Category: Champagne

ROSÉ WINES …. SO VERY VERSATILE

Rosé is being rediscovered as a fun, versatile wine that complements today’s lifestyles.

How Rosé is made

Red grapes are crushed and the skins remain in contact with the juice for two to three days. The grapes are then pressed, and the skins are discarded. The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice, the more intense the color of the wine. Hues range from pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine-making techniques.

How to choose a Rosé

The qualities to look for in good Rosés would be crispness and freshness. When you buy the most recent vintage you are guaranteed fruitiness and good balance.

Serving temperature

Range from 45-55°F (7-13°C).

So very Versatile

Many foodies consider Rosé THE pairing wine because it complements many dishes. With its crisp, cool flavors a well-balanced Rosé pairs well not only with traditional Provençal cuisine, but with spicy, full-flavored dishes from around the world.
What the experts are saying

“A more versatile food wine you won’t find in any color, at any price point.”
-Wine Enthusiast

Proven Rosés are “…gently made, intriguingly perfumed , and dry enough to be the perfect foil for the garlic and olive oil that characterize the region’s cuisine.”
-The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson

“Not just for summer sipping and bouillabaisse, Rosé wines pair well with all kinds of cuisines, all year-long.”
-Wine Enthusiast

WINES FOR EASTER

Easter is a sign that spring has finally arrived and also is a time for family celebration. Traditional Easter menus center around either a roasted ham or lamb, begging the question, “Which wine goes best with either the roasted ham or lamb?”

For roasted ham, the best “tried and true” companion wines are Riesling or Gewürztraminer. Both tend to offer fresh, flavorful taste profiles with enough sweet fruit to balance the salt in the ham and enough acidity to support the combination, without compromising the flavor in either the ham or the wine. If choosing a red wine, fruit-forward Zinfandel would be the perfect choice to handle ham’s sweeter side.

Lamb, the traditional meat of the day, whether it be spring lamb, leg of lamb, rack of lamb or stuffed lamb, the strategy is to stick with well grounded reds such as Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Tempranillo or Shiraz. These have decent tannin structure, good fruit and a long finish. The over-all goal is to have a red wine with enough fruit and acidity that handles the robust flavors of the lamb, but not overpower it in the process.

Hop in and celebrate Easter by pulling the cork on that special bottle of wine – something new you haven’t tried!

Angel Champagne – Mariah Carey’s Latest Business Venture

Yes, Champagne. She’s following Francis Ford Coppola‘s path.

Angel Champagne will be introduced in the United States this Spring. Angel has been blended and cellared in Reims, France. Currently, it’s sold in Europe in liters and jeroboam bottles.

Give Mariah Carey credit. Not only does she do a powerful turn in Precious but she also has created a powerful champagne. I think she’ll be winning awards for this last. Angel really is sent from heaven. How appropriate considering it’s like nectar from the gods.

www.angelchampagne.com

The World’s Most Expensive Champagne

Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck.

These hundred year old bottles of Champagne from the Heidsieck vineyard took over eighty years to reach their destination. Shipped to the Russian Imperial family in 1916. A shipwreck off the coast of Finland caused this Champagne to be lost at sea until divers discovered over 200 bottles in 1997. They are now finally being sold to wealthy guests at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow. The wine’s extraordinary tale and incredible age are what makes it the world’s most expensive Champagne.