Maison J. De Telmont Champagne

by Paige Donner

The J. De Telmont House of Champagne located in Damery, France counts itself among the major twenty champagne houses of the region. Considering the players who are on that team, this is no small accomplishment for a family-owned and still family-run Champagne House.

 

More PHOTOS ON Chérie Du Vin ♥ 

J. De Telmont is currently overseen by Bertrand Lhopital, the fourth generation since his great-grandfather, Henri Lhopital, began to elaborate his own champagnes as one of the first growers of the region to gain Recoltant-Manipulant (grower-producer) status when this title was first created in the region. Bertrand is joined by his sister Pascale and his brother-in-law, Philippe, in the running of the vineyards, the vinification, the export and the myriad other tasks that are involved in the successful operations of a champagne house.

The actual brand name J. De Telmont, was established by the second generation of the family Lhopital to run the business. It was during the time when the house was expanding and purchasing strategic vineyard plots, many of which were, and are still, on Grand Cru designated terroir. The name "Lhopital," traditionally evoked the original meaning of "hospitality" or "welcoming" but when it became synonymous with the modern day meaning of "hospital," they decided to create a brand name more evocative of what the champagne house stood for and what their champagnes represent.

Le Grand Rosé

This NV Brut is a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir of which 15% of that is reserve wine. The light raspberry pink color with salmon reflections is derived from partial maceration, not a blend, which lends subtlety and a long finish to this fresh and fruity exceptional rosé.

Cuvée Grand Couronnement

Only first pressing juice is used from the choicest grape selection from the Grand Cru de la Côte des Blancs, which is to say the best of the best of Chardonnay Champagne grapes. And did I mention it's made only in the best harvest years and aged until it's at its height of perfection? The house itself describes it thus:  An exceptional vintage that "crowns" our production... It is reserved for only the most dedicated connoisseurs.

 

@LOCALFOODANDWINE

 

Twenty-six Exceptional Cognacs For Auction at La Part des Anges 2012

Cognac Under The Hammer For Charity 26 Unique Cognacs To Be Auctioned in 7th Annual La Part des Anges Auction Solidarity and generosity will be the watchwords for the seventh annual La Part des Anges Cognac charity auction, to be held on Thursday September 20th, 2012, at the magnificent 17th Century Château Chesnel on the banks of the Charente River, near Cognac. Since 2005, the Part des Anges charity auction has become an important date in every Cognac lover’s calendar, not only as an opportunity to acquire exceptional and unique bottles, donated by Cognac houses, but also to share in an event that brings together all of the players in Cognac production – cellar masters, growers, distillers, coopers and glass makers.    26 Legendary Lots The Part des Anges auction has become one of France’s biggest and most prestigious charity auctions. Over the past six years it has raised €300,000 for charity, and hopes are high that last year’s highest bid of €15,000 will be topped. 26 bottles, all chosen for their exceptional quality and rarity, will make up the sale. Many are unique and in stunning presentation carafes created especially for the auction. Click here to view the 2012 La Part des Anges catalog: www.lapartdesanges.cognac.fr 2012 proceeds will benefit the Order of Malta - France Proceeds from the Part des Anges 2012 auction will again go entirely to the Order of Malta, France. Founded some 900 years ago, the organization is involved in running hospices and humanitarian aid projects all over the world to combat poverty, disparity and sickness. The Order of Malta France includes 1,500 professionals, mainly from the world of medicine, and some 4,200 regular volunteers. For Thierry de Beaumont-Beynac, President of the Order of Malta, France, “Solidarity is an aspect of generosity that brings hope to those in suffering and hardship […] The generosity of all those who take part in La Part des Anges has enabled The Order of Malta to refurbish our Rochefort centre for the seriously handicapped, which, in turn, has vastly improved and expanded the facilities for the people we welcome there.” For more information on the Order of Malta, France: www.ordredemaltefrance.org www.cognac.fr

*LOCAL FOOD AND WINE *

TWITTER.COM/LOCALFOODWINE

FACEBOOK/LOCALFOODANDWINE

Follow us On Tumblr  * Follow Us On Twitter * Like Us On Facebook

♥Chérie Du Vin

Route du Champagne

by Paige Donner
Article first published as Route du Champagne on Technorati.

Every year for a weekend in summer, champagne houses in the Côte des Bar open their doors and welcome visitors for champagne tastings, cellar visits, art exhibits and live music acts.

SLIDESHOW on Chérie Du Vin ♥ - Click HERE

The catch? Get this - not only is there NO catch, but to drink your fill of fine French champagne straight from the vineyards costs you a whopping 15 Euros - TOTAL.

