Archive for the ‘French Cooking’ Category

Are you a wine snob? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be but never really had the time or the knowledge to know where to begin? No matter where you fall on your wine sensibilities, there is an easier way of getting the best French or Rhone wine to celebrate most any occasion. From the biggest get-togethers to the small intimate moments with the ones you love, taking advantage of specialist wine merchants and the knowledge they have will have you well on your way to enjoying the best wines the way they were meant to be. Here are four express benefits of using a wine merchant for your food and beverage needs:

Matching the perfect French wine to ideal food selections: French or Rhone wine are classy beverages for most any occasion, but they go specifically well with certain foods. Based on taste and texture, the robust flavor of a crisp wine comes out even stronger when matched to the appropriate food combination. But if you are a novice, it can be hard to tell, and you don’t want to doom the experience before you’ve even had the chance to know how best to experience it. That’s where a quality specialist wine merchant comes in handy. Through their expertise and recommendations, you can avoid the trial and error and find a combination that brings out the best in both components.

Sampling new Rhone wine and French selections with convenience: One of the drawbacks or benefits – depending on your point of view and expertise – is that there are many different kinds of French or Rhone wine out there for you to sample. However, doing so can get quite expensive, and it’s not beneficial unless you know what you are getting is a quality selection. Seeking the expertise of quality specialist French wine merchants means that you can often find opportunities to sample new selections with ease and convenience through carefully selected assortments that are made ready for delivery, so you can take advantage from virtually anywhere in the world.

Relying on the experts to hone your French wine tastes and sensibilities: It takes knowledge, care, and respect to enjoy French wine or Rhone wine the way they were intended. It is recommended that if you are new to the game, you rely on the experts you will find through specialist French wine merchants to guide you in developing your tastes and sensibilities. It could keep you from many unpleasant wine-tasting experiences down the road!

Staying on top of news, reviews, deals and offers: Nowadays many specialist French wine merchants keep frequently updated blogs that provide you with the latest in news, reviews, advice, deals, and offers. If you are serious about your wine hobby, you will want to follow along, see what they have to say, and before you know it, your own tastes will start to benefit.

Whether it’s French wine or Rhone wine that has caught your attention, start the new year off right by listening to the experts – specialist French wine merchants, who know how best to appreciate the flavor and the experience.

Learn more about French wine and Rhone wine.

Author: Todd Duan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, you should consider the Loire Valley region of central France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a white Sancerre wine based on the Sauvignon Blanc grape coming from the eastern part of the Loire Valley.

The Loire is longest river in France. Among eleven France’s wine-growing regions the Loire Valley number three in total vineyard acreage. This region is subdivided into four sections going from west to east: Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and Central Vineyards, the home of the wine reviewed below. This region’s major white grape is Sauvignon Blanc and major red grape is Pinot Noir.

Bourges is a town of over seventy thousand people that’s almost in the center of France. It’s an old style market town with a high and mighty Cathedral, the Thirteenth Century Cathdrale St-tienne that is really something to see. It is a World Heritage Site. Don’t miss the Fifteenth Century Palais Jacques-Coeur (Palace) that was used as a model for several New York City Fifth Avenue mansions. For natural beauty visit the marshes of the Voiselle and Yevre rivers.

Before reviewing the Loire wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Salade de Faisan (Pheasant Salad). For your second course savor Noisette de Biche (Deer Medallions). And as dessert indulge yourself with Poire Rotie au Beurre (Pear Roasted in Butter).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Marnier-LaPostolle Chateau de Sancerre Rouge 2003 12.5% alcohol about $19

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Straw yellow color; grapefruit and mineral notes on the note; clean and refreshing citrus/grapefruit and herbal flavors. Serving Suggestion: Shellfish; goat’s cheese dishes; veggie dishes. And now for my review.

My first meal consisted of poached salmon-colored trout in red pepper (the vegetable, not the spice) sauce with boiled rice. The wine tasted like a Chablis, full of lemon and steel with some herbal notes. When I tried it with a salad composed of Clementines, baby spinach, pear, and mango accompanied by a sweet mustard dressing the Sancerre became more acidic while retaining its flintiness. It took on floral aspects when faced with home-made (my grapes, someone else’s) jelly.

The second meal was a purchased organic spinach pizza. The wine was floral, round, and even a bit sweet. It was quite pleasant. With an apple-rhubarb tart the Sancerre was nicely acidic and feathery.

The third pairing involved a lightly sauted chicken breast, boiled rice, and a spicy tomato-based Turkish salad. It was round, light, and quite long. Then I added a Tunisian hot pepper sauce (harissa) to the bland meat. Interestingly enough the Sancerre became fruitier and somewhat shorter.

Instead of finishing the bottle with cheese I went to a cheese-less lasagna made with whole wheat noodles, tomato sauce, peas, and ground chicken. The wine was very fruity and quite round. Its refreshing acidity really cut the grease.

One of the classic wine and cheese pairings taught in schools and verified in practice is Sancerre and goat’s milk cheese, preferably Crottin de Chavignol coming from the same area as the wine.

Final verdict. This is a fine wine. I like Sancerre but find it somewhat overpriced. I am always ready to try another Sancerre, looking for better value.

Author: Levi Reiss
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing