2012 Marcel Lapierre Raisins Gaulois, Vin de France

27 Thursday Feb 2014

I recently picked up this fun little wine from my friends at the Wine & Cheese Cask in Somerville, MA… The wine was advertised as “nice, fruity fun, but with enough sappy concentration that it will match with anything.” The advertisement also offered a warning: “One bottle may disappear before dinner is over. It may disappear before dinner is prepared.” As you might expect, such words piqued my interest.

I’m glad to say that there is truth in advertising here… mostly. The wine is certainly fruity and fun and there is enough breadth across the palate to give the wine some legs. The acid level makes the wine a good partner with many cuisines, but the decided absence of tannin may cause the wine to flag in the face of truly prodigious dishes… a hearty, grilled steak for instance might cause this imp of a wine to flinch.

The wine is also my first domestically acquired Vin de France. The story behind the wine goes like this. The producer, Marcel Lapierre owns a lot of property in Beaujolais, mostly in the Cru of Morgon. Actually, Lapierre is something of a celebrity in Morgon, earning a reputation for making some of the finest wines in the appellation. Both of his Morgon wines are from vines that average between 60 and 100 years of age and have dramatically low yields. The subject wine, however, is made from grapes harvested from much younger vines (average age less than 20 years) and the grapes are taken from plots within and without Morgon. Because Beaujolais lacks a Vin de Pays designation, the only thing a wine producer can do when using grapes from across AOC appellations is to designate the wine a Vin de France. Given the provenance of the wine, I’m just fine with the situation.

The wine is 100% Gamay, grown on the classic granitic soils of Beaujolais. While I did not detect much in the way of mineral or stone, the wine does have that unmistakable Gamay nose and palate that suggests ripe, fruity grape juice, just squeezed from the press. Good thing too, because a quote from Marcel on the Kermit Lynch website states emphatically: “Our ideal is to make wine from 100% grape juice.” Somehow I thought that was every winemaker’s ideal, but what do I know… Our price here in MA is around $12.99 per bottle pre-discount – a good value in my book.

My tasting note:

Ripe, fruity nose with sweet cherry and wildflower hints. Medium-bodied with moderate-to-firm acidity and supple tannin – good balance. Youthful with a juicy, lively palate. Extremely quaffable. Moderate length with a smooth, albeit simple finish. Some hint of spice and pepper showed vaguely on the aftertaste. Drinking, or should I say quaffing, well – not for aging. Although, the wine is closed via Stelvin, so I would expect the wine to remain fresh and lively for a few years to come. Good value.

Cheers!

The Stinger

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Cocktails

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I realized that among all of the cocktails I have blogged about, the Stinger was conspicuously absent. Strange, too, because the Stinger is in that great pantheon of classic cocktails and I love the classics. Well, no time like the present to make up for this obvious inequity…

The Stinger is what is referred to as a “Duo” cocktail, meaning that it is composed of only two ingredients, one of which is always white Crème de Menthe. The classic Stinger uses Brandy, or Cognac if you prefer (I prefer) as the primary spirit. Other notable Stingers include the Vodka Stinger, obviously replacing the Brandy with Vodka. I tried a Whiskey Stinger – best advice here is to leave it alone…

If you only have the usual green Crème de Menthe, than you can make yourself what is called a Green Hornet, which is actually slightly less green if you use Brandy as the primary spirit. Much greener with Vodka…

Stingers date back to pre-Prohibition days and were considered something of a night cap or “settler” after an evening’s carousing. According to Esquire magazine, they were also the preferred cocktail of returning fighter pilots from WWII. I suspect the tingle of peppermint provided the missing excitement of aerial combat.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Stinger:

3 oz. Brandy (I use VSOP Cognac)

1 oz. White Crème de Menthe

Combine the ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry, if desired.

Cheers!

Our 2014 Wine Tasting Events!

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Wine Events

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We have scheduled our 2014 Wine Tasting Events and the line up looks pretty exciting, if we do say so ourselves!

Wines of Italy – 3/29/14 – $50 per person

Italy, a country synonymous with winemaking, consistently produces the most wine of any other winemaking country in the world. Think of Italy and one thinks of fine food and lots and lots of wine. Sometimes known for its lower quality “straw basket” Chianti wines of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Italy has emerged over the last few decades as a producer of high quality, oftentimes high-value wines. The combination of superb recent vintages, improved viticulture and improved winemaking techniques has elevated Italy to new heights. At this event we will taste several wines from a wide variety of regions within Italy, showcasing the renewed quality and value that is now defining Italian wine.

Wines of Burgundy – 4/26/14 – $75 per person

Burgundy, like Bordeaux is a classic wine region with a long-standing tradition of fine wine production. Unlike Bordeaux, the wines of Burgundy are not as well-known, largely because the complicated arrangement of appellations and vineyard ownership. Home to Pinot Noir (red wines) and Chardonnay (white wines), Burgundian wines can be magical and remain the benchmarks by which other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers measure their success. At this event we will taste several wines from the key regions in Burgundy.

Wines of South Africa – 5/31/14 – $50 per person

It has been several years since we last studied South African wines. In that time, South African wines have continued to flourish, improving and maturing into to true World-class competitors. For the uninitiated, South Africa has a long and prestigious wine making history, which was derailed for a time during the brutal period of apartheid, but which has since rebounded in recent years. At this event we will taste several wines from the many regions of South Africa, each underscoring the great diversity that is South Africa.

Summer Sippers – 6/21/14 – $50 per person

Summer is a time for easy drinking, high-value wines that require very little thought or demand even less contemplation. The wines of summer should be light and refreshing, pairing well with the usually light repasts or foods from the grill. At this event we will examine several wines, both white and red that are light, refreshing and represent good value.

