Novevin

Alvarinho Deu La Deu 2012 100% Alvarinho

On a recent trip to Portugal, I discovered GREEN WINE!! I think discovered is the wrong word. I discovered an amazing new friend that lives in Lisbon, Gosha, and she got me to taste the green wine or vinho-verde. On the nose, there was a definite green apple and honey melon notes with a bit of citrus fruits but the citrus was definitely more evident on the palate: An extreme freshness without a bitterness that was wonderfully delicious. It is suggested to drink this wine as an aperitif or with seafood, but we drank it with crepes! Totally uncharacteristic but is married marvellously well.  Thank you Gosha, for everything :) 

Alvarinho Deu La Deu 2012 100% Alvarinho

LADOIX BLANC 2011 - MAISON PIERRE ANDRE 100% Chardonnay

I love when people bring me wine to try. Especially when it is turns out to be a mega surprise. A friend of mine brought me this bottle of Ladoix blanc 100% Chardonnay and I say what I always say “I prefer red”. She insisted however, explaining that she also prefers red but this is a “white red”. Meaning that it is a white that resembles a red. I say this because when we think about white wines, we have a tendency to immediately think of a sickly sweet white that you would get a headache from after a half a glass. This Chardonnay was none of the above. The colour reminds me of the Dior perfume commercial with Charlize Theron. Tinges of golden highlights, with a stone fruit explosion on the nose. Crazy intense. On the palate, the peach definitely reappears but with a bit of softness that is balance by a bit of a flinty flavour.

This wine would go amazingly well with scallop sashimi with a slight sprinkle of lime juice and zest with a sweet chili sauce on a bed of coconut jasmine rice. Mouth watering.

LADOIX BLANC 2011 - MAISON PIERRE ANDRE 100% Chardonnay

J’adore quand les gens m'apportent du vin. Particulièrement quand c’est une méga surprise. Une amie m'a amené cette bouteille de Ladoix blanc 100% Chardonnay et j’ai dit, comme d’habitude, “je préfère le vin rouge”. Mais elle a insisté en expliquant qu'elle préfère aussi le vin rouge et ce vin est un "blanc rouge" qui veut dire que c’est un blanc avec des qualités de rouge. Je dis ça car quand on pense à des vins blancs, on a tendance à penser immédiatement à un vin plus que sucré qui donne des maux de tête après un demi-verre. Ce chardonnay n’était pas ce genre de vin de tout. La couleur me rappelait la pub d’un parfum de Dior avec Charlize Theron. Des éclates et des nuances d’or avec un explosion de fuites à noyau (pêche) au nez. En bouche, les pêches ressortent en force mais avec une douceur qui est équilibrée par un peu de silex.

Happy Birthday Novevin!

Novevin has survived its first year of wine, wine and lots of wine!  

I would like to celebrate this one year anniversary with an amazingly obscure wine/ music pairing moment. Ladies and gentlemen! The Rolling Stones wine! Wine that rocks!

All I can say about this wine is… Good Marketing. I’m not sure if you can find it in Europe but it can be found at most liquor stores alongside the Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon and the Woodstock Chardonnay. As for the wine… A standard Merlot… Good with… more Merlot… And a little Sympathy for the Devil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBecM3CQVD8

Joyeux anniversaire Novevin!

Novevin a survécu sa première année de vin, vin et plus de vin!

J’aimerai célébrer ce premier anniversaire par un accord: mets musique/vin assez obscure. Mesdames et messieurs ! Le vin Rolling Stones! Wine that rocks!

Tout ce que je peux dire de ce vin est… du bon marketing. Je ne suis pas sure que ce vin soit disponible en Europe mais on peut facilement se le procurer au Canada à côté de Pink Floyd The dark side of the moon Cabernet Sauvignon et Woodstock Chardonnay. Pour le vin… C’est un Merlot assez standard…Il va bien avec… plus de Merlot… Et un peu de Sympathy for the devil.

2012 Pinot-Gris J Hauller & Fils

It is sometimes difficult to find a decent wine at a small supermarket lost in the mountains. We tested various different bottles and were mostly disappointed by them but we had one nice surprise. This Pinot-Gris from Alsace was a stupendous start to the evening. It went surprisingly well with our Foie de Gras, French Sausage and other nibblies. The colour of this wine was a nice golden with a light nose. Nothing intense but nice and smoky/ toasted with underbrush (mushrooms ect) notes and a bit of apricot and honey. The more we let the bottle breath, the more intense the flavours developed. On the palate, it had almost an apricot jammy texture. I think I may now be a fan of Pinot-Gris!

