BostonZest

Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne with Great Stories for Toasting March 2019

Happy New Month! This time we are raising a glass of Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne to salute the month of March.

Today we will also toast two wonderful gentlemen, Tom Fielding and Scott O’Connor, who provided us with fabulous wine selections at Perry's in Provincetown for years.

Here's to the two of you! We hope you'll have many happy years in your new home in San Miguel de Allende. This is the last bottle we have that was one of their selections. And what a selection it is! We can't wait to taste it.

Philipponnat has its own story!

In case you didn't notice the 1522 in the top photo, we took a close up of it on the neck of the bottle. The Philipponnat family have been on this land for nearly 500 years. They provided wine to French King Louis 14th, other royals, magistrates and mayors, even to those in the Champagne region.

We have read that the current family member managing the vineyard is Charles Philipponnat who's responsible for bringing it back to greatness by paying close attention to details from vine to bottle.

No flutes for this wine. We'll be enjoying it in large wine glasses to capture every nuance of the blend.

The winemakers say:

"The Blend: 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. 20 to 30% of reserve wines are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness."

"TASTING: 

To the eye: Deep gold in colour with amber glints. Delicate froth, lively and lingering.

With the nose: The first nose reveals vine blossom, linden and fresh, lightly toasted bread. After breathing, aromas of summer berries, citrus fruit and honey develop.

With the mouth: Fine vinous attack on the palate, fruity (red currant, raspberry, ripe grape) and full- bodied, generous and long. Light notes of biscuit and freshly baked bread on the finish."

Tip: When you want to find a wine, take a photo of the back label. This gives you the information your wine shop will need to order it for you.

We purchased our bottle at Perry's in Provincetown ~$60.00

(03.01.19) 4p - Update: Be sure to drink this wine through the temperatures because it is spectacular at 55º in a large glass!

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join our Sparkling Resolution.

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We Toast February 2019 with Prosecco Venti22due from a Good Friend

The official name of this award-winning sparkling wine is "Venti22due" Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadiene D.O.C.G. 

We have a wonderful friend who shares our love of sparkling wines and often drops off a bottle of something he thinks we'll love. Over the holidays he presented us with this one, providing an opportunity to learn more about this vineyard in one of the most desirable sections of the Veneto. 

Fortunately we can share what separates this area from other prosecco producing regions in a 5 minute video from the producer's site.

We were pleased to have the refinement of this Prosecco D.O.C.G clearly explained and are looking forward to pop-in' the cork on our bottle tonight. 

Ordinarily we'd say search for this label, but since the bottle is part of a limited production run and distribution, you may not find it. In that case, grab any sparkler you like and join us in toasting February. Since we know so little about this particular wine, we're including a photo of the hang tag which tells all of us a bit more.

We loved this quote from the producer, "Prosecco Venti22due should be served at the ideal temperature of 45 degrees F (4-5 degrees C). At this temperature you can almost taste the aroma of the apple and cherry trees that grow on the top and bottom edges of the vineyard, Vinicollina Tesini."

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month.

Because we did not buy this bottle, we can't tell you the exact price or where to find it. From what we've seen online, it will cost around $40.

 

UPDATE: (02.01.19) We just toasted February with Prosecco Venti22due. It's everything described above and more! We chilled the bottle to about 40º F, served in a large wine glass (great for swirling), and sipped our way through the slowly rising temperatures. 

Snacking on sliced bits of Cheddar and cubes of a Braeburn apple made for a very special late afternoon interlude. Un delizioso prosecco!

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Courtesy of Vinicollina Tesini ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Kudos to Dog Communities

Imagine yourself walking across the Boston Common just after dark. You spot a hulking figure in a sweatshirt with a hood hiding his face. He’s lingering on the path ahead of you. Your city senses begin to tingle and you look around to see just how alone you are.

Suddenly a beautiful chocolate Lab runs up to the figure and deposits a ball at his feet and you breathe a sigh of relief. 

People with dogs bring activity and added security to our sidewalks and parks all year long, at all hours, and in all weather conditions. That hulking figure may have been making use of the Boston Common Off-Leash Dog Program. The Friends of the Public Garden who initiated the program in 2013 describe it as, “... the first approved off-leash area in a city park that does not fence off and designate a single-use restricted space in this historically open park of shared use.”

Since the hours for use of the space are 6 am to 11 pm, those people using the area do add to the number of neighbors who are around during the dark, early morning and evening hours this time of year. In fact, that hulking figure may never have caught your attention because you may have felt secure walking by a group of people chatting and playing with their dogs.

Introductions

We live in a large, dog-friendly building. Often we are among the first to meet new neighbors with dogs. Our pets are the perfect reason to introduce ourselves and, once we know the new family, we can introduce them to dog-less neighbors.

Beyond our building, we meet many neighbors and engage with them because of a connection we make via dogs. A neighbor, walking the dog because his partner was sick, once said to us, “No wonder Michael knows everyone and I don’t. He walks Jewels.”

Official K-9 officers are not the only dogs who help deter and respond to criminal activity.

Neighborhood Stewards

As a group, dog walkers spend a lot of time out and about and may notice things that other neighbors miss or ignore. This makes them excellent stewards of our neighborhoods.

In Boston, anyone with the 311 app on their phone can quickly report anything from trash left out at the wrong time or in the wrong place, to dangerous, dangling tree branches.

We were among a group of dog families who attended an instructional meeting on how to spot and report any suspicion of Long Horned Asian Beetles in our area trees. Many dog walkers have taken the time to learn about the symptoms of Dutch Elm disease and can report sightings.

