Cultural Lesson # 7: French wine- making it
After a vineyard tour and several wine tastings, I have begun to realize how much passion, sweat, and labor is in each bottle of French wine (figuratively, of course). Le vin et la vie (wine is life). Take for example the town of Chateau-neuf-du-pape where I tourned a vineyard in February. This wine town has roughly 1000 inhabitants and 350 vineyards. For those of you who didn't expect to get a math problem when coming to my blog, that's more than 1 vineyard per three persons.
And linking your life to wine in France means linking your life to mother nature. In France, irrigation, heaters, and any other method that manipulates the earth are forbidden for vignerons (winemakers). This means that the flavor of the wine for any given year is completely dependent on the weather of the region. Wet, dry, sunny, cloudy, hot, cold: every change makes a difference.
The number of facteurs which effect the flavor and depth and color of wine for the proccess of growing the grapes are just as infinite for the proccess of making the wine. The barrel (type of wood and size), the temperature at which the wine is stored during fermentation, and how long the wine is left to mature all influence the final product. At Chateau-neuf-du-pape, they have found their "perfect temperature" which is maintained naturally throughout the year in their underground caverns. There were four different barrel sizes (photos to come, I'm away from my computer right now!) for the different varieties of wine.
I feel so fortunate to have been introduced to this art form at such a young age. It's not hard to understand why, for many people in France, wine is such a cultural staple. There's nothing quite like having a glass of wine with dinner that was made 40 km down the road!
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Une dégustation de vin
Cultural Lesson # 6: French Wine- Tasting it
Method for wine tasting:
1) How does the wine look? Hold the wine up to the light or to a white background and observe its true color. Color is our first indication of how the wine will taste (red, white, rosée, etc.).
2) How does the wine smell? Stick your whole nose into the glass (don't feel silly!). One wine guide once told our group that you may have a certain nostrile more sensitive than the other. You want to try to discern the different scents that make up the wine (ex. floral, wood, fruit, or spices). Everyone has the capacity to identify scents and flavors, it is just a matter of what your mental catalogue is. Ever since my first vineyard tour, I have taken every opportunity to eat a new type of fruit and to really memorize the scent and flavor.
3) Swirl like a snob. It's not pretentious, it's necessary! Performing this motion for 10-20 seconds aerates the wine and releases the vapors allowing you to better perform step 4.
4) Smell it again! In addition to discerning the different scents, note whether or not it smells good to you. Is it making you salivate (I know this sounds weird, but just be mature about it)? Is it a wine you want to drink?
5) Finally the tasting! Only after using all of your other senses are you ready to use your taste buds! It is best to sip the wine and get as much oxygen in your mouth as you can (by sort of sucking air in through your teeth as the wine is in your mouth). Make sure you roll the wine through all parts of your mouth before you swallow (or spit it out, if you're classy like me and don't want to get tipsy at a wine tasting). Different parts of our mouth detect different types of tastes.
6) Wait for it! The aftertaste is also very important when assessing a wine.
Basically, I'm a wine snob now.
Stay tuned for part two where I talk about French vineyards and the wine making process!
Method for wine tasting:
1) How does the wine look? Hold the wine up to the light or to a white background and observe its true color. Color is our first indication of how the wine will taste (red, white, rosée, etc.).
2) How does the wine smell? Stick your whole nose into the glass (don't feel silly!). One wine guide once told our group that you may have a certain nostrile more sensitive than the other. You want to try to discern the different scents that make up the wine (ex. floral, wood, fruit, or spices). Everyone has the capacity to identify scents and flavors, it is just a matter of what your mental catalogue is. Ever since my first vineyard tour, I have taken every opportunity to eat a new type of fruit and to really memorize the scent and flavor.
3) Swirl like a snob. It's not pretentious, it's necessary! Performing this motion for 10-20 seconds aerates the wine and releases the vapors allowing you to better perform step 4.
4) Smell it again! In addition to discerning the different scents, note whether or not it smells good to you. Is it making you salivate (I know this sounds weird, but just be mature about it)? Is it a wine you want to drink?
