Terroir of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is located in the Monterey county, in the state of California.

This county is located in the South of San Francisco divided by two regions: Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, which is next to the ocean.

The Monterey County has a surface equal to 13 400 ha and the white wine is predominant with Chardonnay, Chenin and Johannisberg Riesling.

The region is very dry and a key success to make a good wine in the Monterey county is : irrigation.

Even if the climate challenges are important in Santa Clara, this region counts around 50 wineries, and some of them are recognized as being part of the best wineries in USA.

 Focus on Nothern Hungary and Tokaji Wines:

The best-known and most prestigious of all Hungary’s wine regions is Tokaj-Hegyalja in the foothills of the northern mountains against the Slovakian border. Tokaji wine takes its name from the local town of Tokaj, and is generally called Tokay in English. The wines can be split into two distinct groups, the Quality Wines, bottled into 75 cl bottles, and the Special Quality Wines, bottles into the traditional 50 cl dump bottles.

These latter rank among the world’s greatest sweet wines and are strongly affected by noble rot. It is the mists from the rivers that create the conditions in which the Botrytis cinera flourishes.

The one wine in the Quality group of note is Tokaji Furmint. It is made entirely from the Furmint variety, is unaffected by noble rot and is either medium-dry or dry.

Tokaji Szamorodni (literally, “Tokaji as it comes”) describes the vinification process whereby the wine is produced by putting together all the grapes as harvested, with no separation of healthy and botrytised grapes. Consequently, the wine may be dry (szaraz) or sweet (édes), depending on the amount of noble rot that is present, but even the dry wine will show noble rot characters. The wine is aged in a traditional cask, called a Gönc.

The world Aszu means nobly rotted grapes. In the production of Tokaji Aszu, healthy and botrytised grapes are separated in the vineyard, after which the healthy grapes are made into dry white wine and the rotten grapes are stored. These can be so rich in sugar that they hardly ferment.

The Aszu grapes are then pounded into a paste before being added to the dry wine to produce the sweetness required, which varies with the amount of paste used. In accordance with tradition, the paste is measured in puttonyos.

Originally, Aszu grapes were collected at the vintage in a 20 kg hod or puttony. Now the measurement refers to the residual sugar content n the finished wine and this qualifies the wine for its designation. On a label you may see a wine classified as containing between three and six puttonyos.

They will have the following residual sugar contents:

3 puttonyos :	60 g/l
4 puttonyos :	90 g/l
5 puttonyos :	120 g/l
6 puttonyos :	150 g/l

Sweet Wines are invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

Hello everybody! As the holiday season is not over yet, and we are preparing to celebrate the New Year, we'll talk about another type of wine, which is, as sparkling wines, a wonderful companion to join your New Year’s Eve dinner table!

Château GUIRAUD 2007, Sauternes

Vintage : 2007

Grape Variety : Sémillon 65 %, Sauvignon Blanc 35%

Country :  France

Terroir :  Bordeaux, Sauternes 

Tasting Notes

Appearance : Golden yellow color, with subtle amber highlights  

Nose: It feels clearly fresh tropical fruits aromas, peach and almond. You can also feel a floral touch of acacia, which give a great complexity.

Palate: a frank attack, clear, taut, mineral and very balanced. Honeyed fruits, mango, peach with a touch of quince. Botrytis is magnificently present and refined. The finish is very concentrate, with a great length.           

               



Food & Wine Pairings: 

With a good “Foie Gras” of course, It’s gonna be the best wine pairing ever !

We also suggest you to match it with a Duck cooked with peaches as main course or a Nectarine and pistachio tart for dessert.

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

You can order it on different specialized websites as www.1855.com on average for 50 €.

Tokajbor-Bene Pincészet : TOKAJI ASZU 5 puttonyos

Vintage : 1999

Grape Variety :  Furmint and Harslevelü

Country :  Hungary

Terroir : Tokaji Aszu

Tasting Notes 

Appearance:  Medium deep amber colored wines with copper flashes.

Nose:  Hints of botrytis, dried apricot, candied citrus, spices, almond paste and also resin.

Palate: It has a magnificent elegance and balance with a rich aromatic expression. It is characterized by a manifest acidity which brings a side air perfect to offset the richness of the wine. It ends on a very long length with a crystalline freshness.

