Picpoul de Pinet and Steak Tartare Redemption #Winophiles
Winophiles Sample the “Lip-Stinger” of the Languedoc Picpoul is a white wine grape best known for crisp, refreshing high acidity white wine. Picpoul de Pinet is the best known region for producing the wine, and it’s located very close to the Mediterranean sea in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in Southwest France. Perfect for sipping by the … Continue reading
Northern Rhône Wines and My Steak Tartare Disaster #Winophiles
My “Do It Yourself” Steak Tartare Disaster Julie and I both love steak tartare and order it often when we’re out at a restaurant. When we travel in France, it’s one of Julie’s lunch favorites. I’ve never tried making it at home, in part due to the nagging question about safety, given it is mainly … Continue reading
French Wines for ‘His’ and ‘Hers’ Valentines #Winophiles
Winophiles Celebrate L’Amour with French Wines Valentines Day ensures we all think of February as the month we associate with love, l’amour! Coincident with theme of l’amour, many in our French Winophiles group received a number of samples to use in our posts this month. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a … Continue reading
Let’s Make Occitanie and Cassoulet Household Words #Winophiles
What and Where is Occitanie? January 2018 brings our French Winophiles group to explore wines and food of Occitanie, but what is Occitanie? On January 1, 2016 the French Parliament voted to reduce the number of administrative regions in France from 22 down to 13. Presumably, this was to reduce bureaucracy, which may seem like … Continue reading
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Sauternes #Winophiles
Sauternes (and Bordeaux) in the 21st Century Like it or not, fine wineries have become investments and not just the wines themselves. Bordeaux presents the best example of this change; over the last 30 years, top Bordeaux wineries have been increasingly purchased by large corporations. Property values rise and French inheritance laws make it difficult … Continue reading
French Wine 201: Burgundy is Not Complicated
Wine 201 – Burgundy (France) Just the Facts Burgundy is complicated, you can’t possibly understand it. Many different whole books have been written to try to unravel the mystery. Damn the experts! Burgundy isn’t complicated. It’s perfectly logical: Grapes: Pinot Noir for red, Chardonnay for white 4 levels of officially judged quality potential due … Continue reading
Tasting the Beaujolais Pyramid at Dinner #Winophiles
French #Winophiles Take on Beaujolais Beyond Nouveau This is the time of year when Nouveau Beaujolais bursts onto the market. Met with both excitement (PARTY!) and dread (not another Nouveau release, yuck). This year, the French Winophiles teamed up with some generous Beaujolais Vignerons to offer some wonderful Beaujolais choices beyond Nouveau. Take a look … Continue reading
Explore the Range of Beaujolais with the #Winophiles
More Than Nouveau Nouveau Beaujolais is a marketing triumph; of sorts. A celebration of the new vintage, the wines are super fresh and what fun to celebrate with a party on the third Thursday of November. This might be the original #WineDay! Only one problem: people around the world mistakenly think that Nouveau Beaujolais is … Continue reading
Explore Beaujolais Beyond Nouveau With the French #Winophiles
Beaujolais is So Much More than Nouveau! Nouveau Beaujolais, that joyous “fresh from this year’s harvest” wine released worldwide the third Thursday in November has been a great marketing tool, bringing an awareness of the wine and the fun worldwide. Unfortunately, too many customers think Beaujolais is only a new wine, meant to be drunk … Continue reading
One Stop French Wine and Cheese Party: Whole Foods Market #MadeinFrance
French Wine and Cheese with the #Winophiles and Whole Foods Our French Winophiles group needs no encouragement to celebrate French wines and foods. We do it every month! When the opportunity arose to collaborate with Whole Foods Market and the wines and cheeses of France, we jumped at the chance. The wines and cheeses in … Continue reading
