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1040 discussions

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Working out some bugs in our new wine server. You may need to go the barn yourself per the instructions in the monthly reminder. Note: if your e-mail address changes, the list server may not (should not) allow you to post from the new address until your new address is part of the list. This "closed posting" format makes spam management much more manageable. In the mean time, if it doesn't post, send it to me and I'll post. I'll vote for an early Champagne dinner at Muffies on MLK-Sunday. I'll also vote for a Sunday brunch at Al Vento or some other place. Other meeting ideas. The economy is making life difficult for our friends who run restaurants. An increase from our monthly meeting schedule would help. Also, winter is a great time to expand our list of potential restaurants. Wine styles I'd like to do: Sparkling or champagne as above. Reisling (German) Pinot Burgundy Brdx Cab (older?) Piedmont Shiraz/S. hemisphere Spanish Sake? Places: Ngon was fantastic Arezo Erte (would like a modest corkage) S Mpls (First Course, Al Vento, Maude, etc.) Jay's anything on the west side? Here's JJ's note. ----- Forwarded message from Joyce Hegstrom <jhegstro(a)umn.edu> ----- X-Umn-Remote-Mta: [N] x-160-94-115-11.csom.umn.edu [160.94.115.11] #+LO+TS+AU+HN X-Umn-Classification: local Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:16:46 -0600 From: Joyce Hegstrom <jhegstro(a)umn.edu> User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.18 (Windows/20081105) To: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> CC: wine(a)thebarn.com Subject: Re: [wine] How Artisanal is Artisanal Champagne Brunch anyone? Good idea....who would be interested? I could possibly set up something at Muffuletta's in St. Paul in with our friend Jason Schillin. If we spend $300 in food costs we can get the back room free and no corkage. A suggestion: How about Sunday 1/18 whereby some of us might get Martin Luther King day off? If I get enough interest I will talk to him about this after the holidays because he is out on medical leave. Let me know if you are interested...... Bubbles Jim L. Ellingson wrote: >Must be time for a Bubble Brunch - say January. > > > >Champagne: How artisanal is artisanal? > >K&L Wine Merchants/Leclerc Briant > >Don't hate me because I'm an NM. > > > -- NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: jhegstro(a)umn.edu (there is no “m” at the end of hegstro) ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] How Artisanal is Artisanal

by Jim L. Ellingson

Must be time for a Bubble Brunch - say January. Champagne: How artisanal is artisanal? K&L Wine Merchants/Leclerc Briant Don't hate me because I'm an NM. In addition to our picks for Winemaker of the Year and our five winemakers to watch -- and congrats to them all -- Friday's Wine section also has the results from our latest panel tasting of grower Champagnes. We last tasted these in panel four years ago, and plenty has since changed. It's that time of year when bubbles are front and center (though, yes, not everyone is thinking on a Champagne budget this year, and we'll tackle that another time) so it's a good moment to spend some extra time thinking about things that sparkle. I'll start with grower fizz this time and offer some more general buying advice in another post. Grower Champagnes have been on my mind a lot this year, and caused their share of consternation. There was a time when grower Champagnes -- Champagne made by the same people who grow the grapes -- were an insiders' secret. No longer. Certainly they're not knocking Moet off its throne anytime soon, but rare is the well-assembled wine list that doesn't include at least one grower Champagne. And as much as there is love for these countrified, homespun efforts, there's a quiet murmur of disdain for the famous names of Champagne that lean on their brand-building like a big, shiny crutch. You won't be surprised that grower bubbles are usually the favorites of sommeliers, small retailers and almost anyone else not completely swayed by the sparkle of the grandes marques' tinsel. The original pitch: Buy Champagnes from people who care enough to make the wines from the grapes they grow -- a pride of ownership, of sorts. It didn't hurt that there was an implicit anticommercialism at work, as well as the promise of terroir expression. To steal a line from their biggest booster, Terry Theise: "You should drink 'farmer-fizz' if you'd rather buy Champagne from a farmer than a factory." The Bay Area is doubly lucky because it has so many local importers who specialize in what said booster has long been fighting for. Martine's Wines, North Berkeley Imports, Beaune Imports, K&L Wines, Dee Vine Wines and Charles Neal Selections are among the local posse who hunt these Champagnes down, to say nothing of the fantastic access here to Theise's portfolio of Champagnes, which essentially started this whole parade. But as the grower market gets more mature, it gets more complicated. Though we tasted 33 wines for last week's selections, I knew going in that many of my own fave growers weren't in the mix (Vilmart and Larmandier-Bernier, for instance); if they were, we tasted some of their lesser-known efforts rather than the mainline nonvintage Brut. That I could even brood on getting to taste the vintage Chartogne-Taillet and not its nonvintage cuvee is a sign of how bountiful the grower market has become. With that, complication has come too. It's not even that easy any longer to draw the lines between little grower and mongo negociant. What's the deal? If there once was an NM/RM divide in Champagne (NM for negociants who buy much of their grapes, RM for "recoltants," or growers, marked in agate-ish type on the label), those lines are blurrier now. Sometimes negociant wines pretty well scream of their provenance, no matter how much ruby-encrusted largess now accompanies what have now been redefined, fervently, as luxury brands: But owning land in Champagne is complicated, much as it has become on, say, the Sonoma Coast. And even in Champagne, there need be no scarlet N for those who happen to buy grapes. One of my favorite regular-buying Champagnes, Leclerc Briant, is technically a negociant. But only because Pascal Leclerc Briant buys grapes from several villages and vineyards, including a number of parcels in the town of Cumieres -- Les Chevres Perrieuses and Les Crayeres, in particular, plus the lean all-Pinot Meunier La Ravinne -- that express their specific site with remarkable clarity. So Leclerc Briant wears the NM mark, if not the large-scale trappings that usually accompany it. The small Marguet label, which I've written about before, has a different issue -- a family scuffle prevented Benoit Marguet from getting his own family's grapes, so he was forced to the open market. (Both are imported locally by K&L.) There are enough of these exceptions to the rule that next time, instead of asking for RM Champagnes, I think we may call for Champagnes made by wineries of a certain size or smaller -- say, 100,000 cases. That actually would be an interesting dividing line for wines in general, but in the case of Champagne, where industrial-scale efficiency has quietly taken control, it seems especially crucial, a philosophical dividing line. And yet even there, I'm advised that one of my favorite growers, Franck Bonville, makes somewhere well north of 100,000. Does that negate the farmerness of that fizz? Setting caps is even more fraught with problems because there are other, larger producers who dedicate themselves to cuvees that depart from the norm. One that comes to mind immediately is Jacquesson, which dates back to 1798 but is currently run by the Chiquet family -- Jean-Herve and Laurent. (Their cousin is behind a favorite grower Champagne house, Gaston Chiquet, which was featured in Friday's paper.) One feature of Jacquesson is their unique not-quite-vintage dating scheme for their (technically) nonvintage cuvee. Each subsequent year gets its own number, so 728 designated the 2000 vintage and the latest, 732, is largely composed from the 2004 vintage. The NV Jacquesson Cuvee 732 Brut (around $60) is racy and focused, with a hint of pastry dough. What doesn't change is quality that transcends the somewhat generic competency (and typically high sugar dosages) of truly large negociants like Moet or Piper-Hiedsieck. If growers are subject to the whims of vintage, the consistency of winemaking style doesn't change so fast. A talented Champagne maker's abilities shine through no matter what, which is why even the geekiest among us should think twice before going on a RM jihad. Next time: name-checking my trusted posse of bubble brands. Posted By: Jon BonnéEmail) | December 17 2008 at 09:30 AM Listed Under: Importers, Labels, Sparkling Wine | Comments (0) : Post Comment -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] More Bubbles (fwd) Strib