Our Feeling at WAW blog: 

When you are not used to drink Tokaji (Tokay), and particularly Tokaji Aszu, you can be really surprised because, even if it’s a sweet wine, it definitely doesn’t taste like a Sauternes! A good Tokaj Aszú is always fresh, with a perfect balance between sugar, alcohol and acidity. They are rich, powerful and complex wines with a captivating nose. Their bouquet requires some practice. So, if you’re a little bit familiar, you will notice the wonderful flavours of this one and its perfect quality.

                           

Food & Wine Pairings : 

Usually, Tokay may match well with “foie gras”. But the Aszú 5 or 6 puttonyos is a wine with a very long finish, it is better to keep it for dessert : with sorbet or apricots, gages, or figs tarts, or also with a cake or a chocolate mousse.

In all cases, it should be served at a temperature of 12-14 ° C.

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

You can order it directly from the vineyard or on the @ with wine searcher for 25 € on average. 

Christmas's Bubbles and Food Matches : Procesco & Champagne

Hello everybody Christmas is coming !! For this occasion we have decided to talk about the BUBBLES PERFECT FOOD MATCHES !!


MARTINI, Prosecco

Vintage : Brut 

Grape Variety : Glera 100 % (Prosecco)

Country :  Italia

Terroir :  Veneto and Fruili region, 

Tasting Notes

Appearance :  bright yellow, with regular bubbles elevation

Nose : On the nose, there is a touch of toast and lemon peel and just a little apple. It's a very attractive nose aromas, characteristic of Italian sparkling wine !!

Palate : You’ll notice a dash of lemony acidity on the palate, softened by a sweet, fruity finish. In the mouth, we can feel an amazing expression of the original and local grapes call Glera. Prosecco regions has a mild climate with an average mean temperature of 54 degrees F and the average rainfall at 49 inches. It has a very interesting taste and it is quite easy to drink compare to Champagne. 

                         
Our Feeling at WAW Blog: 

Surprised and delighted !! It's four mainly of us our first experience of this Italian Sparkling Wine and we was wondering !! It brings an elegant style to a weekend brunch and barbecue – or it can be enjoyed as a refreshing evening aperitif. All consumption occasion are good for this sweet Bubbles !!

                     
Food & Wine Pairings : 
We advice you to match this original sparkling wine with stuffed mushrooms, creamy sauces, almonds, seafood, fried fare, spicey Asian entrees and even potato chips or buttered popcorn. This is a very forgiving, food-friendly sparkling wine option. 

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

In all the hypermarket and supermarket between 9.15 € (Carrefour)

TAITTINGER, Champagne

 

 

Vintage : Brut Prestige

 

Grape Variety : 40 % Chardonnay and 60 % Pinot

Country :  France

Terroir : from different of terroir of champagne

 

Tasting Notes

Appearance :  with a brillant robe, and a golden straw yellow. Bubbles are fine, the foam is discrete and persistent.

Nose : The nose, extremely expressive and open, both fruity and brioche. Then it develops peach aromas, white flower and vanilla.

Palate : Attack is lively and frank in harmony.  Then it is very delicate, expression of fruits and honey flavors.

Our Feeling at WAW blog: 

This Champagne House still control by the Tatttinger's familly, it's for us one of the best champagne brut brand. We recognize the quality of a Champagne house in his Brut "without year" and with this cuvée prestige Taittinger it's a real expression of quality ! We recomand you this cuvée !!

Pierre Emmanuel Taittinger said :
"When i am with guest,
The first hour we speak about Taittinger 'svineyard, and Champagne Wine
The second hour we speak about us even and
The third hour, late in evening we speak about Champagne and sex"

This summarizes well the exceptionnal spirit and universe of the french glamourous Champagne !!

                           

Food & Wine Pairings : 

We advice you to match this wine with seafood, and assortment of french cheese (acidity is perfect to ballance your taste with cheese). Also it's a great wine for party or even for the most avanturous to accompany all a meal !!

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

In all the best Wineshop for nearly 32 € or on the @ with wine searcher.

Christmas's Food and Bubbles Perfect Matches

We advice us some delicious and unusual Food and Bubbles pairings :

Dare the french Maccaron !!

Or simply with Strawberry

If you are young wild and free you must taste Champagne - Tagada !!

But also Pumpkin soup with shrimp

 And obviously French Foie Gras













mummhh delicious, is't it ?! Try and share with us your ideas and christmas's tasting !! =)

Have a merry Christmas, See you next years 2013 !!!

New Zealand Chapter II: At the heart of Sauvignon Blanc

Hello everybody ! This week we remain focused on New Zealand wines to discover its best grape: the Sauvignon Blanc!

