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Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
I went to a book party last night and drank too much chardonnay, so I'm showing my grape picking ventures today...
October harvest in Riquewihr, Alsace, is one of the most beautiful anywhere. I got to stand on a hill and sling a pair of shears for few hours. My 'payment' - to sit at the long vineyard table and share a huge luscious lunch. Alsatian grape picking is a family affair. Every member shows up to help with les vendanges.
At Regaleali Vineyard in Sicily I just watched. The pickers sang, chatted, smoked, picked grapes in the most leisurely fashion. You can take cooking lessons here with Countess Anna Tasca-Lanza.
Napa Valley grape pickers don't walk.They race to get the job done.
In Burgundy they used to carry straw baskets/paniers on their backs. You'll find these at Fr. ebay. You'll find all kinds of wine-related goodies on ebay.fr. I should know. I used to spend hours and $ looking for still life objects and I've got a closet full of taste-vins to prove it!
19th century Bordeaux pickers...
Figures are more fun to draw than grapes...
I'm better at wielding a paintbrush than grape shears/secateurs. Some passerby on the Bordeaux La Route du vin insisted on taking my picture back in the day when I haunted the vineyards.Lordie...
Monday, April 5, 2010
To be this kid in this candy shop...
By lucky chance I took the #89 bus an extra stop enroute to Bon Marche...
And came face à face with just 2-week old, new chocolatier-patisserie, Hugo & Victor at 40 Boulevard Raspail and rue Chomel, 75007
The name is a literary play on pastry chef's name, Hugues Pouget, formerly of Guy Savoy. There is a bookish and rare jewel feel to this store's classy concept.
The chocolates are sold in a carnet/Molekine-like box(13 euros)
French Girl fell in love as did her tea party pals - a perfect gift for hard-to-please Frenchies. The chocolates were divine she reported.
Every tiny detail is thought out and designed to be user-friendly. Very informing of the exotic ingredients and flavors...
The back wall display tells you which 5 seasonal flavours are featured-lychee, pineapple, combava, blood orange, hazelnutPlus 3 classic year-round flavors - vanilla, chocolate, caramel.
The display base offers wines reccommended by sommelier Frederic Beal to accompany the chocolates and pastries.
I returned for a tasting and to take pictures...
Impossible to choose - everything looked miam-miam...
Exquisite no?
Enfin I decided on a combava (of kaffir lime, according to Dorie Greenspan, who also just discovered H&V) verrine with tapioca - exotic, tart with a hint of sweet..
Bien sur there are macarons!
Even at night, the drama of Hugo & Victor makes you want to come back and visit.BONJOUR HUGO & VICTOR!!
40 boulevard Raspail 75007
Friday, August 17, 2007
I really only got to pick grapes one time... At the October harvest in Riquewihr, Alsace, one of the most beautiful harvests anywhere. And that was only because Ed Lauber of Lauber Imports put in a good word with one of his vineyards.My 'payment' for standing around holding grape shears in my blistering hands, was sitting at the long vineyard table and sharing a huge luscious lunch. Alsacian grape picking is a family affair. Everyone knows everyone else and every member of the family shows up to help with les vendanges.
At Regaleali Vineyard in Sicily I just watched, as the pickerssing, chat and pick the grapes in a most leisurely fashion. You can take cooking lessons there with the Countess Anna Tasca-Lanza.
I only imagined these Tuscan grape pickers. I was never there at harvest time. Tuscan vineyards are some of the most beautiful and idlyic. In Napa Valley, California, the grape pickers don't walk.They run or race to get the job done. More imagined grape pickers, this time in Burgundy where they used to carry big straw baskets/paniers on their shoulders.
You can sometimes still find these at French ebay...
You can sometimes still find these at French ebay...
I used to spend hours looking for so-called still life objects. I've got a kitchen closet full of taste-vins to prove it!
Imagined 19th century Bordeaux pickers... More imaginary grapepicker doodles.The figures are more fun to draw than the grapes... I'm way better at wielding a paintbrush than a pair of grape shears/secateurs if I may say so. Some passerby on La Route du vin in the Medoc insisted on taking this quaint picture.Lordie...
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