White Wine

March 7, 2015 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Blonde Bombshell

Until Susan sent me this bottle, I had never even heard of a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. She was very excited for me to try it and, in fact, asked me to move my intended March pairing to April. I asked her about the wine and one description that kept returning was "full-bodied." And full-bodied it is. The color that poured from the exquisite bottle was much richer than I expected from a French white. It is the color of honey, one of the two prominent flavors in this powerhouse of a wine. The other - actually, the dominant flavor - is pear. I hesitate to say this because I don't want you to think this wine [...]

February 15, 2015 19

DOMAINE DES TERRES BLANCHES IN THE PREDOMINANTLY ORGANIC APPELLATION OF LES BAUX-DE-PROVENCE

A bottle of Domaine des Terres Blanches wine was among the well-chosen bevy of refreshments my husband and I found in our lovely room at the gorgeous five-star hotel, Château des Alpilles, located on the outskirts of St. Rémy-de-Provence. This early 19th-century property, set [...]

December 10, 2014 12

RAW AND ROLLE

Oysters are everywhere in Provence this time of year. Often likened to the American turkey at Thanksgiving, oysters—along with foie gras and caviar—are an integral part of the holidays in France. Half of the country’s annual production of oysters is consumed between [...]

November 2, 2014 22

MY DINNER WITH SACHA LICHINE

When the invitation for dinner with Sacha Lichine popped up on my screen, I couldn’t help but think of my grandfather.

Just above my desk, wedged into the middle of a crowded shelf, stands a faded purple book entitled “Wines of France.” The book belonged to my grandfather and the author was Alexis Lichine, Sacha’s father, otherwise known as “the Pope of Wine.” [...]

October 20, 2014 3

CHÂTEAU LA VERRERIE: THE HOUSE OF RED

Set in the southern-most tip of the Rhone Valley Region, in the Luberon Appellation—where rosé is now the dominant color—Château La Verrerie is renowned for its fresh, dark fruit-forward, peppery red wines. On this property, 70% of production is devoted to red wine [...]

October 4, 2014 9

WITH RECORD-BREAKING EXPORTS OF PROVENCE ROSÉS TO THE U.S., MARCEL OTT COMES TO MIND

When I read the news earlier this month about the continued dramatic growth of exports of Provence rosé to the United States, I couldn't help but think of Marcel Ott, the brilliant founder of Domaines Ott*.

The widely circulated news - lest you have been locked in your wine cellar - is that Provence rosé exports to the US increased 20% on volume and 26% on value from May 2013 to May 2014 (based on data from the French customs agency). [...]

September 22, 2014 7

CHÂTEAU MARGÜI:
FROM PRIME D’ARRACHAGE
TO STELLAR BIODYNAMIC WINE

Vineyards covered the land around what is now Château Margüi for as many as two thousand years…until, sometime in the 1970s, when the vines were pulled up –“grubbed up,” as it’s often called—and “sold” to the French government as part of a plan—referred to as “prime d’arrachage”—to control the amount of wine produced in the country. [...]

August 24, 2014 12

THERE IS SOMETHING BUBBLING
AT CHÂTEAU DE BRIGUE

Château de Brigue is one of largest domaines owned by a single family in Provence. Located in the heart of rosé country, the family makes the wine in Le Luc en Provence and tends to 120 hectares (300 acres) of vineyards there and in three other villages spread along [...]

August 17, 2014 2

FOLLOWING CHÂTEAU COUSSIN’S ROSÉ FROM NEW YORK TO PROVENCE

Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger from across the room and wondered what it was about that person—among all the other handsome folks in the room—that caught your attention? That happened to me at Lafayette Grand Café & Bakery in New [...]

August 11, 2014 0

Lots of good wine in little Cotignac

ots of wine news in the little village of Cotignac, in the heart of the Var. Rosé country, this is. Les Vignerons de Cotignac, the local cooperative dating back to 1967, is currently undergoing a complete transition to organic agricultural and winemaking practices. A cuvée called Douceur [...]

« 1 … 10 11 12 13 »