Today we held our first public Family Tasting and I am delighted to say it was a roaring success. We had 11 adults tasting 8 wines from across the Languedoc-Roussillon and 5 children, aged from 3 to 10, tasting 8 juices ‘blind’! Together they got to learn how to identify tastes and then whilst the adults learnt about the diversity of the wines of the region their children sampled a mix of ‘mono cépage’ and ‘assemblage’ fruit juices!

Although we have always said that children are welcome at our Tastings, and we have had several attend in the past, this was the first time that we had run an event where we actually catered for the kids. The 5 children were great fun, when it came to working out the 4 different tastes the 10 year old was on the ball and identified 3 immediately!

If you are thinking that wine tasting and children don’t mix, think again! Today the children were not only were encouraged to taste a range of flavours but also to think about what it was they were tasting. Maybe this is something they should introduce at school to encourage children to explore their palates and be more adventurous.

Whilst Matt and I talked the adults through the wines, the children tasted and coloured, and it was the adults that were noisy and rambunctious not their kids!!! It is worth noting that children have very defined palates, they have not yet destroyed them with strong flavours such as coffee, spice and cigarettes, and so they found ‘blind’ tasting a lot easier than we do. The winning score was 9 out of 12, at only 8 years old! Impressive and I am not sure how well we would have done had the tables been turned.

Our next Family Tasting is the 11th of August but I think we may well be running a few more….

I have often been asked whether organic wines give hangovers or not!! My reply is usually that drinking enough of anything will give a hangover, organic, biodynamic, cheap, expensive….

However it is often found that organic wines do not give the painful headache in the middle of the forehead as this comes from excessive use of sulphur and spraying pesticides onto the vines. The sulphur allowed for organic wines is half that of conventional wines. What I find particularly interesting is that those who suffer headaches from drinking wine are able to drink cheap beer with apparently no ill affect. Also, to my knowledge, they have not had an ill effect from eating non-organic dried apricots or drinking fresh orange juice, both of which contain high levels of sulphur.

So is sulphur the dastardly culprit that we all think it is?? Actually it is often the naturally occurring histamines that cause the headaches. These are found on the skins of the grapes, hence a general feeling that red wines give more headaches than whites.Produced by wild yeasts and bacteria they are also common in food stuffs where some fermentation has taken place.

So if you suffer from a ‘wine headache’ take note whether the following foods also give you a headache: cheese, charcuterie, chocolate and oriental foods.

Organic wines will definitely have less sulphur and no traces of chemical sprays but they cannot prevent a hangover!

Cheers!

Death by chocolate might be a better title to this blog!! The other night we ran a Wine and Chocolate Tasting at Vinecole. Not an obvious marriage as, on the whole, chocolate kills most wines. However I like a challenge and thought it only fitting to get into the ‘Easter’ spirit!

Whilst researching the subject it became more and more apparent that chocolate, much like wine, is a hugely complex subject. The type of bean used differ in much the same way that the range of  grape varieties differ. The soil, climate and location are equally as important.

We kicked off the tasting learning how to ‘taste’ chocolate – as opposed to the usual stuffing of chocolate that most of us (myself included) are more familiar with. Look, smell, listen ( I have only ever had one student do that to wine, he used to listen to the bubbles of Champagne, I’m not sure that the WSET approved!), then let the chocolate melt in your mouth and with your tongue coat the insides whilst you search for the chocolates’ characteristics. Fabulous stuff. We tried a 75% Trinidad Grand Cru and then a 75% Ivory Coast Grand Cru. It was fascinating to see how different they both were. From fruity and acidic to smoky and toasty. I think that last night 16 people had their perception of chocolate permanently changed.

So to the wines. What makes pairing chocolate with wine so difficult is not necessarily the sweetness but the cloying, coating character that numbs the tongue and deadens the senses. Hence the fact that fortified wines work so well, they have both the sweetness and weight from the alcohol required to lift the palate and withstand the chocolate.

However last night was not all about sweetness, we also looked at using chocolate in savoury dishes. There are many French and Mexican dishes that use chocolate, it can add spice and depth to sauces. The chocolate that I used for these dishes was a 100% Cacao from Peru – Willy’s Peruvian Black. Outrageously dark and bitter, this is not for munching on but delicious as a cooking ingredient.