Yep. Nope. Not a misprint. Each year a certain part of the Côte des Bar, which is the champagne growing-producing region closest to Troyes, the southernmost major town in the region of Champagne, France, swing open their doors for an entire weekend of festivities. During the weekend of La Route du Champagne they welcome tens of thousands of visitors to taste their champagnes and enjoy the exquisite Côte des Bar landscape. They even elect a Miss Champagne, a young maiden from one of the nearby villages, to officiate at some of the tastings.

To participate in the tastings along the Route du Champagne you must purchase the specially designated champagne flute glass, this year printed with the “La Route du Champagne en Fete! 2012” slogan. That flute of champagne costs you 15 Euros. Once. And with that, this year, you had over 20 champagne houses and producers and even a Champagne Château - Château de Bligny - where you could get your fill of champagne. Of course, proper etiquette means that you either spit or designate a driver. But with all the impressive art exhibits, the festive decorations along these pictoral and picturesque small country roads and the live music - well, this weekend of champagne tasting was more like a celebration of summer and bubbly all wrapped into one.

One of the most surprising things about this Bar-sur-Aube region of Champagne, indeed the entire Aube region, is how different it is in terms of landscape from even the other counties in Champagne. The history of the region is that its gently sloping hills and graceful terrain was first tamed by monks, Cistercian monks to be exact. The most famous of which, in terms of champagne, was St. Bernard de Clairvaux who died in 1153. There are references all over the region to this monk who is just as famous here as Dom Perignon is in other parts of Champagne. Local legend has it that it was this Cistercian influence that rendered such a manicured and tapestried look to the rolling hillsides of Pinot Noir (dominant) and Chardonnay dotted by peacefully grazing sheep and cows.

If you want more history on the region, go to www.aube-champagne.com which is the regional tourist information site. Since this year’s weekend of La Route du Champagne is now fini, start planning for next year’s which will take place the weekend of July 27th, 28th and will focus on the Celles sur Ource geographical area of the Côte des Bar. For more information click on routeduchampagne.com. It’s best to make your plans in advance, as though this weekend may not be well-known to American or Canadian tourists, it is famous among the Europeans who are within driving distance - Belgians, Germans, Swiss - and word has it they plan their summer vacations around this weekend on their way south. Can you blame them? Many of the champagnes available during the weekend can be purchased for anywhere from 13 - 30 Euro per bottle from the producers directly. And this is where you can get those hard-to-find explosively fresh Blanc de Noir champagnes.

@LocalFoodAndWine

OenoPass Champagne France

by Paige Donner

Article first published as OenoPass Champagne France on Technorati.

Just launched last week by France’s Champagne region is the wine tourist friendly OenoPass. Think of it as an amusement park pass that you pre-pay where the attractions are picturesque champagne houses and working wineries as well as Champagne cultural points of interest.

From now until the end of 2012, the OenoPass is also a great bargain. For 50Euros (instead of the regular price of 100Euros) you get 10 ticket coupons which allow you entry, most of them accompanied by a champagne tasting, into all ten participating partner venues.

The idea is at once simple and ingenious. It is best adapted to wine tourists who have a vehicle or access to a vehicle but it’s not essential to have a car. The 10 participating properties such as Champagne de Castellane in Épernay, Cristallerie Royale de Champagne et Musée du cristal in Bayel and the Drappier Champagne Estate in Urville are all along the formal “Route du Champagne” or the beautiful country road route that takes you through the verdant sloping vineyard hillsides of the Champagne Region (known in France as Champagne-Ardenne).

You can also go in for the 5 coupon ticket OenoPass which, too, is good for a whole year from the date of purchase. It normally will sell for 50Euros but until the end of 2012 you can get it for the introductory price of 25Euros. Most cellar visits and tastings in Champagne are priced from about 15Euros each and up so this offers a good incentive and way to do your champagne explorations.

 

PARTNERS

Other partner wineries and cultural venues participating in the OenoPass for this launch phase are Champagne G.H. Mumm located in Reims, Domaine Pommery and their sister property, Demoiselle, also both located in Reims, as well as Le Phare which is an old lighthouse that an eccentric businessman, Joseph Goulet, built in 1909 in the middle of champagne vineyards in Verzenay to promote his champagne. It ended up being quite the attraction back in the day, then it was abandoned during the war years, but has once again been restored and resurrected as a modern museum paying tribute to the history and techniques of champagne with state-of-the-art audiovisual installations. English is spoken there and at all ten of the partner venues.