by Jim L. Ellingson

Minor correction. I believe we had the Gruet Blanc de Noirs on Wednesday. I'll check my notes, my order. These days there's sparkling news from all over By BILL WARD, Star Tribune December 18, 2008 Back in the 1970s, there was a popular book -- at least in my economic and aspirational world -- called "Champagne Living on a Beer Budget." Talk about an anachronism. These days, it's easy to find a bottle of good sparkling wine for about the same price as a six-pack of standard beer. It might not be from the French region of Champagne, but there are dandy bubblies being made everywhere from Austria to Australia and several points in the good ol' U.S. of A. Including, yes, New Mexico, where the Gruet family is making delicious bubbly in the Old World (Methode Champenoise) style. Like Gruet, many of California's top sparkling-wine producers were started or steered by families from Champagne: Domaine Carneros (Taittinger), Domaine Chandon (Moë& Chandon), Roederer Estate (Louis Roederer), Mumm Napa (Mumm) and Piper-Sonoma (Piper Heidsieck). Bill Paustis, owner of local distributor Paustis & Sons, marvels at the strides made on these shores. "When I started at this, we were confronted with the Gallo Andrénd not much else," he said with a chuckle. "The quality has gone up enormously, and the popularity along with it." Bubbly aficionados were distressed a few years back when the estimable S. Anderson house in Napa went out of business, but there's more tasty sparkling wine coming from California -- J Cuvee and Gloria Ferrer, along with all of the above -- than ever. (Mourning S. Anderson fans can still purchase some through the winery that took over the property, at www.cliffledevineyards.com.) That's only the beginning of the global spread of bubble- licious wines. One of Australia's few growth areas is in sparkling shiraz. Given how harmonious champagne and sushi are, it's no surprise that we're suddenly seeing a lot of Japanese sparkling sake at wine bars and stores. But it's Europe that's spawning the widest range of interesting stuff. I've come across two delicious Austrian sparklers this year, Szigeti Grüeltliner Brut and Schloss Gobelsburg. Italy is exporting boatloads of zingy, food-friendly Prosecco; try the Zonin Special Brut for around $11 and the Santa Margherita Valdobbiadene for around $20. And cava from Spain might well be the best bargain going in the wine world; Cristalino (widely available) and Paul Cheneau are dandy for less than $10, and the Montsarra Brut provides great bang for the buck (about 15 of them). Back in sparkling wine's home nation, crénts from the Loire and Alsace regions offer up great value in the $15 to $22 range; also emanating from the Loire are some swell effervescent Vouvrays (chenin blanc grape) and Sancerres (sauvignon blanc). And in its home region, there are spectacular bottles from $35 on up. There's absolutely no need (or reason, really) to shell out several hundred simoleons for trendy Cristal or Ace of Spades. I sampled a spectacular Pol Roger Champagne recently, and love Pierre Peters, Aubry, Billecart-Salmon (especially its killer brut rosé Veuve Clicquot (often available for criminally low prices at Costco), Moë& Chandon, Henriot, Bollinger and Nicholas Feuillatte. Oh, and anything with Terry Theise's name on the back label. Speaking of labels, the lingo describing the dry-sweet level of bubbly is confusing but important to know. From dry to sweet, it goes Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry (don't ask me!), Sec and Demi-Sec. But the main thing to remember is that this is a wine for all occasions. Obviously, it's great for New Year's Eve, birthdays, etc. -- as my friend Brian Tockman says with a smile, "Nothing says 'party' like a magnum of champagne" -- but its acidity and flavors make sparkling wine a great match with all types of food. Which brings me to some especially good news: The ever-resourceful Kim Bartmann has finagled deals that allow her to sell a lot of top-notch champagnes at retail at Cafe Barbette and Red Stag Supper Club. These are beautifully chosen bottles providing great value in the $50 to $100 range. Or you can stay home and have a bottle with some potato chips, a pairing that Marilyn Monroe made famous. Clearly, the lady only "played" dumb on celluloid. Bill Ward . bill.ward(a)startribune.com -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] [info@samswineshop.com: Champagne Tasting Saturday 12-4pm]

