime, apple, Meyer lemon, petrol, and stone. You will taste lime, slate, currants, and a touch of honey which makes it ideal if you are serving smoked turkey or a turkey made with lots of spices. Exceptionally complex for the price. 2006 Adelsheim Pinot Gris ($14-$20). Delicious aromas of peach, honey, and a kiss of caramelized sugar, but there's lots of bright acidity to keep the peach and apple flavors in balance. This aromatic wine would be perfect if you are serving sausage stuffing, and while it may give a sweet impression it finishes dry. 2006 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc ($13-$17). One of the best domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've had in a long time, made with no oak and no assertive aromas or flavors. Warm melon, Meyer lemon, and clementine aromas and flavors accompany fresh, grassy notes. 2007 Clif Bar Family Winery The Climber White ($13-$15). This white blend has a core of Sauvignon Blanc with the addition of Pinot Blanc (12%), Chenin Blanc (4%) and Muscat (3%). The result is a wine with good acidity but an impression of softness. Aromas of pink grapefruit and nectarine, and flavors of Meyer lemon, nectarine, and peach. 2007 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay ($11-$13; also available in CostPlus World Markets). A new label to me, this wine had clean and fresh apple and citrus aromas and flavors. There is a lovely creaminess to this wine, and a touch of mild oakiness. Very much like a white wine from Burgundy at a fraction of the price.
Red Wines There are a lot of people out there recommending Zinfandel for Thanksgiving. Unless you are very, very careful you may overwhelm your food with a jammy, high-alcohol wine. That's true for many other red wines, too. If you are serving turkey and lots of different sweet and savory dishes, red wines may not be your best bet. However, the ones below will not overwhelm your food--and the flavors may be just right for you if you like dark meat, or are serving something smoked or (gasp!) not serving turkey at all.
2006 Domaine du Vissoux/Pierre-Marie Chermette Vieilles Vignes Cuvee Traditionelle ($12-$16). Gamay is a low-alcohol, high-acid grape that produces fresh, zesty reds. You will smell cherries, berries and some chalk in this wine, and the flavors are pure, juicy Bing cherry with an earthy undertow and some mineral notes. 2006 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($12-$27) A great bargain in Pinot Noirs, this wine has high-toned cherry and raspberry fruit aromas, with a touch of allspice. There are flavors of cherry, raspberry, allspice, and fresh-baked cobbler with a terrific, silky texture.
2004 Quivira Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley ($18-$20). If you must, this is the Zinfandel to get. With aromas of black cherry, allspice, and cedar, and flavors of cherry, baker's chocolate, and pepper it has beautiful acidity and is very food friendly. This Zin feels and tastes more old fashioned and restrained--just the way I like them. The 2005 is also in the market, and while I haven't tasted it, ordinary drinkers on CellarTracker! seem to give it thumbs up, too. 2004 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Crianza ($7-$12). If you think I'm nuts to suggest Tempranillo with turkey--trust me. I'm not. This is one of the great bargain reds, from Osborne's Bodegas Montecillo. There are aromas of roasted herbs and spicy berries, and nice, high-toned red fruit. Beautiful acidity and some dusty tannins make for a long, juicy aftertaste.
Whatever you serve on Thanksgiving, remember to relax and enjoy your friends and family. That's what the holiday is really all about!
Disclosure: The Adelsheim, MacMurray Ranch, and Clif Bar Family Winery bottlings were samples; I tasted both the Cupcake and Osborne wines at tastings. All other bottles were purchased by me over the last eleven months in a variety of brick-and-mortar and online stores.
First--Ripasso is a specially made wine from Valpolicella created by fermenting young wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone. Ripasso is made by a number of producers, often using their own variations of this basic method.This wine has a heavily pigmented hue like a Syrah with a deep black cherry presence.
Bouquet is brimming with ripe rich berries and light spice.
Palate--rich tannins with steel and minerals, forthright, juicy, fruit and very tasty.
This wine is voluptuous, velevty and plush; a pure wine. A bit pricey around $22 but well worth it! Raise a glass!