As you are touring around this elegant region’s champagne routes, vineyards and estates, be sure to stop for some regional delicacies such as the ham from Reims or “jambon de Reims” which is triple boiled and very tender - the legendary Café du Palais in Reims city center serves a generous slice of it accompanied by Langres cheese. Also further down south French foodies never pass up the opportunity to pick up some Andouillette AAAAA from Troyes. And, of course, there is the emblematic “biscuits rose” or pink cookies dusted with powdered sugar that so perfectly accompany a glass of rosé or blanc de blanc champagne.

Photos c. by Paige Donner 

@LocalFoodAndWine

 

Urban Winery Opens In Vancouver

Vancouver Urban Winery Brings Wine-on-Tap to BC Consumers 

July 17, 2012 - Vancouver, BC - Vancouver’s first commercial urban winery, Vancouver Urban Winery, has officially opened its doors in the historic heart of the city's Railtown district. The multifunctional 7,700 sqft open-concept space boasts a tasting bar equipped with 36 taps serving a rotating selection of wine-on-tap, a creatively curated retail store, and a fully operational winery that packages, imports and distributes wine for a multitude of brands.

THE TASTING BAR

36 wine taps line the 24-foot custom crafted Douglas fir tasting bar in Vancouver Urban Wineryʼs historic 1920s high-ceilinged building. Staffed by a keen team of wine lovers and sommeliers alike, the tasting bar offers a continuously rotating selection of wines that highlight both international selections and the best of British Columbia. 

Special to Thursday and Friday evenings (or anytime when called ahead) guests are able to enjoy local artisanal food and wine pairings, with each selection being announced via social media on the preceding Wednesday. Wines on-tap are priced at $10 for five one ounce pours, and food and wine pairings are priced between $17 and $25 for five wines paired with five bites. And for those that want to take a taste of the experience home, a creatively curated shop lies within the walls of the Vancouver Urban Winery venue. 

THE TASTY SHOP

A uniquely local experience, Vancouver Urban Wineryʼs retail shop offers a creatively curated selection of artisanal gourmet products, artwork and all things wine. Shoppers can expect to find Beta5 chocolates, Urban Bean coffee, Sea to Sky salts and spices, Fey and Hobbs antipasto and drunken olives, Okanagan Vinegar Brewery selections, as well as bottles of the Vancouver Urban Winery’s own wine label, Roaring Twenties Wine Co. vancouverurbanwinery.com

 

@LocalFoodAndWine

Mission Hill Family Estate's Summer Lineup

See the full gallery on Posterous

Sample Menu:

Locally-sourced ingredients and wine pairings from Mission Hill's portfolio. Highlights include:

• Vine Smoked Arctic Char with berry gel;
• Ocean Wise Shrimp and Sweet Corn Panna Cotta;
• Naramata White Peach Gazpacho;
• Deep Fried Hen's Egg with chickpea panisse and buttered green peas;
• "AAA" Beef Strip Loin with crispy polenta and truffled cauliflower;
• Glazed French Lemon Curd 'Bar' with basil marshmallow and pine nut crunch.

 

4-Course Garden to Vineyard Lunch: Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Guests are invited to join Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey in Mission Hill's on-site varietal garden, to glean knowledge and pick their own fresh ingredients that will pair perfectly with the meal's wine selections. Enjoy a four-course tasting menu in the vineyard, created and presented by Chef Batey from the day's harvest.

Thursday, July 19th, 2012 at 11am $85 per person 

 

Summer in Whites Loggia Dinner: Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Fresh, vibrant, alluring, these words all describe the white wines of Mission Hill. This exclusive dinner is a splendid way to enjoy these exuberant wines of summer. Guests will be privy to a gorgeous pre-dinner vineyard reception, a Sommelier-hosted winery tour and a three-course wine-paired dinner, set in the winery's stunning Loggia gallery. Guests are encouraged to dress in white in celebration of the evening's wine theme.

Friday, August 3rd, 2012 at 6pm $99 per person 

Purchase tickets online: missionhill.com

Mission Hill Family Estate is world renowned and honored as one of the 'Top Five Winery Restaurants in the World' by Travel + Leisure magazine. The restaurant and epicurean program is led by Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey and Chef of The Terrace Chris Stewart. Majestic mountains, scenic lakes and lush orchards encase the winery's dramatic architecture. With sustainable practices that ensure care for the environment, and a timelessness that respects the von Mandl family's European heritage, guests experience the height of winemaking in an incomparable lakeside mountaintop winery.

