This week we have a treat for you: a guest post by Jean-Marc Espinasse, vigneron of Domaine Rouge-Bleu in Provence. Uncork (unscrew?) a bottle of wine, pour yourself a glass, and settle in for an interesting read from a French wine-grower on the cutting edge.
First up, his bio: I fell in love with wine when my uncle decided to get, 20 years ago, three vine parcels in Chateauneuf-du-Pape to re-create the family vineyard, Domaine du Banneret, which originally dates back from many centuries. As a CPA, I initially made the financial plans for the loans and participated in the first and and all harvests. It was during this joyful epoch that I met with my future American wife, Kristin, author of the blog French Word A Day. I then started then to offer my uncle's wines to US importers and decided to quit numbers to embrace the wine world. Now, besides Domaine du Banneret, I distribute a portfolio of "boutique" french wines to US importers.
In my dreams, I have often imagined that running a small vineyard just by myself would actually be a realistic project. And whereas I was not expecting it to happen, I was offered in November 2006, 25 acres of old vines with a great potential "terroir". Domaine Rouge-Bleu was born...
4 years after, we sell out our entire production, mostly to the US and to the high end distribution side. Besides wine, I am in love with Mother Nature, U2 band and before all my Dear family.
Lately, you may be asking yourself why screw caps and synthetic corks have replaced some of the natural corks in bottled wine. In fact, there are many reasons :
The most obvious reason for this is the elimination of the taste that cork can bring to wine ["cork taint"] which is so frustrating, particularly when the bottle is a special one.
Another explanation comes from the fact that world production of natural cork is limited, especially these last years, as Portugal, which is the leading producer, has been ravaged by fires that have destroyed a great part of these cork oak trees. At the same time, world production of wines has not ceased to grow with the arrival of wines from the new world (North America, Chile, Australia, South Africa...and now India and China). So it was necessary to find other solutions for sealing bottles of wine.
But the main reason comes from the actual utility of the cork. Originally, it permitted not only closure of the bottle but also for the wine to be in slight contact with the air, and therefore age slowly and in the best conditions. It should be noted that in the past (up until the 80's), wines were made to age a few years before being appreciated at their best behavior. The natural cork, therefore, had its usefulness.
Today, wine consumption habits have greatly changed. We buy wine at 7 PM and drink it at 7:30 PM. If that's not such a typical scenario, then one should simply note that wines are quickly consumed. And for this, they must be made in such a way that enables them to be appreciated young. These wines are less concentrated, more fragile regarding oxidation and won't get better with aging. Plastic corks or even better screw caps which are almost hermetic, permit these wines to keep their freshness and fruity taste and will also better protect them from oxidation which might degrade them. Of course, this reasoning is not to be used for great wines (ones which should be aged) which continue to be sealed with real cork as they do have the ability to breathe and let the wine evolve throughout the years. That is actually why very old bottles need to have their cork replaced and, at the same time to be filled up with the little wine which went to angels through the cork.
Plastic cork enables marketing, which has become so important in commercial aspects, to express itself, notably by the range of colors and by a personal logo which is easier to create on the plastic cork.
But for people who care about environment, plastic is not always well seen (even if it recycles easily) and that is why the screw cap is now the closure system which has developed the most. One of the issue with screw caps is that it was often associated with cheap wines. But this is now over as some of the most prestigious vineyards, in New Zealand first and now even in Alsace, use this system to bottle 100 US $ bottles of wine.
Now, if you have plastic-corked bottles hanging around your cellar, hurry up and drink them fast without scruples...
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
"PS tip" : Sometimes it is not easy to know if a wine is corked. If you have a doubt, pour a little amount of the questioned wine in a glass and add the same amount of water in the same glass. Compare the "flavors” with a glass of 100ml of the questioned wine. If the wine is corked, the cork "flavor" will explode in the wine-water sample. If it is not corked, this scent will disappear in the wine-water sample and you will just need to aerate the wine in a carafe for a while before drinking it.
Don’t miss the blogs and bottles at Jean-Marc’s Domaine Rouge-Bleu, and his wife Kristin’s French-Word a Day blog.
And now, cozy up with a bottle of Rouge-Bleu and a steaming pot roast with red wine that will do it justice.
RECIPE: Burgundy Pot Roast
This recipe is my cross between an American-style pot roast and Boeuf Bourguignon. It’s not essential but nice to cook it a day or two ahead so the flavors can blend. It freezes well too. If your pot won’t go in the oven, you can cook it on top of the stove.
Serves 4-6.
- Vegetable oil
- A 2 pound (.9 kg) rolled chuck roast
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 large can whole tomatoes, with juice (28oz, 800gr)
- ¼ cup wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth, or water
- 1 pound (.45 kg) carrots, sliced 3/4” thick
- 1 pound (.45kg) small red potatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with a bit of cold water
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (175C). Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy, ovenproof pot, brown it in the oil over medium high heat on all sides, then remove from pan. To the pan add onions and celery, cook about 5 minutes and add garlic for one more minute, stirring. Stir in nremaining ingredients except for carrots and potatoes, bring to boil, and put the beef back in.
Put pot in oven, covered, and cook 30 minutes; add carrots and cook 30 more minutes. Add potatoes and cook another hour or more, until beef and vegetables are tender. (At this point cool it and refrigerate or freeze, if not serving immediately).
Heat shallow individual serving bowls. Move beef to cutting board, then skim fat from stew and bring to boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture if needed, a little at a time, until sauce is at desired consistency. Reduce heat, simmer a couple of minutes, remove bay leaf, and add salt and pepper to taste. Slice beef and place in large shallow bowls. Put vegetables around beef, using slotted spoon. Spoon sauce over all, and garnish with plenty of parsley.
In the Comments this past week: Lots of thoughts on "The Guys" and their camionette. "Bless their little cotton socks" says Maureen. And, some chat, and questions, about leeks. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Unless otherwise attributed, all POSTS, PHOTOS and RECIPES on this blog copyright ©2010 Lynn McBride. All Rights Reserved.