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI, More free bubbles. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from Sam's Wine Shop <info(a)samswineshop.com> ----- X-Authentication-Warning: smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu: Host beerhost.com [216.32.68.2] claimed to be prost.beerhost.com Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:16:18 -0600 Subject: Champagne Tasting Saturday 12-4pm From: Sam's Wine Shop <info(a)samswineshop.com> To: Jim Ellingson <james(a)brewingnews.com> X-Mailer: MBM 4.0-US X-BeerHost-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more information X-MailScanner-ID: 1LD3kj-00070U-N0 X-BeerHost-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-BeerHost-MailScanner-SpamCheck: not spam, SpamAssassin (not cached, score=-0.203, required 5, BAYES_00 -2.60, HTML_IMAGE_RATIO_08 0.00, HTML_MESSAGE 0.00, MIME_QP_LONG_LINE 1.40, SARE_OEM_OBFU 1.00, SPF_HELO_PASS -0.00, SPF_PASS -0.00) X-BeerHost-MailScanner-From: info(a)samswineshop.com X-Spam-Status: No X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - prost.beerhost.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - brewingnews.com X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - samswineshop.com X-Greylist: ACL 279 matched, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.0 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu [128.101.142.227]); Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:16:45 -0600 (CST) X-Spam-Score: 1.471 (*) HTML_MESSAGE,SPF_SOFTFAIL X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.57 on 128.101.142.227 = /* common --------------------------------------------------*/ body { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #BodyImposter { color: #666; background: #fff; width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #BodyImposter dd, #BodyImposter dt, #BodyImposter li, #BodyImposter p, #BodyImposter td { font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } #BodyImposter dl, #BodyImposter p, #BodyImposter ol, #BodyImposter ul { margin: 0em 0em 1em 0em; } #BodyImposter img { border: 0px; } #BodyImposter small { font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.3em; } #BodyImposter ol { padding-left: 1em; } #Primary ul { padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; } #BodyImposter ol li { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #BodyImposter ul li { background: url("img/bullet.gif") no-repeat 0em 0.5em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; } /* links --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter a { text-decoration: underline; } #Primary a:link, #Primary a:visit ed, #Secondary a:link, #Secondary a:visited { color: #000; background: #fff; } #BodyImposter h2 a:link, #BodyImposter h2 a:visited { color: #5397b9; background: #fff; text-decoration: none; } #Helpful a:link, #Helpful a:visited { color: #c2c2c2; background: #fff; } #Legal a:link, #Legal a:visited { color: #999; background: #ccc; } #BodyImposter a:hover { text-decoration: none; } #BodyImposter h2 a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } #BodyImposter a:active { color: #000; background: #fff; text-decoration: none; } #Legal a:active { color: #000; background: #ccc; text-decoration: none; } /* heads --------------------------------------------------*/ #BodyImposter h1, #BodyImposter h2 { color: #5397b9; background: #fff; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0em; padding: 0px; } #Masthead h1 { font-size: 28px; color: #fff; background: #333; } #Primary h2 { font-size: 18px; } #Tertiary h2 { font-size: 14px; } /* boxes --------------------------------------------------*/ #Box { width: 100%; text-align: center; } #Content { margin: 0px auto; text-align: left; } #Content td#Primary { width: 550px; } #Content td#Primary img { border: 6px solid #e0e0e0; float: right; margin: 5px 0px 10px 15px; } #Helpful table { color: #c2c2c2; background: #fff; margin: 0px auto; } #Helpful p { width: 550px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 20px; text-align: left; } #Legal { padding: 20px 0px; } #Legal table { color: #999; background: #ccc; margin: 0px auto; } #Legal p { width: 550px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 20px; text-align: left; } #Masthead { padding: 20px 0px; } #Masthead table { color: #fff; background: #333; margin: 0px auto; } #Masthead h1, #Masthead p { width: 550px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 20px; text-align: left; } #Masthead p { font-size: 14px; } #Masthead p #Date { float: right; } #Tertiary { padding: 20px 0px; } #Tertiary table { color: #d69898; background: #c33; margin: 0px auto; } #Te rtiary h2 { color: #fff; background: #c33; padding: 0em 0em 0.5em 0em; } #Tertiary h2, #Tertiary p { width: 550px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 20px; text-align: left; } #Helpful, #Legal, #Masthead, #Tertiary { width: 100%; text-align: center; } Sam's Wine Shop 12-4pm at the Wine ShopSparkling Wines Greetings Jim Ellingson, Champagne Tasting Saturday 12-4pm What more festive way is there to ring in the holidays than with Champag= ne?! But does this most celebratory of beverages need always to be expensiv= e? Au contraire! Join us as we sample the affordable luxury of g= reat sparkling wines. We have selected some of our favorites from the l= ast year to open this Saturday from 12-4pm at Sam's Wine Shop. Nothing will be over $25/bottle, but the quality will be superb. Catch The Wine Vibe 1pm Saturdays on AM950 Radio And i= f you can't make the tasting be sure to stop in when you can for your holid= ay cheer. And you may want to listen to The Wine Vibe this Satur= day on AM950 Radio where we will be talking about, what else, Champagne and= Sparkling Wines! Get you questions ready because it is a live call-in show= 952.946.6205 is the studio line. Opt out list If you would like to opt out of this mailing list, please send a message= to: info(a)samswineshop.com and write opt out in the su= bject line. Thank you. Sam's Wine Shop, 218 Washington Ave N., Mpls, MN 612.455.1045 ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] REALLY Affordable Champagne in restaurants

