So I’ve opted to take this as my theme for our 1st dinner on the 12th March. Numbers are limited as we will be having a cosy indoor evening with a log fire blazing rather than our more extensive Summer events out on the Terrace overlooking the Med! We shall no doubt kick off with one of the many top notch sparkling wines from the region – made in the same way as Champagne (i.e. Traditional Method) a delicately creamy Saumur will be offered to whet the appetite whilst I entertain with some facts and figures about our chosen region. I’m hoping to track down some Smoked Eel for a pre-dinner nibble I
have in mind….. We shall then glide through a starter of Oysters with Spinach & Beurre Blanc alongside a perky, yeasty and intensely savoury Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie. You cannot think of the Loire without marvelling at the array of amazing goat’s cheeses so I shall conjure up a voluptuous Twice-baked Goat’s Cheese Soufflé with a Carrot and Sweet Vouvray wine sauce. The archetypal partner with high acid goat’s cheese is a wine similarly high in acidity (the mouth watering tingly sensation you
experience with some particularly crisp wines gives an indication that there is plenty of refreshing acidity). So we shall travel along to the far East of this great wine country and tackle a really excellent Sauvignon Blanc – a Pouilly Fumé from the producer Laporte – we tried the Les Duchesses PF on the Advanced course last week and it knocked many a pricier wine into a cocked hat, as they say!

The centre piece of the evening is probably going to be my take on Coq au Vin with a Loire twist – think tasty Guinea Fowl with a deep Red Wine Sauce – I’ll be introducing the much under valued but immensely subtle red wines of the region here: I’ve long been a fan of the silky, raspberry fruited Chinon’s and St Nicholas de Bourgeuil wines made from Cabernet Franc. But I’m still toying between that and another Fish course to illustrate how certain lightish red wines can work with fish….hmmm, Loire Perch in a Chinon Sauce, perhaps? The finale will be a delicious Pear Tarte Tatin, which if I can lay my paws on the pear species, Belles Angevines (from Anjou) will be absolutely authentic of the Loire – apparently the buttery squidgy caramelised pastry pud, the Tatin is believed to originate from the
area. Also, orchard fruits are text book collaborators in the food & wine matching world for the honeyed apple character of the great sweet wines for the Loire. Here Chenin Blanc comes into its own and I shall be unearthing either a Coteaux du Layon, a Montlouis or a Bonnezaux to meet the challenge.

And so with drooling lips I ask you to check out our Forthcoming Events page for more details and how to book for this fine Dinner experience –at 60€ per person all inclusive, this is a real must!
Look forward to seeing you in March!

Helen Brotherton
08.02.10

WSET Foundation Course (Level 1) – 1 Day
Thursday 11th June – venue tbc
Wednesday 1st July – venue tbc
See Training page for all details as to cost, course content etc.

WSET Intermediate Course (Level 2) – 3 Days
25th – 27th June – Vence 06
7th – 9th September – Vence 06
We are also planning to run this as a 9 session Evening Class for Working Wine Lovers who perhaps cannot devote a full 3 Days to the course. From mid-September – see Training Pages for details

WSET Advanced Course (Level 3) – 5 Days
We will be splitting this course over a short period to give students time to absorb the facts and cover all the ground with home study.
Mon 5th – Tue 6th Oct (2 Days)
PLUS
Mon 12th, Tue 13th & Wed 14th Oct (3 Days)
All details on the Training page of this site.

Forthcoming events:
(Details of all these can be found on the Events page under Forthcoming Dates)

Sat 6th June – “Fun Wine 4 Women”, Vence 06
Weds 17th June – “Vin-dezvous” at the Kookaburra, Nice 06
Fri 17th July – Masterclass – Food & Wine Matching, Vence 06
Sat 1st Aug – “Fun Wine 4 Women”, Vence 06
Fri 14th Aug – Masterclass – Food & Wine Matching, Vence 06

Coming soon – details of our big Autumn event to be held in conjunction with Riviera Times plus our Vilmart Champagne Winemaker Dinner – e-mail us at info@finewineworks.com to go on our Mailing List and receive regular FWW Newsletters plus special offers on our Wine List

Helen Brotherton

First and foremost, our mission was to offer Wine Tastings and Wine Events plus Wine Courses and Training, all targeted in different directions but always with the emphasis on “fun and pleasure” – the juice of the grape, after all is “the liquid quintessence of concentrated sunbeams” – Thomas Love Peacock.

