Reinventing Reality

Amboise

We've seen London, we've seen France - and we have no more clean underpants.  

Just kidding...mostly.

Anyway, we are currently on our way home but we still have a few more blog posts to get through.  You want the complete picture, right?  Yeah, I thought so.

So after the cooking class we went to Pau, a university town in southern France near the Pyrenees.  More on that later.  Then we travelled north forever and spent a million dollars on gas and toll roads -  driving in France is expensive.  But it was worth it - we stayed several days in Amboise, a wonderful town in the Loire valley.  We rented a sweet little apartment right across the street from the castle - the area is known for its castles.  This is the view from the front window:

When we showed up it was boiling hot and we thought we might die - the area doesn't usually have hot summers so they don't believe in air conditioners...I think it is clear where Red and I stand on that issue, no need to beat that horse anymore.  But our fan got us through one night and then the weather cooled off and it rained a little.  

About this time, Bob and Kathleen joined us.  They had been traveling in Germany and were glad to stay in one place for a few days...of course we shuttled them around and barely let them relax, but that is what kids do!  We had a blast cooking, touring and sampling wine:

A view from the apartment at night - we were also right by a river:

So the castles - amazing.  The one across the street from the apartment was lovely - great garden area and impressive views.  We also went to Chenonceau, a bigger castle; it had this separate tower that Red and I are planning to move into - cozy, hmm?

The rest of the castle and river area:

The castles are so neat - full of history and surrounded by beautiful scenery.  At this castle we smuggled in a picnic and snuck off into the woods for lunch - Kath and Bob bring out the rebel spirit in us:

Thats it for now - more later on Pau, Paris and London - talk to you all soon!

Wines of the Southern Rhone

Today's wine rant features the well-known wines of the Southern Cote du Rhone region. There are entire encyclopedias written on wines from the various subregions within the Southern Cote du Rhone. I will only be focusing on my three favorite (and the most well known): Chatueauneuf du Pape (referred to as CdP by ballers), Gigondas and Vacqueyras (listed in decreasing order for price and prestige). 

These three red wines from the Southern Rhone are known for their warm and spicy character with loads of black and red fruit and a tad bit of "poopy barnyard" old world funk. Don't let this turn you off. These grenache and syrah based wines are a great alternative to your everyday cabernet and tend to do well with gamey dishes, meats of all kinds, bbq, and heavy sauces. 

Wine tasting CdP-style:

Chateauneuf du Pape is a special wine region for me. Perhaps my favorite or second favorite in France. I believe these wines (red) are very consistent in terms of their quality and delivery. The vineyards are characterized by scraggily old grenache vines which sit low to the ground and "puddingstones" or large rocks which help retain heat in the winter. 

Here's a shot of the vineyards of Clos du Caillou (one of my favorites) with a view of Mt. Ventoux, the iconic symbol of Northern Provence in the background.

Most CdPs I've tasted  have an outrageous silky mouthfeel. At best you can taste these wines in your mouth for up to one minute after taking a sip. This is a good thing when real fruit and other "interesting" barnyard flavors are present. Again, most of these wines are dominated by the Grenache grape (usually about 80%) followed by Syrah, Mouvedre, Cinsault and up to 9 other select grapes which are relatively obscure outside of Provence. An added bonus of the CdP: these wines can age for 10 years just as well as they can be popped and poured tomorrow. You don't find this often with Bordeaux reds. 

CdP is starting to make a name for its white wines as well. Made mostly from grapes that aren't well known outside the region, these dry and crisp whites are an interesting alternative to the boring Chardonnay and Sauvingon Blanc routine. However, Rose and I discovered there is a dramatic difference between the younger unoaked and more fruit driven CdPs versus the older substantially oaked CdPs. We definitely prefer the former although people who like those butterbutt Chards from California would appreciate all that extra wood flavor in the oaked CdPs. Sadly, all the wines of the CdP are getting a bit too pricey for casual purposes. 

