Tag: Champagne

Joël Falmet, Sipping A Grower Champagne for October!

We're toasting the "Happy New Month" of October with Joël Falmet Champagne. (Consider sharing Our Sparkling Resolution to greet each month by popping a bottle of bubbly.)

This wine is another recommendation from Perry's Wine & Liquors in Provincetown. This west end shop has a expertly curated selection of wines, spirits, cheese, chocolate, and other lovely items.

Joël Falmet Champagne comes from Côte des Bar, a part of the Champagne region of France that has long supplied most of the grapes it grows to the great Champagne houses that have used them to improve the body and richness of their wines.

In a 2009 review of affordable Champagnes, NY Times wine critic, Eric Asimov wrote that this was the favorite. "We found it full of lively energy, with complex flavors of flowers, minerals, citrus and herbs, and with more finesse than you generally find in Champagnes dominated by the pinot noir grape."

The Côte des Bar district is far from the heart of Champane and as the fact sheet on the wine tells us, the terroir of the region is unlike the typical soil and growing conditions in the best known areas of the region. "The Côtes des Bar generally produces richer, fuller-bodied wines than the Marne, partially because it is further south and therefore slightly warmer. In addition, the Kimmeridgian soil of the Côtes des Bar tends to produce richer wines than the light, fine chalk soil, found around Epernay."

This is a grower Champagne, meaning that Joël Falmet has been taking his family's grapes from soil to bottle since 1990. He produces a very pinot forward, full-bodied style that will appeal to those (like us) who love a lot of lush in their sparking wine. This blend is 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Blind tasting sees English sparkling better New World but not Champagne

Txakolina Extends Summer Fun

BU Seminars in Food, Wine & the Arts

Board says nothing wrong with serving hotel guests some sparkling wine when they check in

October 1, 2012
Joël Falmet, Sipping A Grower Champagne for October!

We're toasting the "Happy New Month" of October with Joël Falmet Champagne. (Consider sharing Our Sparkling Resolution to greet each month by popping a bottle of bubbly.)

This wine is another recommendation from Perry's Wine & Liquors in Provincetown. This west end shop has a expertly curated selection of wines, spirits, cheese, chocolate, and other lovely items.

Joël Falmet Champagne comes from Côte des Bar, a part of the Champagne region of France that has long supplied most of the grapes it grows to the great Champagne houses that have used them to improve the body and richness of their wines.

In a 2009 review of affordable Champagnes, NY Times wine critic, Eric Asimov wrote that this was the favorite. "We found it full of lively energy, with complex flavors of flowers, minerals, citrus and herbs, and with more finesse than you generally find in Champagnes dominated by the pinot noir grape."

The Côte des Bar district is far from the heart of Champane and as the fact sheet on the wine tells us, the terroir of the region is unlike the typical soil and growing conditions in the best known areas of the region. "The Côtes des Bar generally produces richer, fuller-bodied wines than the Marne, partially because it is further south and therefore slightly warmer. In addition, the Kimmeridgian soil of the Côtes des Bar tends to produce richer wines than the light, fine chalk soil, found around Epernay."

This is a grower Champagne, meaning that Joël Falmet has been taking his family's grapes from soil to bottle since 1990. He produces a very pinot forward, full-bodied style that will appeal to those (like us) who love a lot of lush in their sparking wine. This blend is 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Blind tasting sees English sparkling better New World but not Champagne

Txakolina Extends Summer Fun

BU Seminars in Food, Wine & the Arts

Board says nothing wrong with serving hotel guests some sparkling wine when they check in

October 1, 2012
Sparkling Splits Are Always Ready for a Celebration

For our Happy New Month toast this time around, we're enjoying a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck. We didn't have to remember to chill it because we think a split of a great sparkler should always reside in the refrigerator. You never know when you'll want to celebrate!

We'll do a review of the Piper in a future month. We want to taste a split (half-bottle), 750 ml, and magnum– if we can find one– to determine whether (as some suggest) bottle size affects the taste.

But, for September, we just wanted to get you to think about stocking up on a few splits of sparkle. Then, when the day produces a small win, a favorite person stops by, or the first-of-the-month sneaks up on you, you'll be ready to pop the cork and bring on the cheer!

