WHINE # 51

Yet another word on bubbly:   Last time I made fun of leading men from the movies of the 50’s and 60’s drinking “Champagne” from sherbet dishes.  I argued that sparkling wine should only be drunk from narrow fluted glasses in order to prevent the effervescence from escaping.   Shortly after I posted that blog one of my sons drew my attention to an article arguing against the flute.  It was noted that some prefer to drink their bubbly from a large pinot noir glass so that they have a greater mouth sensation of the escaping bubbles.   An ancillary argument put forth by the Riedel glass company centered on the fact that Champagne is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  I remain unconvinced.  I suppose if you want a quick hit from the alcohol, then let the escaping carbon dioxide aid in quick absorption  into the bloodstream.  For me, however, I’ll stick to the flute so that I can slowly enjoy the wine without it going flat.

Restaurant surprises in New Brunswick:  While returning last week from Ontario we got storm stayed in N.B.  As it turned out we discovered two superb restaurants which deserve mention for any of you who might be travelling through that greatly underappreciated province.

We drove into Edmundston just as it was getting dark and Betty spotted Chantal’s Steakhouse from the highway.   We turned off to check it out.  The night was miserable and snowbanks were piled elephant high. No one appeared to be eating and Betty asked if the restaurant would still be open after we had checked into a hotel.  “Don’t worry, take your time, we’ll stay open for you”, said the very pleasant greeter who turned out to be Chantal herself.

By the time we had returned there were two tables enjoying their meals and we were warmly greeted by Chantal, who asked if we had brought wine.  As it turned out I did have a bottle of thin merlot, still in a suitcase that had come with us from New Zealand.  The meal was much better than the wine.  I thoroughly enjoyed my escargot, stuffed salmon and sugar pie.  Betty said her steak was the best ever.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated and Chantal told us a bit about herself.  A couple of years ago she had lost her job, and as a single mother was facing very difficult times.  However, she took out a second mortgage on her house and opened the restaurant.  Now she is bursting with pride at her beautiful and successful venture.  And, the corkage fee for the bottle of wine was 99 cents.  I can’t wait to get back to Edmundston.

The next afternoon the weather has worsened to the point that the highway to Nova Scotia was closed so we were forced to stop in Moncton.  The restaurant we had decided to try was also closed.  However, Betty spotted “Le Petit Cavalier” next door to the closed place and it was open.  “Le Petit Cavalier” is a French restaurant in a lovely old house in a slightly seedy part of the downtown area.   There was nothing seedy about the restaurant, however.  The menu was enticing and we both ordered the Table d’hote.  For  $35 I got a taste of soup, a great Caesar (admittedly  Caesar Salad is American and not French), a keylime sorbet, a beautifully  prepared lamb shank, and a very nice crème brulee.  All in all it was a great meal professionally served in a very elegant dining room.

The wine list was especially interesting.  It was quite extensive and had 8 (I counted them) wines that would very nicely complement the lamb.  All were under $ 40.  Unlike some more pretentious French restaurants that only list unaffordable French wines on the carte, there were great choices from South America, Italy and California.  Those of you who know my biases know that I want a big, robust wine to accompany lamb and French wine doesn’t cut it for me so I ordered a very good Argentinian wine for $ 28.

In sum, being stranded in New Brunswick is not such a bad thing.

ONE EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF RUM:    There are lots of expensive wines that one can enjoy on a special occasion.   A good vintage of a top wine from South America can be had (Don Melchor from Chile or Finca Altamira from Argentina) for $ 150 or so.  A 2006 Penfold’s Grange from Australia can set one back $ 600.  Top California wines (e.g. Ghost Horse Vineyard or Screaming Eagle) can run up to $ 1500.   If you win a lottery you can get a bottle of 2005 Chateau Petrus (France) for $ 4,000.  If you don’t want to drink it, but merely want to display it because of its rarity you can pay $ 27,000. for an 1865 double magnam of Chateau Lafite.

Most of the above are out of my price range but I can at least imagine drinking them.  What I can’t imagine is buying a $ 5,000. bottle of rum.  Yet, when I visited my local Antigonish liquor store yesterday I was shown a bottle of 50 year old Appleton rum.  Yes, the price listed was indeed 5k. and one of the clerks to whom I chatted  believes that the bottle will sell.  And I thought I lived in a provincial backwater where people envy someone being paid a teacher’s salary.  I am going to keep checking back to see if that bottle of rum actually sells.

Wines of the Yarra Valley:  When one thinks of Australian wines one tends to think of big, spicy bottles of Shiraz, or possibly smooth, but tannic Cabernet Sauvignons.  These heavy reds come from such great wine producing areas as Margaret River or Coonawaara.  Of course the best big wines come from hot, dry climates where the grapes can stay on the vines until they are loaded with sugar.

On the other hand, there are lots and lots of cool climate wine areas where the shorter growing season leads vintners to specialize in white wines and reds such as Pinot Noirs. 

Recently I had the opportunity to do a wine tour of the Yarra Valley, near Melbourne.  Here I tasted some great sparkling wines, some very good Chardonnays and a lot of Pinots.  Highlights of our tour were the wineries at Oakridge (voted the best winery in Australia in 2012) and Domaine Chandon.  Domaine Chandon is wholly owned by Moet and Chandon, one of the largest producers in Champagne.  They are  famous for their Dom Perignon.  Moet and Chandon also make sparkling wine in Napa Valley and more recently in the Yarra Valley.  In both Napa and Yarra the sparkling wines are made to be as similar to their more famous Champagnes as is possible.  I had the opportunity to try both the Australian version and the Napa version and to my taste they were identical.  Not wanting to spring $ 200. for a bottle of Dom Perignon I didn’t do that comparison.  However,  I strongly suspect that one bottle of Champagne is not anywhere near worth 5-10 bottles of Domaine Chandon.

OPIMIAN OFFERING 225:  I have considerable trouble making recommendations for this offering.  2013 was not a particularly good year in Bordeaux.  Perhaps for that reason Opimian is not offering their usual selections.  I am not familiar with most of what they are offering.  That does not mean that they are not worth buying, just that I cannot recommend them.  One exception to that is 7647 Clos Cantenac.  This St. Emilion Grand Cru is very expensive, but would make a nice addition to anyone’s cellar.  For someone who wants a Beaujolais I would recommend 7598 Domaine de Milhomme.