2012 Pinot-Gris J Hauller & Fils

Il est parfois difficile de trouver des vins décents dans un petit supermarché au fin fond des montagnes. On a testé plusieurs bouteilles variées et on était totalement déçu. On a quand même eu une bonne surprise. Ce Pinot-Gris d’Alsace était un commencement extraordinaire de la soirée. Cette bouteille s’accordait super bien avec notre Foie de gras et saucisson. La couleur de ce vin était dorée avec un nez léger. Rien intense mais sympa et fumée/ toastée avec des notes de sous bois (champignon ect) et un peu d’abricot et de miel. En laissant la bouteille ouverte, cela a permis l’ouverture des aromes et l’intensité des saveurs de développer. En bouche, il avait une texture unique de confiture d’abricot. Je pense que je suis fan de Pinot-Gris maintenant !

2010 Château de Parnay Clos du Château Appellation Saumur Champigny Controlée

Je n’avais pas encore présenté de vin de la Loire sur mon blog malgré le fait que j’ai visité cette région à plusieurs reprises. L’histoire, ses châteaux, ses jardins! Elle est située au cœur de la France, la terre des Rois! Et en plus, la vallée de la Loire est parmi les régions viticoles les plus variées de France.

Pendant mes vacances de Noël au Canada, j’ai visité le caviste local pour voir ce que je pouvais trouver d’intéressant de l'autre coté de l'atlantique. En Alberta, il est difficile de trouver une large gamme de vins français, mais j’ai découvert plusieurs vins de la vallée de la Loire. Quelle bonne surprise ! Le caviste Jasmin Nadeau du Canmore Wine Merchants a été d’une aide essentielle pour m’aider à sélectionner un vin à mon goût.

Ce Château de Parnay 2010, Clos de Château est de l’Appellation Saumur Champigny de la vallée de la Loire. Sa couleur était bien foncée, rouge grenat. Au nez, j’ai senti beaucoup d’aromes de bois brûlé. On a laissé le vin s’aérer et on a trouvé d’autres saveurs comme des épices, des fruits rouges et des fleurs. En bouche, les tanins étaient légers et soyeux avec un bon niveau d’acidité. Ce Saumur accompagna parfaitement notre steak aux champignons sautés et frites de patates douces. Ce vin m’a fait penser au feu de camp dans les bois sauvages du Canada de mon enfance.   

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2010 Château de Parnay Clos du Château Appellation Saumur Champigny Controlée

I have yet to review a wine from the Loire  This is a region I have visited several times. The history! The castles! The Loire Valley is one of the most diverse wine regions in France. It is located in the heart of the country, the land of kings.

While home in Canada for Christmas, I went to the local wine cellar to see what I could find on this side of the pond. In Alberta, it can be difficult to find a broad selection of French wines, but I managed to find a number of wines from the Loire Valley! It was totally unexpected. Jasmin Nadeau from the Canmore Wine Merchants was an excellent help selecting the wine according to my tastes.

This 2010 Château de Parnay  Clos du Château is from the Saumur Champigny Appellation of the Loire Valley. It has a dark red garnet-colour. On the nose, it has a burnt wood smell to it. Once we let it breath a bit, spice and red fruit notes came through with flowers. On the palate, the tannins were nice and light, rather silky with a good level of acidity. This Saumur went perfectly with our 6oz steak dinner with sautéed mushrooms and it’s sweet potato fries. The wine took me back to camping in the woods in Canada. It has a very smoky, fresh flavour that somehow reminds me of home.   

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Graves-de-vayres Château Cantelaudette Cuvée Prestige 2006

This Bordeaux was an excellent price quality ratio. Nothing explosive but very agreeable and 100% Merlot. The robe was almost a purple colour with red fruits on the nose with light wooded notes. On the palate, the fruits and oak flavours dominated with easy going tannins that probably would allow for a few more years of aging. A great bottle between good friends! Cheers !

Graves-de-vayres Château Cantelaudette Cuvée Prestige 2006

2009 Mademoiselle L Haut-Medoc Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot

This wine was an essential step in becoming a frog. You may say,  “Robyn, you seem to have drank a lot to celebrate becoming a full blown frog.” and I would reply, “You have to taste all of France to become French.” In France, they have recently passed a law saying that women are now to be called Madame and not Mademoiselle. So let’s all drink Mademoiselle to stay young!

This wine had your typical Haut-Medoc notes to it on the nose: wood, chocolate and black cherries with a bit of spices. On the palate, it was nice and round with cinnamon and fruit notes with satin like tannins. As elegant as a Mademoiselle.