5) Finally the tasting! Only after using all of your other senses are you ready to use your taste buds! It is best to sip the wine and get as much oxygen in your mouth as you can (by sort of sucking air in through your teeth as the wine is in your mouth). Make sure you roll the wine through all parts of your mouth before you swallow (or spit it out, if you're classy like me and don't want to get tipsy at a wine tasting). Different parts of our mouth detect different types of tastes.
6) Wait for it! The aftertaste is also very important when assessing a wine.
Basically, I'm a wine snob now.
Stay tuned for part two where I talk about French vineyards and the wine making process!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Communion wine is better in France
Peur du jour- 18 Mars 2012: Branching out
It's so easy to get into a routine (well, for me). For me it's so easy to find little excuses to just stick to what I know. But tonight I decided to try a new church (gutsy, I know). A friend that I made last weekend on the retreat lives with the Dominican monks in Montpellier and he said that the mass there is really fantastic. Luckily, it's not too far from where I live and the time more or less worked with my schedule (we eat dinner at 20h00 every night).
So Beth and I ventured to this church to try something new. And it was maybe the best church I've been to in Montpellier. There was an interesting juxtaposition of medieval architecture and contemporary art. The choir was FANTASTIC and the way that the voices just filled the barrel vaulting of the church was truly incredible. Also the wine at communion was out of this world (it is the blood of Christ, after all). I actually have not seen wine at communion since I've been to France and I usually don't even take the wine because I'm such a germaphobe (but my friend jokingly said that the Dominicans have the best communion wine around, so I figured I had to partake).
Also, it the bulletin there were plenty of concerts and lectures advertised which would be really fun to see! This week there is a contemporary organ and saxophone concert with a saxophonist who is apparently renowned in Montpellier. There's also a big choral concert next Sunday.
All in all, it was a very good choice to branch out. Lesson learned.
It's so easy to get into a routine (well, for me). For me it's so easy to find little excuses to just stick to what I know. But tonight I decided to try a new church (gutsy, I know). A friend that I made last weekend on the retreat lives with the Dominican monks in Montpellier and he said that the mass there is really fantastic. Luckily, it's not too far from where I live and the time more or less worked with my schedule (we eat dinner at 20h00 every night).
So Beth and I ventured to this church to try something new. And it was maybe the best church I've been to in Montpellier. There was an interesting juxtaposition of medieval architecture and contemporary art. The choir was FANTASTIC and the way that the voices just filled the barrel vaulting of the church was truly incredible. Also the wine at communion was out of this world (it is the blood of Christ, after all). I actually have not seen wine at communion since I've been to France and I usually don't even take the wine because I'm such a germaphobe (but my friend jokingly said that the Dominicans have the best communion wine around, so I figured I had to partake).
Also, it the bulletin there were plenty of concerts and lectures advertised which would be really fun to see! This week there is a contemporary organ and saxophone concert with a saxophonist who is apparently renowned in Montpellier. There's also a big choral concert next Sunday.
All in all, it was a very good choice to branch out. Lesson learned.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
My week in Provence
Okay, so basically I've been procrastinating with a blog post because I have no idea where to begin. Should I talk about fears? Funny stories? Life changing moments? My many firsts? A blow-by-blow account of the whole trip?
I've decided to share with you some of the biggest lessons I've pulled away from my first solo (as in without the company or planning of any "adults") journey in Europe (or anywhere for that matter).
1. I'm going to get the mushy gushy things out of the way and send a huge shout out to my travel buddies. I think we got each other through a lot of sticky situations, made each other laugh, and just soaked up everything good about France together.
Lesson # 1: Things definitely don't go as planned, but you just have to rant about it, laugh about it, and push through.
2. I feel like all of my senses came alive for the first time on this trip. My nose detected the scent of blackberry in red wine and the hints of jasmine from the perfume capital of the world (Grasse, France). My ears delighted the sound the Mediterranean waves make as they pull back against the rocky beach--like the crackling of fireworks or the popping of a campfire. My tongue swam around in all sorts of wine as I went on my first vineyard tour and lavished in the sweet and savory specialties that I explored. My skin rejoiced in the French sunlight, the smooth pebbles that cover the beach in Nice and Eze-sur-mer, and the salty feeling of sea water as it dries and mixes with your sweat as you hike back from the sea into the mountains. Sight is the only sense with which I can indulge you:
Lesson #2: Appreciate every taste and sense and smell. Think about all of the work and passion that is behind a bottle of wine or perfume, a piece of chocolate, a silken scarf. Appreciate the God-created world around you.
