2007 Domaine La Fadèze
November 16, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 2 Comments
This dry white wine serves well as a table wine and is priced as such. It went for about €15 (C$23-ish) on a restaurant menu, but research shows that it retails at €5.90 from the winery in Montpellier.
This wine is classed as Vin de Pays d’Oc, which means that it’s a regional wine from Languedoc, the area that spans from the Mediterranean coast to the Spanish border to Provence. This classification might be familiar to many wine drinkers, as the region has 2,800 square kilometers of vineyards and is the world’s leader in regional wine production – pumping out more wine than all of the U.S.A.
The area is better known for reds than whites, but this white is simple, slightly acidic and citrusy which makes it great to pair with fish. Keep an eye out for great value from this area when looking for a wine to pair with your fish dinner at home. For more ideas, read over the France by the Glass wine list.
All Sète for dinner
November 16, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 1 Comment
We cruised along a narrow, straight road beside the Mediterranean to the seaside resort town of Sète, population 40,000. As we blew by at 80 kilometres per hour the salt water crept up the white sandy beach to our right. There were fluffy white clouds scattered around the blue sky.
There were a few camper vans parked on the roadside with people in collapsible chairs enjoying the view with a glass of wine. One group even had their BBQ going. Every now and then we could see fishermen, often with their rods planted into the sand casting out to sea.
We were hoping that some of the fishermen had already returned to Sète with their catch. We were headed there for dinner and hoping for some fresh seafood.
We walked around the seaside town for a while to check it out and work up an appetite. As we walked along 
the canal we could see some rowers out for their evening practice. The ‘canal royal’ has been there since 1666, same year the port was built. Sète is also the point at which the Canal du Midi meets the Mediterranean Sea.
The sun was getting low in the sky and set the town aglow. We decided it was time to head back to a strip of seafood restaurants by the pier to decide which one we’d try for dinner.
We chose Restaurant L’Amiral by chance and ordered some dishes to share between us. We started with a dozen baked oysters finished with cheese. They were tasty morsels and the simple sauvignon we chose washed them down well. We also ordered some moules frites done the traditional way – nothing fancy, but fresh mussels don’t need much help to be delicious. The mixed salad added some veggies and a nice crunch to our meal.
I was interested to try the signature dish from Sète, Bourride de Baudroie, which is monkfish with a garlic mayonnaise served with pasta. Unfortunately, I could barely swallow the fish. It had a tough, kind of rubbery texture that made it difficult to swallow, in addition to its overly fishy flavour. The pasta and the sauce weren’t too bad, though. I wouldn’t write this dish off before trying it at another restaurant.
The total for five people came to €66.50 (C$103-ish) with wine, tax and tip.
Details
Restaurant L’Amiral
Tel: 04 67 74 51 05
11, Quai Général Durand
Sète
Guest Book
November 16, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 6 Comments
It would be great to know who’s been visiting Ruby Suitcase and what you think about it. Feel free to leave me a note here to let me know what you read, what you liked or any suggestions!
Thanks for visiting Ruby Suitcase! Check back soon.
Cheers!
Sheila Whittaker
Sylvaner from Alsace
November 7, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 3 Comments
2007 Vin de Alsace, Sylvaner, France, 12%, €15.90 (in a Paris corner shop). (That’s about C$24.)
My Mom is a white wine lover and I picked up this bottle to share with her on our last night in Paris. It was just the very thing for the occasion. Refreshing with just a hint of sweet that allowed it to be enjoyed without any food.
In case you’ve never heard of Sylvaner, it’s a cool climate grape known best in Alsace (an important French wine-producing region, but not one we visited on this trip) and in Germany. It does best in cool climates, but is not as well known as other cool-climate white grapes such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, or Gewurztraminer.
A Sylvaner fact for you: in 2006 a vineyard called Zotzenberg stepped up and was recognized by the French appellation authority (a very stern bunch of bureaucrats) as a grand cru (meaning first growth: a snobby French way of designating top vineyards). Before 2006 only the other four aforementioned cool-climate white grapes were authorized to be called grand crus.
If you want to try out the grape a little closer to home, pick up a bottle of 2007 Domaine de Chaberton, Madeleine Sylvaner. It’s a crisp, dry and on the acidic side which would make it a great dinner pairing with creamy pastas or lemony fish. It’s from the Fraser Valley, 100-mile diet approved for Vancouverites and will only run you $12.99 at Village Wines.
For more ideas about French wines, read over the France by the Glass wine list.
Les Premières Grives
November 7, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 2 Comments
2007 Domaine du Tariquet, Famille Grasse, Les Premières Grives. (Gers) France. 11% €16.85 (menu price, not shop)
According to the label’s directions, you should “serve cold and consume as an aperitif. Good with foies gras, fromages à pâte, desserts, fruit salads. Round, structured, rich, a big fresh taste that is dynamic all together.”
It was full-flavoured, juicy and sweet and did make a good aperitif when we had this wine at Brasserie Le France in Narbonne. My father had it pegged as a late harvest. Upon further research, I found out that this wine is made with Gros Manseng and other late-harvest regional grape varieties.
Tracking down where this wine came from was a bit confusing, but I think I have it sorted out. Domaine du Tariquet grows, produces and bottles the wine. This all takes places in the Bas-Armagnac appellation, or growing area. That area is located in the Gers, which is one of 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 1790.
The Gers was created from what used to be Guyenne and Gascony, and the area is often still referred to as “Gascony.” It is one of the most rural areas of France. It’s in the southwest, about half way between Bordeaux and Toulouse. The department belongs to the Midi-Pyrénées region.
The wine is called “Premières Grives,” which translates to first thrushes. It’s a reference to the birds that arrive late in the fall and eat the mature grapes. Since these grapes have had more time to ripen they have become very sweet, making them irresistible to thrushes and the wine irresistible to all at our table.