by annette peters

Are you aware that Barbette and Red Stag are offering their Champagne lists at retail prices? I include them. Annette -----Original Message----- >From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> >Sent: Dec 17, 2008 11:40 AM >To: wine(a)thebarn.com >Subject: [wine] Affordable Good Champagne > >FYI/FYE. > > >We tasted some nice bubbles last night. > >Aubry and Philipponnet Royal Reserve were wonderful and priced in the 40s. > >Gruet Blance de Blancs is less than $15 on sale and held it's own. >Schramsber was plenty good. > > > > > >Like Money in a Glass, but With Bubbles > >By Dave McIntyre >Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05 > >What do we pay for when we buy a bottle of expensive champagne? In "The Wine Trials," published this year by Fearless Critic Media, author Robin Goldstein describes a series of tastings in which about 60 people were asked to rate two unidentified glasses of sparkling wine. Two out of three preferred a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle from Washington state over Dom Perignon, the famous luxury champagne that sells for $150. > >So if more people prefer the cheaper wine, why buy the expensive one? Goldstein concluded that when we purchase Dom (or a cult Napa cabernet or first-growth Bordeaux), we're not buying just wine but also the experience of drinking something exclusive and expensive. We enjoy the taste of money. > >Money seems to taste sour these days. The champagne trade association CIVC recently announced that global shipments of champagne plummeted 20 percent in October compared with the same period last year. The British wine magazine Decanter reported on its Web site that 2008 shipments -- two-thirds of which come at the end of the year -- could drop by 34 million bottles, or about 10 percent, from last year's boom. > >Given champagne's elite status, we would expect sales to slump during a global economic downturn as consumers turn to cheaper sparkling wines from Spain, Italy, California and elsewhere. But if champagne is what you want, there are larger houses that offer fine value at relatively low prices, especially as competition heats up with sales this time of year. And excitement in champagne is not really much more expensive, if you know where to look. > >Here are some tips for maximizing your champagne experience this holiday season. > >Ask your retailer. Specialty wine stores will carry the familiar labels (Veuve Clicquot, Moet, Mumm, Taittinger) because those are the names customers ask for. And many of them might be competitively discounted at this time of year. But your retailer might have one or two unfamiliar labels tucked to the side that represent good value for the money, so don't be afraid to ask. > >Look for local importers. By U.S. law, the importer must be identified on the label. Local importers specialize in finding unknown producers of high-quality wines -- from any region. > >Look for small growers. Champagne boasts more than 15,000 independent grape growers, many with exceedingly small parcels. Together they own 90 percent of the vineyards. However, only about 5,000 growers produce wine from their own grapes. The power (political and economic) lies with the 300 or so champagne houses that own 10 percent of the vineyards but account for two-thirds of Champagne's production and a whopping 90 percent of its exports. > >The large houses offer some fine products, but the small "grower champagnes" have become quite the fashion among the value-hunting set in the past decade or so. By making their own wines instead of selling to the large houses, growers can produce distinctive champagnes that taste of their own vineyards instead of seeing their grapes disappear into a larger blend that reflects a "house style" of a major brand. Consumers pay less (in theory, at least) because they aren't supporting the prestige and advertising budgets of the parent corporations. > >Small grower wines from highly rated vineyards -- those designated grands crus -- offer even greater value, because the quality of the fruit produces a finer expression of terroir and the winemaker's style. > >Those expressions can be as different as they are exciting. Pascal Doquet produces a blockbuster, in-your-face champagne that dares you not to like it. The wine from Pierre Peters is more reticent. It waits for you to notice how good it is before revealing all its secrets, like a mentor who teaches the true craft only after the student has proven worthy. > >Both wines cost about $50 -- not much more than the basic champagnes of the major houses -- but they taste like they cost more. They taste like money. > >Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food(a)washpost.com. > >Recommendations > >Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05 > >Restaurants often offer your best opportunity to try grower champagnes, as they are neither in large supply nor widely available in retail stores. Here I've included some of the better larger brands as well as some grower champagnes. > >Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs >*** >France, $50 > >Small grower. From family-owned vineyards in the most famous grand cru area of Champagne, this wine features brawn over finesse, with golden color and toasty, yeasty flavors. Without the bubbles, it could pass for a classy white Burgundy. > >Kacher/Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Pearson's; on the list at Bourbon Steak. > >Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru >*** >France, $58 > >Small grower. From top-rated vineyards in the Cote des Blancs, one of the world's best areas for chardonnay, this is a delicate, flirtatious wine with hints of jasmine, ginger and sea air. One sip is inviting, the next aloof, as the bubbles nearly mask the quality of the chardonnay. It actually improves the next day as the bubbles fade, suggesting it could benefit from being decanted. The more I like this wine, the more I want it to like me. > >Terry Theise/Bacchus: available in the District at Chat's Liquors, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Proof, BLT Steak, Tabard Inn, Zaytinya; in Maryland, on the list at Casey Jones Restaurant in La Plata. > >Thierry Triolet Grande Reserve Brut >** 1/2 >France, $38 > >Small grower. This wine hails from the Cote de Sezanne region of Champagne, which carries less cachet and therefore prompts a lower price. Triolet sold his grapes to large houses in Reims until 1985, when he began making his own wine. This blend of chardonnays from several vintages is riveting, with bright red-fruit flavors and a strong mineral structure. It's a steal. Also good: the Vielles Vignes 2004 ($42), though it will reward several years' more time in bottle. > >Wine Traditions: available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Grape + Bean in Alexandria; on the list at Mediteranee Restaurant in Great Falls; in the District, on the list at Cork Wine Bar. The Vielles Vignes 2004 is available at Finewines.com in Gaithersburg; in the District, on the list at Palena. > >Roland Champion Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru >** >France, $55 > >Small grower. Autumn fruits -- apples and apple cider -- dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious. > >Kysela: available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Whole Foods Market P Street; available in Virginia at Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner in Vienna; on the list at L'Auberge Provencale in Great Falls, Inn at Little Washington. > >Gosset Brut Excellence >* 1/2 >France, $45 > >Gosset is a smaller house that buys some grapes, so it does not qualify as a small grower in the trendy sense of the term. But it produces fine fizz, including this light and elegant wine that shows nice finesse and balance. > >Republic National: available in the District at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine & Liquor, Pearson's, Rodman's; on the list at BLT Steak, Central Michel Richard, Posto. > >Trouillard Brut Extra Selection >* 1/2 >France, $50 > >Although the national retail price of this wine is $50, it typically is sold for less in this region, often under $40 during the holidays. It offers aromas of roasted hazelnuts and flavors of red fruits. > >Kysela; available in the District at Bell Wine & Spirits, Magruder's, Marvelous Markets in Capitol Hill and Georgetown, Pearson's; on the list at New Heights; available in Virginia at Whole Foods Markets in Reston and Tysons Corner; on the list at L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Blackthorne Inn in Upperville. > >Nicolas Feuillatte Brut >* >France, $43 > >The importer lists this wine at a national retail price of $43, but it is frequently advertised in The Post at $26. At the sale price it's a good buy, with toasty red-fruit flavors (raspberry, cranberry) from the pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes in the blend. The fruit fades quickly to a somewhat sweet, caramel finish. > >Country Vintner: widely available. > >Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut (Yellow Label) >* >France, $40 > >Bacchanalians love to hate this wine because it is famous and owned by the cognac-swilling fashion mavens at the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesey Group and is therefore the very antithesis of small-grower champagne. But it's good. And it's everywhere. > >Washington Wholesale: widely available. > >Store and restaurant listings are provided by the distributors and may not be complete. Check with your favorite store for availability. >Key > >*** Exceptional > >** Excellent > >* Very good > >Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through the distributor. > > >-- >------------------------------ >* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * >* University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * >* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * > >_______________________________________________ >wine mailing list >wine(a)thebarn.com >http://www.thebarn.com/mailman/listinfo/wine