The same thing is happening to the wines of Gigondas, just 20 minutes down the road form CdP. The Gigondas wine appellation is strictly reds and again, mostly grenache followed by syrah and mouvedre. I'm still not the greatest at telling these apart from CdP and really nice generic Cote du Rhone Village wines but I think they are slightly harsher and heavier with a little bit less finesse. The wines of Vacqueyras are very reasonably priced and, in my opinion, deliver the most bang for the buck in the Southern Rhone. Look at that badass etching on the bottle. Why can't Napa or Sonoma try this?

These wines (red) can be even spicier than CdP so if this is not your forte run back to an oaky cabernet. Vacqueyras is the next big thing in the Southern Rhone and I think these wines will suffer the same fate as CdP and Gigondas in terms of price but until then please go grab one of these guys and roast up some lamb lollipops. If you still cringe at the price then go for a nice Cote du Rhone Villages wine. Yes there really is a difference between regular Cote du Rhone and Cote du Rhone Villages with the latter usually being more interesting and concentrated for just a few dollars more. 

I could go on and on about wine from Cote du Rhone here but I'm much better in person. Hope to see you all sometime soon.

Cheers, 

Red

 

French Cooking Class Part 2

The way Jim structured the cooking class was that we would learn new skills and practice during the week, and then on Friday (last day/night), we would plan, prep and make a two course farewell dinner.  Early in the week the group began discussing what we wanted to make (an entree and dessert), and Jim specified that it had to be something special and - of course - cheffy.  After much debate we settled on rabbit with a mustard sauce and crepes suzette with praline ice cream.  I petitioned hard for the praline ice cream because I don't usually like orange desserts, but more on that later.  With that nailed down, we continued with the class.

One of our favorite things we made during the week was baked mini camemberts with garlic, orange croutons and raspberry confiture (aka jam).  They look and taste impressive with hardly any work.  

Pity, we aren't going to give you the recipe because you must come to Tahoe where we will make them for you.  We promise, this dish alone will be worth the trip and thats not even counting swimming in the lake, skiing, snow shoeing, hanging by the fire, etc.  

But we aren't all bad, what about a lovely creme brulee recipe with homemade berry ice cream (just ask if you are interested)?  YUM.  This time we were prepared for the small portion size due to the richness and ironically everyone at the table agreed they could have eaten 3x the amount of creme brulee that was in those tiny squares.  

We used vanilla pods that were fresh from the market and you could see/taste the vanilla in the brulee - Red and I agreed that the pods are amazing if you can find them fresh - don't bother with dried version.  But no judgement, we will still have vanilla extract in our pantry.

Next we made moules marinieres (mussels) and sorry, again no pictures, but this one is definitely worth making at home.  We cleaned about 400 mussels and then made a lovely garlic, lemon, white wine cream sauce - definitely one of the best dinners because it was so simple and fun - and the french bread was heaven dipped in that sauce.  

Ok, now the pics.  We had quite the time making the pancakes for our dessert - I was first to make one on the special crepe hot plate and I had to concentrate very hard...maybe a little too hard:

 

After comparing notes, American men really are bigger.  Ok she was actually clapping because I had done a half decent job with the crepe, and then I got really excited after I flipped it:

Its harder than it looks, ok??  I was really proud of myself.  But then Red did this and showed me up (and yes, it landed right in the pan):

Anyway, then we moved on and butchered some rabbits - this is really neat if you can get over having a skinned head still attached to the body of Bugs Bunny (the head still had the eyes and the tongue was hanging out of its mouth - actually that looked morbidly funny).  We portioned out the "rack" (its so tiny!), the loin and legs, and the rest went into our rabbit stock for the sauce (except we did make an appetizer with the liver).  Later in the day we seared the meat:

 

And then made a delicious mustard white wine sauce which we served with the finished dish (we also served mashed potatoes, blanched green beans, honey glazed carrots and a shallot tatin):

Rabbit is actually a very healthy protein and we learned an interesting recipe for the sauce which can be used on many other meat dishes: reduce some stock (preferably made from the carcass that you butchered), add white or red wine depending on the dish, reduce/cook off the alcohol, add jams, special vinegars, mustard, cream or any other flavor enhancing ingredient and voila, you've got a delicious sauce.  Best part - our meal was really tasty!  

