Sweet Sensations

WINE CHATTER

A Change of Scene: What?

Thanks to mutual friends in Bordeaux (gracias a Juan y David), the IFeelWine team did something different this week.





We had the chance to meet a 25-year old Spanish oenologist, working for Château Sigalas-Rabaud, Sauterne 1er Grand Cru Classé.

Cesar arrived in Bommes for an internship and following a 3 month period of learning how the Château was run he was then given the opportunity to stay and work with the team.

Sigalas-Rabaud is a very intense and complex sweet white wine, recommended as an aperitif or with dessert. As it ages, the colour of the wine turns to amber and the palate offers a harmonious mix of roasted nuts, candied fruits and honey.

1. What is so special to you about Sauternes?

"You have to think that the way Sauternes wines are made, moreover the botritys cinerea rot process, is very special in the World. This is the only place you can find this kind of rot, giving its very taste to the wine.

This type of vinification is even more singular to a Spanish professional, since all the sweet wines I learned about in my country are made in a very different way.

2. What was the oldest vintage of Sigalas-Rabaud you tasted?

"There were 3 in fact, 1914, 1921 and 1923. A very good customer came to have his bottles refilled. The wines were surprisingly fresh, showing a very good balance between alcohol, sugar and acidity, with powerful spicy notes and a very long finish."

3.Do you know where the wine you make is going?

"The majority of our wine goes to Asian market, especially Korea, Japan and China. Its golden colour and sweet and fruity taste are very much appreciated there."

4. After Sigalas-Rabaud, where would you like to go?

"Even if I’m really happy so far in Bommes, if I had to move, I would love to go to Australia or South Africa, to see how people work there. They are real pioneers in terms of winemaking, they always focus on innovations. They also benefit from more flexible vinification rules and new techniques, such as thermo-vinification or cryoextration, which really appeal my curiosity.

Also, I think that after working with white grape varieties for a while, I would like to change and concentrate more on red ones, such as Syrah, Grenache and off course Tempranillo, the Spanish flagship grape variety. But this is for another day."

BIG Thank you to Cesar for his time - we wish him a lot of successful harvests all around the world!

What are your questions? Let us know if there's anything else YOU would like to know - send us on another wine adventure next week. 



Cheers!

A Winter Evening

BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES

Where?

It’s almost cold enough to snow here in Bordeaux, so instead of venturing out to a wine bar, this week the IFeelWine team stayed warm and dry inside and decided to make a tapas and wine evening of their own.

What?

“Liquorice allsorts”!! 

We tried to use up everything lying around in our fridges left over from the previous week – 

Some ideas for you/what we made:

Artichoke & Parmesan dip - 

All you need is tinned artichokes, a decent bit of parmesan cheese, olive and Voila! Mix it all together with an electric mixer and it's ready to eat with some crusty fresh bread.

Spicy Tomato Swirls

Roll out pastry, some tomato sauce, a little pinch of flaked chilli and you're away! Spread tomato on the pastry like a pizza base and roll both ends inward until touching. Cut into smaller strips and bung in the oven until crisp.

We also made Samosas with a variety of fillings & to finish, mini hazelnut & praline muffins

All of this delicious food needed some pretty exotic wine pairing. Each person brought a bottle and we selected our favourites:

Number 1 :

• "Ardales" - an organic wine made from 100% Airén, a common grape variety of Spain.
• The first thing you notice about this wine is it's clean scent - very citrus dominant with herbaceous/nettle hints. The taste is citrusy too with some added tropical notes.

Number 2 :

A crazy little red from Austria, made from a grape variety called "Zweigelt", name after its creator (from a crossing of St. Laurent & Blaufränkisch grapes), Fritz Zweigelt.

The vines are grown at Altitude which gives the wine an amazing mint quality in addition to classic warm red fruits.

We found this a brilliant way to wind down after a busy working week  - have look in your fridge and tell us what you could make!

Tapas & Spanish wine tasting @ Jamon Jamon !

No particular event in Bordeaux this week... 

So "I Feel Wine" team decided to get their fix by going to see how our spanish neighbours have found the key to great "eat&drink" moments with friends.

No need to go all the way to spain, just open the doors of Jamon Jamon !

WHEN ? 12th January 2013

WHERE ? Jamon Jamon, 2 rue Louis Combes – Bordeaux

WHAT ? Tapas and Spanish wines tasting

Jamon Jamon is a delicatessen and wine shop specialised in Spanish products. At the end of the day, this store becomes a bar that offers its products to eat on the premises with a glass of wine. You can taste a couple of wines before ordering the one you want. It's great !

The Spanish tradition is to have some tapas with friends around 7pm after a long day of work (or winter sales)

Spanish plate

Amazing plate of goat cheese, cured ham, chorizo, green peppers, coppa !

Just like the bars in Spain, Jamon Jamon has a great selection of Pintxos and plates of cured ham and cheese! The most difficult thing is to make a choice ...

Huge choice of Pintxos !! A typical snack of the Basque Country

Pintxos consist of small slices of bread upon which a mixture of ingredients is placed and fastened with a toothpick, which gives the food its name: "pincho", meaning "spike."

2€

Pintxos

A slice of bread + peppers, cheese from the Basque Country, anchovies, olives, crab, red peppers, fish eggs, dried duck, tuna, grapes, mini burgers, shrimp, prawns, pork, ... 

Something for everyone!

To match with our Pintxos, we chose two great spanish wines. The first one was from the Ribera del Duero area which is the most prestigious area in Spain. As you may already know, it’s the region of Pingus Bodega for example ! The second one was from the Rioja, the most well known area in Spain for wine.

The « I Feel Wine » Team tasted them for you We hope  you'll want to taste them after reading this :

Urban – Ribera del Duero 2009

Made from 100% Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo), it was aged 4 months in French oak. Dark ruby-colored, it offers toasty blackberry aromas and raspberry flavors. 

Medium bodied, the wine is full-flavored, fleshy, and easy-to-drink. Its finish is long and pure. Drink it now and over the next 4 years.

Lindes de Remelluri – Rioja 2009

Made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano and Viura, it is well-defined, natural, perhaps rustic but full of character.

The palate is medium-bodied, with nice tannins. There is a good weight of dark, jammy fruits with a well-balanced, blackberry and liquorice finish.

Great wines, great tapas, nice place, good music... 
What more could you want ?