16 years, 11 months

[wine] Affordable Good Champagne

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE. We tasted some nice bubbles last night. Aubry and Philipponnet Royal Reserve were wonderful and priced in the 40s. Gruet Blance de Blancs is less than $15 on sale and held it's own. Schramsber was plenty good. Like Money in a Glass, but With Bubbles By Dave McIntyre Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05 What do we pay for when we buy a bottle of expensive champagne? In "The Wine Trials," published this year by Fearless Critic Media, author Robin Goldstein describes a series of tastings in which about 60 people were asked to rate two unidentified glasses of sparkling wine. Two out of three preferred a $12 Domaine Ste. Michelle from Washington state over Dom Perignon, the famous luxury champagne that sells for $150. So if more people prefer the cheaper wine, why buy the expensive one? Goldstein concluded that when we purchase Dom (or a cult Napa cabernet or first-growth Bordeaux), we're not buying just wine but also the experience of drinking something exclusive and expensive. We enjoy the taste of money. Money seems to taste sour these days. The champagne trade association CIVC recently announced that global shipments of champagne plummeted 20 percent in October compared with the same period last year. The British wine magazine Decanter reported on its Web site that 2008 shipments -- two-thirds of which come at the end of the year -- could drop by 34 million bottles, or about 10 percent, from last year's boom. Given champagne's elite status, we would expect sales to slump during a global economic downturn as consumers turn to cheaper sparkling wines from Spain, Italy, California and elsewhere. But if champagne is what you want, there are larger houses that offer fine value at relatively low prices, especially as competition heats up with sales this time of year. And excitement in champagne is not really much more expensive, if you know where to look. Here are some tips for maximizing your champagne experience this holiday season. Ask your retailer. Specialty wine stores will carry the familiar labels (Veuve Clicquot, Moet, Mumm, Taittinger) because those are the names customers ask for. And many of them might be competitively discounted at this time of year. But your retailer might have one or two unfamiliar labels tucked to the side that represent good value for the money, so don't be afraid to ask. Look for local importers. By U.S. law, the importer must be identified on the label. Local importers specialize in finding unknown producers of high-quality wines -- from any region. Look for small growers. Champagne boasts more than 15,000 independent grape growers, many with exceedingly small parcels. Together they own 90 percent of the vineyards. However, only about 5,000 growers produce wine from their own grapes. The power (political and economic) lies with the 300 or so champagne houses that own 10 percent of the vineyards but account for two-thirds of Champagne's production and a whopping 90 percent of its exports. The large houses offer some fine products, but the small "grower champagnes" have become quite the fashion among the value-hunting set in the past decade or so. By making their own wines instead of selling to the large houses, growers can produce distinctive champagnes that taste of their own vineyards instead of seeing their grapes disappear into a larger blend that reflects a "house style" of a major brand. Consumers pay less (in theory, at least) because they aren't supporting the prestige and advertising budgets of the parent corporations. Small grower wines from highly rated vineyards -- those designated grands crus -- offer even greater value, because the quality of the fruit produces a finer expression of terroir and the winemaker's style. Those expressions can be as different as they are exciting. Pascal Doquet produces a blockbuster, in-your-face champagne that dares you not to like it. The wine from Pierre Peters is more reticent. It waits for you to notice how good it is before revealing all its secrets, like a mentor who teaches the true craft only after the student has proven worthy. Both wines cost about $50 -- not much more than the basic champagnes of the major houses -- but they taste like they cost more. They taste like money. Dave McIntyre can be reached through his Web site, http://www.dmwineline.com, or at food(a)washpost.com. Recommendations Wednesday, December 17, 2008; F05 Restaurants often offer your best opportunity to try grower champagnes, as they are neither in large supply nor widely available in retail stores. Here I've included some of the better larger brands as well as some grower champagnes. Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger Blanc de Blancs *** France, $50 Small grower. From family-owned vineyards in the most famous grand cru area of Champagne, this wine features brawn over finesse, with golden color and toasty, yeasty flavors. Without the bubbles, it could pass for a classy white Burgundy. Kacher/Washington Wholesale: available in the District at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, MacArthur Beverages, Pearson's; on the list at Bourbon Steak. Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru *** France, $58 Small grower. From top-rated vineyards in the Cote des Blancs, one of the world's best areas for chardonnay, this is a delicate, flirtatious wine with hints of jasmine, ginger and sea air. One sip is inviting, the next aloof, as the bubbles nearly mask the quality of the chardonnay. It actually improves the next day as the bubbles fade, suggesting it could benefit from being decanted. The more I like this wine, the more I want it to like me. Terry Theise/Bacchus: available in the District at Chat's Liquors, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Proof, BLT Steak, Tabard Inn, Zaytinya; in Maryland, on the list at Casey Jones Restaurant in La Plata. Thierry Triolet Grande Reserve Brut ** 1/2 France, $38 Small grower. This wine hails from the Cote de Sezanne region of Champagne, which carries less cachet and therefore prompts a lower price. Triolet sold his grapes to large houses in Reims until 1985, when he began making his own wine. This blend of chardonnays from several vintages is riveting, with bright red-fruit flavors and a strong mineral structure. It's a steal. Also good: the Vielles Vignes 2004 ($42), though it will reward several years' more time in bottle. Wine Traditions: available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Grape + Bean in Alexandria; on the list at Mediteranee Restaurant in Great Falls; in the District, on the list at Cork Wine Bar. The Vielles Vignes 2004 is available at Finewines.com in Gaithersburg; in the District, on the list at Palena. Roland Champion Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru ** France, $55 Small grower. Autumn fruits -- apples and apple cider -- dominate the aromas of this wine, which is blatantly more like a wine than we normally expect a champagne to be. Some may find that unexpected and even off-putting, while others will find it intriguingly delicious. Kysela: available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Whole Foods Market P Street; available in Virginia at Rick's Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner in Vienna; on the list at L'Auberge Provencale in Great Falls, Inn at Little Washington. Gosset Brut Excellence * 1/2 France, $45 Gosset is a smaller house that buys some grapes, so it does not qualify as a small grower in the trendy sense of the term. But it produces fine fizz, including this light and elegant wine that shows nice finesse and balance. Republic National: available in the District at Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine & Liquor, Pearson's, Rodman's; on the list at BLT Steak, Central Michel Richard, Posto. Trouillard Brut Extra Selection * 1/2 France, $50 Although the national retail price of this wine is $50, it typically is sold for less in this region, often under $40 during the holidays. It offers aromas of roasted hazelnuts and flavors of red fruits. Kysela; available in the District at Bell Wine & Spirits, Magruder's, Marvelous Markets in Capitol Hill and Georgetown, Pearson's; on the list at New Heights; available in Virginia at Whole Foods Markets in Reston and Tysons Corner; on the list at L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Blackthorne Inn in Upperville. Nicolas Feuillatte Brut * France, $43 The importer lists this wine at a national retail price of $43, but it is frequently advertised in The Post at $26. At the sale price it's a good buy, with toasty red-fruit flavors (raspberry, cranberry) from the pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes in the blend. The fruit fades quickly to a somewhat sweet, caramel finish. Country Vintner: widely available. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut (Yellow Label) * France, $40 Bacchanalians love to hate this wine because it is famous and owned by the cognac-swilling fashion mavens at the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesey Group and is therefore the very antithesis of small-grower champagne. But it's good. And it's everywhere. Washington Wholesale: widely available. Store and restaurant listings are provided by the distributors and may not be complete. Check with your favorite store for availability. Key *** Exceptional ** Excellent * Very good Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through the distributor. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] Well Red Reads (fwd - NYT)