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for dessert.  While the actual crepes were good, the sauce was awful (my distrust of orange desserts continues)...thank god for the praline ice cream, it saved the day! But it wasn't worth taking pictures of (aka we forgot).

Anyway, that meal marked the end of our class in France.  We learned loads of kitchen/cooking skills and have been practicing them ever since.  While some of the food was not our taste or style, we really appreciated the lessons and definitely walked away with a few recipes that we will use or tweak to fit our life at home.  Can't wait to try them out on you!

Wines of the Northern Rhone

Hello,

Well, we finally made our pilgrimage to the holy land of Syrah, a delightful red grape which flourishes on the steep south-facing slopes west of the Rhone River: 

If you are even a casual fan of Syrah based wines you must include the dark and aromatic reds of the Northern Rhone in your repertoire. Supposedly the Romans introduced the Syrah grape to this region many moons ago and it has happily stayed here ever since. 

Syrah is the only red grape permitted in the prestigious appellations of the Northern Rhone (some permit small amounts of the white Viognier or Marsanne/Rousanne grape during fermentation to add perfume to the red wines). The Syrahs of Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Cornas are considered by most wine geeks to be the world's finest example of Syrah. If you would like to purchase one of these wines back home you should probably talk to your banker about a home equity line of credit. Hopefully these entry level Cote-Rotie and Cornas wines we tasted will make it back in our checked luggage. If nothing else, they will shatter at 30,000 feet all over my polo shirts and provide me with a nice story-in-the-stain to tell. 

In case you want to get in on the tasty Northern Rhone finesse without going bankrupt you should seek out red wines from the Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph appellations. I've had more luck with the former although Saint-Joseph has really come through as well. If you have grown weary of paying too much for oaky cabernets from California or skittles-flavored Shiraz in a kangaroo pouch then you need to pick some Crozes on your next trip to the wine shop. Goes very well with anything lamb or duck.

Take a look at these vines above. They are planted on extremely well-drained granite soils which can include decomposed chalk and mica. No tractors or machinery used in the harvest. You have to pick these babies by hand. 

The Northern Rhone is also home to the world's best Viongnier, an elegant and complex white wine which is notorisouly difficult to grow back home. For my palate, these wines provide endless peach skin flavors with a touch of smoke and honey. The fruit really shines through without being overly sweet. Wines from the Condrieu appellation are made with 100% Viognier which grows on steep granite slopes. Again, Condrieu is outrageously expensive back home but well worth the purchase as a special occasion wine. It's one of the few white wines which can pair well with red meats and beef dishes as well as anything that once flew. 

 

I hope I've convinced you to try a Syrah or Viognier form the Northern Rhone Valley of France. They are truly unique wines which are hard to replicate elsewhere in the world due to the unique geology, climate and hand-picking care characteristic of the area. 

The chapel or hermitage above that sits high on the sloped vineyards above the Northern Rhone is the namesake of the village of Tain l'Hermitage and world famous Hermitage wines (a favorite of Kings Louis XIII and XIV). The chapel was built in honor of my ancestor, St. Christopher, the fearless red-headed warrior who shepherded the baby Jesus across troubled waters.

I should become a history teacher.

