Drink of the week

The team at DiscoverVin are thrilled with our first newspaper review which confirms what we already know! We have some great value for money wines. 


This review of the  Chateau Jolys Jurancon sec 2009 was written by Wendy Hargreaves, Food and Wine Writer for the Herald Sun. She named the wine Drink Of the Week, saying "Fans of sauvignon blanc looking for something new to try will love this well-priced French drop.   Like the ubiquitous Kiwi white, the Chateau Jolys Jurancon Sec ($17.99) is dangerously easy to drink—crisp and dry, but not overly so,with a more elegant fruity flavour than explode-in-your-mouth sauv-blancs. This wine, from Bordeaux in the south of France, would be a perfect match for seafood and shellfish, but also goes down a treat with pre-dinner dips and nibbles."


Some readers will realise that this wine is from near Boredeaux in the region of Jurançon, but well said Ms Hargreaves!




Get in quick http://www.discovervin.com.au/p.php?q=%2Fshop%2Fitem%2Faoc-juranon-sec-blanc

Three tasting opportunities for our unique wines

3 upcoming opportunities to taste wines from DiscoverVin


1. French Wine tasting 
Casa de Vinos, Port Melbourne-Thursday 12th May 2011
see our earlier blog http://discovervin.blogspot.com/2011/04/wine-tasting-coming-up-next-month-in.html


2. Alliance Française Albury-Wodonga French Film Festival 
Regent Cinemas Albury- Friday 27th May 
Opening session ticket includes nibbles and wine from DiscoverVin


Tickets limited so call Regent Cinemas for bookings
Our out of town friends might use this as an excuse for a weekend in our beautiful region. Why not check out a few wineries our maybe a meal and a glass of DiscoverVin wine at Source Dining or GiGi's of Beechworth?


3. For our friends in Brisbane
Monday 30th May 1500-1900
Story Bridge Hotel, Main Street, Kangaroo Point

Madiran, Jurançon, Cahors, Bergerac, Monbazillac...

...iconic appellations less often seen in Australia compared to other French regions. 

Broaden your knowledge about these up and coming regions that use grape varieties such as manseng, malbec, tannat and the classic Bordeaux grape varieties. Taste some great value wines from the best producers in each region from the best vintages. 

Sommeliers Australia members: $25
Non-members: $50 
To book: info@discovervin.com.au or 02 6020 6016.

Autumn dinner party inspiration - Jurançon Sec and mushroom soup - delightful match

We recently posted 2 blogs about superb wine and food matches that we enjoyed over Easter - seafood paella and Ch La Rayre Begerac Rosé 2009 and coq au vin with sauce Madiran matched with Domaine du Crampilh Vieilles Vignes MAdiran 2006 . The trilogy in this unintented seres was last nights dinner. 

Lady Helen picked some fresh field mushrooms from our paddocks, some herbs from the herb garden, some lemons  and conjured up a delicious soup using a recipe published in Stephanie Alexander's food bible the Cooks Companion which many of you no doubt have on a shelf in your kitchen (and if you dont maybe its time to run and get one?!) The recipe is called Tom's Mushroom Soup. Helen used a lot less cream than that stated and it was still rich and delicious. 

Cream of something soup can be a challenging wine match. Some use a dry white and sherry can be a great match. The recipe included 3/4 cup white wine so we opened a Ch Jolys Jurançon Sec 2009 and at this great price one can use it anytime including in a soup! From the excellent 2009 vintage and from one of the most beautiful and under rated regions in France. So we served some with the soup and it was superb!

A delightful, complex, fruity but dry wine with typical manseng characterstics. Bright yellow colour with greenish tints. The nose is elegant and intense, with both floral and fruity aromas: honeysuckle, jasmine, grapefruit, citrus and fresh grape. On the palate, the wine is fresh, fruity and rich at the same time. The finish is long and fleshy.The fruit characteristics are typical of the region/manseng variety with tropical fruit and pineapple characteristics, and some citrus/acid backbone. The soup recipe includes lemon juice and we think this one element tieing the two together. In any case it was a great match. Hopefully might inspire some of you for a quick and easy meal or a first course at an autumn dinner party! 

