Here we are at the December event for The French Winophiles, a wine-swilling, food-loving group started by Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva and, now, jointly coordinated by Jill of L'occasion and Jeff of Food Wine Click.
Here's Jill's full invitation: here. While Champagne as a holiday theme seemed natural, the group wanted to open up the field to "any French wine that bubbles." This is the last French Winophiles session of the year. Stay tuned for more fun in 2017.
#Winophiles French Fizz Team
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator: In the Pinkwith Fresh Seafood Crepes, Bisque
- Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog: Patrick Bottex “La Cueille”Bugey Cerdon Rosé
- LM from binNotes: Celebrating Grower Champagne
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Crisps, Caviar, and Crémant de Limoux
- Jeff from Food Wine Click: Master the Saber with French Fizz
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm: Creme Brulee paired with some French Fizz
- Jill from L’occasion: Fascinating: Crémantd’Alsace
The Conversation
Join us for a live Twitter Chat Saturday, December 17th at 11 am EST/8 am PT. You may join in the revelry by following hashtag #winophiles. Join us for our upcoming events by emailing your post title to Christy at culinarydiva@icloud.com or Jill at jillbarth@msn.com. A Vôtre Santé!
In My Glass
On My Plate
Procedure
Place a dollop of crème fraîche on top of a chip. Top with caviar. Serve with bubbly.
I actually had lots of fun with French fizz this month, including a Crémant de Bourgogne and a Crémant de Loire. But I decided to share a Crémant de Limoux.
Before the more well-known sparkling wines - Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava - there was sparkling wine in Limoux, France. In the early 1500s, monks at the St. Hilaire Abbey were producing a semi-sweet sparkling wine from blanquette, the white Mauzac grapes of the region. And like most monastic breweries and wineries, those initial bottles were likely produced by accident.
In fact - well into the 1700s - the bubbles from a secondary, in-bottle, fermentation were even considered a flaw in the wine. Now, they are the goal. Crémant is made by bottling the wine with liqueur de tirage - a syrup made of extra yeast and a small amount of sugar. That sugar is digested by the yeast, creating a bubbly, dry wine.
I poured the Sieur d’Arques Toques et Clochers Crémant de Limoux NV Sparkling Wine. And it was pure deliciousness. Crémant sparkling wines are made using the traditional Champagne method, but they’re not made in the Champagne region.
If you’re craving and old world, elegant bubbly this Toques et Clochers is a great substitute at half the price. This sparkler is dry, crisp on the palate with a lengthy saline finish.
Before the more well-known sparkling wines - Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava - there was sparkling wine in Limoux, France. In the early 1500s, monks at the St. Hilaire Abbey were producing a semi-sweet sparkling wine from blanquette, the white Mauzac grapes of the region. And like most monastic breweries and wineries, those initial bottles were likely produced by accident.
In fact - well into the 1700s - the bubbles from a secondary, in-bottle, fermentation were even considered a flaw in the wine. Now, they are the goal. Crémant is made by bottling the wine with liqueur de tirage - a syrup made of extra yeast and a small amount of sugar. That sugar is digested by the yeast, creating a bubbly, dry wine.
I poured the Sieur d’Arques Toques et Clochers Crémant de Limoux NV Sparkling Wine. And it was pure deliciousness. Crémant sparkling wines are made using the traditional Champagne method, but they’re not made in the Champagne region.
If you’re craving and old world, elegant bubbly this Toques et Clochers is a great substitute at half the price. This sparkler is dry, crisp on the palate with a lengthy saline finish.
I hesitated to share this because it's hardly a recipe. It's more about shopping for the right ingredients. But it's simple and it's festive. And we could all use a little more simplicity this time of year, can't we?!
From Thanksgiving through New Year's, I feel like a crazy Elf who jumps between coffee in the morning and wine in the evening. And, in between that, there's a just a bunch of holiday mayhem.
Once you have all the ingredients, it’s a breeze to assemble. Just be sure to do so just before serving so the chips stay nice and crisp.
From Thanksgiving through New Year's, I feel like a crazy Elf who jumps between coffee in the morning and wine in the evening. And, in between that, there's a just a bunch of holiday mayhem.
Once you have all the ingredients, it’s a breeze to assemble. Just be sure to do so just before serving so the chips stay nice and crisp.
Ingredients
- chips
- crème fraîche
- caviar
- bubbly
Procedure
Place a dollop of crème fraîche on top of a chip. Top with caviar. Serve with bubbly.
Wow what a simple and elegant pairing! Perfect! Thanks for sharing Camilla. Cheers!
ReplyDeletePerfect holiday pairing...very fancy schmancy with no hard work.
ReplyDeleteHa! Now that's a recipe I can follow! And I know it paired well with the Cremant! Sparkling wine loves chips and salty foods! Merry Christmas to you and your Cam!
ReplyDelete