@LocalFoodAndWine

De Vinis Illustribus

by Paige Donner

Tucked practically underneath Paris's Pantheon is the 17th c. cellar and mythical wine shop, De Vinis Illustribus.  When current owners, husband and wife Lionel and Dominique Michelin, took over the cellars in 1994 from the legendary Jean-Baptiste Besse, a wine lover and connoisseur who welcomed the likes of Papa Hemingway to his shop back in the day, it looked nothing like it does now.

Read my Review on BlackBook City Guides HERE

From the street entrance you are greeted with a light and airy, water-blasted original stone interior that dates to the 17th c. This is the shop and the welcoming area where the Michelins have forged an impeccable reputation for advising clients on birthday and special occasion wine purchases. For example, if your son or daughter was born in 1972 they will tell  you that a "Bourgogne is more appropriate than a Bordeaux." And if you were  married in 2009, they can advise you on the best Côte du Rhônes to buy and cellar now so you can enjoy for your 10  or even 15 and 20 year anniversaries. 

De Viris Illustribus Urbis Romae was a book written in 1779 by abbot Lhomond to teach about famous men from Rome. De Vinis Illustribus is a play on words and means Famous or Great Wines.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The real treasures are downstairs in the truly ancient cellar. Pictures of what it looked like when Besse was still the owner can only be described as a  cobwebbed and dusty Ali Baba's cave. Today it is still a treasure trove of legendary wines - though much more organized and well-lit - that we rarely get to see physically: 1955 Chateau d'Yquem,  1929 Corton "Clos du Roy", an 1811 Fine Champagne Imperiale Cognac. The list is quite extensive.

Mr. Michelin has an impressive collection of Sauternes, an AOC he particularly enjoys. Their cellar is dominated by French wines and mostly of the regions Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Rhône, Loire and Alsace. Though Champagne is also represented and you can find a few bottles from Porto, too. Prices range from 13€ to into the thousands.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Another specialty of De Vinis Illustribus is their wine tastings [More Pics on Local Food And Wine].  You can join in on a wine tasting or book your own group. You can read more about these by Keiko, a fellow blogger who also attended a recent wine tasting there who writes in both Japanese and French. These are some of the popular choices:

Discovering French Regions: 3 wines, 1 White Burgundy, 1 Red Bordeaux, and 1 Red Côtes du Rhône. Accompanied by aged Comté cheese. 50€ pp

Tour de France of the Vineyards: Tasting Lunch. 4 Wines, 1 Burgundy, 1 Bordeaux, 1  Côtes du Rhône, and 1 Loire. Served with fine cooked meats, cheese and pastries. 105€pp.

Great French Wines Over Time: Tasting Dinner. 5 great wines including 1 old vintage with hot meal courses. From 255€ pp.

Reservations required.

De Vinis Illustribus, 48 rue de la Montagne-Saint-Geneviève Paris 75005  devinis.fr

 

Ciel de Paris

by Paige Donner

From about the end of the 1910s to the 1940s Montparnasse was the neighborhood that claimed the title, Place To Be. It's where Hemingway had been hanging out the most when he wrote his friend that letter saying, "...Paris is a moveable feast." *[Full quote here]. 

With the recent re-opening of the 56th Floor Ciel de Paris in the Tour Montparnasse, it is once again the place in Paris To Be.  [PICS HERE]

Christophe Marchais is still the chef here, having done his Ducasse time in Las Vegas years ago as well as time in Monaco, so the cuisine is consistently as fabulous as it always has been. His methods are to use fresh French produce and choose among "noble ingredients" for the creative flair: truffles, lobster, caviar, fois gras, turbot. Though for the re-opening as of June 2012, he and his Chef Patissier, Baptiste Methivier, added innovative upgrades of a tea-time Bar Millefeuille which features 3 sweet and 3 savory choices each day. A perfect light meal to enjoy with your glass of Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines at the bar with the city's best view over Paris and the highest point in Europe.

I've written about the best champagne bars of Paris for BlackBook and if this one had been open yet after its complete interior overhaul, it would have made it to the top of the list. Not least because it's one of the only champagne bars in town where you can order a tasting flight of different champagnes, blanc de blancs no less. Look for this on the menu: Dégustation des Blanc de Blancs 22 € (Ruinart, Nicolas Feuillatte, Canard Duchêne).

Another overhaul that Elior, the parent group of the restaurant, has done with the menu is offered a quick lunch for people arriving at the next door Montparnasse Train Station (departure for Bordeaux) where for 38€ you have appetizer, main course and dessert. That's gastronomic quality fare at dizzying heights over one of the prettiest cities in the world in modern chic art deco reminiscent décor - all for less than $50 per person. It's the deal of the decade. Signature dish is Lobster soup flavoured with sea urchin stock.