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE from NYT December 17, 2008 The Pour A Good Read Before You Sip By ERIC ASIMOV NO matter the condition of the economy, the state of the world or the weather, the annual holiday flood of books on wine gushes forth unimpeded. I.m often asked if I can recommend one authoritative introduction to wine. It.s tough, since the most important part of such an introduction, the bottles, are never included. But three new primers have entered the fray. Andrew Jefford.s Wine Course, by Andrew Jefford (Ryland Peters & Small, $29.95), takes a poetically inspirational tour of wines around the world. Mr. Jefford, a British writer whose book .The New France. (Mitchell Beazley, 2006) was terrifically insightful, seems more concerned here with the romantic potential of wine than its humdrum reality. Entreated with glossy photos and glossier words, readers may salivate their way to the wine shop, hoping to find a merlot that lives up to its description as .the most carnal of the world.s red wines,. or a German riesling that .barely seems like wine at all, and more like a subtle summary of the natural world.. Occasionally, his florid language can smother. I can imagine eyes rolling with impatience after reading his description of a well-aged nebbiolo .rolling around the mouth like the sound of gunshot off the hills, scenting the breath like a cachou and stiffening the blood like a national anthem.. Ouch! Still, there.s plenty here to test what your own senses will detect in a glass. To help with that assessment, Jancis Robinson offers a newly revised edition of her 2001 book How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine (Simon & Schuster, $26). It is indeed about critical tasting, rather than pleasure drinking, yet many of the skills Ms. Robinson teaches can become part of the unconscious routine of enjoying wine, ultimately enhancing the pleasure. Ms. Robinson writes with understated authority and whimsical self-deprecation. Reading this book will no more make you an expert than a guide to skiing will set you up for a downhill run, but it goes down easily. Both the Jefford and Robinson books take a British view of wine, concentrating far more on European than American vineyards. This may be historically just and sound, yet American readers may be more comfortable with more focus on the local. WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting and Enjoying Wine (Wiley, $29.95), by Steven Kolpan, Brian H. Smith and Michael A. Weiss, places far more emphasis on New World wines and attitudes. Beginners will find plenty of essential information about geography and winemaking, and the book can be read in easily digestible chunks. Sometimes .WineWise. is indeed wise, as when warning readers away from a dependence on critics. scores. The three authors are professors at the Culinary Institute of America, so perhaps it.s no surprise that .WineWise,. like many textbooks, seems written not to offend. In comparing what they term brand-name wines and terroir wines, .WineWise. asks: .Is one better than the other? Is beer-battered deep-fried cod better than seared yellowfin tuna? No, they are different concepts, different approaches.. To me, a more apt comparison would be of processed fast food to a homemade meal of carefully selected ingredients. They may both fill you up, but they won.t be equally nutritious. One of the biggest stories in American wine has been the explosive growth of pinot noir since the movie .Sideways. came out in 2004. John Winthrop Haeger, who wrote the prematurely exhaustive book .North American Pinot Noir. in 2003, now offers a comprehensive supplement, Pacific Pinot Noir (University of California Press, $21.95). Mr. Haeger does not republish the earlier book.s regional maps or history of pinot noir in North America. Instead, this new paperback offers a useful discussion of the evolution of pinot noir in the last few years, along with profiles of more than 200 pinot noir producers in California and Oregon. I especially appreciate that Mr. Haeger indicates his own favorite winemakers, to get a sense of his tastes in an otherwise dispassionate work. I.ve saved my favorite new book for last. Corkscrewed: Adventures in the New French Wine Country, by Robert V. Camuto (University of Nebraska Press, $24.95), is a slender volume with little obvious utility. Yet, to paraphrase the merchant and writer Kermit Lynch, an obvious model for this book, it inspires thirst and curiosity. Mr. Camuto, a journalist, moved to the south of France with his family several years ago, and a general interest in wine quickly became a passion for the wine itself, the people who produce it and the land. It.s fashionable now to bash France for its troubled wine industry, saddled by an entrenched bureaucracy, changing social mores and an inability to compete with less-regulated nations. Yet .Corkscrewed. reveals how little we understand the depth and richness of the relationship between the French and their wine. Just as a trip around the French countryside reveals dozens of dishes that never make it to French restaurants in the United States, Mr. Camuto.s adventures will introduce readers to little-known French wines like Domaine Borrely-Martin of Provence, Châau Mosséf Roussillon and Domaine des Tres Cantous of Gaillac, and to the passionate individuals that persevere despite the absence of monetary reward. These may not be the wines that earn one spurs as a connoisseur, but they certainly may produce a worthy sense of humility at how much there is to learn. I can.t wait to drink them. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] Opinion (NYT)

