Roast Chicken Pairing: Viognier or Pinot Noir?
Viognier Exploration #3: Wine Pairing with Roast Chicken Our next Viognier experiment will test two very nice wines with a locally sourced roast chicken dinner. For roast chicken, I would often pick out a nice Pinot Noir. If I’m really open, would a Viognier be a better match? Going Local in Late Fall All summer … Continue reading
3 Rules for Wine Pairing with Turducken
Recently, I was contacted by Echelon Foods with a request to provide wine pairings for their Original Turducken. Never having prepared or eaten a Turducken before, I thought it sounded like fun! Julie and I prepared an early mini-holiday Turducken dinner. The question was: how does a Turducken differ from a traditional turkey dinner … Continue reading
Movie: A Year in Burgundy
A Year in Burgundy is a new documentary movie, available right now for pre-order on Amazon, iTunes, and several other VOD sources. If you’re reading this blog, you will enjoy this film! The movie chronicles a year in the life of several winegrowers in Burgundy through the lens of Martine Saunier, a long time Burgundy … Continue reading
A Meal Made for Pinot Noir
Pork Chops Stuffed with Cherries & Mushrooms, Grilled Salad on the Side If there ever was a meal constructed for Pinot Noir, this would be it! The combination of cherries and mushrooms echo the main aromas and flavors of the wine. The pork is a nice medium body, not too heavy, not too light, also … Continue reading
Burgundy Conclusions
Burgundy wines can easily be a lifelong investigation. Our virtual tour was only an introduction, but it sure was fun! Tasting a variety of wines gave us a sense of what to expect from the region, and showed us a variety of villages, vintages, and producers. Future installments may explore each of these variables in … Continue reading
Salmon, Risotto & Gevrey-Chambertin: A Meal to Remember
We’ve come to the end of our virtual tour of Burgundy, with a nice finish. I’ve been working on my risotto skills this winter, and I think I finally figured it out with this dinner; still a bit chewy but not too much. In fact, it felt like a very nice restaurant meal. Not bad … Continue reading
Steak & Vosne-Romanée
Working our way north, we have exited the Côte de Beaune and have entered the Côte de Nuits. While the Côte de Beaune produces both white (Chardonnay) and red (Pinot Noir) wines, the Côte de Nuits produces almost exclusively red wines. The top Grand Cru wines can cost >$500 per bottle, a little out of our price range! … Continue reading
Savory Shrimp Stir Fry and Burgundy – Yep!
“Bending” the Recipe to Fit the Wine When we’re on a virtual tour, some of our meals are carefully matched to the wine. Other times, we’ll pick something for dinner and try to “bend” the recipe a bit to make it more friendly to the wine we’ll be drinking. Today, Julie had a taste for … Continue reading
A Cautious “Yes” for Burgundy and Mussels
Today on our tour, we’re at the northern end of the Coté de Beaune, in the town of Chorey Lès Beaune. On hearing of our virtual Burgundy tour, a friend suggested we try pairing the wine with clams or mussels. What an interesting suggestion! We have always chosen a white wine with shellfish. I have … Continue reading
Pork Chops, Pommard and a Surprise
Our third stop on our virtual tour of Burgundy is Pommard (confession: can’t seem to find the photos for the Santenay or the Monthelie, oops!). Menu: Pork chops, mushrooms, mashed potatoes and carrots for color. We’ll pair the meal with the Pommard, but there is a surprise! We pulled out a white wine we had … Continue reading