Tag: wine
Vina Pomal: Rioja That Comes In With a Roar
You know it’s going to be a great evening when you walk into a room that’s glittering with more glassware than a Waterford Crystal showroom. This was the scene this week at Hispania, an elegant, two-story Spanish bar and restaurant just a short stumble from Bank tube station in London’s financial district.
Hispania restaurant, Vina Pomal event. @MariedeChesse
Large round linen-draped tables were topped by a continuous ring of wineglasses—at least five per place-setting—as if the hosts expected a tangle of parched octopuses to rock up, eagerly grasping a glass with each tentacle. In fact, the group that actually filtered through Hispania’s doors–a gaggle of guzzling journos, me among them–would prove a far graver threat to the wine stocks before the night was done.
Thank goodness for the name card. After all those glasses had been filled–and emptied–I thought I might need a reminder.
But a liberal appreciation of the libations was only to be expected, as this was a celebration, a christening for a very special new arrival. Tonight, the just-launched 2015 Vina Pomal Compromiso classic Rioja would be feted alongside a host of its brethren wines at a five-course feast prepared by Michelin starred chefs Mario Sandoval and Marcos Moran. (more…)
Easy, Breezy Summer Picnic Wines from the Loire Valley
Food and Wine Pairings for Summer
With the warm weather breathing hot and heavy upon our necks like a Tinder Lothario pumped and plumped on Viagra, it’s time to pack up the picnic basket and decamp to the nearest swathe of sunshine.
Nestled amongst the sandwiches and salads, there must be an obligatory bottle or two of your favourite fermented grape.
Here are two juicy Loire Valley varietals to try–a white and a red–along with suggestions for perfect pairings. (more…)
The Lady Chablis: Four Sassy Wines that Just Might Surprise You
“The first time I laid eyes on her, Chablis was standing on the curb, watching me intently as I parked my car…She was beautiful, seductively beautiful in a streetwise way. Her big eyes sparkled. Her skin glowed..She had both hands on her hips and a sassy half-smile on her face as if she had been waiting for me.”
That’s how John Berendt recalled his memorable initial encounter with The Lady Chablis in his bestselling “non-fiction novel,” Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. “She was a minx, a temptress,” Berendt wrote of his fascinating new friend—and he quickly discovered that there was more to her than meets the eye.
The same could be said of Chablis, the wine.
Chablis is made of Chardonnay grapes grown in the cooler climes of northernmost Burgundy, rooted in limestone soil laden with fossilized oyster shells which lend it a vaguely maritime character.
Usually aged un-oaked, Chablis maintains a touch of Chardonnay’s typical fruitiness. But this is notably tempered by a slight saltiness and a soupçon of “sassy” acidity—much like the late, great Lady Chablis herself, the famous drag queen from Savannah, Georgia.
Chablis is a genie in a bottle, and now’s the time to liberate these four corking vintages. So what are you waiting for? Read on for the scoop.