We felt like we were back in Jurançon - one of the most beautiful regions in France. Château Jolys, the largest estate in the Jurançon AOC with its 36 hectares, nestles on the superb hills of Chapelle de Rousse village. Rolling green hills, relatively unpopulated and stunning views to the nearby snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains. Could this be the next big thing after New Zealand sauvignon Blanc? Discover for yourself!  DiscoverVin™ is confident that these wines will surprise and delight you. Above all the wines that we have talked about in this blog that are well made and incredibly good value wines.

Hold the press - the best easter wine and food match - Coq au vin and Madiran.

We really enjoyed the seafood paella and Chateau La Rayre Rosé on Good Friday (see earlier blog) and thought that could be THE easter wine and food match. However, upon returning home from camping decided to put together dinner from the pantry and the garden. In the garden we had last of the summer zucchini with flowers attached and the first of the autumnal field mushrooms, plus some fresh herbs. We had been wanting to try a jar of Comtesse du Barry Coq au Vin with Madiran Sauce. This is a very well respected product in France and recently available in Australia on-line at Hubert Gourmet in Perth (http://www.hubertgourmet.com.au/). At first look this looks like reasonably expensive product but it easily fed 2 adults and 2 children and at the end of the day it's a nicer and cheaper option than thai take-away. I stuffed the mushrooms with goats cheese, garlic and parsley and roasted them in the oven while reheating the coq au vin. Steamed the zucchini seasoned with salt and pepper and lemon rind. Then all was served with some couscous to mop up the delicious sauce of the coq au vin. Wow! great dinner and then there was the wine - Domaine du Crampilh Vielles Vignes Madiran 2006 which complimented and enhanced the coq au vin perfectly. The wines of this region date back to roman times and were made famous by pilgrims passing through the region. Winemakers of the region  draw on centuries of cumulated experience to ensure optimal viticulture practices, but modern techniques have brought out the best from this wine. It is made from 70% Tannat and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is a beautiful deep purple colour. An intense and savoury nose with black fruits, vanilla and leather. A concentrated palate with rich black fruit and peppery spices balanced with great structure, fine chalky tannins and acid. Intense, powerful but great length and balance. This wine represents incredible value as this wine was awarded 2 stars in France’s prestigious wine guide, the Guide Hachette 2010. So I guess this comes down not to "paella v coq au vin" or "rose v madiran", but rather how the combination of the dish and the wine enhance each to create a memorable meal.

Wine Spectator Unveils Free VintageChart+ App for Smartphones | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator Unveils Free VintageChart+ App for Smartphones | News | News & Features | Wine Spectator

Great app from Wine spectator. Our current favorite app!. Of course DiscoverVin will only stock wine from good producers in good years so the need for this becomes less(!), but nevertheless a really useful smartphone app.

Best Easter Wine and Food Match

We just spent a lovely few days camping on the banks of Lake Hume near Albury-Wodonga on the border of NSW and Victoria.  Great campsite, great weather, great friends. We celebrated H's significant birthday on the first night with surprise silly dress ups,  white table cloths, candles, candles and more candles, champagne then a great meal. A spicy seafood paella and the most beautiful wine match Ch la Rayre Bergerac Rosé 2009. A beautiful red/pink colour, great fruit and soft acid. Perfect marriage with the spices of the  paella. Perfect wine to enjoy round the camp-fire with friends. I am sure that the spicy nature of the paella would have been too much for a white and the heat would have swamped a red. Not a wine for cellaring or intellectualising about, but a lovely wine to enjoy on its own or with a meal - it matches just about everything. Three days later and everyone was saying what a memorable meal and wow that rosé!

Wine tasting coming up next month in Melbourne

12 May · 19:00 - 22:00
Location	Casa de Vinos, 227 Bay St, Port Melbourne
More info	On this class we will taste 10 different French wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cotes Du Rhone, Cahors and Madiran. All together with some French produce to match (olives, cheese, and pate!). Includes Malbec from Domaine Lagrezette (Cahors) and Tannat from Domaine du Crampilh (Madiran) Thursday 12/5 at 7pm Cost $35 Please Book as early as you can as we have limited places. Tel: (03) 9681 8006 E: sales@casadevinos.com.au