Last night we brought back Warehouse Wednesday for it's first (and last) reincarnation since 2011! We cleaned house before the arrival of a lot of new wines, and took the opportunity to host a small tasting with a focus on important European wine producing regions. This was an opportunity for both Julia and myself to practice extolling our knowledge of our wines and suppliers on some of those not so familiar.
And what a fun night it was. We had a full house which allowed for questions, conversation, and opinions to flow continuously throughout the evening. First we introduced wine tasting technique, what to look, smell, and taste for, and what these factors indicate about the wine.
But what did we drink, you ask!?
We started off with a very special Champagne from RC Lemaire; 2006 Milliseme Cuvee. RC Lemaire is a 4th generation family run vineyard that produces their own Champagnes (grower Champagnes). It started way back at the turn of the 20th century by a poet and idealist. His grandson was the one who planted the vines and produced the first Champagne in the 1930. This blanc de blancs was toasty and appley on the nose, and even toastier on the palate, with fine fine bubbles . Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Next Julia led us through a brief about Burgundy. Other than Chardonnay, what white grapes are grown in AOC Burgundy? Eric guessed this right away as he is a WSET diploma student! (Aligote btw). We sipped the Tiserny Bourgogne Chardonnay. 100% Chard, no oak, this was refreshing and simple. A Tuesday night with taco wine. Yeah, tacos.
Out of France, we moved into the world of Super Tuscans! Anatale Toscana 2009. This proved to be a pleasing wine to all of our tasters. Perhaps because this is one of Julia and I's favorite wines, or perhaps just because it's that good, we all gulped it down after a pairing with festive foie gras hearts. Foie gras on heart toast screams Valentine's Day, no?
The back to France for a dance in Bordeaux. This isn't your classic restrained Bordeaux. Chateau des Tourtes 2009 is produced by two sister winemakers in Blayes-Cotes de Bordeaux. This is juicy yet velvety smooth, and as you may have notice, a personal fav of mine, as seen here. Speaking of, no comments people. Don't let me go hungry this CNY!
We rounded out our trip through Europe with our final destination, Rioja. True to Rioja, Domini de Ugarte 2007 Reserva, is inky black, big and bold, but so refined and elegant at the same time. This is an amazing wine from an amazing producer, and further proof of this an article highlight Heredad Ugarte wines in today's SCMP.
Greg and Sean treated Julia and I to a feast at Pizza Express. I've always enjoyed Pizza Express. The pizza's good. The lunch set is good. The value is good. But, man did they wow me last night! There were five of us so we obviously got the 6 person set.
First, pesto bread knots. Yum in typical Pizza Express.
Second, amazing goat cheese salad! It was beautiful and delicious! Lentils, veg, and lots of goat cheese chunkers.
Third, white pizza (as per Greg's fear concerning tomatoes touching anything). This was good.
Fourth, and my personal favorite, salmon Marsala pasta. Creamy but not too much sauce. This is the dish I could happily eat for the rest of my life. And I usually don't go for pasta in restaurants!
Fifth, a beef pizza that was not to my taste, but I'm sure good if you're into beef
Finally, a trio of amazing desserts. The worst, and by no means bad at all, was the chocolate cake. Just ordinary. Then tiramisu; light and flavorful. And best of all cheesecake. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a graham cracker crust!
I'm just posting this little diddy because I was so impressed and surprised. I usually try to avoid mega chains, but there's a reason PE is all over. It's that damn good.
We started off with a very special Champagne from RC Lemaire; 2006 Milliseme Cuvee. RC Lemaire is a 4th generation family run vineyard that produces their own Champagnes (grower Champagnes). It started way back at the turn of the 20th century by a poet and idealist. His grandson was the one who planted the vines and produced the first Champagne in the 1930. This blanc de blancs was toasty and appley on the nose, and even toastier on the palate, with fine fine bubbles . Definitely a crowd pleaser.
Out of France, we moved into the world of Super Tuscans! Anatale Toscana 2009. This proved to be a pleasing wine to all of our tasters. Perhaps because this is one of Julia and I's favorite wines, or perhaps just because it's that good, we all gulped it down after a pairing with festive foie gras hearts. Foie gras on heart toast screams Valentine's Day, no?
We rounded out our trip through Europe with our final destination, Rioja. True to Rioja, Domini de Ugarte 2007 Reserva, is inky black, big and bold, but so refined and elegant at the same time. This is an amazing wine from an amazing producer, and further proof of this an article highlight Heredad Ugarte wines in today's SCMP.
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| Sorry it's upside down and I don't know how to flip it. |
First, pesto bread knots. Yum in typical Pizza Express.
Second, amazing goat cheese salad! It was beautiful and delicious! Lentils, veg, and lots of goat cheese chunkers.
Fourth, and my personal favorite, salmon Marsala pasta. Creamy but not too much sauce. This is the dish I could happily eat for the rest of my life. And I usually don't go for pasta in restaurants!
Fifth, a beef pizza that was not to my taste, but I'm sure good if you're into beef
Finally, a trio of amazing desserts. The worst, and by no means bad at all, was the chocolate cake. Just ordinary. Then tiramisu; light and flavorful. And best of all cheesecake. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a graham cracker crust!
I'm just posting this little diddy because I was so impressed and surprised. I usually try to avoid mega chains, but there's a reason PE is all over. It's that damn good.
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