Sour cherry aromas and pipe tobacco with a hint of chocolate but the wine is cold. Breath and warm it up; Palate--cherry with slight evergreen mid palate, nice! Fresh Sangiovese flavors; a mature wine with a touch of anise emerging. This is a nice wine; mature and tasty! It's a bit pricey at $22 but a nice treat. Raise a glass!
There's still plenty of fire left in the belly of old gnarly Grenache vines in Calatayud, Spain. These old vines manifest their destiny in Garnacha de Fuego 2007, imported by Jorge Ordoñez, and sold here in Tennessee for well under $10, and in some areas of the country nearer to $5.
This is one of those outstanding inexpensive red wines that make you wonder why some wines cost so much. Unencumbered by wood aging, it's so very pure and drinkable, yet unlike similarly priced junk wine, the wine equivalent to junk food, it's genuine. There isn't a hint of manipulation evident.
True to form for a fresh Grenache, you get a plethora of raspberry character, perhaps even some "Now-Or-Later" cherry mixed in. There's also some white pepper spice to be sure, and a mouth full of rocks. The body is light-to-medium, and the combination of youth (wine) and age (vine) come through in the somewhat rustic, lasting finish.
The vines harvested for this wine go back to the days when Franco took power and when Picasso painted Guernica. On a political hiatus for decades, these sage vines are now just coming into their own. Therefore I'm raising a glass, to remember those people who suffered before, and to be enlightened with the wisdom to help alleviate future suffering. The planting of these vines was a bit before my time, but not really that long ago in the evolutionary big picture. History is changing fast, and as was said, "those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Garnacha de Fuego kindles the mind, makes you think, doesn't cost a lot, and it even goes great with fried green tomatoes.
Emperador 06 tempranaillo ABV %13.5 Ribera del Guadiana D.O. $18 This stuff is pretty concentrated for tempranillo but not in a bad way at all, its also quite tanic, I get a bit of cherry and Licorice but the label says black berry, I think its full of shit, its not very acidic but it has enough to be food friendly, I don't think it has to long of an age potential maybe 5 years, I do really like this wine though it is made for a new world flavor but still has some back bone, as far a a sipper I think its great, and as far as a serious wine I think it has merit.
This Aussie (McClaren Vale) is an unexpected blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot and Merlot presenting with a dark cherry pigmentation with bright red fruit aromas.
Steely palate with good structure, red fruit and a juicy core that is easy to drink and just a nice, fruity wine that is well made. I noted "Buy more" and $10, why not?
In between the last sips of the last glass of this bottle of Bogle Phantom 2005, I pick up my blue guitar and strum a few measures of that old hymn and wonder what it means. What circle? The reason this tune is on my mind has to do with the seemingly imminent passing of an uncle. He's about to leave a gap in the circle here, and I suppose he will join the circle of those who left before. This is a favorite song of his and he is on my mind.
Whenever I play my guitar, there are phantoms in my head. One tends to play tunes written or performed by those who have already left the room. I first picked up a guitar as a point of entry into the head of one such person. You can learn a lot from those who pass before.
Bogle Phantom turns out to be a lush wine, offering up lots of fruit preserves flavors and aromas, wrapped in sweet spicy oak overtones. Plummy, cherry and currant fruit abounds. The spice is a bit along the lines of a Moroccan blend, and there's a touch of vanilla in there as well.
The blend is 55% Petite Sirah, 42% Zinfandel, with the balance being Mourvedre (Monastrell). The spicy notes are brought out through the time spent lying in American oak barrels. Bogle is known for giving a lot of wine for the money, and Phantom always sells out quickly. I guess that's why they call it Phantom - it's elusive - hard to get a hold of, so to speak.
Earlier in the evening, we paired Phantom with some barbecue beef, of the sweet tomato variety. Anything of that hearty stick-to-your-ribs sort of food will pair well. Now that the last sip is gone, I put down my guitar and let go of the day.
Price: $19 (Nashville). Closure: real cork. Alcohol content: 14.5%
This is yet another inexpensive wine from the famed 2005 Bordeaux harvest. It was mere $12 sporting a nice garnet hue with gentle cherry and light spice bouquet. The palate is really steely and a bit tart with shallow flavors as well as being a bit tannic. I breathed this wine an our before tasting. Overall it is an unimpressive wine. And yet again, before you think--"Well for Pete's sake, you paid $12 for it; what do you expect?"