Cheers, 

Red

French Cooking Class Part 1

So timing is of the essence when eating lunch in France.  The observance of the "siesta" is strictly enforced making it difficult for weary road trippers to grab a lunch on the go.  As a result yours truly have had to grab meals at McDonalds on a few occasion because this is the ONLY PLACE to find any sort of food between 2-6pm.  How does this relate?  When we rolled up to our french cooking class a collection of McDonalds wrappers and happy meal toys spilled out of the car soiling the pristine grounds of the Cook In France facility.  A great first impression from the future restauranteurs.    

The French cooking class started with Jim, our chef, making us a dinner of cold tomato soup, leg of lamb (poached in the cool sous vide machine) and panna cotta with berries.  The sauce on the lamb was so good I wanted to drink it, so we knew good things were coming.  He also served this garlic butter popcorn as a snack with pre-dinner drinks...um yeah, I hounded him for that recipe (which turned out to be a simple trick - butter infused with garlic and drizzled on after popping the corn!).

So we should come clean: we were more hands on in this class, so there are fewer pics...we lost track of time.  That said, the first day started with us making chocolate mouse and ice cream.  The mouse was fairly easy (although you must be careful with the egg yolks/whites) and the result was an incredibly rich chocolate bomb.  The ice cream was also not difficult but the method needs to be seen in person and you need to have an ice cream maker - so maybe if/when we get a machine we will have an ice cream nerd party for fellow ice cream fanatics (the simplicity of the recipe/method is amazing).  Finished dessert plate:

Everyone said, "those towers are kind of short and that ice cream scoop looks small"...we thought we were getting short changed.  Sigh.  Although delicious, Red and I did not finish ours.  They were so rich (and Red thought too bitter) that we simply had to stop.  That taught me.  But anyway, we prepped all of that in the morning and then moved on to the main course.

Duck.

We got to butcher whole ducks (that was actually really cool and informative) and then learn how to make duck confit.  In theory its simple: duck legs, salt, more salt, more salt, more salt, let them sit for several days so the moisture drains out of the meat, rinse the salt off, softly boil/cook the legs in duck fat for several hours.  Really healthy.  But unfortunately, like all things salty and fatty, pretty tasty.  After the cooking-in-fat part, you stick them on a baking sheet and broil them for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.  The chef, and all of our British classmates, call the broiler "the grill", so they kept saying, "stick it under the grill"...we had such a hard time with that at first.  Number one, mates, how do you stick something UNDER THE GRILL?  Number two, how do you crisp the skin on the grill from the top?  It caused confusion...but then again, so many of their sayings had us confused or laughing - needless to say we loved our new friends.  Ok, back to the duck - here was the finished product (with a delicious duck-stock/wine/fig jam sauce - the French do know their sauces):

The next day we made fougasse (Focaccia bread) but we don't have a single picture - too busy making the dough, kneading, topping, baking and eating.  But if you come to Tahoe we can make some...that is supposed to sound inviting.

The next day we went to a market in the local medieval town of Sarlat and tasted fois gras, saw great fresh fish stalls and were tempted by the most amazing spice vendor ever - his place truly smelled incredible.

That was half of his display.

So during the first few days we also made a cheffy little salad (Garden Veggie, Orange and Chorizo Salad with Orange and Walnut Vinaigrette) but unless you like making your own dressing (which we highly recommend), then you won't find it interesting and as luck would have it we don't have a picture...so you are off the hook (those interested, ask for the recipe!).  Oh, Jim's favorite word was cheffy...a cheffy pinch of salt (aka a decent bit), a cheffy glug of wine (a big glass into the pot), some cheffy chopping (chopping veggies properly/quickly/small/whatever) - just do it with style and its probably cheffy.

Anyway, to end the first half of the week, he let us play around with caramel.  We whipped up a batch of incredibly hot liquid sugar and proceeded to make caramel baskets:

Jim told us that these would be coming back into style any decade now.  I suppose he was trying to tell us that caramel baskets are not cheffy.  Despite his warning one of our British friends has promised to go home and do an 80s party featuring caramel baskets.  