Wines of Bordeaux – 9/13/14 – $50 per person

Bordeaux is perhaps the best known wine region in the world, with elegant, age worthy wines celebrated, and imitated across the globe. At this event we will enjoy several wines from the Bordeaux region, each one selected to underscore the taste and quality of the area.

Art of the Cocktail – 10/18/14 – $50 per person

It is believed that the cocktail was invented in the US sometime early in the 19th century. Largely thought of as the sporting crowd’s answer to fruit laden punches of the day, the classic cocktail has little in common with today’s Slippery Nipple. The classic cocktail is little more than spirits, bitters, sometimes a mixer and sometimes ice, but in the correct combinations, these elements can yield “a quite serviceable concoction.” At this event we will practice the art of mixing the classic cocktail – from the Sidecar to the Old Fashioned.

Wines of California – 11/15/14 – $50 per person

I have yet to dedicate an entire class to the wines of California, so this event is probably long overdue. California is the largest wine producing region the US, holding a commanding lead over every other contender in the market. The blessings of near perfect climate, along with the unique geography that promotes the growing of the vine almost gives California an unfair advantage when it comes to making wine. That said, sometimes these riches are squandered with the result being wines lacking both distinction and value. However, when California gets it right, their wines are among the best in the World. At this event we will taste several wines from California, showcasing many of the well-known and not-so-well-known regions. We will also taste some “older” bottles to help confirm, or debunk the proposition that Californian wines don’t age well.

Champagne – 12/13/14 – $100 per person

Holiday celebrations would somehow be diminished without the inclusion of fine Champagne. In the past, we’ve looked at the overall category of sparkling wines, all very nice. However, sometimes there is nothing like the real thing to set one’s heart aflutter. At this tasting we will sample several wines from Champagne, including many vintage and tête du cuvee bottles.

All of our events are held in Wrentham, Massachusetts and they fill up very quickly!

Make sure to make your reservation now – contact us through our web site: Musings On The Vine

Cheers!

Harry’s Revenge

10 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Cocktails

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With the continued cold and snow in the Northeast, a lot more brown liquor is getting poured in our household. This is not a negative, just an observation and in an effort to cut through the effects of reduced vitamin D, I have taken to experimentation.

Many folks know of the famous Bellini cocktail, invented by the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice somewhere between the end of Prohibition and the end of WWII (1933 – 1945). The drink was so named because Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry’s felt the color of the cocktail was reminiscent of the color of a saintly robe found in a 15^th century painting by Giovanni Bellini. The rest is history.

I like Bellini cocktails, but they are not a wintery libation. A recent exercise in tinkering with the Boulevardier, the Negroni and the Manhattan got me thinking. Could I adapt a cocktail that would use the essential ingredient of the Bellini, peach puree and the appropriate spirits of the season? Well, yes I could…

I started with a Bourbon-based Manhattan, but no matter how I adjusted the volumes of each component, the drink was too cloying for my liking. Branching into Negroni territory, I found that the mixture had an unpleasant contrast between the Campari and the peach puree, which echoed metallic overtones. The Boulevardier started me down the path of salvation, however.

Starting with Rye Whiskey as the base and then building from there was the key. Rye is inherently less sweet than Bourbon and subbing a more floral Sweet Vermouth in lieu of Campari created a nice back drop for the peach puree. I decided to use a pre-mixed peach puree (I know, I know, don’t say it…) – the Stonewall Kitchen Bellini Mixer. The mixer is perfect because it contains a little sugar and a little citrus to intensify the body. I then thought that it would be nice to add a touch more floral to the blend, so I went to St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur – nicely exotic. Lastly, to put an edge on the cocktail, I employed an equal mix of Angostura Bitters and Bittermen’s Hell Fire Habanero Bitters. The two played wonderfully off the tangy sweetness and lush floral qualities of the cocktail.

So, why Harry’s Revenge? Well, first, I thought it would be nice to pull in the history related to the bar that gave us the Bellini and, second, I wanted to honor a man who is the consummate gentleman and gave me some of my fondest memories during my early years at Harvard – Harry Hawkes. Harry is a unique individual who has left a lasting impression on my mind and, almost more importantly, Harry loves a good cocktail.

So, Harry, where ever you are and to my other friends, I present Harry’s Revenge:

2 oz. Rye Whiskey (I use George Dickle Green Label, 90 proof)

½ oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

½ oz. Sweet Vermouth (I use Dolan)

½ oz. Peach Puree (I use Stonewall Kitchen Bellini Mixer)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2 dashed Bittermen’s Hell Fire Bitters

Combine the ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Cheers!

The Veritas

05 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by musingsonthevine in Cocktails

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Veritas, Latin for “truth,” this cocktail is similarly known as truth serum. Not sure why. The ingredients are not particularly spirituous, nor does the cocktail possess a “kicker” of sorts (like a Zombie, for instance). I assume that the connotation of truth serum arises from the pleasing balance of the drink – Light, refreshing with a crisp, tart finish. Another nice feature of the drink is the subtle berry-like sweetness added by the Crème de Cassis. Because the liqueur is floated on the cocktail, the flavor is detected in a light, whispering way, like a gentle lover’s coo. Visually the cocktail is one of the prettiest drinks, the contrast between the milky opaque body and the dark, crimson float looking like a lovely long stem rose nestled amongst a sea of white carnations. Not sure of the origins of the cocktail, but its construction seems like a classic, pre-prohibition libation…

Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Veritas:

¾ oz. Dry Gin

¾ oz. Cointreau

¾ oz. fresh lime juice

¼ oz. Creme de Cassis

Combine the first three ingredients and shake vigorously with crushed ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and float the Crème de Cassis on the cocktail. The classic garnish is a lemon peel, but I choose to use a Luxardo Maraschino cherry for greater visual impact.

Cheers!