I have found some super bargains in this range of the 05 Bordeaux running around a 50/50 split between stellar value and so so wine. So keep searching and buying up those cheap 05's. There are values out there and the even "not so super ones are not "bad;" they're just what you would expect for the price. So Raise a glass!
Prior to my arrival on the Peninsula, my experience with wild mushrooms were both infrequent and rather tame. Having lived in Illinois, New Mexico, Colorado and Minnesota, my knowledge of mushrooms solely consisted of cute little button white mushrooms bought in the grocery store that had a slightly sweet flavor eaten raw, and when cooked, seemed to absorb any of the stronger flavors surrounding it. However, truth be told, both Illinois and Minnesota are renowned for their wild mushrooms. Every November, festivals are celebrated across the Midwest, with avid mushroom lovers coming in droves to hunt Sheepheads, Stumpers (or Honey Mushrooms), Goldentops, and Morel mushrooms, among many others. And although I have very fond memories of picking forest berries, my family was never keen on scavenging for fungi. Granted, my four year stint in Japanese restaurants exposed me to a wider range of exotic mushrooms including: Shitake, Maitake, Bunashimeji, Nametaki, Hiratake, and a long stringy snow white mushroom with a wee little head, Enoki, but nothing as compared to the variety you can scrounge up here in Catalunya, Spain.
Come fall, as humidity sits upon our valley like a thick wet blanket, fruit stands come alive with various plastic containers filled with exotic mushrooms. Many of these mushrooms are so incredible ugly that your wondering if your local vender isn’t trying to pull over your eyes, selling you something more fitting for your compost heap than your evening meal. Tófona Negra, or the Black Trumpet, is one of the most frightening looking buggers you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Black as charcoal, with polygonal warts, grooved longitudinally, the Black Trumpet’s inside, or gleba (word of the day), is born snow white in color, and through its maturation turns a dark reddish hue and eventually, jet black. However, this is rich and aromatic mushroom needs only a small piece to infuse any dish with its flavor.
Another common mushroom used in Catalan cuisines at this time of the year is the Rovelló. This funky dusty reddish-orange mushroom can be identified by its small forest green stains in concentric rings that alternate from light to dark in hue. The cap is also rather unusual, as its wide and concave, as if it never fully finished its development. These are meaty and delicious mushrooms that pair well, according to my Catalan fruit vender, with the Llenega mushrooms, a fat white stemmed mushroom with a small stocky black cap. ?Having put both of them into a cherry tomato, spinach and red pepper risotto sprinkled with cured manchego cheese, I’d have to agree with him. It was absolutely mouth watering, but I warn you, the Llenega mushrooms were covered 4 cm thick in white mold the following day. Why? I have zero idea, but my neighbors felt I overreacted when I threw them away saying, “Gabriella, just wash it off with a little water and put them in the refrigerator to stay fresh.” With the exception of placing mushrooms in the refrigerator, Ryan agreed with their consensus, but after seeing such a dramatic change in one evening, I feared for my for my poor stomach, which is anything but ironclad.
Speaking of potentially live altering mushrooms, let’s chat about mushrooms you should not eat no matter how funky and exotic they may appear to you. Although I’ve never noticed these toxic balls of fungi in the wild, I did receive a nice little lecture a few weeks ago at the “Bolets de Catalunya” festival. By chance, while walking down the Rambla Catalunya to the Boqueria Market, I passed twelve 6ft long tables in an enormous rectangle filled with mushrooms. Each mushroom sat infront of a small white sign sharing its various names in Latin, Catalan, etc; history; taxonomy; and I kid you not, level of toxicity. One skull and bones sign is enough for me to stay away for any mushroom, but 3 back to back has be running for the hills.
That said, you know the classic mushroom we all drew as a kid with its big cherry red cap with small white spores on it? Yeah, don’t eat that one, because depending on the quantities, you’ll either be hallucinating for a long while, or you’ll be on your way to the hospital. Called the Amanita muscaria, or “fly agaric”, this is not one you want to bring home and cook up for your sweetie. Nor would I attempt to eat the Ou del Diable, or Devil’s egg. From a 10-20 cm long thick white stem shoots out a medium sized teardrop head of white or gray color. Trust me, you can’t miss this mushroom, as its phallic structure and rather unappealing color doesn’t make you want to uproot it for a spontaneous picnic in the forest.