Since we have bags in hand, you will often see someone with a dog picking up not only after their own dog, but also after a scofflaw who failed to pick up. Some dog walkers carry an extra bag and pick up litter left by other park users.

We have often referred to members of the dog community as an informal but key crime watch team. We know what is normal and not normal on our blocks. Criminals tend to ignore us, so we can often report that person walking down the street checking car doors to see if one is unlocked, or someone stealing packages off front stairways.

Kudos to all those out and about with dogs who add far more value to our neighborhoods than the few people who don’t pick up or don’t control their dogs, take away.

 

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011-2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino top photo istockphoto.

Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne Wraps Up Our Year of Monthly Toasts with Favorite Sparkling Wines

As our year of monthly toasts with old favorites comes to an end, we will enjoy a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne. It ticks all the boxes for what we love in a Champagne.

We often will compare Pinot-forward sparkling wines to Bollinger when judging what we like or don't like about them. This outstanding cuvée is the perfect choice to complete our goal of toasting each month in 2018 with an old favorite instead of auditioning twelve new contenders. Besides, enjoying time with old friends is always a good idea.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we've raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month. We invite you to join our Sparkling Resolution and raise a glass of something sparkling on the first of each month in 2019!

Here's what the winemakers tell us about Bollinger Special Cuvée Champagne.

For people like us who just buy a bottle of wine and enjoy it because we know we love it, taking a fresh look at the official notes can actually give us different nuances to look for and enjoy.

Details

"Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Meunier. Over 85% Grands and Premiers crus. 

Maturation: cellar aged for more than twice the time required by the appellation. 

Dosage: moderate, 8 to 9 grams per liter."

Tasting Notes

"To the eye: a golden colour, distinctive of black grape varieties; very fine bubbles. 

To the nose: a beautiful aromatic complexity ; ripe fruit and spicy aromas ; hints of roasted apples, apple compote and peaches. 

On the palate: a subtle combination of structure, length and vivacity ; bubbles like velvet ; pear, brioche and spicy aromas, notes of fresh walnut."

 

Bollinger is a Champagne to share with special friends to celebrate life's special moments or to pop open when the wine itself is to be the occasion.

We purchased our bottle at Federal Wine and Spirits, but it is widely available and can occasionally be found at bargain prices. Expect to see it in the $60 to $70 range.

Here's to 2019. Cheers!

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

BagPodz Reusable Shopping Bag Kit Is the Perfect Special Gift for Special People

With the advent of the plastic shopping bag ban in Boston, we have been giving some of the special people in our lives a BagPodz set. This has been one of Penny's favorite finds of the past year. 

We have to admit, whenever possible, we opt out of gift exchanges among our friends for holidays and special occasions. What we prefer to do is find something like this that makes life easier and really works, we buy a few and give them to the people who will make the most of them.

The special people we're giving these to are the ones who call when they're going shopping and ask if we, as car-free friends, would like to come along. For the past year, unpacking the car on these trips has been easier because everyone knows that the lime green bags are ours. To keep things easy, we bought the other colors for our wonderful drivers. 

In the photo of our green bags (above), you see that they're the size of the simple t-shirt shopping bags that have been banned. Unlike the flimsy free bags, they can hold a lot of weight without showing any strain. They come in kits of 5 or 10, but you really want the 10. Read on to see why.

We do have a supply of plastic bags for very wet or messy items, but in the case of a spill, the BagPodz bags pop right in the washer and come back strong. 

We each carry one or two of the mighty green bags folded up and held with an elastic in our pockets or backpacks for those serendipitous shopping stops. With a moment of careful folding, they even fit in the back pocket of our jeans. 

Not only do we love them, but they've also become a great hit with supermarket cashiers and baggers. You open the zipper and they pull out as many bags as they need. At the end of the order, we remind them to add the bag holder to the last bag. When we arrive home, we open the end and push all the clean bags into the holder and toss any wet ones in the laundry. They make our lives easier!

Who are the special people in your life who will love this special gift?

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Toasting December with Another Fave, Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne

In keeping with our Sparkling Resolution to toast each new month of the year, we'll be raising glasses of a lesser know wine from the great Champagne house of Billecart-Salmon. While their Rosé may get the most press, we love the Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne.

Trying wines from different places made with different grapes and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! This year we've been drinking down our wine racks, enjoying a different old favorite each month. This is one wine we did not have in reserve but wanted to include. We wrote about it back in 2013 when on a vacation in Provincetown. 

Back then we compared it to the house version of an Extra Brut. 

"We said, “round … mellow … friendly … magical …  drink slowly through the temperatures” (allow to warm in your glass)

Billecart-Salmon said, “harmony … balance … persistent and abounding mousse … freshness … rich bouquet"

Here are a few numbers from the winemakers about this Champagne:

• 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 30% Chardonnay sourced from the best Crus in the Champagne region
• 40% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay
• 50% to 60% reserve wines
• Ageing on lees : 30 months

We purchased our bottle at Bauer Wine & Spirits for ~$60. And, we can't wait to lift a glass of this old friend of a wine.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013-2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Look Where We Found a Fastachi Pop-Up!

Walking inside the Prudential Center early one rainy, wet day, Penny snapped this photo of one of our favorite small businesses, Fastachi: purveyors of gourmet roasted nuts & handmade chocolates.

Everyone, like us, who has missed them at the Copley Farmers Market, can pick up holiday gifts for themselves or others of fresh, healthy fruit and nuts.

Remember, they also have a shops on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, in Wellesley, and the main store in Watertown. 

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018 Penny & Ed Cherubino