BostonZest

We'll Toast December 2021 with Cabernet Franc! It's Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé

This month we'll raise a glass to the wonderful people from Cornwall's in Kenmore Square with a glass from the bottle of Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé we included in our last take-out order before they closed until March 2022.

While Ed loves going to Cornwall's for their excellent draft beer selection, Penny appreciates a pub where she has a nice selection of wines that match the food. This one is among her favorites, there or at home. 

Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé is a 100% Cabernet Franc sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley. We've enjoyed this wine in many fine-dining restaurants over the years.

We dined on the patio out front all summer and fall and, last winter, made regular visits for take-out. This year we learned that they were closing for the season. Here is the announcement on their website. We'll miss them but support them in doing what they need to do.

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!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2019 - 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

For November 2021 We'll Raise a Glass of Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche and Have a Dessert Party

Our monthly toast for November 2021 will be a rare, slightly sweet sparkler- Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche 2019. A few factors influence this choice. This wine is organic. It's from, "The Bugey, halfway between Lyons and Geneva, is one of the tiniest and most obscure wine areas in France," according to importer Louis/Dressner. It is made with Gamay and Poulsard adding a new grape for sparkling wine to our life list. And finally, it's 8% Alcohol by Volume. That is a rare find. All these factors checked some boxes on our preference list.

Here's some fascinating information on this producer and this wine from the importer.

Aware that it was slightly outside our choice for drier wines, we have decided to use its ability to step in after a meal as an excuse for a dessert party! Today we'll wander the neighborhood and pick up a few desserts to sample with this month's selection. Perhaps some of the favorites from our memory photos above.

Trying wines from different places, made with other 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!

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for $23.99.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017-2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Our Pick to Toast October 2021 Is Camille Saves N.V. Brut Rose Grand Cru Champagne

We have a few things to celebrate in October so we'll begin with a glass of Camille Saves N.V. Brut Rose Grand Cru Champagne. Camille Saves and her brothers are the current generation of stewards on land their family has had since 1894.  

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!     

Here's what we learned:

One of the great wine descriptions of all time was the one from WineCountry.com about this selection,

"Hands down one of the sexiest Brut Roses we have. Made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir and a wine I have always called, 'A librarian in fishnet stockings, smart and sexy as hell' and it is doing its thing like crazy right now. Black fruit, pie dough, citrus, sweet cured ham and all with perfect bone structure and curves."

We purchase our bottle at Urban Grape for $72. Another great recommendation from Tray!   

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We'll Toast September 2021 with a Reliable Favorite, Raventos i Blanc

We usually enjoy a glass of Raventos i Blanc de Nit Cava sitting at the bar at Select Oyster Bar. These days we are dining at a table on the little patio and this wonderful wine is not on their wine list at the moment. 

Sometimes you just want a sure thing, a winner, a favorite, something you know you'll love. That's how we're feeling this month. And, this cava fills the bill. With a bit of delayed rain perhaps we'll be able to share it with friends on the roof deck. We were able to have a wine-sharing with two special people last month and it really made our week!

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! However, we have a bottle in our wine rack and plan to enjoy it tonight. 

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's Fine Wines & Liquors for $26.99. 

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2018- 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

Our August 2021 Toast Will Be Fizzante with Gönc Winery "Canvas" Pet-Nat Pinot Blanc

For August 2021 we will take our handy bottle opener and remove the cap from a bottle of Gönc Winery "Canvas" Pet-Nat Pinot Blanc.

When Penny popped into Urban Grape during a recent Zipcar trip, she described our monthly toast with a sparkling or frizzante wine, our search for wines from new places, grapes, or vineyards, and a bit about our taste preferences. Their staff person, Tray, was knowledgeable and helpful. She recommended three exciting prospects including this one.

Today's wine is from a new vineyard for us Gönc, and a new country Slovenia! What's more neither of us can remember a fizzante pinot blanc and this is one of Penny's favorite varietals. 

It is also a naturally sparkling "Pet-Nat" or, as the French say, “pétillant naturel” wine. In the photo above, you can see the yeast that collected as the wine rested in our wine rack. Food and Wine in an article on Pet-nat explains, "Many are also unfined and unfiltered, and may include some leftover yeast cells, which can lead to a slightly cloudy or hazy appearance. (All this is fine to drink.)"

You may also notice the special crown cap. This is one made with, "...special liners compatible with the vinification and fermentation process..." 

Here's one description of the wine that has us looking forward to our toasting time. "These effervescent, refreshing bubbles with smells of fresh lemon and minerals, crisp pear and almonds springing from the bottle."

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!

We purchased our bottle at Urban Grape for $25.00.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2021 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We'll Toast July 2021 with Our First Rose Prosecco! La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé

La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé sounds like a perfect wine to toast July 2021. La Gioiosa means “The Joyous” and, as we slowly get out and about, that's how we feel. Rosé proseccos are also a new thing! And, we love trying new wines. 

This one is made up of Glera, the traditional prosecco grape and Pinot Noir, one of our favorite wine grapes! It's a slim 11% Alcohol by Volume making it a great wine to sip on a hot summer evening. 

 

The winemaker's tasting notes say:

"Delicate rose in color with hints of pomegranate, the wine is extremely fresh and aromatic with notes of rose and pomegranate on the nose. On the palate, it’s silky and full-bodied with gorgeous balance between its fruit and floral notes."

We purchased our bottle at Urban Grape for $18.00.

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!

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Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

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What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2021 Penny Cherubino and La Gioiosa

We'll Toast June 2020 with Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014

Today we'll raise glasses of Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014 to the hope that better times will last for us and especially for all our friends in the hospitality industry. This bottle was a gift from a favorite bartender, Gabe Bellegard Bastos. The Boston Globe featured him in a story about his joy that regular customers were returning to his bar at Atlantico Boston.

We hope to enjoy this bottle on the roof deck of our building, a place we haven't visited for more than a year. And, if all goes well with other commitments scheduled for the day, we may even be able to invite a friend to share a glass. 

Gabe knows what we like and he shares our enthusiasm for finding wines with a story, a winemaker doing something different, a grape we haven't tried before and from an area, we seldom taste. This bottle ticks off all those things and we thank him for thinking of us.

Here's to all the people in the food and wine business who share what they know about wine with us and other customers. They are great educators!

The site Wines of Portugal told the story of this sparkler. They wrote:

"The renowned winemaker Rui Roboredo Madeira is the pioneer of the "Altitude Wines" concept.

Beyra is the name of his wine project that results from this concept. Beyra wines are produced in the highest vineyards in Portugal, at over 750 meters of altitude.

This terroir combined with the cool climate favours:

• The increase in acidity;
• The slower and more uniform ripening of the grape which enhances the concentration of aromas and flavours
• The proximity of the sun helps photosynthesis by enriching the wine in terms of colour and alcohol content."

If the science of soil and its impact on wine interests you, here's some extra credit reading on the subject.

"How vineyard soils affect the taste of your wine" from the Washington Post.

The grape is new to us. The wine is 100% Síria, which seems to be particularly suited to the region.

Finally, this gift from a friend fits perfectly into our year of wines that celebrate friendship. Thank you Gabe and soon we'll see your smiling face across from us at the bar.

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!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino