Thursday, April 11, 2013

"The most wonderful way to spend 2 days in Alsace!"

"My husband and I just recently toured the Alsace region of France with the help of Pieter and his company JoliSoleil.


We had the most amazing time visiting the most interesting wineries and tasting the most beautiful wines. Pieter knew exactly what to do and where to go and even suggested the best wines to taste and how to taste them. For example, we were tasting the same grape from the same year but from a different parcel of land so that we can taste the difference that terroir makes. We did the same thing with different vintages and even tasted the same exact wine from grapes just picked weeks apart. Amazing!!!!!



We learned so much! We also discovered that we really really LOVE Alsacian wines.

If you haven't been to Alsace you MUST go! You will meet the most amazing people, experience the most charming French villages, eat delicious food and drink fabulous wine!!!
Let Pieter do all the planning and have a great time!"

Thanks Rina and Dave for this great reference :)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Alsace Muscat

Unlike for example the Italian Moscato, Muscat Alsace style produces a dry white wine.



It’s bouquet of fresh grapes gives the delicious impression of eating fresh grapes.
Unlike the Sylvaner, the Muscat is a delicate grape which does not give a successful harvest all the time.

We can drink Muscat d'Alsace with asparagus, vegetarian dishes and it is an excellent aperitif.

A food pairing with Muscat is not so easy. For some dishes it is too fruity. For other dishes it lacks acidity, sugar and/or power. But as already stated the pairing with soft complex taste of asparagus is wonderful. And as a 'stand alone' the fresh grapes smell and flavour, make it a wonderful aperitif.

There are many great Muscats to be found in Alsace. Some of them really dry and some rounder fuller and a touch sweeter.



It is spring 2013. Soon we will have our first aspergus dinner. How about you ?

Friday, March 15, 2013

Terry's Book Review - The Wine Etiquette Guide

Wine is consumed in many contexts. The appropriate etiquette may vary according to the situation. The Wine Etiquette Guide has considered the possibilities.

Readers will feel comfortable in any wine setting, from a formal dinner function to a casual wine tasting at a winery, after learning about wine etiquette. There is even a section explaining kosher wines and etiquette.

The pleasures of wine are visual, olfactory, and gustatory. The Wine Etiquette Guide explains the modern conventions for the enjoyment of the multitude of wine styles available to today's consumers.

In truth, these behaviors are the result of an evolution through thousands of years of experience. All aspects of wine etiquette have been explained. From the selection of a suitable wine, removal of the stopper, serving temperature, and glass shape and size.





Author, Chuck Blethen, is an engineer, salesman, businessman, inventor, entrepreneur, author, and lecturer. He has 40 years' experience traveling and drinking wines. He is currently the Executive Director, of the Southern Appalachian Viticulture Institute & President of North Caroline Natural Products Association.

He has made 100's of professional sales presentations to executives in many of the Fortune 500 companies. He has been a guest lecturer at various colleges and universities over the years. He has traveled in 68 countries and speaks four languages. His hobby - and passion - has always been wine making.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Terry's Book Review - The Wines of Alsace

The 'Bible' of Alsace wines.



In the book "The Wines of Alsace", Tom Stevenson has profiled 300 producers and every style of Alsace wine, and has also analysed all 118 wine villages, 51 grands crus, 84 lieux-dits, 28 clos and 4 wine-producing chateaux.

Encyclopedia like accuracy of facts, yet engaging detail and atmosphere as in storytelling. A must have book for those serious about learning Alsace wines.





Saturday, February 23, 2013

Alsace Riesling

Riesling produces a dry white wine, racy and fruity. It offers a bouquet of great finesse with hints of citrus. This wine is one of the most popular in Alsace with Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.

In general one can say that in Alsace the style of wine making is to the dry side. That goes for example with Muscat and also with Riesling. Having said that, one should add the fact that Riesling in Alsace comes in a great variety. So also sweeter and more full bodied Riesling wines can be found.

As always the terroir (the soil) is important.
A sandy, clay like soil produces "granny smith like" round Rieslings with a acidity but also some sugar.
Granite soil produces a more vertical clear wine. It can bring a very mineral taste, dry and instead of the acidity of the green apple, an acidity more like a green lemon.
Vulcanic soil produces yet another very distinctive taste.

Very interesting is to taste a Riesling Vendange Tardive (late harvest). There is acidity on the one hand with lots of sugar and sweetness to follow.
Try one if you can find it. Not every Riesling winemaker in Alsace produces a VDT.

Some Rieslings have a flowery smell and some have a more chemical bouquet which makes you think of gasoline or petrol.
Of course it is all a matter of taste and last but not least, if you drink the Riesling just like that or combine it with food.

Suggested wine pairings
Riesling brings gastronomic excellence. It is incomparable on fish, shellfish, white meats and of course, sauerkraut.

But also pizza Hawai or Pepperoni pizza is a good combination and what to think of a chocolate dessert?

Monday, February 11, 2013

Terry's Book Review - Healing Spices

Breakthrough scientific research is finding that spices are loaded with antioxidants and other unique health-enhancing compounds.

Studies of dietary patterns around the world confirm that spice-consuming populations have the lowest incidence of such life-threatening illnesses as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

Bharat B. Aggarwal, the world's foremost expert on the therapeutic use of culinary spices, takes an in-depth look at 50 different spices and their curative qualities, and offers spice “prescriptions” categorized by health conditions to match the right spice to a specific ailment.

Healing Spices 
By Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph. D.


Food contains the building blocks of the body. The quality of what you feed your body represents the quality you can expect to see and feel with your body. Consuming chemicals in processed foods result in mutations to the individual cells of the body. When these mutated cells divide to reproduce themselves, all they can do is reproduce the state they are in. 

You have beautiful genes, a perfect plan designed in your DNA. If the materials you supply to your cells to maintain their health and vitality are inferior, your cells breakdown and copy the mutations or mistakes. 

What happens with cancer and aging is cell mutation. The cell cannot rebuild according to the original DNA plan, because the cell has suffered a mutation, or damage that is copied to new cells. If good materials are not available to the cell to maintain health, it cannot reproduce its perfect form. Rather the cell will build inferior copies of the original cell by coping the damage done to the original cell into the new cells that came from the damaged cell. Thus the cell is degraded and not able to be at all it was meant to be. 

In addition to adding great flavor and variety to your food, spices are also natural medicines. Using a variety of spices in your food adds flavor to your palate, and more importantly materials that your body can use to rebuild each cell in your body the way it was meant to be.  

In the simplest terms if you build your body with faulty materials, no matter how brilliant the blueprint of your original DNA is, your body will not be able to maintain cell health and will eventually fail. In contrast, if you build your body with quality materials, it will repay you with showing the wonder of your best self that took generations to develop.

You have the blueprints in your DNA to be a strong and healthy you, cell by cell. You must use good materials to sustain your cells in optimum health.

Spare no expense in acquiring the best quality spices from the best sources in the world and store them properly for maximum freshness. Research your suppliers to guarantee yourself a high quality, fresh, pure product.


 
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