SeanDezart
Well-Known Forum User
Or cheese and Wine !
Chicken and egg ! What ? Well, which came first ? Much the same as cheese and the dessert – does the cheese come before or after the dessert ?
Over here, we believe in finishing the red wine WITH the cheese, often encouraging people to say « a drop more wine please to wash down the cheese »…..or « A morcel more of cheese please to finish off my wine » !
The dessert can (and is) often be served with a sweet white wine of which there are several varieties at reasonable to extortionate prices ! A sweet white wine may also be served (and in any case, always chilled) with the starter if for example it is complimentary, such as fresh melon !
Going back to red, let’s enlarge upon the subject.
Number one – forget serving it at room temperature – if the room is warm (summer ?) or cold (winter ?) that rule flies out of the window ! Red wine should always change temperature slowly, whether stored or served. Stored, it can go down to 10-12°c but this must be gradual, 14 - 16° is best and with no more than 70% humidty (not too dry either as the corks don’t like extremes). Talking of corks, don’t get caught in the fashion, ‘real’ wines are still cork bottled ; wines produced to be drunk within 3 years of bottling may have synthetic corks and mixedcooperative wines too – anything else gets the genuine article and if it costs more to find, the price is passed onto us, the customers but that is the price of quality !
The most important thing to remember about red wine is that it should breathe before serving !
Begin by pouring the bottle gently into a decanter, this alone allows the wine to air itself but don’t pour too quickly – you’ll ‘bruise’ the wine ! Also, and especially for Bordeaux and south-west wines, be careful not to empty what in the UK are called ‘the dregs’ and over here, ‘le sédiment’. Wines from these two regions are bottled specifically with a ‘neck’ that when poured gently will trap any sediment but don’t be afraid to place a café filter (of paper) in a glass or cup to recover the maximum and pour that recovered wine later into the decanter. Wine should be decanted from the bottle according to its’ tanin and also alcohol content : wine kept in oak casks ‘fûts de chêne’ will have a much higher tanin content (Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône traditionally have far less, less sediment too and are bottled without ‘necks’ accordingly).
Don’t warm red wine by the fire or radiateur to warm it after taking it from a cool place, it’s chemical structure can be damaged, seriously affecting the taste – never mind those Christmas publicity images of a nice bottle by a roaring fire – they don’t deserve a decent glass !
Arrh, but who has noticed that all we’ve talked about so far are superior temperatures than that of the storage ? Red wine may be served chilled also ! ! ! Traditionally, not to be performed with a ‘vin de garde’ – one of very good quality which may be kept for 7 years and more, more likely on a young wine, 1 – 3 years in the bottle and frequently a Beaujolais, vin du Loire (Saumur, Saumur-Champigny) or Buzet. On a hot summers day, a chilled red wine can be a delicious escape whilst appreciating a large salad, garnished with lardons, foie gras etc.
Don’t forget to start the meal with an apperitif – a kir perhaps, white wine poured into a glass with a splash of crème de cassis, mûr or pêche, a kir Breton, the same but with cider or a kir Royale, again, the same but with champagne ! Please note that in France, whisky is served as an apperitif and probably outside of America, Japan and Scotland, is the largest consumer !
In our household, Champagne is drunk as an apperitif and never after the meal – I’ve just ordered 6 boxes (18 bottles) at a price of £8.20 per bottle delivered to the door, Brut of course ! Well, we have to ‘arose’ the birth of Zoé and Christmas is approaching !
My sister, who’s a real connessieur – ess typically provides (for her Christmas meal) roast wild boar or venison, proceeded by fried foie gras with red-current sauce or class 2 oyster-laiteuse (which are round and not too deep) with fresh lemon and an échalotte/balsamic vinegar sauce.
During the meal there is champagne, with possibly a drop of pineau with melon followed by a Sauterne (foie gras) or dry white (Muscadet/Haute-Savoie). She’s not a fan of tanins so offers a choice of Côte du Rhônes or Bourgognes and Bordeaux for the rest of us. Typically, she finds a surprise wine to accompany the dessert.