3. This trip also just reminded me how important it is to enjoy life. I have a tendency to get caught up in checklists and deadlines, but I am making so many efforts in France to savor the world around me (see lesson #2). One thing I'm realizing is that God doesn't just give us the bare minimum, he provides for us in abundance. I have an abundance of love, laughter, and joy in my life, and I praise God for it every day!
Lesson #3: Live your life. Love your life.
PS) If you'd like a blow-by-blow account of my trip, try looking at the blogs of my other friends. I thought I would use this space to reflect on the bigger picture of my trip (because, of course, I took copious notes in my journal each day). Maggie and Michelle had pretty detailed accounts (note: Michelle's name has two links associated with it). We didn't do all of the same things, but still shared a lot of experiences!
PPS) Also, one of my friends wrote an article for her university's newspaper about carnaval!
I've decided to share with you some of the biggest lessons I've pulled away from my first solo (as in without the company or planning of any "adults") journey in Europe (or anywhere for that matter).
1. I'm going to get the mushy gushy things out of the way and send a huge shout out to my travel buddies. I think we got each other through a lot of sticky situations, made each other laugh, and just soaked up everything good about France together.
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| Our first day in Avignon was miserably cold and windy, but that didn't stop us from profiting from the city! Two thumbs up for positivity. (Avignon, France) |
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| Missing your train and having to pay out the ear for a slower, later train is pretty sucky. But here we are with smiles on our faces! (Marseille, France) |
2. I feel like all of my senses came alive for the first time on this trip. My nose detected the scent of blackberry in red wine and the hints of jasmine from the perfume capital of the world (Grasse, France). My ears delighted the sound the Mediterranean waves make as they pull back against the rocky beach--like the crackling of fireworks or the popping of a campfire. My tongue swam around in all sorts of wine as I went on my first vineyard tour and lavished in the sweet and savory specialties that I explored. My skin rejoiced in the French sunlight, the smooth pebbles that cover the beach in Nice and Eze-sur-mer, and the salty feeling of sea water as it dries and mixes with your sweat as you hike back from the sea into the mountains. Sight is the only sense with which I can indulge you:
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| Une papaline (like "pape" the French word for Pope), the candy of Avignon. It is a ball of chocolate with Oregano liquor on the inside. (Avignon, France) |
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| Enjoying a glass of rosé in the town where it was first made in France (Tavel, France) |
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| Orange trees at the International Museum of Perfume (Grasse, France) |
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| The beach on a peaceful, mid-morning walk (Nice, France) |
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| Bouquets of Lavender, a flower associated with Provence, at the largest Fruit and Flower market in France (Nice, France) |
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| Some incredibly fresh fish at the Fruit and Flower Market (Nice, France) |
Lesson #2: Appreciate every taste and sense and smell. Think about all of the work and passion that is behind a bottle of wine or perfume, a piece of chocolate, a silken scarf. Appreciate the God-created world around you.
3. This trip also just reminded me how important it is to enjoy life. I have a tendency to get caught up in checklists and deadlines, but I am making so many efforts in France to savor the world around me (see lesson #2). One thing I'm realizing is that God doesn't just give us the bare minimum, he provides for us in abundance. I have an abundance of love, laughter, and joy in my life, and I praise God for it every day!
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| Dancing on le Pont d'Avignon (Avignon, France) |
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| Goofing around at the TGV station (Avignon, France) |
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| Candid shot of some French people shooting us with silly string as we were taking a picture (Carnaval @ Nice, France) |
Lesson #3: Live your life. Love your life.
PS) If you'd like a blow-by-blow account of my trip, try looking at the blogs of my other friends. I thought I would use this space to reflect on the bigger picture of my trip (because, of course, I took copious notes in my journal each day). Maggie and Michelle had pretty detailed accounts (note: Michelle's name has two links associated with it). We didn't do all of the same things, but still shared a lot of experiences!