2009 Mademoiselle L Haut-Medoc Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot

Ce vin était une étape essentielle pour devenir une French Frog. Tu dois dire, ‘Robyn, il me semble que tu n’as bu pas mal pour fêter ta transformation en grenouille.” Et je répondrais, ‘Il faut gouter toute la France pour devenir Français.’ En France, ils ont voté une loi qui dit qu’on ne peut plus appeler une femme “Mademoiselle” et que toutes les femmes sont des “Madames” maintenant. Donc, boirons-nous cette bouteille de Mademoiselle pour rester jeune !

Portrait:

Il y a de nombreux sites qui se mettent en place avec des concepts divers, des chartes graphiques typées et des promesses variées.

J’ai entendu parler d’un site web qui a des bons deals sur le vin : Meowine. Ce site est inédit et j’ai vu des bouteilles vendues pour des sommes très modiques. Un bon plan juste avant noël ! Il faut acheter leur monnaie qui s’appelle les “Meo”s. Avec ses Meos, vous participez aux enchères pour une bouteille que vous voulez acheter. Par exemple, le RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS MAGNUM que est en vente en ce moment. Vous utilisez vos Meos pour faire une enchère et vous gagner cette bouteille qui vaut 140€ pour 3€. Woohoo ! Votre famille serait contente pour les fêtes de fin d’année. Si vous ne gagnez pas l’enchère, pas de problème, vous pouvez utiliser vos Meos pour acheter cette bonne bouteille sur le catalogue de Meowine. Les vins sont choisis et notés par Gilles Mouligneaux, un Sommelier qui a travaillé pour de grands restaurants étoilés de la France et qui a voulu partager sa passion pour le vin. J’aime les gens qui ont de la passion pour le vin et qui utilisent cette passion pour s’amuser ! Check leur page.

Portrait:

There are a lot of new wine websites out there that have various concept, colour schemes and promises. So why not have a little fun in the process.

I was told about this website where you can get great deals on wine: Meowine. It is very new but I have seen bottle being sold for next to nothing. Good deal right before Christmas ;). You need to buy their currency call the “Meo”s. You use them to bid on the bottle you want to buy. For example, the RUINART BLANC DE BLANCS MAGNUM that is up for grabs at the moment. You bid your Meo’s on it and you win the 140€ bottle for 3€. Yayyy! Your Family will be happy for Christmas! If you lose the bidding war, no problem! You can use your Meo’s to buy the bottle full price from their catalogue. The wines are chosen and rated by Gilles Mouligneaux, a Sommelier who has worked in many prestigious Restaurants in France and wanted to share his passion for wine with the world. I love people with passion for wine and have fun with it! I don’t believe they sell or ship outside of France as it is a new concept but check them out anyways!

France + Belgian = Canada

Saint-Joseph Red 2011 Domaine Boissonnet Another wine music pairing moment. I recently discovered Stromae, a Belgian singer-songwriter that mixes electro and Hip hop. He is very popular at the moment and I don’t normally jump on the popular music bandwagon but I can’t stop listening to his album on repeat. Yes, I did say ALBUM. This Saint-Joseph Red 2011 from Domaine Boissonnet reminds me a lot of Stromae. The bottle starts out very brutal and spicy with a full attack. As we let the bottle decanter for a while, more cassis and blackberry notes came out with softness and maturity that can be compared to his career evolution. There is a empathy and comprehension of the world in his lyrics that took my breath away. (His accent in French also reminds me of my Grandmother who is also Belgian). I would pair this bottle of Saint-Joseph with Sommeil by Stromae and a good meaty bucket of mussels and fries. Back to my Roots.

Happy Turkey day and Happy Hanukkah!

Saint Joseph Cuvée “Les Garipelées” 2009 Domaine de Boisseyt-Chol

I met the family that makes this wine in Villeurbanne at a wine show in 2008. It seems like forever ago but I am still in love with their wines. Since then we have visited them at their cellar door several times. They have an excellent price quality ratio and they are very down to earth. On a Sunday lunch, I had a friend pull out this bottle and I was very happy to see that it was a Boisseyt wine. This Saint Joseph had a beautiful colour to it with a explosive red and black fruit nose that goes on and on. On the palate there is an extreme elegance with a spicy finish that is pretty persistante. But in a good way of course. Both gourmand and aromatic. Refreshing. This wine would go excellent with your American Thanksgiving dinner today! (I say this as Canada’s Thanksgiving was about a month ago ;) ) Happy Turkey day and Happy Hanukkah!

Saint Joseph Cuvée “Les Garipelées” 2009 Domaine de Boisseyt-Cho

Wine and Mont Blanc

Le Mas au Schiste Saint-Chinian 2009 Domaine Rimbert 35% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah et 5% Mourvèdre

My two favourite things in the world: Mountains and wine.