Notes on the décor: all half-tones of ambers and caramel done in sleek lines that feel like 21st century take on Art Deco. Credit goes to Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance who used the thematic of "sparkling" to season his choices. Fall in love with the ceiling lighting, big flat, LED back-lit circles that have you thinking of champagne bubbles and indeed make you feel like you're floating in a flute of champagne, suspended from the sky, 56 storeys above Paris. 

Guess who else used to haunt Montparnasse in her day? Anäis Nin... but we'll leave that for the bedside recommended reading after you've dined at Ciel de Paris.

Tour Montparnasse, 56th Floor, 33 Avenue Maine 75015 Paris

+33-01-40-64-77-64   CieldeParis.com

Local Food And Wine

 

Centre Vinicole Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte

by Paige Donner

A few interesting facts set the champagne brand of Nicolas Feuillatte apart from the others.

See the full gallery on Posterous

For one, it's a champagne house that is cooperatively owned. Just outside of the champagne capital of Épernay in France, in the little village of Chouilly, the modern and sleek facilities whose cellars are both above and beneath the ground, ferment, disgorge and age 300,000 hectoliters of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Petit Meunier destined to become top-selling champagne every year. That translates into 21.9 million bottles of champagne in 2011.

CLICK HERE FOR SLIDESHOW

See the full gallery on Posterous

The house doesn't actually own any vineyards, however. Those are all owned by the growers. They get privileges for being part of the vast co-operative, the growers do. Privileges such as use of state-of-the-art bottling and riddling machines for example, when they have enough leftover from their growing season and harvests to offer a limited supply under their own champagne label - if they so choose.

It's one of the most, if not the most, successful "cave co-operatives" in the wine industry in France. The numbers are impressive:

• 5,000 growers (that comprise the Producers Union)
• 82 smaller cooperatives (who form the larger NF brand)
• 350 wine presses
• 21.9 million bottles produced in 2011

And what's more, Nicolas Feuillatte is a real person. Still alive and kicking today.

It was in the early 70's when he inherited 10ha of champagne vineyards. After a few years' harvests and a successful brand launching, notably in the U.S. among the jet-set and the glitterati, he accepted the offer of the union of growers to lend his brand to their champagnes. It was, quite evidently, a match made in heaven.

Recommend: If you get the chance, try the 1996 vintage Brut. Elegant, generous, laced with a refined minerality.

All photos c. 2012 Paige Donner

YOU WILL LOVE MY WINEPICKS! - ♥CHÉRIE DU VIN

*LOCAL FOOD AND WINE *

 

Wine Evenings at Restaurant 114 Faubourg St. Honore

By Paige Donner

Read More Here

At the epicenter of chic, where rue Fbg. St. Honoré meets Avenue Matignon in the shade of Paris's Élysée gardens, is where you will find the restaurant 114 Faubourg. 
As part of Le Bristol Hotel, but with a separate entrance and in an adjoining building, the lunch and dinner restaurant headed up by chef Eric Desbordes along with his chief Sommelier, Marco Pelletier, is altogether a destination unto itself.

Tomes can and likely will be written about the talented young chef's French cuisine, but focus here is on the restaurant's once-monthly Wine Tasting Evenings, held the first Monday of the month, to be precise.

In a city that gathers the best wines of one of the best wine-producing countries in the world, there is an unexpected and surprising dearth of good wine-tasting evenings organized for the amateur/enthusiast and/or the visiting tourist. A once-monthly excellent wine and tailored food-pairing evening open to 25 guests is hardly going to make a dent in what should be a huge demand for this type of food and wine evening event, but, at least it's a start...

Marco Pelletier, an adoptive Parisian whose authentic Canadianisms pepper his oenological descriptions and explanations, shines as the evening's champion organizer. He not only invites the winemakers to Paris so they can talk about their "treasures," but also curates his wines with that delicate care that only a professional with great passion and reverence for his metier can muster.

Evenings start at around 7:30 with a tasting flight of four wines during which the winemaker shares tales about the vintages he's pouring. The 114 Faubourg team takes care of hosting duties, which allows these extraordinary cultivators of French wines to simply elaborate the stories of their wines in the company of the people who have come to sip and savor their particular expressions of terroir.

According to Pelletier, there is no commercial element to the evening. The winemakers are not honored guests invited to “sell” their wines. "They just come to share the story behind the wines and vintages being poured for the evening. The winemakers are often small producers that I've usually already chosen to feature and work with or who have already worked with Le Bristol for a long time," explains Pelletier. "These are the 'Haute Couture' of winegrowers."

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/travel/article/wine-evenings-at-restaurant-114-rue/#ixzz1w6g4Kbg5