Anyway, although Jim didn't like our baskets (his assistant crumpled them up while no one was looking to make sure we didn't use them for dessert that night!) he did show us what he considers to be cheffy caramel:

Apparently it is quite the "in" thing to experiment with unsweetened caramel...sounds like an oxymoron, hmm?  Yes, well real chefs know where to find these sugar substitutes that you can melt and play with but are quite a bit less sweet than real sugar.  They manipulate the faux caramel with various tools, in our case a metal tube used for molding food, and then you can add things into the middle of the caramel as it dries (usually various oils):

Jim is in the middle looking quite pleased with the results.

Anyway, it was really fun and all of the food we made was yummy (those interested in recipes please email!) - but thus far both Red and I had actually gotten more out of the skills/techniques he was teaching us.

Up next: creme brulee, baked mini camemberts with homemade croutons, moules marinieres (mussels), butchering rabbits and praline ice cream.  

Miss you guys!

Goat Post Part 2

So we left off here:

We milked the goats with Cathy and Babeth (pronounced Bobette) and then we went with Cathy to make the cheese.  

We started with the previous day's cheese which sits in plastic molds which help drain excess water.  We turned them over in the molds (they need to sit one day on each side), she lightly salted them, and then we started filling the new molds with fresh cheese.

Milk taken the previous day sits in huge tubs with a few added ingredients that turn it into cheese (whey and rennet, an enzyme that helps separate the liquids/solids) and after a day the watery whey sits on top.  You spoon off the whey and then use shallow ladles to spoon the cheese into molds.  You can see them stacked and organized behind us.  As you ladle, you can put herbs, raisins, chili powders, and nuts into the cheese - so delicious!  As it turned out, our favorite cheese was the fresh plain kind - Cathy and Babeth served it to us on our last night with a salad - just goes to show how simple, fresh ingredients do not need a lot of fussing.

Here is Red showing off our hard labor:

So, now after a week of Italian cooking class and a day of goat milking/cheese, we are experts in all things Italy and goat.  We plan to start a farm when we get home since we know everything there is to know about raising/caring for goats and making cheese.  Don't worry, we really paid attention and know that when you are presented with homemade cheese you will trust us without hesitation.  

Lastly, our hosts adopted this dog:

 

His name is Obi - we thought after Obi-Wan-Kenobi but its actually after Obama.  They found him abandoned the day that Obama won the nomination and were so happy that he was named in honor of the future president.  He is a rascal of a dog - he routinely tried to snap my hand off when playing - but he came with us on every walk to lead the way and once he actually protected us from a mean pack of dogs!

Overall our time at the farm was like a dream (a somewhat smelly dream) and we miss Cathy, Babeth, Obi and all of the other goats, dogs and cats.  

But before the French cooking class came the Rhone Valley (north and south!) and Mt. Ventoux...

The Wines of Bandol

Aloha,  

When most people think of wines from France, Bordeaux and Burgundy and perhaps even Cote du Rhone come to mind. Sadly, most wine from the South of France is respected about as much as Rodney Dangerfield. Located in Provence near the Mediterranean port of Marseilles, Bandol is a tight little wine producing region that pleasantly exceeds its reputation for making nothing but easy drinking Rose. The Bandol AOC is in fact capable of producing stellar white, red and yes of course, the world’s most famous (and expensive) Rose wines. A typical scene in Bandol:

Our favorite winery stop in Bandol was Domaine Tempier, a small winery made famous in the U.S. by the Berkeley wine importer, Kermit Lynch. An aside: when purchasing French wine look at who the importer is on the back label. You can hardly go wrong with a Kermit Lynch import. I also like North Berkeley. 

The majority of Tempier (and Bandol red and rose wines) are made from the Mouvedre grape. Mourvedre is a fascinating and super tannic grape which is capable of aging for 10-15 years. This sturdy grape does well in the in the hot and dry summers typical of the area. Bandol winemakers are not allowed to irrigate whatsoever. The theory is that this lack of easy water in the hot summer pulls extra concentration and flavor out of the grape. I happen to think Tempier’s red Mourvedre based wines would be the ideal companion to a hearty beef stew and a fireplace after a long day of skiing. 

