Cocoa&Lavender

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

Strange Bedfellows

Today’s pairing is one I approached with some trepidation. I was confident that the wine was going to be good (okay, excellent), and I knew the recipe well enough to be happy with it. But together? I just wasn’t sure. I certainly didn’t expect a full-on tug-of-war, but I had no idea it was going to turn out be one of my favorite pairings in recent... [...]

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

You Say Rolle, and I Say Vermentino…

There is no need to call the whole thing off, because we are both right; Rolle and Vermentino grapes are one and the same. The Italians make Vermentino, while those of you in Provence sip Rolle. I truly wish I had a bottle of each side-by-side to test, because I feel they are quite different. Basically, all that folderol about terroir really isn't folderol at all. (Now THAT should be a Cole Porter lyric, even though my nod to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is an Ira and George [...]

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

An Old Friend I Had Never Met

I must tell you that I have never tasted a wine like this before, and yet there is something so familiar in every sip. It's akin to meeting someone for the first time, yet feeling in your heart that you have known her or him all your life. It's a sense of immediate warmth and comfort. That is how this wine made me feel. Having enjoyed many dessert wines, from the sublime (Château d'Yquem Sauternes) to the ridiculous (no one shall be excoriated here), this wine stands apart - my new-old friend. I truly love it! [...]
UA-53855671-1