The first dish was duck coated in a balsamic and chocolate sauce, wonderfully rich but not at all sweet. This we partnered with the Domaine du Petit Causse, Cuvée Andréa, AOC Minervois La Livinière 2007.  The wine was intense with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and dark cherries which complimented the richness of the duck and sauce.

Next up an authentic Mexican Chili with plenty of spice, the chocolate added a glossiness to the sauce and a smoky spiciness. This we served with the Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. Cabernet often has notes of bitter chocolate, in fact many enjoy a glass of New World Cabernet with a bar of chocolate. The Wolf Blass was rich, ripe and powerful. Plenty of fruit, ripe tannins, balanced acidity and it worked beautifully with the Chili.

This was followed by a light chocolate and orange mousse served with the lightest and frothiest of Asti’s! As Matt said, if a wine was to get points for fun then Asti would be at the top of the class. Muscat is the grape that works best with chocolate, it is highly adaptable and has the right balance of sweetness and acidity. The mousse was light, frothy and and not too sweet, the chocolate used was a Javanese milk chocolate with 65% cocoa solids. The wine had the perfect balance of lightness, sweetness and orange blossom that complimented the Cointreau in the mousse.

The 4th dish was an incredibly rich, chocolate cake – the River Cafe’s Chocolate Nemesis. No flour, just chocolate, eggs, butter and sugar and lots of each! This required something with weight as it would overpower a Sauternes so we turned to Australia and a Rutherglen Muscat from Campbells. Intensely sweet, notes of toffee, dates, caramel and fruit cake. The chocolate used to make the cake was a mix of Madagascan and a premium cooking chocolate by Michel Cluziel which gave notes of coconut and toffee.

The next dish was for the gentlemen present, an unusual combination of Tawny Port, Dominican Republic chocolate and Bleu de Gex cheese. My take on Paul.A. Young’s chocolate and blue cheese truffle. A very rich truffle that had a gentle after taste of blue cheese, it was rolled in toasted praline to give an added ‘crunch’. This was served with a local wine, Domaine Cazes Ambré 1996 made from Grenache Blanc and left on ullage to gently oxidise. The wine was superb, nutty, intense, not overtly sweet, a great combo with the blue cheese and with just enough weight for the chocolate.

Last but not least were Agen prunes soaked in Armagnac and dipped in 3 types of chocolate, Peruvian Pralines Noir, 64% Noir and 72% Noir. The prunes were alcoholic, chewy and very naughty! The wine, 2008 Maury from Domaine des Soulanes. A wine that is a perfect balance of sweetness, fruit, acidity and tannin. If in doubt serve Maury with chocolate as it is always a good match.

Our conclusion, wine and chocolate can and do match. Muscat is a bet as is Maury (fortified and Grenache based). Next time you are buying cooking chocolate look out for specific regions, and remember that if the chocolate is black in colour it is because inferior beans have been used and over roasted, they should be a rich brown or red/brown colour instead.

They do you know. Last night we ran a Wine and Oyster Tasting and we had a room full of Dutch and what fun they were!

Christophe from L’Espandon fishery in the under cover market at Les Halles in Narbonne, came laden with oysters and taught us about all the different styles, sizes and origins of oysters. Christophe’s family have owned L’Epsandon for 45 years and he has been working there for 22 years so what he does not know about oysters is not worth knowing.

So here are some of the facts that we learnt last night with the wine pairings that we chose and why.

France is the biggest oyster producing country in Europe, the 4th largest in the world, and more than 90% of what they produce is consumed here in France. There are two types of oyster, the Pacific “Creuse” oyster, also know as the “Japonaise” and the European oyster, native to France, known as the flat oyster. The later is considered the finest and is quite rare due to being almost wiped out by a plague last year and so is also the most expensive.

Oysters breathe much like fish, using both gills and mantle. They filtre six litres of water an hour, which sounds impressive until you realise that the humble mussel filtres an amazing 10 litres an hour! There is no way of telling male oysters from females by examining their shells. While oysters have separate sexes, they may change sex more than once during their life span. Sounds useful!

