Taking the world one wine at a time.
When asked when she drinks Champagne, Madam Lilly Bollinger replied; "I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—-unless I’m thirsty."
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I’ve been trying to convince Mrs. Chislett to eat more Salmon, I personally LOVE IT, but for some reason she has always had an aversion to it. Maybe it’s an English thing on my part! Salmon seems to be a much more prevalent menu item over there! I actually chose the wine first for this pairing, and then selected the recipe to match. The Triennes Provence Rose is a joint project between Michel Macaux…
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Grape 100% Chardonnay Facts Taken from the Verget website: “Verget’s philosophy can be summed up in one simple sentence: the best wine comes from the best grapes.” Very original, I must say! Please note that this sentence is also to be found on 9 out of 10 other winery websites throughout the world. I can’t emphasize enough how much wineries really need to step up their game when it comes to their online…
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Grape 100% Cabernet Franc. Studies suggest that Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Facts Cabernet Franc is the most important red grape of the Loire, and was thought to have been brought from there from the Bordeaux region. Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are (arguably, as always) the most important white grapes in the region.
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Grapes 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc – I’m kind taking an educated guess based on previous vintages, since they don’t currently have an updated tech sheet for the ‘08 on the Chateau Pipeau website. They should probably get on that. Facts The family-owned Château Pipeau wine estate was founded in 1929. Château Pipeau is often viewed as a decent-priced entry into good Bordeaux. The wines vary in price and rating…
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It’s no secret that all the different terms used to describe the production, style and quality is mind-numbing! Here’s my guide to just about every term imaginable that you will ever find on a Champagne label. Champagne / Sparkling Wine Dryness Levels Brut Nature – You don’t see this used too much, but it means totally dry, no dosage (sweetening) added (less than 3 grams of sugar per liter) Extra Brut (also less than…
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The Mrs.and I have been on a little bit of a healthy-eating kick since the start of the year. We didn’t make a formal resolution, we stopped doing that a while ago. Everyone seems to more-or-less make the same promises to themselves each year, and normally end up breaking them after just a few weeks. All that I’m personally looking to achieve is to lose a few pounds through healthy eating and exercise, whilst…
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Alsace Grand Cru is a selected site in the Alsace AOC region of North-Eastern France.For wines to qualify for Grand Cru status, the yield of the vineyards have to be much lower than regular Alsace vineyards with wines only coming from a single named plot of land, of which must then be listed on the label. Regulations also govern the density of vine plantings, distance between rows, height of vegetation and the final alcohol content…
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Grape 100% Pinot Gris [Pee-no Gree] The word "Pinot", comes from the French word for pinecone" The grape grows in small pinecone shaped bunches on the vine. Grigio (Italian) or Gris (Everywhere Else) eludes to the unusual grey-blue color of the grapes. Facts Even though Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape, the differences in the wines produced from these grapes can be huge. Pinot Grigio is the Italian version of the…
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The Meaning Supposedly, the word “Malbec”, comes from the surname of a Hungarian peasant who is attributed with being the first person to spread the variety throughout all of France. If you were to ever check-out the big-nerdy wine book that is The Oxford Companion to Wine, you’ll find 400+ different names for the Malbec grape. This proving that the grapes’ popularity isn’t just a recent phenomena. In Bordeaux, it’s also known by Côt or…
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According to local legend, the great French white Burgundy, Corton-Charlemagne, owes its existence, not to the emperor Charlemagne, but to his wife. The red wines of Corton stained his white beard so messily that she persuaded him to plant vines that would produce white wines. Charlemagne ordered white grapes to be planted. Thus: Corton-Charlemagne!
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