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

What's on your food lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screengrab courtesy of Alimentum

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Popping a Bollinger Champagne Cork for July 2012

Do Champagne, Crémant, Cava and other sparkling wines lead to healthy living?

Champagne sales overtaken by sparkling wine for first time

September 1, 2012
Sparkling Splits Are Always Ready for a Celebration

For our Happy New Month toast this time around, we're enjoying a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck. We didn't have to remember to chill it because we think a split of a great sparkler should always reside in the refrigerator. You never know when you'll want to celebrate!

We'll do a review of the Piper in a future month. We want to taste a split (half-bottle), 750 ml, and magnum– if we can find one– to determine whether (as some suggest) bottle size affects the taste.

But, for September, we just wanted to get you to think about stocking up on a few splits of sparkle. Then, when the day produces a small win, a favorite person stops by, or the first-of-the-month sneaks up on you, you'll be ready to pop the cork and bring on the cheer!

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

What's on your food lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screengrab courtesy of Alimentum

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Popping a Bollinger Champagne Cork for July 2012

Do Champagne, Crémant, Cava and other sparkling wines lead to healthy living?

Champagne sales overtaken by sparkling wine for first time

September 1, 2012
Sparkling Splits Are Always Ready for a Celebration

For our Happy New Month toast this time around, we're enjoying a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck. We didn't have to remember to chill it because we think a split of a great sparkler should always reside in the refrigerator. You never know when you'll want to celebrate!

We'll do a review of the Piper in a future month. We want to taste a split (half-bottle), 750 ml, and magnum– if we can find one– to determine whether (as some suggest) bottle size affects the taste.

But, for September, we just wanted to get you to think about stocking up on a few splits of sparkle. Then, when the day produces a small win, a favorite person stops by, or the first-of-the-month sneaks up on you, you'll be ready to pop the cork and bring on the cheer!

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

What's on your food lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screengrab courtesy of Alimentum

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Popping a Bollinger Champagne Cork for July 2012

Do Champagne, Crémant, Cava and other sparkling wines lead to healthy living?

Champagne sales overtaken by sparkling wine for first time

September 1, 2012
TerraVino Wines: Places We Shop

We live a city lifestyle. Our shopping trips are more likely to take us to three or four small shops than to one big box store. Here in Boston, and on the road, we'll share our great shop finds with you. -The BostonZest Team!

Update: Alas we can't shop here any longer because the store closed a few months later.

Name: TerraVino Wines

Address: 234 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446 (Map & Reviews)

Phone: 617-232-1180

Do you have a roster of small, well-curated shops where you find the best selections? Let us know in the comments below or send us an email. We're always ready to add new resources to our list.

(Click on any photo for a larger image)

Shop Description: Calm and soothing. You can see the thought that was put into designing the shop. What you may not see is that it is also very green– environmentally responsible that is! Here are the details about that aspect of this store.

People: Christopher and Rayna Carbone are the owners. Christopher (above) is a Certified Specialist of Wine. But, more important than the letters after his name is his ability to communicate his love of the wines he stocks to customers with any level of wine knowledge. He asks the right questions, tries to figure out what you like, what food you are matching, offers tastes, and refines his recommendations from there.

What makes this shop special: A very warm welcome. Great wine knowledge. A carefully curated selection. Plus, a great location right off the Green Line in Coolidge Corner. You know you'll be going there soon, for something, so stop by and explore this new shop while you're there.

They say: "We believe in wines that are Real, honestly made, in the most Natural way. We offer wines that we truly believe in, allowing them to express their origins, the talent and commitment of the producers, and the inherent quality of the vintage. We put our dedication to work through our commitment only offering exceptional Natural wines that are sustainable, organic and biodynamic. "

We Say: Our first visit was like walking into a room filled with old friends. As we circled the selection, we took turns saying, "Look they carry…." followed by the name of a longtime favorite wine, producer, or importer.

Nice Touch: They have four reds and four whites available for tasting. This allows you to try wines that might be a bit out of your comfort zone and helps guide the staff to offer better recommendations for you.