Once harvested the oysters will spend several days in clean seawater to purify before being sold to eat. Traditionally oysters have been eaten only in the months with an “R”, however that was before refrigeration and oysters can now be enjoyed all year round.

Here in the Languedoc we are fortunate to have two types of oyster on our doorstop , the Leucate and the Bouzigues. The Mediterranean is a large source of farmed oysters from the Etang de Leucate just north of Perpignan and then the Etang de Thau just south of Montpellier. However, the finest oysters in France are from the Atlantic coast of Brittany, the Marennes in particular, these are the “Fines de Clair” that you will find in Parisian restaurants. Oysters are sized from 0 to 5, with 0 being the largest and 5 the smallest.

When it came to tasting we found that the oysters from Bouzigues were the saltiest and largest, their taste was strong and rich. The Leucate oysters were less salty and fresher, we had two sizes, “Petite” which were number 3 and considered an “apero” style and then the “Grande” number 2 which were richer and creamier. Lastly we tried the Marennes which were size 2, these were the most delicate and creamiest and a lot less salty than the Mediterranean styles.

When it came to matching with wines, white was definitely the order of the day and dry white at that. We started with the Leucate No. 3 and a Grüner Veltliner from Austria, the Domaine Wachau, very dry, crisp and fresh which lifted the slight saltiness and got the gastric juices ready for more! This was swiftly followed with a Marenne No.2 and an organic Chablis from Brocard, a classic match, steely Chardonnay with slightly more weight than the Grüner which partnered the richer Marenne. Next up was the Bouzigues, very salty and rich. The obvious partner was a Picpoul de Pinet as this is the wine grown along the banks of the Etang de Thau and whenever you go to Sete this is what is being drunk in the bars and restaurants. Quite right too as the high acidity refreshed the saltiness and the lightness of body acted as a good contrast to the richness of the oyster. For a more controversial match we tried a white Collioure from Domaine de la Rectorie made from 100% Grenache Gris, here it was a question of weight matching weight, tasty but not as refreshing and so it would limit you to only a half dozen oysters instead of the full dozen! We then moved back to Leucate and to the larger No.2 with a St Peray from Chapoutier, a Marsanne/ Roussanne blend that was fermented in barrel. The oak was slight but added weight and a slight spice. We then finished with the Marenne and a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve made with a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from three vintages. A classy wine to finish the tasting with, the combination of  high acidity and effervescence cut through any saltiness and the elegance of the wine harmonised the creamy character of the oysters. Delicious!

Whilst tasting the oysters we had the traditional “Pain de Siegle”, rye bread, and salted butter. However we did not use either lemons or the red wine vinegar and shallot dressing as neither do the wines or oysters any favours. Vinegar over powers most wines, and Christophe explained that the dressing and lemon juice will be the dominate lasting flavour overriding the oysters. He recommended ‘au nature’ or with a hint of freshly ground black pepper.

Before he left he gave us his own recipe for gratineed oysters.

Christophe’s “Huître Gratinée”

Open the oysters 2 hours in advance.

Empty the water 6 times, oysters produce water 7 times! Keep the 7th water.

Pour 1 tsp of Champagne, 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp of grated Gruyére onto each oyster.

Grill under a hot grill until the cheese begins to melt, no more than a minute or 2.

Serve immediately.

Whilst the snow that keeps falling is not doing any damage to the vines, in fact it does them much good, it is certainly making me turn to warm and hearty reds rather than refreshing whites! Likewise with the food that I am eating, my body naturally craves rich casseroles and warming curries to fend off the cold and damp weather. That being the case at Vinécole this winter we ran a Wine and Curry Tasting, in fact the first Tasting sold out in two days so we are running another in March! A lot of like minded people I guess.

Spicy food although warming and tasty can play havoc with wines in fact many people tend to steer clear of them altogether and opt for a refreshing lager instead. Well lager is not actually a good match to spicy food and wine can and does work better. Don’t believe me, no? Several die-hard lager fans didn’t either until they came along to our tasting and tried for themselves. So for those of you who are unable to join us for the Tasting but enjoy a good curry and struggle with what to drink, below are some of my notes and findings at our tasting.