In case you don’t want to wait 6 months for a glass of wine you can always drink the pink. Rose is the best wine choice in the summer and no one does it better than Bandol. Roses are very flexible food wines which go nicely with lighter dishes, salads, seafood and almost any cheese. Contrary to popular belief Rose is not just red and wine mixed together in equal proportions by some smelly scheming Frenchman. Knowledge of this practice, which is strictly prohibited in France, contributes the negative perception of Rose in the U.S. That and I think most American men wouldn’t be caught dead with a glass of the pink stuff in their hands. I must admit, after a couple glasses I got the feeling that I might start floating around the beach in a ballerina costume. But it’s a whole lot better than Bud Light and women love it. So guys, don't be afraid to look semi-gay on Labor Day. Give the pink stuff a chance.

Bandol also produces some great white wines that are light and dry in character and versatile for food pairing. Most of the whites are made from the Ugni Blanc and Clairette grapes which are sneered at elsewhere in France and unknown in the U.S. This little guy was the perfect match for a summer salad with shrimp and goat cheese. And look at these silly little traditional Provincial figurines in the background. Can you hear them frolicking? Hee hee hee.

To recap: 

-Think Bandol before any place in the world if you are passionate about Rose. 

-Serve Rose for Labor Day parties and impress women of all walks. 

-If you want more hair on your chest as the weather turns cold make sure to check out the Mourvedre based red wines of Bandol.  

Cheers, 

Red

Goat Post Part 1

After a few lovely days with my mom, we began to plan the next phase of our travels.  We had such good experiences renting apartments before so we decided to continue in that vein and find a place that we could continue practicing our cooking and that would be centrally located to explore the Rhone Valley (and wines).  We looked online for a bit and saw a surprising place - a goat farm that had an apartment for rent!  We laughed our heads off and said, “God, we aren’t THAT desperate”.  So we found several good places throughout Southern Rhone and sent out 5 emails.  All came back negative - already full (did we mention that all of France goes on “holiday” for the month of August?).  So we sent out 5 more emails.  Then 15 after that.  In total, Red probably sent out 25 emails and two came back positive.  Guess where we are?

The Goat Farm in the mountains of Luberon!

When we arrived we were greeted by three excited dogs and two friendly older women.  They showed us the apartment:

You walk in and it looks like a normal ranch-style studio: the kitchen is very nice (first gas stove we’ve seen in Europe), functional bathroom/bedroom area, cosy interior, etc...then you open the back door and there are the goats, having dinner.  No matter - we were there to stay and quite frankly the country scenery and warm welcome were exactly what we wanted (this pic was on our first night):

After settling in our hostesses told us that the next morning we could help with the milking if we wanted to, so we got up early and went to see our new neighbors.

They use a milking machine and they distract the goats with grain - otherwise they seem to stamp around and get restless.  

We got over our shyness quickly:

The next post will be about making goat cheese - really fun and tasty.

But before we sign off, the one tiny thing that we have had to adjust to: the apartment can kind of start to smell “goaty” if left closed up too long.  It used to be an old barn, so while charming, the walls seem to be steeped in goat (poop) scent.  We are constantly deciding which to prioritize - the goaty smell or opening the doors which airs it out but also lets in flies (and not just one or two - hundreds).  Such a dilemma.  

But this place is awesome and we love it - another random bit of luck on our trip.  

