well it was a little touch and go there for awhile. Olivier Schoepfer from Accents du Sud Ouest was in Reykjavík, Iceland after two days of delays trying to get here from France. Air France went on strike and Olivier was in the throws of one hell of a commute. the tasting was to begin at 7PM and Drew (owner of Oz Pacific--importer and distributor of fine wines from around the world and ex-bar manager at Les Zyg who actually hired me oh so many years ago) and i were wondering if Olivier would get here in time. sure enough, a mere 30 minutes late, Olivier arrived and we tasted some amazing wines from Southwestern France. We don't see nearly enough wine from this area of France, but they can be quite remarkable. one wine in particular piqued my interest: a Madiran made from the highly tannic tannat grape. tannat is very buzz-worthy these days as it has been shown to have more anti-oxidants than any other grape variety (save perhaps cannonau from Sardinia.) apparently many people in Madiran lives to be 90+ so it is a wine worth severe consideration. in the past, Madiran was undrinkable without at least 10 years of aging--the high levels of tannin making the wine bitter, chunky and unpleasant in its youth. these days new methods of production allow for temperature controlled fermentation, a shorter soak to allow for more extraction of color and less tannin, and a process called micro-oxygenation. this process introduces a minute amount of oxygen to the wine as it sits in tank--softening the harsh tannin and removing a bit of the rubbery aroma of the wine that some find unpleasant (present company excluded.) nowadays, Madiran can be enjoyed much earlier and it has much to offer: aromas of black pepper, black cherry, fig, grilled bread and yes--rubber. the flavors are intense and thick. Madiran is often high in alcohol, giving it a viscous mouthfeel.
anyway, i could go on and on. the wines were great. the pairings were right on: smoked scallops, calamari, house made sausages and Brébis--a sheep's milk cheese from the Southwest of France. we ate. we drank. we talked about how the French love to go on strike and we discussed the nightlife in Reykjavik (they like to boogie.) all-in-all a great tasting.
i can't wait for next week's Tuesday Night Tasting where we'll present wines from Argentina--land of meat and Malbec. don't forget Beaujolais Nouveau Day on Thursday, November 15. that's the day the Beaujolais Nouveau is released, celebrating this year's harvest in Burgundy. we're going to have a Beaujolais Blow Out at 8PM with a great three-course dinner and plenty of B.N. (what? i'm tired of writing Beaujolais Nouveau every time. oh man! i did it again!) call 617-542-5108 for details.
planning to live past 90+ thanks to Madiran,
geoffrey
Tuesday Night Wrap-Up