The word “curry” is a loose, generic term used in Europe and America to describe a variety of spiced dishes from Asia, in particular India, Pakistan and Thailand. The word curry is an anglicised version of the Tamil word ‘khari’ meaning sauce or gravy rather than spice. In most Southern Indian languages the word literally means “side-dish” which can be eaten along with a main dish like a rice or bread.

It is generally thought that wine and curry do not match, and it is true that if you look at the curry producing countries that they are not known for wine making, or drinking for that matter. One of the key issues with matching wine with curry is not actually the heat of the spice, although that can be a problem, see below, but more the fact that a traditional Indian or Thai meal would consist of many dishes served together rather than one after the other as in Europe. This causes difficulties when matching as which dish do we try and partner? Or do we have a different wine for each dish? Fun but rather impractical!

Which is one of the reasons why lager is often the chosen beverage, it is cool and refreshing but does not interfere with the flavours of the food. In that retrospect lager is a good match, however the problem with lager is that it is gassy, often very, and the gas causes the stomach to swell and creates discomfort and accentuates the heat. Take the example of a glass of water; water aficionados will recommend lightly sparkling mineral rich waters such as Badoit with food rather than fully sparkling carbonated waters such as Perrier. That said a light sparkle can be refreshing so why not try a semi-sparkling wine, here you will have both the acidity and the spritz to lift and refresh the palate.

Wine and curry can in fact work very well and make good bed fellows, however, there are some key notes to remember when pairing. Firstly look at the spices that you are using in the dish, what sort of spice is it (see the lists below), then, as you will usually have more than one spice in the dish, find which is the dominant, and look to match that.

Key points to note when matching wine with spicy food:

• Wines high in acid are best as they are refreshing
• Wines are best served chilled, even reds should be lightly chilled between 14 and 16°C
• Wines should be low in tannin as the heat of the spice will cause the tannins to taste bitter and harsh, tannins are also exaggerated at low temperatures (think of cold tea!)

• Wines are best when low in alcohol, preferably not higher than 12.5° ABV, as the heat in chili causes the alcohol to burn

• Wines should be light in oak or have no oak at all as the oak clashes with some spices such as cumin and will taste bitter and have a harsh after taste
• Off-dry whites work best as the slight sweetness calms the heat of the spice in much the same way as adding sugar to an over hot curry does
• Aromatic and fruity wines are often chosen as they have enough flavour to stand up to the dishes however this can be overdone and in the case of some New World wines, create a battle of the flavours!
• Delicate, fine or old wines will be lost with spicy food and so are best saved for a more delicate meal
• Cheap wines have very little character and a one dimensional flavour which will be stripped by spices so that all you are left with is astringency of the tannin or tartness of the acid
• Food spiciness should be equal to wine spiciness rather than the other way around
• Pepper in wine can clash with spices in food, sometimes spice in wine matched with spice in food can be too overpowering and the flavours fight rather than harmonise

Potential Wine Killers!

Dishes with:

High levels of sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness or hot spiciness

Divide spices into their origins:

Root = ginger

Bark = cinnamon

Flowers = saffron

Seeds = cumin

Fruit = allspice

Buds = clove

Three types of spice:

Sweet-spicy – cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and tamarind

Savory-spicy – cumin, pepper, cardamom and fish sauce

Hot-spicy – chili, mustard seed, hot peppers and horseradish

To summarise excessive oak, tannin and alcohol can interfere with the flavours of the dish and create a bitter and unpleasant after taste. Aim for wines high in acidity and fruitiness. As most dishes will have a mix of spices, aim to match the dominate flavour and take into account the protein in the dish. For example a chili based dish served with prawns would work best with a an off-dry Pinot Gris but a chili based dish with lamb would work better with a Rioja Crianza. Have some fun and see what works best for you; when we did our tasting we also served a cold lager, a room temperature English bitter, a natural yoghurt lassi and a glass of still water.

