[caption id="attachment_219934" align="aligncenter" width="668"] by Doni Belau[/caption] I’ll admit I’m a bit of a wine snob. Even though I’ve experienced countless tastings in the US, France, Spain, Italy and South Africa I really don’t know as much as I should know about wine considering how opinionated I can be…
Just in time for New Year’s Eve, we visited the Champagne region for several days this past week, en famille. It was a nice chance to get outside of Paris into the French countryside and visit several cellars, sipping some of the world’s best champagne as well as to stay…
What French wines best describes you? For me, it’s champagne. It’s not that I have such a sparkling, bubbly personality; rather, I’m always ready to celebrate any occasion but typically disappear before the evening ends. My days of dancing until the wee hours have long gone, especially as my clubbing…
I owe the crux of my education in French wines to two men: Guillaume and Laurent, the French Bert and Ernie of an upscale wine and cheese shop in Los Angeles. Guillaume was the wine expert: the shorter of the two, he was insouciantly elegant in a manner Americans might…
With the propensity of les Français to pair their wonderful French wines with their delectable cuisine, is the so-called French paradox really a myth? I’m referring to the observation that the rate of coronary heart disease in France is low relative to a diet that is seemingly high in saturated…
If ever a Wild West existed for French wines, it would be the Languedoc-Roussillon. Every French wine region has a set of standards to which it must adhere—the French do love their regulations, don’t they?—known as the appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC). AOC rules range in restrictiveness from corset to straitjacket:…
Domaine Huet 2010 Clos du Bourg Approximate retail price: $30–$35 Available at major retailers such as Zachys and Crush Is it possible to be inspired for $30? This may sound like a snobbish question with regard to French wines, but, as with most of my purchases in adulthood, the quality…
The holidays are a time for food, family and, of course, French wines. Not surprisingly, during this season of giving I can often find myself a bit cash-strapped. For this month, I therefore wanted to choose a wine that was not only palate pleasing but also wallet friendly: Bouchard Père…
2009 Cuvée Roucaillat, Coteaux du Languedoc Retail cost: approximately $20 Available at Suburban Wines & Spirits Intriguing French Wines from Languedoc’s Laboratory The 2009 Cuvée Roucaillat, from the Languedoc, is an original and playful French wine from an equally original and playful French wine region. The Languedoc is an enormous…
Patrick Piuze Terroir de Chablis 2011 Approximate retail price: $22–30 Available at major retailers such as the Wine House and Hi-Time Wine Cellars As we well know, the French are extremely proud of their culture and traditions, especially when it comes to French wines and cuisine and the French language.…