Regulars say: Richard Auffrey, The Passionate Foodie said, "This is very much a hand sell store where customer service is key. Many of these wines will be unfamiliar to the average consumer, and even the avid wine lover is likely to find plenty of wines they have not tasted before. It is a very intriguing selection of wines, and there were plenty of wines which interested me."

Gretchen (@MoralBeast) and Urban Wine Dweller wrote: "The brilliant Thierry Triolet Champagne Brut from @terravinowines. Really great stuff. Perfect with sushi." Our thanks go to Gretchen for recommending TerraVino Wines.

Did you know? Another part of this couple's green and natural lifestyle is a gluten-free, vegetarian diet.

Don't Miss: Their sparkling wine selection on the center table. Here's a Grower Champagne we bought from TerraVino. You know how we love sparkling wines!

Phone: 617-232-1180

Website: www.terravinowines.com

Twitter: @TerraVinoWines

Facebook: Terra Vino Wines

While you're in the neighborhood: Coolidge Corner is home to many great, local businesses, and a fabulous farmers' market on Thursday afternoons from mid-June to late October.

Here are reports on a few of our favorite places in the area:

Michael's Deli

When Pigs Fly Bakery

Party Favors

Brookline Farmers' Market

While we love to support local shops, we also hope you'll support us when you shop on Amazon. When you click over to Amazon from one of our links, they put some change in our tip cup. It doesn't cost you anymore, but it helps keep BostonZest coming your way.

Fine wine glasses that are dishwasher safe? While Ed insists on washing our stems, I can't swear to it but the manufacture says that, the Schott Zwiesel Tritan Crystal Forte Collection can go in the dishwasher. We do put our barware from the same line through the dishwaser all the time. How about this Stemless Snifter?

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

May 10, 2012
Greeting April with a Big Sip of Bugey Bubbles!

We’re saying Hello to April with an outstanding sparkler– Montagnieu Brut from the Bugey!

Repeat after me, BOO-zhee. I enjoy saying Bugey almost as much as drinking this outstanding sparkler.

In a year where each week seems to hold a special weather surprise, this Montagnieu Brut from the small French region of Bugey seems a perfect wine to celebrate our sparkling resolution as we leap into the unknown of a new month.

While this is not Champagne, we think it’s very Champagne-like. Without the label in plain view, it could have easily fooled us.

This sparkler has a big, important Champagne character to it. Penny insisted, “It became better with every sip– bigger, fuller, like an aged white wine.” It reminded us both of the way Krug gets better sip-by-sip. Try drinking this Bugey through the range of temperatures by enjoying each glass without topping it up.

It’s a white sparkling wine that’s nice and dry with the roundness of a pinot. As constant students of wine, we now know we really like the blend of Altesse (also known as Roussette) and Mondeuse Noir grapes.

Simply put, Bugey “Montagnieu Brut” was a pleasant surprise and has prepped us for the next 30 days. Bring it on, April.

For more about the wines we’ve been enjoying (including a Bugey Cerdon) check out
Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Bugey “Montagnieu Brut” $25 at The Wine Bottega, in Boston’s North End

Here’s more about Bugey “Montagnieu Brut” from Louis Dressner Selections

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here's, The Food Lover's Guide to Wine the latest addition to our wine reference list. We heard a great interview and review of this book over on Taste of the Past.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 31, 2012
Sophisticated Pink Sparklers for Valentines’ Day

Don't be afraid of pink sparking wine! We'll let you in on what wine experts have always known– some serious and elegant wines come with a blush of color. There are also plenty of classy, but inexpensive, pink options.

As regular readers know, we start every month with a glass of sparkling wine, and we share those choices with you. Today, we'll remind you of a few that are perfect for cork-popping on Valentine's Day. (Yes, we are our own Friday Link this week!)

If price is no object, consider a rosé from one of France's great Champagne houses. We've really enjoyed these two:

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé - This is one of Penny's all time favorite wines. It's price has really skyrocketed during the years we've been telling you about it. But, sometimes only the best will do and Billecart-Salmon has earned it's place at the top of the charts.

