Five Wines w/Dinner (menu)

There's a lot of slip sliding away going on here. I was not talking about Condrieu or other cool climate Viogniers. I'm not an undying fan of those wines, but the grape does well in cool climates and the wine can be interesting. And I am certainly not talking about Rhone whites in general, which I do like. If SQN whites show that kind of restraint, then I am wrong about my prediction that I wouldn't have liked it.

With regard to Claude saying that he has had many viogniers made in warmer climes that he has liked, I can only say that, without sitting down with him and sharing a bottle, I can't tell if he knows better wines than I do or if our tastes differ. Alas, we are unlikely to find out.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
Actually, I've enjoyed a number Southern Rhône and Languedoc whites in recent years that do have Viognier in them...
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Earlier this week I had a grauburgunder, weissburgunder, viognier blend from Ingelheim. Lots of aroma and not my style, but at least I was surprised.
 
Interesting reasoning and description of same. You have made me realize that I virtually never pull any of the Sauternes I have on hand, the exception being those occasions when I have guest(s) who especially appreciate them...PP.. . . . . Pete
 
I think of Sauternes as mawkish and unrefreshing, but on the relatively few occasions that I open a bottle, they're not (my tastes and thus my cellar run to the Barsac side -- Climens, Coutet, although I do have some true Sauternes). But the truth is, I don't think of starting with them with foie gras* and by cheese I'd rather another red, and by dessert, there's no more room.

* I should probably bring some over to Paris and experiment with the foie gras there.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
I think of Sauternes as mawkish and unrefreshing, but on the relatively few occasions that I open a bottle, they're not (my tastes and thus my cellar run to the Barsac side -- Climens, Coutet, although I do have some true Sauternes). But the truth is, I don't think of starting with them with foie gras* and by cheese I'd rather another red, and by dessert, there's no more room.

* I should probably bring some over to Paris and experiment with the foie gras there.
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Yes, I'm being unfair to some absolutely great bottles I've drunk over the years. It is overall the feeble acidities and the lack of concentration in comparison to the great sweet wines of Germany and Alsace that leave me uninspired, though it clearly isn't comparing like with like, and physiologically I have little need or tolerance for any sweet wine nowadays, which is clearly more about me than them.
One of the things I dislike about the modern no choice menu is the imposition of an extensive sweet finale, I just don't want it.
Old Sauternes with a terrine of foie gras can offer a certain magic at the cost of ruining the appetite for anything to follow. Perhaps one should enjoy the pairing as a light lunch. At one time foie gras was taken in Bordeaux in the place of cheese, served with salad and red bordeaux, which frankly has to be better than it sounds.
 
Somewhere around here I have a recipe for a cold Sauternes soup. I made it once; very rich. It is a dessert soup, not the widest culinary category, but a good change of pace idea.

I think Sauternes with foie gras is just fine. A small glass (2 oz?) and it won't enfeeble your appetite. Are you served enough foie so that you skip the main?
 
For anyone who has access to Richard Olney's Yquem (first published in France in 1985, in the US in 1986), he has an extensive chapter on "Yquem and the Table".
 
originally posted by Tom Blach: . One of the things I dislike about the modern no choice menu is the imposition of an extensive sweet finale
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I very rarely will go to a restaurant that stipulates preset menu. A la carte for me all the way. And, yes, one reason is that I, like you, have no desire for the "sweet finale"... PP .. . . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Tom Blach: . One of the things I dislike about the modern no choice menu is the imposition of an extensive sweet finale
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I very rarely will go to a restaurant that stipulates preset menu. A la carte for me all the way. And, yes, one reason is that I, like you, have no desire for the "sweet finale"... PP .. . . . . . Pete
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A few of my favorite restaurants have preset menus. I enjoy them quite a lot. It lets the chef really shine because they are cooking what they feel is their best ingredients and creation that night. It's also kind of an adventure when you don't know what the menu will be.

Preset menus also help the restaurant control costs and the servers have good idea of what the'll make that night in tips. It's a brutal business so anything that helps my favorite restaurants stay alive I am all for.

And no one is imposing a sweet finale on you. Just ask to take the dessert home or skip it all together.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

And no one is imposing a sweat finale on you. Just ask to take the dessert home or skip it all together.
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Did a double-take here.

Wasn't sure if I had missed the latest restaurant trend.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

And no one is imposing a sweat finale on you. Just ask to take the dessert home or skip it all together.
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Did a double-take here.

Wasn't sure if I had missed the latest restaurant trend.
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Hahaha. I am not sufficiently caffeinated is my only excuse
 
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