Purveyor of fine wines
Chris Smith, the host of the afternoon show on 2GB was in Villers Bretonneux to broadcast on ANZAC Day to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux by Australian and British troops from the Germans. Whilst in France, Chris wanted to sample some local produce, which was also available in Australia. On 23rd April, 2018, Chris interviewed Tamas. Listen to the interview here.
Wine and food matching is an art. It takes knowledge and experience in in both the wine world and in gastronomy and taste. Not only the basics of grape varieties and tastes must be known but also the nuances in vintage, the differences in intensity of the same wine from year to year, as well as at which stage of maturity a certain wine is at in the moment of degustation. The same wine from the same vintage will taste considerably differently at 1 year old and at 10 years old. This is the essence of the work of a sommelier. He or she must also be experienced in cuisine, and understand how taste compliment each other. The wine and food must work in harmony, neither overbearing the other.The subtleties of the surroundings should also be taken into consideration, the season, temperature, time of day, the location, the occasion, the budget and the consumers themselves, their tastes and level of experience in wines.
For the dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant in Paris, Thomas chose a champagne to start. With the 20,000 lights sparkling on the iconic tower, champagne toast was a must! The wine list was focused on Burgundy. The whites pure Chardonnay, and the reds Pinot Noir. The white Condrieu comes from northern Rhone is an expressive wine from Viognier grape type. The desert wine, Muscat the Frontignan, is a uniquely made sticky from the Mediterranean coast of France. It is available from us in Australia, read more about it here.
Champagne Mailly Intemporelle 2007 - Grand Cru
Chablis Les Clos 2010
Puligny-Montrachet Les Nosroyes 2010 - Premier Cru
Domaine Faure 2011 Condrieu
Pommard Chaponnieres 2006 - Premier Cru
Grands Echézeaux 2009 - Grand Cru
Muscat de Frontignan - a desert wine available from Le Secret Wines
Ravioles de foie gras, truffe noire, bouillon savoureux
Duck foie gras and black truffle ravioli, delicate broth
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Belle langoustine rafraîchie, délicate crème de chou-fleur et caviar gold
Refreshed large langoustine, cauliflower cream and Gold caviar
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Endives de pleine terre, jambon/Comté/truffe noire
Chicory, ham/Comté cheese/black truffle
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Blanc de turbot au sautoir, poireaux et coquillages liés au beurre d’algues
Seared turbot, leek and shellfish with seaweed butter
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Suprême de volaille de Bresse demi-deuil, céleri et truffe noire
Poached Bresse chicken breast, celery and black truffle
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Agrumes en amertume, granité citron
All about citrus, lemon granité
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L’écrou croustillant au chocolat de notre Manufacture à Paris
Crispy «Tower nut», chocolate from our Factory in Paris and praline
The "fifth" taste. We all know about sweet, salty, sour, bitter, but umami - a pleasant savoury taste is especially important when matching wines and food because both cheese and meat are high in Umami content. Our little Umami friend below was creed by Thomas. Tomatoes are also high in Umami (but not as easy to match with wine..we'll do a post about that soon).
Our Umami friend! Savoury red meat, juicy tomato from the south of France.
The spectacular Eiffel Tower is on my list for one of the most magical places for dining in the world! Our French wine correspondent Thomas recently organised a dinner for a group of clients here - what a night! The Jules Verne Restaurant has is starred by the Michelin guide - the ultimate guide of the top restaurants of France (and beyond). At 125m, they serve excellent cuisine offer an extensive wines list, with views that take your breath away! The group enjoyed the full degustation menu with wines selected by Thomas. Post of the menu coming soon!
Tempted to join us for similar unforgettable experiences in France and Italy? Travel with Le Secret Wines - get in touch for more information about our guided tours.
For more info - http://www.eagle-rock.com/artist/339AB2/Marvin+Gaye http://smarturl.it/MarvinGayeMont80dvd Marvin Gaye is an American legend. He was signed to the fledgling Motown label in 1961 by label founder Berry Gordy and scored a total of 39 US Top 40 singles for the label.
In May we had an opportunity to tour the beautiful vineyards of Burgundy with a group of wine lovers for a whole week. The week was a medley of unforgettable tastings, gastronomy at its fines and the pleasure of meeting local winemakers. Burgundy is like a jigsaw puzzle of tiny parcels, each of which brings its own character to the wine. We were amazed to find great differences in the wines of neighboring parcels - even though the grape variety is always the same - chardonnay for white wines and pinot noir for reds. The diversification that the soil - what the French call the "terroir" creates.
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to hold a tasting in a venue with such an amazing view of Sydney harbor. We hope our guests enjoyed our wines as much!
The weather conditions were almost perfect. For us at Pétrus....
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We are happy to announce that our French wine -gastronomy expert will be with us for 5 weeks starting Febuary 13, 2013. We are taking booking for events taking place during these week, from wine and cheese night to Le Secret Dinners. Contact us by email or telephone for further information.
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”