This wine reminds me of the mountains. Complex and savage. Deep purple in colour, like a spring sunset with elegant wild red fruits on the nose. On the palate, Raspberries and cherry type red fruits emerge with an almost forest dirt, woody type flavour and a refreshing almost minty or eucalyptus finish. A great note to end a rainy hiking day on, with a roasted duck and some pumpkin soup. Winter is coming.

Vin et le Mont Blanc

Le Mas au Schiste Saint-Chinian 2009 Domaine Rimbert 35% Carignan, 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah et 5% Mourvèdre

Mes deux choses préférées dans la vie : les montagnes et le vin.

Ce vin me fait penser aux montagnes. Complexe et farouche. La couleur était grenat foncé presque violet comme un coucher de soleil de printemps, avec l'élégance des fruits rouges sauvages au nez. En bouche on retrouve des arômes de framboise et cerise avec  presque un goût de forêt, terre boisée et une fin légèrement mentholée ou eucalyptus.

Le Renard, 2010  Bourgogne Devillard

During my quest to become a Frog, we did a “tour de France” of wine, starting with Burgundy. This foxy wine was a nice start to the tour. Nice purple red colour with black cherries and spices on the nose and on the palate. Not mega complex but agreeable. The body was pretty light but went well with a meat and cheese plate. Wine and cheese Frog style!

Saint Véran Grande Réserve 2008 Cave de Prissé-Sologny-Verzé After taking a sizable break from blogging to celebrate the fact that I am officially a Frog (French), I will be making my come back with everything I celebrated with! Being a Frog is hard work.

The first bottle I celebrated with was a Saint véran grande réserve 2008 from the Cave de prissé-sologny-verzé. Very nice and crisp with pear notes on the nose. Nice golden colour with buttery honey notes on the palate. This was an excellent beginning to the celebration with a nice goats cheese and French sausage. Vive la France!

Saint Véran Grande Réserve 2008 Cave de Prissé-Sologny-Verzé Après un très grand break de mes habitudes de bloggeuse pour fêter ma naturalisation en bonne grenouille, je vais faire mon come back avec toutes les bouteilles utilisées pour fêter cela ! c'est beaucoup de travail d'être une grenouille !

La première bouteille fut magnifique ! Un Saint Véran, grande réserve 2008, cave de Prissé-Sologny-Versé. Au nez : des arômes de poire fraiche et croquante.

Une couleur or avec des saveurs de beurre et miel en bouche. Un très bon début de la soirée avec un savoureux fromage de chèvre et un saucisson.

Portrait: Magali Rème, Les Sommelières One of the most common comments I have received from reader has been: “OK, you like this wine but how would I know if I would like it?”

I am very lucky to have met Magali, a wonderful women that has just put together her own wine website here in Lyon in September 2013. Wine for women, by women:  http://www.les-sommelieres.fr

Sommeliere, being the feminine version of Sommelier in French. When you get to the website you can go through a quiz indicating what kinds of wine you like, aromas and price range. Magali will then show you her selection of wines (not readily available wines on the internet) that fit your taste with a heart system. 4 hearts being a wine that fits perfectly with your taste.  “You don’t need to be a connoisseur to enjoy wine.” She says. What an awesome concept. For an industry that is predominantly male dominated, I love to see other women getting right in there and getting their hands dirty. Especially a passionate, funny and audacious French women like Magali. Check her out and show your support for women in wine.

Her website isn’t in English yet but it will come :)

Portrait : Magali Rème, Les Sommelières Une des questions les plus fréquentes que mes lecteurs me posent est : ‘D’accord, tu aimes ce vin mais comment je peux savoir si je l’aimerai aussi?’. Je crois avoir trouvé de quoi répondre à cette question.

2010 Matthieu Antunes Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire I love when people bring me wine to try :) It makes me very happy. My new Finnish colleague brought me this wine from her trip to Chablis. That’s right! A red from Chablis!

The name makes me think it should show up in a movie like The Great Gatsby. Especially since the Grand Ordinaire was originally saved to drink on Sundays. I did not drink this on a Sunday but for a Wine Wednesday. This Bourgogne has a deep colour with a light nose and body that is especially grippy. Strawberries were definitely the dominant flavor. Light and simple. It went well with an Okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake). A melting pot wine. 

2010 Matthieu Antunes Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire J'adore quand les gens m'amènent des vins à tester : J'en suis très heureuse ! Ma nouvelle collègue de travail m'a offert ce vin de son voyage à Chablis. C'est ça. Un rouge de Chablis !

2009 Nino Negri Inferno Valtellina Superiore DOCG When in Italy, drink Italian wine. What a great name! “Inferno”. It was definitely an Inferno of spices and jam. Jam explosion. It has a dark garnet colour with a very well rounded full-bodiedness to it. There was definitely some black berries in there but mostly spices and spices and spices. This wine would be amazing with a goat cheese lasagna.