We had not planned or thought that we should get involved in the sale of wine directly, preferring on the whole to remain unbiased and independent BUT we have been asked so many times since we started whether we could lay our hands on certain wines; supply New World wines; source interesting champagnes and generally flog the stuff, that we have come to the conclusion that there could be a real demand for certain wines here within the “Anglophone” community.  Can we offer of a mix of “hard to get hold of” non-French wines and from the still fascinating array of French wines, offer clues as to how to sort the “wheat from the chaff” and uncover the hidden gems?

We won’t, alas, be shipping by the pallet load from Australia and Chile because we still want a manageable sized business and to be able to offer the real personal touch which I feel gives us the edge!

Nor, in these Credit Crunch times should we let my personal Fantasy Wine Wish List of the gloriously exquisite (but expensive) and the curiously quirky and obscure overshadow the fact that most wine consumers want good value wines, which over deliver in flavour and that they really want to drink.

So, from mid April 2009 we will be launching the Fine Wine Works Wine List – a small, but oh so perfectly formed, collection of wines from around the world which we will range by Wine Style and Flavour Profile rather than by country.  Every wine will have a personal tasting note and of course a Food Match – some may, in time, even have accompanying recipes – but there needs to be a bit more experimentation in the kitchen first – anyone want to be a “guinea pig” for this????

The only way we can realistically keep the price down too, is to offer “pre-ordered and pre-paid” mixed cases of 6 – that way we avoid unnecessary and costly stock holding and means we can get the best deals from our suppliers.  Also 6’s rather than 12’s will, hopefully, put the outlay within the grasp of “ordinary folk” – these are everyday wines more than special occasion wines – not that they aren’t crackingly delicious enough to roll out for a Birthday or Anniversary, its just they are crying out to be enjoyed now and not to be hidden in a cupboard under the stairs to gather dust.

Delivery too, could be a contentious issue, so we will need to consolidate the orders we place with our suppliers and then look to group together deliveries to you in the most practical and cost effective way.  It means we won’t be able to offer “delivery within a couple of days” of placing your order, but patience will reap rewards and we would hope to be out & about doing “deliveries” a couple of times a month.  If we have the maximum flexibility then we can get the best wines for you at the most competitive prices and hopefully, if things take off, change the range regularly, to keep tickling your taste-buds.   The New Wine List page of this website should be going live very, very soon (as soon as I have finished drinking,

ahem, I mean tasting, my way through samples and putting together the First Range).   Meanwhile, we would love to put together a Database of fellow “Quaffers” to whom we can e-mail any new offers or special deals – a sort of FWW Wine Club – if you would like to be included in this, please contact us on sales@finewineworks.com

“Where there is no wine, love perishes, and everything else that is pleasant to man” – Euripides (“The Bacchae”)

Helen Brotherton

Zingy & Fresh Wine & Food? I know, I know – post Christmas and feeling sluggish and perhaps a little sorry that the fun is all over for another year, one could hardly be expected to feel energetic and lively, harrumph!

But shops everywhere and gardens here on the Riviera are full of lemons and oranges. So after the rich fare of the Festive season, something lighter & juicier perhaps? Without getting bogged down in the chemistry, citrus fruits are full of (besides Vitamin C!) Citric Acid and acidity in wine is incredibly important to give balance and harmony. You won’t tend to see the word “acidity” on any wine list or tasting description as, quite frankly, it doesn’t sound terribly appealing, but wines are often described as “fresh”, “tangy” “citrusy” “zippy” or “crisp” – all basically describing the tingling sensation you feel down the sides of the tongue when either a foodstuff or a drink is high in acid.