by Jim L. Ellingson

FYI/FYE Proof - Alcohol and American Life December 15, 2008, 9:00 pm Drunkenfreude By Susan Cheever As dessert ended, the woman in the red dress got up and stumbled toward the bathroom. Her husband, whose head had been sinking toward the bûde Noë put a clumsily lecherous arm around the reluctant hostess. As coffee splashed into porcelain demitasse cups, the woman in the red dress returned, sank sloppily into her chair and reached for the Courvoisier. Someone gently moved the bottle away. .Are you shaying I.m drunk?. she demanded. Even in the candlelight I noticed that the lipstick she had reapplied was slightly to the left of her lips. Her husband, suddenly bellicose, sprang from his chair to defend his wife.s honor. But on the way across the room he slipped and went down like a tray of dishes. .Frank! Are you hurt?. she screamed. Somehow she had gotten hold of the brandy. .S.nothing,. he replied, .just lay down for a little nap. Can I bum a smoke?. That dinner party was almost 10 years ago; it was the last time I saw anyone visibly drunk at a New York party. The New York apartments and lofts which were once the scenes of old-fashioned drunken carnage . slurred speech, broken crockery, broken legs and arms, broken marriages and broken dreams . are now the scene of parties where both friendships and glassware survive intact. Everyone comes on time, behaves well, drinks a little wine, eats a few tiny canapé and leaves on time. They all still drink, but no one gets drunk anymore. Neither do they smoke. What on earth has happened? If alcoholism is an addiction . which it is . how can people control their drinking just because it is no longer acceptable to get drunk? What about smoking, another addiction? Addicts are supposed to be powerless; is a little social disapproval more powerful than all the rehabilitation centers and 12-step programs and fancy new drugs? Does fashion trump addiction? Addiction specialists and scientists have identified three causes of most addictions: early trauma, genes, and environment. Still, addiction has eluded all attempts at a precise definition or a complete understanding. In most models, environment is thought to be the least of the three so-called causes. But maybe environment is the elephant in the room. In an environment where it is not attractive to get drunk, no one gets drunk. In his brilliant book about addiction, .America Anonymous,. Benoit Denizet-Lewis describes an experiment done by Vancouver professor Bruce Alexander in which rats in small cages were compared to rats in a specially designed Rat Heaven, a room where lab rats had everything that lab rats like. The rats in cages drank 16 times as much of the sugary morphine solution offered than the rats in Rat Heaven. Can addictions be controlled just by circumstances? Are parties and vacations an overlooked way to treat alcoholism? In the old days, drunkenness was as much part of New York City society as evening clothes. This is the city where Zelda Fitzgerald jumped wildly in the fountain in front of the Plaza, the city of .Breakfast at Tiffany.s,. written by another fabulous alcoholic, Truman Capote. It.s the city of late nights with sloshed celebrities at the Stork Club. It.s the city that gave its name to Manhattans and Bronx Cocktails, the city of John O.Hara and Frank O.Hara, of drunken brilliance and brilliant drunks. I don.t drink. I know the savage, destructive power of alcoholism. It.s a soul stealer. Yet, there.s a mischievous part of me that misses all that extreme behavior, all those nasty but somehow amusing surprises, all that glamor even when so much of it ended in pain, institutions and early death. For us sober people there is a kind of drunkenfreude to watching others embarrass themselves, mangle their words and do things they will regret in the morning . if they even remember them in the morning. After our host poured the woman in the red dress and her husband into a taxi that long ago night, we all chortled over our nightcaps at their behavior. In his sober years my father used to mix killer martinis for guests and then watch with amusement as they tried to navigate down the stairs of his house to the driveway . stairs that they had bounded up so easily a few hours earlier. There are certainly moments when it is embarrassing not to drink. A friend will start to pour me a glass of wine and then apologize profusely. At a party someone will notice my club soda and decide to make an issue of it. Why can.t I just have a little white wine? But there were many more embarrassing moments when I did drink, and that.s what watching other people get drunk helps me remember. For me, the psychology is often in reverse. I learn from seeing what I don.t want and avoiding it, rather than from seeing what I do want and aspiring to it. I have been to many wonderful Christmas parties in the last decade and seen many glorious women behave with dignity and grace. I don.t remember them. It.s the woman in the red dress I won.t forget. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] Le Tour du Chocolat (fwd) NYT