France! Cassis and L'Cadiere d'Azur

We are in France (and have been for a while - oops)!  After several train rides and picking up our new rental car (a cool little ride - BMW!), we are on our way.  We stayed one night in Nice and practically spent the whole time at the beach.  The water was refreshing and the people we met were friendly.  Here is Red in the ocean:

From there we went to Le Cadiure d’Azur, a small village with a renowned restaurant.  It was absolutely delicious and chic (we had the most interesting cheese course that the entire table sampled - some against their will!), although we have to admit that everything we have eaten in France has been good.  But the main reason we went to Le Cadiure d’Azur was my mom - we all met up and had a blast.  She even wine tasted with us (reds and whites - very adventurous mom!)!

While we were all together we went to Cassis, a beautiful coastal town.  We watched people jump off the cliffs and tan on the rocks - the water is a breath-taking color.  Some of the group even went swimming.

After that we went to Aix en Provence, a busy college town famous for its Roman fountains.  We walked around, shopped and soaked up time with our out-of-town visitors - it is great to see people we know from home in a foreign country!

Next up: Red is posting about the regional wine and then we will show you a UNIQUE place to stay.  Check back!

The Wines of Tuscany

Greetings, 

It's been a while since we were in Italy and I can hardly remember what Italian wines taste like any more so I'll give this my best shot. 

There is so much wine in Tuscany I don’t know where to begin. Most towns have at least 3 wine shops on each street and every store that sells any kind of food in Tuscany inevitably has bottles for sale on display. Tuscans literally have red wine coursing through their veins. Unfortunately, the quality of these wines varies tremendously with the majority being nothing to write home about. In any case, the vineyards sure are a nice sight. 

First a bit about the geography and land. Tuscany has a mediterrannean climate with dry hot summers and cool wet winters.  As we move further form the Mediterranean coast and closer to the Appenine Alps the influence of the ocean diminishes quickly leaving most of the region exposed to sweltering 90 degree and even 100 + degree days in the middle of summer. Soils in this region aren't suitable for most crops (see below) but the native Sangiovese grape thrives in these conditions. 

  

We visited an interesting winery just outside of Lucca which makes a very decent Tuscan wine. In order to add concentration to the wine the vintner adds a must to the first fermentation of the wine called Governo Toscano. This must is made from a second fermentation of grapes that have remained on the vine until shriveled into sugar saturated raisins. The resulting wine is so black and viscous that it makes your mouth look like you’ve been eating smurfs. Below is a picture of the creator of the this Tuscan Teeth Stainer boxing up some wine to send out (probably by donkey or vespa). 

Tuscany is most famous for its red Chianti Classico wine. Chianti and Chianti Classico have such a mixed reputation in the U.S. that it’s difficult and controversial to make any generalizations. In my opinon, Chiantis are a soft and supple fruity wine offering medium structure at best. They can be very enjoyable with a wide variety of foods but the don't offer much in terms of complexity and structure. We visited a beautiful Castle in Chianti whch produces wines of high pedigree. We sampled the wines pictured below and brought a few home to accompany pasta dishes.

I was delightfully surprised by Morellino di Scansano, a wine from the Southern Tuscany region. This is still primarily Sangiovese with generally about 10% Cabernet Sauvingon. 2007 vintages of this wine is very rich considering the minimal time spent in oak. 

Currently, all the rave in the world of Italian Red Wines is the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. We tried a couple of these and I was disappointed. They were tasty wines but they do not in my opinion compare to a Cabernet from Napa or Bordeaux as many critics claim. Who knows, maybe we didn’t have the really great Brunellos but my advice is to focus on Northern Italy for high quality wines and keep Chianti where it belongs at the lunch table next to cheap pastas.  

Unfortunately I didn't to try any of the much-hyped "Super Tuscan" red wines of the region. For those of you who don't care much about wine just think Super Expensive when you hear Super Tuscan. These are wines aren't made from the traditional and government controlled Sangiovese dominated formula. Instead, they make use of Cabernet, Merlot and other non-native grapes to make concentrated wines which are still too expensive for me to casually sample. 

That's all for Italy. Much more content for the wines of France.

Cheers, 

Red