Delamotte Brut Rose - Brix Wine Shop gave us the opportunity to taste this wonderful Champagne from Delamotte, the ledgendary house that produces Salon.

For a bit of France on a budget, slide out of the Champagne region and try a Crémant.

We suggest a bottle of Louis Bouillot Rosé. Even the lable looks like a party! This is one of our favorite beach wines.

For a real value sparkler, we'll move you to New Mexico. New Mexico you ask? Mais Oui!

Gruet Blanc de Noir is coppery in color and rich with pinot noir flavor, and it's heritage comes from another of the great French Champagne families. They also make a bright pink rosé.

From there, head north to Soter Vineyards in Oregon. One New Year's weekend, we tasted four great sparkling wines. The Soter was one of them. These wonderful wines, from a highly respected team with a great Pinot Noir reputation, will always be on our list of favorites. Try the Soter Rosé to see how much finesse American sparklers can have.

We also say, "Olé" for the pink Spanish cavas like Segura Viudas Brut Rosé or their ARIA Pinot Noir Cava.

Related Posts:

If you don't have enough ideas here, go explore our entire wine post collection.

And, we've gathered all of our Valentine posts at Valentine's Day 2012 – Romantic Dining in Boston

Need some Valentine's Day gift ideas? Click over to Amazon and do some planning and if you do buy something there, they'll put a few coins in our tip cup.

Details:
Words: Penny & Cherubino
Photos: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

February 10, 2012
Remembering Pol Roger– New Year’s Eve Tasting Update!

Though I hardly knew him, I feel like I’ve lost an old friend. Our bottle of Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve Brut Champagne Vintage 2000 was that good.

As promised, here’s an update to our Toasting a New Year with Pol Roger! post.

Opening the bottle and carefully splashing our glasses half full, it was the aroma that commanded our attention. I thought, toasty. Penny said it reminded her of almonds.

The first sip had us using words like: mellow, lush, citrus notes, smooth with a dry finish, and just enough fruit for balance.

While outstanding on its own, this champagne was equally impressive with food. Trying a perfectly ripe piece of Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove Chevre and long-time favorite Ascutney Mountain we found each enhanced the taste of the other. Bites were improved by sips, sips were improved by bites!

Truffled pâté with Penny’s own spicy cranberry chutney, plus a Dijon and sweeter bourbon molasses mustard did not intimidate our Pol Roger. It all worked!

As with all high-end champagnes we’ve tried, this one drinks well as it warms– actually revealing more of its character. You’re quite a complex guy, Pol Roger. What a memorable way to begin 2012.

Here's how this story began: Toasting a New Year with Pol Roger!

For more about our wine adventures, check out:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

January 9, 2012
Toasting a New Year with Pol Roger!

We’ll be spending New Year’s Eve with Pol Roger (Champagne)– perhaps saluting the memory of the man who sold his first bottle of wine 163 years ago!

As we head toward the beginning of a new month and more importantly a new year, we always look forward to selecting an interesting bottle of bubbly. However, this time a special sparkler appeared on our door step (a gift from a friend and wine merchant) and immediately bumped everything else in line.

Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve Champagne Brut Vintage 2000– when the name on the bottle has that much going on, how could we resist?

Besides, our benefactor knows our taste is for a pinot-forward sparkler, in this case 60% Pinot Noir – 40% Chardonnay. As this champagne house puts it, the pinot supplies “body…strength” and the chardonnay the “finesse…lightness.” (Something to keep in mind when selecting a champagne to fit your taste.)

As descriptions go, we can expect the aromas of: “ripe, expressive fruit…dried apricots and poached pears and honey…” (who writes this stuff?) “…a champagne of harmony, elegance and generosity.” The wine is said to pair well with, “Rich, full-flavored dishes…Distinctive dry cheeses…”

All this just increases my curiosity and raises my expectations. But, can this storied champagne really live up to the hype? We’ll soon find out and promise to report back in early 2012– look for an “update” to this post.

That update is here: Remembering Pol Roger– New Year’s Eve Tasting Update!

Happy New Year!

For more on our wine adventures, check out:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people that are part of the places and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 29, 2011