If you were to picture in your mind’s eye tasting a wedge or slice of lemon, (go on, try it!!) I bet your instinctive and “Pavlovian” response is that your mouth starts watering and you sub-consciously start to salivate!

For food matching purposes, the easiest example to offer would be any dish that you would squeeze lemon over i.e. fish, seafood, salad etc. will work with a high acid wine. Think of a crisp and sea-salty Muscadet sur Lie with Oysters & Fruits du Mer; a refreshing, minerally Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre; New Zealand) with Grilled Sole or any pan-fried White Fish – delicious!

High acid wines (white and red) can work really well with fatty and / or oily food too – tart and crisp Pinot Noir, the classic black grape of Burgundy (Bourgogne) will cut through the fat of a Magret de Canard sublimely. This is a food & wine marriage that is so perfect the Bordelaise tend to keep quiet about it – Duck in all its forms being the cuisine of the region one would think a red Bordeaux would be the classic partner. The folk from Bordeaux will happily insist that their reds go winningly with all red meat or game and then sneak off home to glug a Gevrey-Chambertin or Nuits St Georges with their Magret & Pommes Sauté – shhhh, keep it secret!

So back to the tingly and refreshing stuff….rather than an obvious Citrus recipe, the one that has sprung to mind to share with you is a dessert using delectable and certainly tropically tart Passion Fruit – a twist on a classic Crème Caramel:

Passion Fruit Caramels

Makes 6

Put 100g Caster Sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves and starts to turn a golden brown colour (keep an eye on things here as you don’t want the Caramel to burn or go too dark) – remove from the heat and add 45 ml of water (3 tablespoons) and stir quickly so it doesn’t crystallize – tip into 6 heatproof ramekin dishes or timbales (even tea or coffee cups will do as long as they are heat proof!). Leave to set.

Scoop out 6 x ripe Passion Fruit (the crinklier the skin, the riper and juicier they are!) and push through a sieve – hard work, this bit, but worth the effort!

Mix 4 x large Eggs and 2 x Egg Yolks with 150ml Milk and 150ml Cream. Add the Passion Fruit puree and 100g Caster Sugar and whisk lightly until well mixed. Tip mixture into prepared Timbales / Ramekins and sit in a roasting tin filled halfway up with boiling water. Carefully put in the oven (Gas 3 / 150C) for 40 – 50 minutes. Bake until set, remove from oven and leave to cool in the “bain marie”. Chill until needed.

Gently turn each Caramel out onto a serving plate and drizzle with a few more Passion Fruit seeds, if desired.

Sip a really well chilled (8 – 10C) sweet wine with plenty of zingy acidity – a Sauternes or look alike will bring this pud alive in every way.

Wine recommendations: Unless you are Super-rich I’d look over the shoulder of the exquisitely rare Château d’Yquem (unless you have a bottle of 1989 stashed under your bed, in which case – “when can I come over?”) and look at other superb Sauternes (& Barsacs) such as Château Suduiraut or Climens. Better value can be had with neighbouring appellations of Cadillac & Loupiac – not quite the profundity or complexity of Sauternes but a mere teaspoon of the price! For other divine French sweeties with good acidity and layers of orange blossom and lush pineapple, are further down into the South West – look for Monbazaillac and Jurançon Moelleux.

Helen Brotherton

Earthy Autumn flavours abound at the moment and as an “October Birthday Bunny”, I can never resist the woodland bounty of all sorts of mushrooms, funghi and of course, truffles!   Both here in the South of France and Italy, the markets are full of intoxicating scents of these versatile (and exquisitely low in calories!) little wonders.  

For wine matching, mushrooms also show themselves to be pretty adaptable.  They can complement rather than compete with quite aromatic, musky whites such as Viognier (the grape of Condrieu AC in the Northern Rhône), but now with increasing plantings and some delicious examples from Australia from producers such as Yalumba in the Barossa Valley 

However, they really start to take stride when partnered with earthy, moderately oaked red wines.   Which apart from shouting briefly (more of a bark, really) about an affinity with lightly oaked, youthful Spanish Rioja (usually labelled “crianza” as only having a matter of months rather than years maturing in vanilla scented oak barrels), brings me back to Italy.