Brancott Estate 

Vintage : 2010

Grape Variety : Sauvignon Blanc 100%

Country : New Zealand

Terroir : Marlborough, South Island

Tasting Notes :

Appearance : A nice lemon-green colour with a high brilliance.                   

Nose : Developed white peach and grapefruit aromas, with a nice freshness.

Palate : It starts smoothly with white fruits, and continues with an explosion of sweet and tropical top notes ! It gets a light and well balanced acidity and you can enjoy it now!

Our feeling et WAW Blog :

A beautiful white wine which will take you into the wonderful Marlborough landscapes. It made us think about summer night, festivities, holidays…definitely a hot wine ! Ladies particularly should love it !

Food & Wine Pairings :

This wine can be matched with barbecued prawns or salmon and poached white fish with fresh green salads topped with parsley, pepper or lemon. If you're very keen of sushis, it will also be  a perfect match!

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

At Carrefour for 10,50 €.

Château "Le Sartre" Blanc

Vintage : 2011

Grape Variety : Sauvignon Blanc 90 % and Sémillon 10%

Country :  France

Terroir :  Bordeaux, Pessac Léognan

Tasting Notes

Appearance :  A bright pale lemon colour with a medium intensity.

Nose : A lemony freshness emphasized by floral notes ; finely toasted.

Palate : Fresh and sweet opening which quickly evolves into an aromatic complexity of floral and citrus notes. An extremely long-finish wine with beautiful length and also mineral notes.

Our Feeling at WAW Blog : 

A beautiful Bordeaux white wine, which perfectly reflects how Sauvignon Blanc is vinified in Bordeaux! Very nice in aperitif!

Food & Wine Pairings : 

All kinds of fish, hot or cold, curry vegetables…or just a simple dish of fresh pastas with salmon.

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

It was presented at Bordeaux tasting this weekend. You can find it on www.vinchezmoi.com for 14.50 €.

Focus on Marlborough

Marlborough, located on the south-east of Nelson, in the broad plains of Wairau, is the most famous and largest wine region in New Zealand. However, it is only in 1973 that Montana, the largest wine company in the country, has created the first vineyard.

This is one of the driest and sunniest part of the country, although frost may occur in the spring and slow ripening conditions suitable for white grapes.

Marlborough representation is inextricably linked to the Sauvignon Blanc which occupies 58% of the surface and produces wines both aromatic and fresh.

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have also conquered an important place there, vinified in flat wines or blended to make quality sparkling wines. Riesling, Semillon and Pinot Gris are also significantly present.

Pinot Noir: New Zealand VS Burgundy

Hello everybody this week we have decided to talk about PINOT NOIR !!

Brancott Estate

Vintage : 2011

Grape Variety : Pinot Noir 100 %

Country :  New Zealand

Terroir :  South Island

Tasting Notes

Appearance :  An authentic tawny red with a medium intensity.

Nose : Freshness brought by Prune aroma along with smoke and a subtle touch of pepper.

Palate : Having a suave attack, this wine will surprise you with its freshness! Its flavors such as dark chocolate, prune and spice are making it easy to enjoy for everyone. However, the body is not well balanced, which makes us think that you should keep this wine in your cellar for 2 to 3 years!

                         

Our Feeling at WAW Blog: 

A surprising wine, which could be drunk at 11-13°C in spring/summer to reveal all of its freshness. It can be a very good alternative to a rosé!

                     

Food & Wine Pairings : 

The best match for this wine is a salad Niçoise, or even a fresh goat cheese with honey!

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

At Carrefour for 3,5€.

Domaine Fleurot

Vintage : 2011

Grape Variety : Pinot Noir 100 %

Country :  France

Terroir :  Nuits-Saint-Georges

Tasting Notes

Appearance :  A beautiful and intense garnet wine.

Nose : Amazing complexity of aromas with Apricot, Almond, Spice and Liquorice!

Palate : A well balanced wine that surprises you with the blend of Apricot and Spice. Easy to drink, fresh, with a high intensity of flavor.

Our Feeling at WAW Blog:

This wine meets all the standards of a good Burgundy, therefore you should have it in your cellar. However, it misses the extravagant touch that would make it a perfect Burgundy.

                           

Food & Wine Pairings : 

We advice you to match this wine with wood pigeon, cheese or even with wild boar meat!

Where can you find it ? What about € ?

At Carrefour for 16€.