Santé

Emma Kershaw

Vinécole

www.vinecole.com

04.68.31.64.14

En route to London with a stopover in Sancerre.
I thought the UK had the reputation of having all forms of weather in one day, but after my drive through France today , the “Hexagone” runs it a close second.
I left the Languedoc at lunchtime under clear skies but with a rapier-like Tramontane blowing at over 100km an hour (the sort of wind that makes people go mad). At Montauban the rain started, lightly at first, then pretty heavy. Between Cahors and Brive the temperature dropped below freezing (at 3.30 in the afternoon) and it started to snow. It remained like this all the way to Chateauroux where the mercury finally struggled to reach a rather timid 2 degrees. The milder temperature, though, gave way to thick fog and the last 100km to Sancerre took an “eye-challenging” 2hours. Luckily the last hour was spent on the taillights of a local who had rashly pulled out in front of me but actually enabled me to reach the village of Saint Satur, outside Sancerre, a good 30 minutes earlier than I would have done tout seul.
Found a great little hotel by the Loire (apparently, as haven’t seen it yet) and an even greater bistro type restaurant 2 minutes walk away. The sort of establishment that rekindles your faith in authentic French cuisine.
2 courses of delicious food (hot Crottin de Chavignol salad) followed by a succulent Bavette au poivre all for an incredible 13.50€.
The real eye-opener though was the wine selection. Over 20 Sancerre wines on sale by the bottle at no more than 24€ for the most expensive. Even better was that all were offered by the glass at 3€ a pop ! Fantastic. My knowledge of Sancerre producers being a little rusty, I asked the owner to recommend a selection of his best wines and he didn’t disappoint. A Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir from Vincent Pinard and another Pinot from Domaine Paul Cherrier were inspiring – notes to follow in a future post.
I came away feeling enthused, not only about the food but the high quality wines that I had tasted but also without the feeling of being fleeced and bankrupted.
I wish more On Trade experiences were the same…….

I have just read Tim Hanni’s blog on wine and food pairing and how it is all in the mind and that no wine really works with food unless heavily seasoned and acidic. This is an entertaining read, especially from a man who has spent a good deal of his career talking about wine and food pairing and who has recently invented a seasoning that is supposed to ensure that your favourite dish will partner with your favourite wine, no matter what the colour or style. Tim kindly sent me some samples of his seasoning so I tried it out on students and also with friends, following his instruction for use, and no one could taste any difference the wines either worked or they didn’t.

I am not convinced that it is not an article written to provoke reaction rather than any groundbreaking news. However as someone who runs wine and food courses on a regular basis it has got me thinking. I have always believed that taste is very personal, and whereas when tasting wines one can discern quality in a wine whether you enjoy the wine or not, when pairing a wine with a dish you either enjoy the sensation or not. However I have found in the last year whilst running these courses that when broken down into components, so tasting the different elements of sweet, sour, bitter, animal fat versus vegetable fat etc, that in fact we were generally all in agreement. So why was this, everyone tasted on their own at their own pace and then we discussed our findings? Is it that subconsciously we all followed a pattern and agreed with each other? I don’t believe so as we had some unusual partnering, those that blew traditional consensus out of the window!

So I challenge Tim Hanni’s article as wine and food DO work together, and sometimes clash together. Finding the perfect match can be challenging, but when found it can make a meal that much more enjoyable. Besides the research is a lot of fun!!!

Santé

Here I am just back from London and the launch of Alastair Sawday’s “Special Places to Stay” guide, featuring French vineyards with hotels/Gites/Chambre d’Hotes accommodation. Domaine Gayda and Vinecole were featured and the Sawday’s team held a press and reader launch last week in central London. It was a jolly affair with vineyard owners from around France showing a selection of their wines and talking about their Domaines.

I took along the Cepage Viognier and Syrah 2008, the Occitane Blanc 2007 and Rouge 2006 and the Chemin du Moscou 2006. All wines went down a storm, and guests were intrigued to learn about grapes such as Marsanne, Roussanne, Mourvedre, Carignan and other weird and wonderfuls that are generally not plastered on front labels and so unheard of. We also got a lot of positive response about the wine school, many liked the idea of learning about wines whilst staying in a working Domaine. We look forward to receiving the Alastair Sawday’s readers at Vinecole!