For more ideas, read over the France by the Glass wine list.
France by the Glass
November 7, 2008 by Sheila Whittaker · 1 Comment
One of the main themes of our trip to France was wine. Bubbly, fortified, rosé, red, white, young and old, cheap and expensive, we tipped many a glass in our quest to find the best wine for the occasion. Some days we chose better than others and our chances paid off. Here’s how our vacation’s wine list poured out:
White Wines
2007 Domaine du Tariquet, Famille Grasse, Les Premières Grives. (Gers) France. 11%
A full-flavoured and juicy, sweet white wine that makes a good aparatif.
2007 Vin de Alsace, Sylvaner. (Alsace) France. 12%
A crisp and refreshing white with a hint of fruity sweetness that allows it to be enjoyed with or without food.
2007 Domaine La Fadèze, Sauvignon. (Vin de Pays d’Oc) France. 12%
A simple, citrusy, dry white to enjoy with fish.
2007 Chateau Les Graves, Sauvignon. (Premières Cotes de Blaye) France. 12.5%
A deliciously crisp and elegant Sauvignon from Bordeaux that will shine with seafood or alone.
2006 Chateau Coucheroy, Graves. (Pessac-Léognan) France. 12.5%
This dry sauvignon is fresh, smooth and medium-bodied so it can be enjoyed alone or as an ideal pairing to seafood and fish.
Rosé Wines
2007 Les Pierrons de Sobransac, Domaine la Lause, Rosé. (Vin de Pays de l’Aude) France. 13%
This fruity pink will go well as an aparatif or with your first course. It’s a great lunchtime wine.
2007 Château Bujan, Le Rosé de Bujan. (Cotes-de-Bourg) France.
A refreshing afternoon sipper with plenty of fruit and acidity.
2007 Domaine du Sabarthès, Rosé d’Ariège. (Vin de Pays l’Ariège) France. 13%
A simple, tart wine that, like a simple tart, you might invite to lunch once for the first and last time.
Red Wines
2004 Oc Cellus, VdP de la Haute-Vallée de l’Aude. (Limoux) France. 15%
This full-bodied blend of six grapes makes a spicy, complex wine that we were told to age for at least three to four more years (until 2011 or 2012).
2004 Vicomte Edmond H. De Coussergue, Pinot Noir. (Vin de Pays d’Oc) France. 13%
We did a tasting at a large wine merchant Sieur d’Arques in the town of
Limoux and at the end of the tasting selection, I asked the hostess what her favourite wines were. This Pinot was her top pic, so I bought a bottle and brought it home. More details once I taste it!
2003 Clocher Des Bénédictins, Merlot Grenache. (Vin de Pays d’Oc) France. 13.5%
This peppery, blackcurrent-scented wine is a tasty number to sip alone or with fromage au poivre.
Domaine la Croix Sainte Eulalie. (Saint Chinian) France. 13%
A good choice to pair with a heavy or fatty meal. A bit sharp for a solo-sipper.
2007 Domaine de Montesuieu. (Coteaux du Languedoc) France. 13.5%
A drinkable wine for €2.50 that is great to wash down strong cheeses with your casual picnic.
2001 Château Bujan. (Cotes-de-Bourg) France. 13%
We tasted a few bottles from Château Bujan, as we rented a house on the winery’s property. Read more soon…
2007 Echantillon de Mouton Rothschild. (Pauillac) France.
We were allowed to preview this wine while visiting the glorious chateau. It is not yet for sale, but when it does go up for sale expect prices to be upwards of €300 per bottle. Yikes! It’s what you have to shell out for a Médoc Premiers Cru (wines classified to be the best in France by Bordeaux trade brokers in 1855).
2004 Château Beychevelle and 2004 Amiral de Beychevelle. (Saint-Julien) France.
The premier and second labels from a famous Château classified as a fourth growth in 1855. That means the ’04 premier label goes for €39 while the second label is closer to €20. If you buy at the winery.
2001 Chateau Lynch-Bages. (Pauillac) France. 13%
We were told during our visit to this fifth growth classified Bordeaux winery that a lot of attention was given to the wines of 2000 because it was the millennium. However, our hostess at the winery said that 2001 was a perfect year for grapes, but nothing extraordinary. That has made it a “forgotten” vintage, although it still sells for €84 in their shop.
1982 Chateau Grand Mayne. (Saint-Émilion) France.
This winery is in the top 50 best wines of the Saint-Émilion region, and you’ll notice the 1982 vintage. 1982 is a “vintage year” or a year that’s known in wine snob circles as being above the rest. So we considered ourselves lucky that a friendly wine merchant happen to have a bottle open and offered us a taste. It was very lightly-coloured and brownish in the glass and the main flavours were leather and Tobasco, in my opinion. Although the merchant claimed caramel and asked for over €150 a bottle. I was not sold.
2004 Roc de Cambes. (Cotes-de-Bourg) France.
This was one of the favourite and recommended wines of the friendly wine merchant in Saint-Émilion. It was an enjoyable, juicy number.
Bubbles
Blanquette de Limoux
We tasted many different Blanquette de Limoux from a large wine merchant Sieur d’Arques in the town of Limoux and enjoyed all of them. Read more soon…
2004 Emile Stagé, Blanquette de Limoux. (Limoux) France. 12%
When a rugby player’s mug is grinning at you from the label, you know you’re found yourself a quality bubble. Read more soon…
Fortified Wines
Pineau is a wonderful discovery that I wish I’d known about earlier! Read more soon…
Apple Cider
So soft (2 to 4 % alcohol) it’s a great drink for the driver. Or for breakfast. And it’s easy to find in French shops.
