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Ahh,
the holidays arrive and the yearly conundrum of what wines to serve to
your guests arises again. If you haven't mastered choosing holiday
wines, relax, you aren't the only one. I too was once afflicted with
this most common nervosis. Actually, it's a lot easier than you might
think. Here are a few tips:
Going
to someone's house for a party or dinner, don't know what to bring?
Champagne or Premium Sparkling wine is always a good choice.
For
two reasons, a good dry Champagne will match almost any dish and most
people would never splurge on such a bottle so are very happy to receive
one. Also, it's more festive.
What
about California Chardonnay? Where does it fit in? Well, usually,
nowhere on my holiday list. For a variety of reasons: Overly oaked white
wine, usually isn't a very good match for many dishes, with the
exception of lobster or shell fish accompanied with drawn butter or a
very creamy sauce. Even then, you have to like "Big Oak". I
always prefer to keep a bottle on hand, for those poor unenlightened
souls who refuse to drink anything else. After all, the guest rules but,
I always try to steer people to a nice Viogner or Pinot Blanc before
dinner or as a white throughout.
Red
wine with fish and vice versa, is it really possible to do that? Here's
a big clue for you, when choosing a wine to match a course one of the
first things to consider is: What flavors are present in the dish. For
example, a beautifully filet of Salmon or Tuna that's pepper crusted
goes great with Pinot Noir and amazingly well with a spicy Syrah.
Likewise, Herbed veal cutlets practically sing with a grassy Sauvignon
Blanc and certain Rieslings. It's all about blending flavors and
harmonizing the food to the wine.
There
are some classic combinations that take the guesswork out of it for you.
Big beefy dishes go great with big, beefy reds. Delicately flavored fish
or chicken dishes are usually happier with lighter whites such as Pinot
Blanc. Dessert should always be matched by a wine that will balance the
sweetness of the dessert, and vice versa. A sweeter Champagne or
Sparkling wine can be a good choice if you don't want to get too
complicated
"But
I like red and want to drink it with everything "you say. Bah
humbug to white wine, I want red with my holiday meal. Then I suggest
you go with beefy reds where appropriate and substitute a lighter red
burgundy or Oregon Pinot Noir with the dishes that require lighter
wines. Also, an often overlooked but totally delightful and flexible red
is Chinon from the Loire region of France. A trick to marry things well
on your table is to use the wine you want to drink in the sauce you are
making to accompany the wine. This is especially effective in salad.
Although salad tends to do more harm than good to wine, by replacing the
vinegar with the same amount of wine in the dressing you can get away
with a lot more.
What
goes with everything on my table, cranberries, turkey, sweet potatoes,
etc...." Well, the easiest match here is a good German Riesling, it
will cut through the sweetness but hold up to the turkey as well.
Ultimately,
what you like to eat and drink together boils down to a matter of taste.
Remember, the goal is to enjoy your self over the holidays. If you are
still lost, a good book to read is "The Wine Avenger" by
Willie Gluckstern Also, your local wine shop should be able to help with
some of the guesswork. The key is to have fun and enjoy your time with
the special people in your life, pour a glass of whatever strikes your
fancy and enjoy! Copyright 2000/2001 MBM |
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| In a time where many
Champagne families are selling their operations to larger
conglomerates, Antoine Malassagne is one of the few exceptions
to the rule. A.R. Lenoble, which came under his and his sister
Anne's management a few years ago, is experiencing a Renaissance
so to speak.
Antoine is conscious of this and
it makes him work even harder to establish and assure A.R.
Lenoble's place in the Champagne marketplace. He wants future
generations to be able to enjoy the joys that come with crafting
fine Champagne. Antoine's engineering background is apparent
when he explains." Modernization, is a fact of life, the
key is to make it work for you. A machine will be precise, it
can afford the consistency a human hand cannot."
A.R. Lenoble Champagne is crafted
with a great attention to detail. As I look around this
beautifully renovated winery, it's hard to imagine that
Antoine's father purchased the building and winery from a
relative in 1973 for only $50,000. Once you pass the busy street
in Damery and drive into the courtyard you 
almost feel transported to the
18th century.
After we tour the
"caves" or chalk cellars we head up to the tasting
room to sample the fruit of the Malassagne family and consulting
oenologist James Darsonville.
What started my interest in
Lenoble was it's Brut Reserve, which was introduced to me by Don
Papa of International Wine Brokers in Pennsylvania for the first
time over two years ago. It has been a favorite of mine for
parties and entertaining since then. When I planned my trip to
Champagne, I knew this was one house Icould not miss.
Antoine laid out a large
selection of bottles (for tasting notes, see below).
We began to taste through the
different bottles, but stopped to sip the Grande Cuvee "Gentilhomme"
it is an outstanding wine with character and finesses that begs
to be savored. As I reveled in the decadence of the Gentilhomme,
Antoine shared a little more about his thoughts on Champagne.
When asked what he wished to share with the world regarding his
region and the wines made there, he elaborated with the
following. "Champagne is a region of wines, as distinct as
Burgundy or Bordeaux. The only difference is that there can be a
greater subtlety in the wines from time to time that is often
ignored."
This is true, and I think largely
so because consumers have a tendency to consume Champagne less
than other wines. The more you taste, the more you learn, about
any wine. People often bemoan the cost of a bottle of Champagne
(anywhere from $30-$50 a bottle) but are ready and willing to
spend the same amount for the trendy California red of the
moment. I greatly encourage people to drink Champagne more
often. It is, especially when procured from an artisanal house
such as this, a beautiful thing. I do believe that as people get
to know A.R. Lenoble's fantastic Champagnes, they will find
themselves hard-pressed to ignore anything about them or the
region they come from. Copyright 2000/01 Grape Events
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