This is without doubt a most spectacular time of year when you live in a wine region, the colours of the vines and the trees are absolutely stunning. What is especially amazing is that only two weeks ago the harvest was still in full swing, we are in the coolest department of the L-R so the harvest is long here. However literally a few days after the last grapes were  harvested the vines changed from being green and leafy to an array of golds, bronze and red hues!

Take a look at some photos taken this weekend.

The other day we held a Wine and Food Pairing Lunch for Vincent, the Gayda winemaker, and his team. They were 12 in total and an eclectic mix of French, Italian, American and Mexican nationalities. This group had been gathered from around the globe to work the 2009 vintage, processing the grapes, controlling the fermentation and ensuring that Vincents’s high standards were maintained. Now that all the grapes, bar a little botrytis Chenin, have been picked many of this group will return home.

We started the tasting with a comparassion between Antech Blanquette and Cremant 2007, the Blanquette being much fruiter but less elegant and shorter on the finish. Both were sampled with a green and black olive tapanade, some olives and ail confit. We all agreed that the green olive tapanade worked best with the Chardonnay dominated Cremant and the black tapanade with the weighter Blanquette. We then moved onto a crisp and citric Picpoul de Pinet from the Caves de Pomerol 2008, fresh and delightful. A simple wine that is to be enjoyed on a hot summers day or with a plate of oysters. Next up was weighty 100% Maccabeo from the joint venture between Roussillon superstar Gerard Gauby and English winemerchants RichardsWalfords, Le Soula 2008. No oak is used in this wine and it packed a puch with plenty of ripe fruit and clean fresh flavours. This was followed by another Gerard’s wine, Bertrand this time, his white Cigalus 2005. Predominately Chardonnay with 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Viognier, fermented and aged in oak barrel. This is a wine to rival any serious Chardonnay around the world, rich, elegant, ripe fruit flavours with layers of butter and nuts. We tried this with a hummus dip, made with a good amount of lemon and cumin, and a mature comte. Both worked very well indeed, the earthy flavours of the hummus and the buttery,nutty character of the cheese, far better than a red wine.

Now we moved onto the reds. Starting with the Mouscaillo Pinot Noir 2007 from the Limoux hills, a wine rich in berry fruits, light in oak character with plenty of crisp acidity. An usual wine from this area, but PN is a grape that we will see more and more of in the Limoux area as winemakers realise the potential they have with this difficult grape. This we tried with some smoked duck and a cepes and chicken liver pate. The acidity softened and the fruit flavours came  to the fore, just what was needed. A St Chinian followed by the Mas de Champart winery, a small producer of high quality wines (try their white, it is stunning!). The mineral and garrigue character of the wine lent itself to pairing with a dish of Puy lentils with a herb dressing and Toulouse sausages. As although the wine was not shy on fruit, the drying minerality and herbal character were the key components. Our last red was the Mas de Soleilla Terre du Vent, Cabernet Franc based with some Merlot. This wine is a VDP as the AOC La Clape does not permit these varieties to be used. No matter as the wine is super, rich, black fruits, witha perfumed nose, liquorice, spice, freshly ground black pepper and silky, ripe tannins. A real mouth full which lingers with you. This we tried with a magret de canard that was roasted with a little soy, honey and a cherry jus. Excellent, the fat of a duck is sweet and so requires a wine that has some sweetness, be that a little residual sugar or (in this case) ripe fruit character.

We finished our lunch with the Domaine Cazes Tuille 1990, made from 100% Grenache Noir this is a wine that is fortified in the same style as Port but then aged un ullage until bottled. They calaculate that they loose 7% in volume each year and do not top up. This gives the wine its tawny/brown hue and rich, nutty, spice, fruit cake character. Not a way to make your fortune but what a superb wine! Domaine Cazes is Europes largest biodynamic vineyard with 220ha, although they only received their biodynamic status in 1997 which means this wine isn’t bio! No matter it was delicious, on its own, with a salty Roquefort and a honeyed nut and and date tart.