North–west Italy to be precise, Piedmont and yes, the land of highly prized truffles (in and around Alba for amazing white truffles) and of course, Porcini mushrooms (known as Cepes here in France).  Wines made from the extraordinary complex and intense Nebbiolo grape make those mystical (and sorry – not cheap!!) wines, Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG.   With muscular tannins and classically deep flavours of “tar and roses”, good examples also have a definite hint of the forest floor on the nose – ahhhh Mushroom!   At this time of year, robust stews of beef and offal are often cooked or served with mushrooms and work marvellously with these velvety rich wines (give ‘em time though, you shouldn’t really be broaching a bottle of Barolo that is less than 5 years old!  It will be just too assertive and tough.)   

Also in Piedmont during the Autumn mushroom season, you are just as likely to be served, as part of the Antipasti, some raw (crudo) thinly sliced Porcini simply drizzled with a not too powerful olive oil and delicate shavings of Parmigiano – whilst your palate is still relatively fresh and before the onslaught of who knows how many more Italian dishes and courses, the “mushroominess” is at its most pure and the first few sips of your chosen Barolo or Barbaresco should be most at its most expressive and perfumed. 

Barolo DOCG – Leading producers (of many) Altare, Aschieri, Cavallotto, Ceretto, Conterno, Gaja, Mascarello, Pio Cesare, Prunotto, Voerzio

Barbaresco DOCG – Leading producers (of many) Castello di Nieve, Gaja, Giacosa, Marchesi di Gresy, I Paglieri, Rocca-Rabaja, Scarpa

“Angry Mushrooms on Toast (Bruschetta)”

Serves 2 Greedy People

Rather than limit this recipe to just “wild” mushrooms, I’ve included a handful of ordinary chestnut mushrooms to ease the burden on the pocket.  Unless of course you are a confident forager and happy to gather your own (preferably with a Guide to Edible Wild Mushrooms in your pocket), in which case this is a very cheap meal indeed and no need to add the chestnut mushrooms!

Like the wonderful English cookery writer, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, I “don’t see the point of elaborate mushroom recipes”!

Take approx 250g each of mixed Wild Mushrooms (ceps, girolles, chanterelles, trompette de mort, morels etc) and the same again of Chestnut Mushrooms.  Brush away (or dab with a sheet of kitchen towel) any loose dirt – you should NEVER wash mushrooms as they are so incredibly porous; they’ll instantly soak up any water.  Slice the larger mushrooms, halve or quarter the smaller ones (leave any really wee ones whole) so you end up with an array of similar sized pieces.  Melt a tablespoon (15ml) of Olive oil (don’t use your best Extra Virgin as it can be too pungent) in a decent size frying pan and add a clove of garlic, finely chopped.  Soften, then add the mushrooms.  Fry gently at first as they will start to release quite a lot of liquid, season with salt and pepper, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and then just before serving, a squeeze of lemon juice and if you like a kick, a pinch of cayenne pepper or the merest dash of Tabasco can lift it like anything!  A scattering of chopped parsley is optional (but inevitable if you are anything like my herb loving hubby!).

The toast versus bruschetta debate is again totally a matter of taste.   I particularly like a rustic loaf with quite open texture (like ciabatta in Italy or an artisan made “boule” loaf in France), rubbed lightly with a bulb of raw garlic, then drizzled with olive oil.   A hunk of an English cottage loaf, toasted and spread lusciously with butter works equally well.

Pile the hot mushrooms on top and eat immediately.   

As this will be a relatively inexpensive starter / lunch / supper dish – why not splash out on a decent Piemonte red – just make sure you’ve opened it (and preferably decanted or sloshed into another vessel to aerate it) before-hand.  Don’t want the magical mushrooms to get cold while you hunt out the corkscrew!

Helen Brotherton