American in Paris (Drinking Wine)

Hey Everyone,

Today I am writing to you all on the last night of my trip to Paris, where I've been wandering aimlessly and without itinerary for about 4 days now.  No agenda, no contacts and no travel companions has led me to realise that my best friend in this city right now is a good bottle of wine and I am happy to report that I have been spoiled rotten.

Before I get into the more enjoyable parts of my visit and talk about the wine one can find in Paris, I will acknowledge the shortcomings of the French wine market.  While this country produces more wine  than any other apart from Italy and is known around the world for leading the rest in quality and fame for it's producers, there is a lack of context for it all.  I mean to say that I have seen exactly one bottle of Spanish wine (2007 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva) and not much else from outside of France.

What I lamented in particular was the absence of many interesting wine regions of this very country.  In my visit to many different caves in the city I came across one Bandol, one Cumieres, one Cahors and two Juras (a red and a white from the same producer next to each other on the shelf).  I was hoping for a chance to find a selection of unique French wines I may not have heard of, but by and large all that was on offer consistently was very recent Bordeaux Supérieur, Dotes du Rhone, Bourgogne Aligoté (oddly enough) and a large amount of Petit Chablis.  Then of course there was the ocean of Beaujolais. I've come to the conclusion that Paris is less concerned with the variety and more focused on a consistent selection.

That said, I was lucky enough to find two or three very good shops in Paris and I was able to grab a couple of nice bottles during my time here.  One such shop, identified only by the titles "Cave des Cigares, Cave des Vin" was a shop very much up my alley.  Aside form finding a myriad selection of cigars from some of my favourite houses at a fraction of the British price, I also found an interesting assortment of Bordeaux and Rhone.  I could count perhaps 40 wines in total but the selection was an exciting one.  With under twenty Euros I was able to grab a 2000 Saint-Émilion which was really fabulous stuff as well as a brilliantly concentrated 2009 Cahors.

I've never had a good Cahors and this one for under ten quid was a nice cheapie.  It was rich and had a thick layering of black currant, smoke, flint and really firm tannins.  I know why this stuff doesn't come often to the UK seeing as it is somewhat impenetrable for all that tannin and acidity, but when you get your palate to grips with it, it's like gaining a taste for cask strength whisky; it pleases on a whole new level.

Just on the other side of the hill of Montmartre and the Sacre Couer lies the neighbourhood of Abbesses; the only part of town where people would put up with my poor French and encourage me along.  The Cave des Abbesses is pretty much a hall way lined with shelves and bottles and here I found a wide selection of mature wines for a damn good price.  From 2001 alone I found bottles of Cornas, Côte-Rotie, Bergerac, Pomerol and half a dozen other amazing appellations allowing the drinker the chance to buy wine ready to go or age depending on preference.  A nice collection of white Burgundy, white Rhône and bordeaux blanc (I treated myself to a bottle of white Graves for the composition of this post) made for an interesting range of whites, especially for the oak-crazy palate I get at this time of year.

The one to take the cake and eat it too, however was the Épicerie Legrand Filles et Fils, located on Rue de la Banque in the 2nd Arrondissement may be a bit out of the average price range, and in particular seeing as I was on my own, however it was a uniquely engaging place.  A good selection of Wines from pretty much every major appellation as well as a great selection of half bottles including Chateau Gazin, Beychevelle and others made for interesting browsing.  Of particular interest to me was the wide selection of top notch growers' champagnes and a fair selection of single malt.  The shop itself was never overly self conscious with the newer parts being evidently new but tasteful and the older rooms showing their age gently, and none of the faux-olde-worlde look a lot of wine shops go for.

The tasting room was more of a bar with the sort of feel that it could equally welcome a business lunch as it could host a couple of curious twenty-year-old oenophiles.  The selection of first growths in magnum, double magnum and larger was certainly inspiring.

As my bottle of Graves grows more and more empty I am afraid I am becoming sentimental about my trip to Paris.  Rarely does one spend so long without conversation, or so much time within one's own thoughts, yet I find the situation invigorating.  While I can tell that Paris is a city for pairs, it isn't all bad for ones, and if you can find a spot in the big city for yourself you will enjoy your stay to be sure.  I look forward to returning to Paris with company and to venture more regularly into the wine world of this city but for now I leave you with these bits of wisdom from a wine-loving traveller; look high and low in Paris and you will certainly be rewarded with some of the best wines you can find.

Much Love,
G

Putting my money where my mouth is- Taste Off!

Hey Everyone,

I admit that I am sometimes guilty of prejudice. I just tend to favour certain brands over others and sometimes without good reason. This case occurred most recently with the fabricated competition between St. Andrews' two breweries.

I decided today to take account for what I've been saying, and have a blind taste of comparable beers side by side. I will qualify this by saying that neither of these beers was bad, but two of them did not find their way to my palate. I undertook this tasting with several friends of mine and we came to a surprisingly uniformed consensus. Here are our findings

Blind Taste Comparison... St. Andrews v Eden.

Gold 1- Very clean nose, with a hint of copper oxide. Neutral ish with a gentle spice character. Finish is short, and a touch metallic. Not bad; over all refreshing. I prefer this.

Gold 2- much richer, a bit of vanilla and a strange sharpness of aroma; vom? Palate is yeasty? strangely sweet but also bitter, a bit confused, with a short finish but awkwardly lingering aftertaste. Not as refreshing, but bigger in flavour. Not terrible but not as good. Why no bubbles?

Dark 1- Head is a bit darker, creamy in colour: Coffee and bitter chocolate aromas a hint of brine and a touch of smoked fish. A bit of a richer palate, touch of smoke. I prefer this one.

Dark 2- White-grey head. Cleaner, not as rich in aroma, lightly toasty. Palate is as light as the nose. Pleasant but not quite big enough for me.

The beers, in order were as follows: St. Andrews Brewing Co. Fife Gold, Eden Brewery St. Andrews Gold, Eden Brewery Porter, and finally St. Andrews Brewing Co. Oatmeal Stout. So, basically, the score was 1-1. I chose Fife Gold and Seggie Porter as the better of the four. Each brewery had it's strengths and I liked all the beers well enough. We even put the tasting to a few customers who were similarly split on these beers.

What this tells me is that this town is big enough for the both of them, so I think that this bodes well for the future of St. Andrews' beer culture!

Much Love,

G.

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