by Jim L. Ellingson

December 14, 2008 Journeys Le Tour du Chocolat By AMY THOMAS THE French have elevated many things to high art: fashion, flirting, foie gras. Chocolate is no exception. With boutiques that display truffles as rapturously as diamonds, the experience of visiting a Parisian chocolatier can be sublime. The problem, of course, is squeezing in as many of these indulgent visits as possible while also giving the rest of the city its due. My solution: devote one full day to chocolate boutiques, and do it in style. So, on my last visit to Paris, I took to the city.s Véb. bike system and mastered a two-wheeled circuit of eight of the chocolatiers that had the best reputations and most glowing reviews in city guidebooks and online message boards. It was exhilarating and exhausting, not to mention decadent. It was a chocoholic.s dream ride. The Véb.s . industrial-looking road bikes that are already icons of Parisian-chic just a year and a half after the city initiated the program . made the moveable feast more fun. Progressing from pralines to pavé I spun by the Eiffel Tower, zipped across the Seine and careened through the spindly streets of St.-Germain-des-Préalongside other bikers: Parisians in summer dresses and business suits, their front baskets toting briefcases, baguettes and sometimes even Jack Russell terriers. Practically speaking, the bikes were all but essential. How else could I cover five arrondissements in as many hours, while simultaneously countering a day of debaucherous extremes? The hedonism began in the center of town with the oldest master on my list, Michel Cluizel (201, rue St.-Honoré33-1-42-44-11-66; www.chocolatmichelcluizel-na.com) who has been making chocolate since 1948. A short distance from a Véb. station at the intersection of Rues de l.Echelle and St-HonoréI passed luxury stores flaunting billowy gowns and four-inch Mary Janes and stepped inside what was just as divine: a store where molten chocolate spews from a fountain and the shelves are stocked with bars containing as much as 99 percent cacao. Mr. Cluizel has a single American outpost, in Manhattan, at which I.ve indulged in hot cocoa made with a blend of five cocoa beans. At his Parisian shop, managed by his daughter Catherine, I discovered the macarolat (1.55 euros, or about $2 at $1.29 to the euro). A chocolate version of the macaroon, it has a dark chocolate shell filled with almond and hazelnut praline, the nuts ground coarsely to give a rich, grainy texture. It was two bites that combined creamy and crunchy, snap and subtlety. But it was just two bites; I wanted more. A quick spin west landed me at the doors of Jean-Paul Hén (231, rue St-Honoré(33-1-55-35-35-96; www.jphevin.com) A modern blend of dark wood cabinetry, slate floors and backlit wall cubbies where cobalt-accented boxes of bonbons are displayed, the space would feel intimidating if not for the shopkeepers, who are both numerous and gracious as they juggle the crowds ogling mango coriander macaroons and Pyramide cakes. After considerable debate . would it be ridiculously gluttonous to have a .choco passion,. a cocoa cake with chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache and praline puff pastry, so early in the day? . I settled on a caramel bû(3.20 euros). Larger than an individual bonbon but smaller than a Hershey bar, the silky caramel enrobed in delicate dark chocolate hit the sweet spot. With the choco-salty taste lingering on my tongue, I picked up a bike outside the Hô Costes, craning my neck to spy any A-listers . were Sting and Trudie in there? Beyoncénd Jay-Z? . and set out for the 16th Arrondissement. Just beyond the Place de la Concorde I veered onto Avenue Gabriel. It is a curving street that winds past both the United States Embassy and Pierre Cardin.s showcase for young artists, Espace, before eventually turning into a narrow cafe-lined passage where you have to weave around double-parked delivery trucks. Hoping to avoid throngs of wide-eyed tourists on the parallel Champs-Éysé and cars haphazardly zigging and zagging on the rotary around the Arc de Triomphe, I took the residential backstreets to Avenue Victor Hugo. It was on this street that I found the most eccentric chocolatier on my list: Patrick Roger (45, avenue Victor Hugo; 33-1-45-01-66-71; www.patrickroger.com) It.s not just the chocolate sculptures (a life-size farmer, for example), seasonal window displays (a family of penguins, also life-size) or snazzy aquamarine packaging he.s known for: his intensely flavored bonbons are as bold as they come. .I do think Patrick Roger is outstanding since he combines new, unusual flavors,. said David Lebovitz, an American chocolate connoisseur, author of .The Great Book of Chocolate. and a Paris resident. But, he added, Mr. Rogers .isn.t doing weird flavors just to be trendy, like others tend to do in Paris nowadays.. I sampled a few to confirm. The Jamaica has a rich coffee flavor from ground Arabica coffee beans; the Jacarepagua blends sharp lemon curd and fresh mint, and then there.s the Phantasme, made with ... oatmeal. Each costs less than 1 euro. About 90 minutes in, I had tasted creamy, salty and tart and had traversed a good stretch of the city. I was high . on Paris and sugar . coasting beneath Avenue Klér.s towering chestnut and plane trees toward the Place du Trocadé in the 16th Arrondissement. Winding my way down the steep hills of the Rue Benjamin Franklin and the Boulevard Delessert, past romantic cafes and limestone edifices, alternately beige and gray depending on the light, I felt as though I was in a quaint Gallic village, not the capital city. That is until I was spit out across the river from the grandest Parisian landmark of all: the Eiffel Tower. Digital cameras flashed, souvenirs were hawked and regiments of tour buses idled in one big mechanical whir. It was as if every foreigner had descended on the monument at that very moment. I didn.t exhale until I entered the quietly sophisticated Seventh Arrondissement. Michel Chaudun (149, rue de l.Université33-1-47-53-74-40) is wildly talented as an artist and chocolate sculptor (his watercolors decorate the store along with chocolate Fabergéggs and African statues), to say nothing of his reputation for being one of the world.s best chocolatiers. After 22 years of turning cacao into sublime bonbons, he.s responsible for influencing many of the city.s newer generation of chocolatiers. His pavéare particularly worshipped. They.re sugar cube-size squares of cocoa-dusted ganache that you deftly spear from the box with a toothpick and then allow to melt a little on your tongue a little before biting into the rich creaminess. Fresh and luscious, they.re also hypersensitive to warm temperatures. Which meant . tant pis . if I tried to save any for later, they would wind up a choco-puddle. Hopping on and off the Véb.s so often courted a certain amount of trouble. Parisian cynicism reared its head when a disgusted man at a station told me that 90 percent of the bikes don.t work. I wouldn.t say the defective bicycles were that frequent, but I learned an essential checklist: Are the tires inflated? The rims, straight? Is the front basket intact? Do the gears work? Is the chain attached? With these things checked, you.re good to go, as I was after savoring the last pavérom my modest box of six (3.40 euros). Cutting across the square fields in front of Les Invalides I glided by college students throwing Frisbees and old men playing pénque. To my right, the gilded dome of Les Invalides; to my left, more gold crowning the ornate Alexandre III bridge. This was a decadent journey indeed. Finally, in the Sixth Arrondissement, it seemed I could toss an M & M in any direction and hit a world-class chocolatier. There was the whimsical Jean-Charles Rochoux (16, rue d.Assas, 33-1-42-84-29-45; www.jcrochoux.fr) where gaudy chocolate sculptures of garden gnomes belie the serious artistry of his Maker.s Mark truffles. Christian Constant (37, rue d.Assas, 33-1-53-63-15-15), a Michelin-starred chef and award-winning chocolatier, excels at such spicy and floral notes as saffron and ylang-ylang. Pierre Marcolini (89, rue de Seine, 33-1-4407-3907; www.marcolini.be) the lone Belgian of the group, offers 75 percent dark chocolate from seven South American and African regions. Buzzing, I intended to finish the circuit in grand style. The line snaking out of Pierre Hermé slim boutique (72, rue Bonaparte, 33-1-43-54-47-77; www.pierreherme.com) told me I was doing the right thing. When I made it inside the snapping automatic doors, it was (forgive me!) like being a kid in a candy store: pristine rows of cakes adorned with fresh berries, coffee beans and dark chocolate shavings. .Un Plétude, s.il vous plait.. I took my treasure to a nearby park and tucked into the dome-shaped cake filled with chocolate mousse and ganache, crunchy caramel and fleur de sel. I relished the fluffy whipped richness, the bite of dark chocolate and the tang of salt. Had I died and gone to heaven? No, it was just a rapturous day in the City of Light and dark chocolate. PEDALING FOR PAVÉ After doubling the number bicycles since the program started last summer to 20,600, Paris. Véb.. (www.velib.paris.fr) is now the largest free bike program in France. There are 1,451 stations in the city, or one approximately every 900 feet. Each station has about 15 to 20 bikes. The bikes are simple: three speeds, an adjustable seat, a bell and basket and a headlight. By purchasing a one-day or weeklong pass at the kiosk located at a station, you can hop on any bicycle and drop it at your next destination. To unlock a bike, you punch in your personal access code at the kiosk. Though it.s called a free bike program (Véb. is short for vé libre, or free bike), a day pass costs 1 euro. The first half-hour on the bike is no additional charge, the second half-hour is 1 euro, and the third half-hour is 2 euros. After that, it.s 4 euros every half-hour. The shorter your trips, the lower the cost. My total cost for five hours was 12.60 euros, or about $16.15 at $1.29 to the euro. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

16 years, 11 months

[wine] Fwd: FW: A Must Read......

by Alicia Anderson

I don't know if you've seen this before, but it's a HOOT! Cheers, Alicia ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gretchen Anderson <Gretchen(a)france44.com> Date: Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 1:46 PM Subject: FW: A Must Read...... To: Alicia Anderson <sauternes76(a)gmail.com> ------------------------------ *From:* Mary Paustis [mailto:mwpaustis@comcast.net] *Sent:* Tuesday, November 11, 2008 6:14 AM *To:* 'Bill Paustis'; Djpaustis(a)aol.com; Wohlra7(a)aol.com; 'Greg and Becky Kupka' *Subject:* FW: A Must Read...... ------------------------------ *IMPORTANT HEALTH ADVICE FOR WOMEN!!!* Do you have feelings of inadequacy? Do you suffer from shyness? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive? If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Chardonnay. Chardonnay is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Chardonnay can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Chardonnay almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Chardonnay. Chardonnay may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Chardonnay. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister. *WARNINGS: -* * The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you are whispering when you are not. * The consumption of Chardonnay may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them. ** The consumption of Chardonnay may cause you to think you can sing.* * The consumption of Chardonnay may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to telephone them* at four in the morning*. * The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting. * The consumption of Chardonnay may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people. *Now Just Imagine What You Could Achieve With a Good Dry Red!!!*

16 years, 11 months

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