Chicken and egg ! What ? Well, which came first ? Much the same as cheese and the dessert – does the cheese come before or after the dessert ?
Over here, we believe in finishing the red wine WITH the cheese, often encouraging people to say « a drop more wine please to wash down the cheese »…..or « A morcel more of cheese please to finish off my wine » !
The dessert can (and is) often be served with a sweet white wine of which there are several varieties at reasonable to extortionate prices ! A sweet white wine may also be served (and in any case, always chilled) with the starter if for example it is complimentary, such as fresh melon !
Going back to red, let’s enlarge upon the subject.
Number one – forget serving it at room temperature – if the room is warm (summer ?) or cold (winter ?) that rule flies out of the window ! Red wine should always change temperature slowly, whether stored or served. Stored, it can go down to 10-12°c but this must be gradual, 14 - 16° is best and with no more than 70% humidty (not too dry either as the corks don’t like extremes). Talking of corks, don’t get caught in the fashion, ‘real’ wines are still cork bottled ; wines produced to be drunk within 3 years of bottling may have synthetic corks and mixedcooperative wines too – anything else gets the genuine article and if it costs more to find, the price is passed onto us, the customers but that is the price of quality !
The most important thing to remember about red wine is that it should breathe before serving !
Begin by pouring the bottle gently into a decanter, this alone allows the wine to air itself but don’t pour too quickly – you’ll ‘bruise’ the wine ! Also, and especially for Bordeaux and south-west wines, be careful not to empty what in the UK are called ‘the dregs’ and over here, ‘le sédiment’. Wines from these two regions are bottled specifically with a ‘neck’ that when poured gently will trap any sediment but don’t be afraid to place a café filter (of paper) in a glass or cup to recover the maximum and pour that recovered wine later into the decanter. Wine should be decanted from the bottle according to its’ tanin and also alcohol content : wine kept in oak casks ‘fûts de chêne’ will have a much higher tanin content (Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône traditionally have far less, less sediment too and are bottled without ‘necks’ accordingly).
Don’t warm red wine by the fire or radiateur to warm it after taking it from a cool place, it’s chemical structure can be damaged, seriously affecting the taste – never mind those Christmas publicity images of a nice bottle by a roaring fire – they don’t deserve a decent glass !
Arrh, but who has noticed that all we’ve talked about so far are superior temperatures than that of the storage ? Red wine may be served chilled also ! ! ! Traditionally, not to be performed with a ‘vin de garde’ – one of very good quality which may be kept for 7 years and more, more likely on a young wine, 1 – 3 years in the bottle and frequently a Beaujolais, vin du Loire (Saumur, Saumur-Champigny) or Buzet. On a hot summers day, a chilled red wine can be a delicious escape whilst appreciating a large salad, garnished with lardons, foie gras etc.
Don’t forget to start the meal with an apperitif – a kir perhaps, white wine poured into a glass with a splash of crème de cassis, mûr or pêche, a kir Breton, the same but with cider or a kir Royale, again, the same but with champagne ! Please note that in France, whisky is served as an apperitif and probably outside of America, Japan and Scotland, is the largest consumer !
In our household, Champagne is drunk as an apperitif and never after the meal – I’ve just ordered 6 boxes (18 bottles) at a price of £8.20 per bottle delivered to the door, Brut of course ! Well, we have to ‘arose’ the birth of Zoé and Christmas is approaching !
My sister, who’s a real connessieur – ess typically provides (for her Christmas meal) roast wild boar or venison, proceeded by fried foie gras with red-current sauce or class 2 oyster-laiteuse (which are round and not too deep) with fresh lemon and an échalotte/balsamic vinegar sauce.
During the meal there is champagne, with possibly a drop of pineau with melon followed by a Sauterne (foie gras) or dry white (Muscadet/Haute-Savoie). She’s not a fan of tanins so offers a choice of Côte du Rhônes or Bourgognes and Bordeaux for the rest of us. Typically, she finds a surprise wine to accompany the dessert.
