Tag: crisp

  • We’ll Toast June 2023 with a Favotive Prosecco Venti22due Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G.

    Venti22due Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. has made our list of favorite Proseccos despite the fact that we are yet to purchase a bottle of it ourselves.

    That's because a dear friend has made a habit of buying a bottle for us as a gift for many occasions or just because he wants to surprise us with something nice. We're fortunate to have him in our lives for many reasons beyond his lovely gifts.

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    We have a strong preference for wines that are low in alcohol, and this one is just 11% ABV. It's from the heart of Prosecco country and is eligible to use Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. on the label. 

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    Prosecco is a perfect summer sparkler. The best of them (and this is one) are food-friendly, crisp, and refreshing. There was once a tradition in Italy that a glass of Prosecco would be served to diners as soon as they were seated in a restaurant. While this has faded away, we think that having a bottle of Prosecco chilled and ready to share with unexpected guests is a delightful way to say, "Welcome!"

    Here's the information on the label and hang tag.

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    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

    This bottle was a gift.

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    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

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    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: © 2019 – 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • September’s Toast with Champagne Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs

    This month we are chilling a bottle of Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs. It's an organic, biodynamic, grower Champagne from a small producer. You may have noticed that we toast with a lot of wines similar to this one. Like many of you, there are flavor profiles, business philosophies, importers, and regional terroirs that we prefer over others. This wine checks a lot of boxes on our preference list.

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    Humboldt Importers describe this wine maker well, "Located in the Cote des Bar in the Aube region to the southeast of the Marne, the Barbichon family have been growing Champagne grapes for 4 generations. Today Robert Barbichon produces a range of elegant, stylish Champagnes with bright mineral-driven fruit and just a hint of toast."

    And (here's the part we especially like) Humboldt Importers characterize the Blanc de Noirs Brut NV as, "Crafted of pure Pinot Noir, it exhibits a creamy nose filled with bright white fruit, chalk/mineral notes and a crisp, elegant finish. 100% Pinot Noir from the Cote des Bar."

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    One of the fun things about this bottle is that it's a "Transatlantic Bubbles Selection." This is a new import category to us. But reading about their love of sparkling wine and the places where their selections are served makes us open to other wines from their portfolio. 

    They say:

    "Transatlantic Bubbles LLC. specializes in finding and importing grower-producer Champagnes that offer superior quality at a better cost to the customer. We are a trusted supplier in the growing niche market for recoltant-manipulant Champagne."

    We're looking forward to raising our glasses to the extension of this lovely summer that we have declared, "… will not end until October 15th, at the earliest!"

    We purchased our bottle of Champagne Robert Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut at City Liquors in Cambridge for ~ $45.

    IMG_4250UPDATE: (09.02.17) We had such high hopes for this Champagne and, well … at the risk of stooping to a cliché, "It exceeded our highest expectations!" We chilled the wine to ~ 55ºF and began tasting while enjoying some thinly sliced pork loin, pepper-flavored boursin, Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper (cows milk cheese inspired by French Brie), figs, and local cherry tomatoes – why skimp?

    This combination added to the enjoyment of the Barbichon Blanc De Noirs Brut which only improved as it warmed.

    Penny was haunted by a flavor she was experiencing tasted in the fruit of this wine. Then she realized it was like the charred, caramelized pineapple served with our Jamaican jerk chicken wings plate at Little Donkey. I liked the wine's yeasty character and hints of chalk.

    We both agreed that the full, rich, round, "elegant finish" remained throughout our meal. And, the best news, we saved some more of this lovely bottle of bubbles for today. 

    We are buying another bottle the next time we find this little gem! 

    Cheers!

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast …

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    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: © 2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Screengrab from Transatlantic Bubbles LLC

  • Petit Robert Bistro Profiterole Update!

    We don't talk about dessert around here very often. That is partly because desserts often disappoint. So when a dessert we love, like the giant profiterole at Petit Robert Bistro (South End) arrives at our table with a different look from the last time we wrote about it, we hold our breath as our spoons descend and hope for the best.

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    The good news is that it is only the shape that has changed.

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    The pastry is still crisp and light, the ice cream is still rich and full-flavored, and the chocolate sauce is still swoon-worthy.

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    It is still a dessert that is worth a walk to the South End and all the other steps it will take to neutralize the calorie count.

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    It is also a dessert to keep in mind when you go to another restaurant where the dessert list does disappoint. At Petit Robert, they have graciously served us a profiterole at the bar, upon request. 

     

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny Cherubino 

  • Petit Robert Bistro Profiterole Update!

    We don't talk about dessert around here very often. That is partly because desserts often disappoint. So when a dessert we love, like the giant profiterole at Petit Robert Bistro (South End) arrives at our table with a different look from the last time we wrote about it, we hold our breath as our spoons descend and hope for the best.

    IMG_9393

    The good news is that it is only the shape that has changed.

    IMG_9399

    The pastry is still crisp and light, the ice cream is still rich and full-flavored, and the chocolate sauce is still swoon-worthy.

    IMG_9409

    It is still a dessert that is worth a walk to the South End and all the other steps it will take to neutralize the calorie count.

    IMG_9396

    It is also a dessert to keep in mind when you go to another restaurant where the dessert list does disappoint. At Petit Robert, they have graciously served us a profiterole at the bar, upon request. 

     

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny Cherubino