Culinary Adventures with Camilla

After I sent the photo below to R at school, when he came home for Easter, he asked for an encore croquembouche. Done! But first: Why Croquembouche? Well, because we were assigned Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot  by Rebecca Rosenberg in one of my online book groups Lit Happen. Thanks to Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for the impetus to pick up the book; I have been meaning to read it, but this was just the shove I needed! And, serendipitously, we had just had a bottle of Veuve Clicquot on our twenty-second wedding anniversary. Champagne Widows In  Champagne Widows Rosenberg interwines history and imagination to tell the tale of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot who builds a winemaking empire despite the on-going Napoleonic wars. Barbe-Nicole inherits Le Nez, literally 'the nose', which gives her an uncanny sense of smell. In addition to everything that we can smell, she can smell emotions and intentions; and she can smell the nuances in the grapes that a...

For June's French Winophiles event, Gwendolyn of  Wine Predator  is hosting. She asked us to take a look at unexpected Champagne pleasures. You can read her invitation  here . Think red wine from the region of still wines instead of sparkling, she suggested. I was definitely excited to explore, but with the shelter-in-place orders, and ordering most of my wines online, I wasn't able to source anything particularly unexpected. Boo. I almost bowed out, but then Gwendolyn opened the theme up a little bit further to include biodynamic, organic, Brut Nature (low or no added dosage), a grower-maker wine, a wine made by one of the women of Champagne, or anything else that tickled our fancy. Okay...back in! And if you are reading this early enough, feel free to join us on a live Twitter chat on Saturday, June 20th at 8am Pacific time. You can follow along by searching for the hashtag #Winophiles. And, if you want to chime in, be sure to add that same hashtag to your tweet ...

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of author Kristin Harmel and publisher Gallery Books. This page may contain affiliate links, but all comments and opinions are my own. When a publishing contact asked if one of my wine groups might be interested in a collaboration, I jumped at the chance. Then I contacted the French Winophiles and gathered a list of people who would be willing to read, comment, and create a pairing. Done! Many thanks to Gallery Books* for the review copy and to Kristin Harmel for such a stunning book - The Winemaker's Wife . But, I'm getting ahead of myself. As the other #Winophiles' posts go live, I'll add their links below. Here is who is participating... A Day in the Life on the Farm: Relaxing with a Sparkling Wine and #TheWinemakersWife    Always Ravenous: The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel with Champagne and Risotto Chive Cakes Crushed Grape Chronicles: Champagne - A History Beyond the Bubbles Culinary Adventur...

For the March edition of The French Winophiles, Julia of her eponymous website  is hosting. You can read  her invitation   where she disclosed, "Our March event focuses on the Women of Champagne. Champagne has a rich heritage and we have many women to thank include Madame Moët, Madame Clicquot, and Madame Pommery. I am also excited to highlight amazing women in various roles in Champagne, including winemaking and business." I am very excited to look at champagne with a new lens this month. The Other #Winophiles' Posts Julia from Julia Coney.com speaks on Women of Champagne Making Shift Happen . Pinny from Chinese Food & Wine Pairings whips up Women Who Make Champagne AND Woman Who Helps Us Learn About Champagne . Cynthia and Pierre from Traveling Wine Profs talk about Biodynamic Grower Champagne with Make-Your-Own Sushi Dinner .   Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog writes on Overcoming the Odds Twice - The Women of Champagne Duval-Leroy .  Gwendo...

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the December #Winophiles event. Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. This month, Lynn of Savor the Harvest , is hosting the French Winophiles as we celebrate the holidays French-style. You can read her invitation: here . Merci beaucoup  to Michèle Piron,  Vinconnexion , and  Vignobles & Signatures ,  our generous event sponsors! I received four beautiful bottles of French wine and will share all of them in turn, but for this French Winophiles Fête, I'm sticking with a quintessential classic: Champagne. This bottle from one of the event sponsors Drappier. There were more than a few discussions of what makes something 'French-style'. And you can see the outcome. If you are reading this early enough and are so inclined, join us on a live Twitter chat: Saturday, December 15th at 8am Pacific. Or search for the hashtag - #Winophiles - and read a...