Cafes & Wineries

You say, I should drink some sans souffre wine?  Well my VdP Mondeuse may not be a beaujo Cru, but it was au naturel, intensely zippy and tasted like a basket-full-o-forest berries.

And of course, one must accompany such a low maintenance wine with some natural, simply prepared lamb + mashed potatoes & roasted garlic or roasted duck and potatoes au gratin.

The wine: Cote Pelee Mondeuse Vin de Pays d′Allobrogie 2004 by Jean-Yves Peron.

The food:

Autour d’ un Verre

Organic, delicious and inexpensive. A must stop for any wine lover curious about natural wines.

21, rue de Trévise, Paris 9

Tel: 01 48 24 43 74

Metro Stop: Cadet

Lunch: 12:30 to 15:00 Dinner: 20:00 to 22:30 (except Monday). Closed Sunday.

– Thanks Steve for the recommendation!

More information en Francais here.

Additional, random gay Paree photos

Folies Bergere

Drive-by Eiffel

Mmmm AOKI.

Le Coq!

Faces of Louis

Amiet’s Snowy Landscape

Noix @ le Mouffe!

Original post by beau

Attend a show.

Discover slightly shocking facts about French cuisine

Admire mundane details in an urban park

Visit the man with the original complex

Ponder Le Penseur

Sip wine, eat

Sip wine, eat tartare

Drink a little more

Brave a crowd, meet some old folks

Drink, eat more

Original post by beau

For the wine-imbiber who travels, there often seems to be ‘that one bottle’, which surprises - not only for how tasty it is, but also for the grape varietal used.  During my recent trip to lovely Vancouver, BC, I discovered something new and very tasty from the Okanagan Valley.  I might add this discovery was pure luck - as it involves the Chenin Blanc grape, which only occupies ~20 hectares in Okanagan vineyardom.

Golden Mile Cellars Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2006 ($15-$20) - This CB is textbook CB - a la Vouvray.&nbsp It possesses intense floral-fruity scents underscored by an aroma that can only be described as, "slightly earthy" and perhaps a little bit naughty (picture naked grapes frolicking in the mud after a rainstorm).&nbsp This wine’s body is notably more stout than old world Chenin-based wines.&nbsp A big-boned structure, coupled with the high-volume scents translates to an initial impression of Golden Mile Chenin Blanc being sweet.&nbsp But wait!&nbsp This wine is in fact dry with enough zippy acidity to balance out its high-ish alcohol content and seemingly sugar-full nose.&nbsp

I fell in love with this wine for the fact that it’s fairly rare (I doubt it’s available in any US retail ship) and entirely unique.  That’s the bad news - you won′t be able to find it.  The good news is that this calls for an air/road-trip to BC!

Sip GM C.Blanc solo, or with, naa, sip it solo - no need for food to muck up this wonderfully tasty wine.

Read another review on this BC CB from App. America’s John Schreiner.

Question:  What big wine surprise have you discovered on a recent trip?

Original post by beau

Seldom does a Sherry lover run across such an Oasis:

Imagine, a Sherry flight in an innovative little spot called, "Salt".&nbsp Salt Tasting Room is the place for those who enjoy exploring a little flavor alchemy involving wine, cheese and cured meat.&nbsp Needless to say, the emphasis on Sherry in the tasting experience rubbed me the right way.

If you ever find yourself in beautiful Vancouver, BC, make your way to Gastown and sit, sip &amp sample to your heart’s content at Salt.

Naturally, my favorite pairing was an Oloroso with Stilton and a dab of honey.&nbsp A rich flavor package of funk, salt and sweet.&nbsp It made me feel just little bit decadent, and just a bit nasty (but in a very pleasant way).

More Salt pix

Sparse & chic decor in the tasting room

Meat slicer and golden oinker - what’s not to like?

Cheese, meat and condiment specials o’the day on the blackboard.

Original post by beau

Say you’re a war correspondent for a major newspaper.  You’ve been witnessing the chaos of occupation in and around Baghdad for several years.  You need a break.

Where to go?

How about slightly-less-war torn region?&nbsp How about one with great wine?&nbsp If you wish to stay in the Middle East, one idyllic-yet-occasionally-war-torn spot beckons - Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

Find out what the LA Times former Baghdad bureau chief and current Middle East bureau chief discovered in this unique wine-producing corner of an extraordinarily complicated part of the world:

&quotThe summer war last year between Israel and Hezbollah didn’t directly affect the vineyards. Shipments were turned back before reaching their destinations. The vineyards also could not produce an increasingly popular Beaujolais-type wine. But fortunately, the war ended two days before the harvest began.

The war was nothing compared with the larger challenges of producing wine in the Muslim Middle East, where some grape growers refuse to sell to vineyards for religious regions."

Read the full article here.

Original post by beau