So what should you take away from this? If you can plan a visit to Spain during the mushroom, I highly suggest it. There are festivals all over Catalunya from the end of September to the beginning of November, where restaurants will even dedicate an entire meal, dessert and all, to wild mushrooms. Additionally, wines from Catalunya are a wonderful pairing with mushrooms. Whether you choose a crisp, lively Cava to a rich buttery Chardonnay, you won’t be disappointed.
If you’re interested in learning more mushrooms, while picking up a few Catalan words, head over our local mushroom site. I’ll go over some of the terms listed in the header, so that you may peruse pictures at your leisure to know what is, and is not, toxic to eat in Catalunya.
Tots els Bolets = All Mushrooms Bolets + Apreciats = Bolets Toxícs = Toxic Mushrooms Fires de Bolets = Mushroom Festivals Rutes Boletaires = Mushroom Routes Receptes = Recipes (I’ll check these out in the near future and report back!) Guias = Mushroom Guides El Bolet = The Mushroom (Great page providing you the vocabulary to describe a mushroom…in Catalan
PS: Ryan here. I had a chance to play with some mushrooms recently when Gabriella and I decided to make a mushroom tart of sorts. Here’s the general recipe off the top of my head:
Take a half an onion and saute it in some olive oil, the more the better! When it starts to get soft, toss in enough mushrooms (assorted wild ones) to make your tart. As they are cooking, roll out a few of squares of filo dough and make two round circles that fit in a pie tin, or cazuela. Pre-bake the bottom filo crust for a few minutes in a pre-heated oven at 200C or until brown. Remove the pan and allow it to cool. As the mushrooms are starting to wilt in the pan, toss in a 1/4 cup of Tawny Port, some black pepper and salt to taste. When the moisture is almost gone, empty the mushroom mix onto the bottom crust and cover it with the second piece of filo. In the oven, after sprinkling grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the tart, cook until nice and brown. That’s it! The results:
Is your pre-dinner tipple a G&T or are you a true Francophile and indulge in a little pré-dîner Pineau de Cherentes, a true apéritif?
Personally a slurp or two of the wine to be served with the meal is the standard pre-dinner drink with me, having never really taken to the sweeter styles of French aperitifs. While this newly released Tariquet L'Apéritif falls into that category it is rather captivating. Highly drinkable too, but watch that 17% alcohol!
The word aperitif comes from the Latin 'aperire' which means 'to open'. Meaning, in this case, to 'open' the appetite; a way to prepare the gastric juices for what is to come.
Domaine du Tariquet, well known for its Vin de Pays de Côtes de Gascogne wines and Bas-Armagnac has created its own aperitif made from a subtle blend of Armagnac and grape juice.
A clever blend of pure Folle Blanche eau-de-vie and grape juice gives an intense bouquet of ripe fruits, cherry stalks and white blossom. It is full and lively in the mouth with a good balance between the freshness and sweetness of ripe grapes."
Certain grape varieties such as the Gros Manseng, Chardonnay and Sauvignon give very concentrated grape juices when they are truly ripe and it is among these that Tariquet selects those that have the most fruity aromas at the beginning of their fermentation. The transformation of sugar into alcohol having just started, is then stopped by blending with a Folle Blanche eau-de-vie, chosen for its finesse and floral notes to form the off-dry Tariquet L'Aperitif.
Review0.3 Spirit Tasting Note: Tariquet L'Apéritif , Vin de Liqueur, France Stockist: AdVintage Wines Price: £12.99 [More on Adegga / Snooth] A delightful aroma - honeyed, floral, waxy, lemony. Intense flavours mimic the aroma with a good concentration and intensity.The acidity comes in a huge citric wave clearing the sweetness and leaving a lemony, honeyed aftertaste. Although designed as an apéritif this would be a great accompaniment to fois gras. Alcohol 17%.
Andrew BarrowScribblings Rating - 92/100 [4 out of 5]
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