PPS) Also, one of my friends wrote an article for her university's newspaper about carnaval!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Make a wish in Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer
Peur du jour: 21 Janvier 2012- Eating lots of new French things
Yesterday I went on a day trip to Arles and Saintes-Marie-De-La-Mer (can we just talk about how I saw the Mediterranean sea for the first time in my life and I loved it and it was just as beautiful as I had ever dreamed it would be?). Arles is a town full of Roman Ruins, a beautiful market, and was an area in which Van Gough painted many of his works. Arles is also the town where I fell in love with French food.
My first encounter with the food in Arles was at the enormous market where they had everything from produce and olives,
to exotic spices and honey,
to baked confections and mounds of baguettes,
to sausages, cheeses, and different cuts of meat.
I tried many samples (olives, cheese, bread, macarons, sausage, honey)
and even learned from an olive vendor that when one tries a new food,
one is supposed to make a wish. I made so many wishes in Arles!
For lunch, I had my first traditional French meal since being here. Our tour guide Jean-Paul invited those who were so inclined to join him to déjeuner at his favorite restaurant in Arles L'escaladou to experience la cuisine Provençale. I decided that the time had arrived to have a meal worth more than my normal under-one-euro-American-style-sandwhich (which remained isolated in my lunch bag all day). Dining with a native (Jean-Paul is Occitan) really enhanced the cultural experience! A friend and I shared our meals so we got to try a lot of different things:
La Boeuf Guardian: a traditional dish made with beef from the bulls which are raised in the Camargue (the delta region of the Rhone River) , olives, and rice which is grown in the Camargue
As you can see, I am going quite hungry in France. We all left the restaurant with stupid grins on our faces. Trying new foods that you immensely enjoy is just such a metaphor for life (it's about to get cheesy). In a broader sense, I realize that there is so much out there in the world that I haven't even discovered and which will bring me immense joy (people, places, cultures, vocations, ministries). It's a really liberating experience and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to experience so many new things.
One of my wishes came true (I'll keep you posted on the others):
Yesterday I went on a day trip to Arles and Saintes-Marie-De-La-Mer (can we just talk about how I saw the Mediterranean sea for the first time in my life and I loved it and it was just as beautiful as I had ever dreamed it would be?). Arles is a town full of Roman Ruins, a beautiful market, and was an area in which Van Gough painted many of his works. Arles is also the town where I fell in love with French food.
My first encounter with the food in Arles was at the enormous market where they had everything from produce and olives,
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| Des courges muscads (a pumpkin like gourd) |
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| Easily my favorite stand-- it's so nice to see and smell such beautiful spices! |
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| The Famous French Macarons |
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| Unidentified animal leg-- any guesses? |
For lunch, I had my first traditional French meal since being here. Our tour guide Jean-Paul invited those who were so inclined to join him to déjeuner at his favorite restaurant in Arles L'escaladou to experience la cuisine Provençale. I decided that the time had arrived to have a meal worth more than my normal under-one-euro-American-style-sandwhich (which remained isolated in my lunch bag all day). Dining with a native (Jean-Paul is Occitan) really enhanced the cultural experience! A friend and I shared our meals so we got to try a lot of different things:
Les Escargots de la Mer
| La soupe du possoin: fish soup with crusty bread topped with Rouille (saffron and mayonaise) and Parmesan cheese (Photo Credit to Maggie Grossman!) |  | |||||
Le Lapin aux herbes provençales: Rabbit with provencial herbs (this sauce was so good!)
La Boeuf Guardian: a traditional dish made with beef from the bulls which are raised in the Camargue (the delta region of the Rhone River) , olives, and rice which is grown in the Camargue
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| Photo Credit: Michelle Lewis |
Ile Flottant: Crème Anglaise topped with meringue (whipped egg whites)- really very good
Nougat Glace: a sort of ice cream dish with honey and whipped cream
As you can see, I am going quite hungry in France. We all left the restaurant with stupid grins on our faces. Trying new foods that you immensely enjoy is just such a metaphor for life (it's about to get cheesy). In a broader sense, I realize that there is so much out there in the world that I haven't even discovered and which will bring me immense joy (people, places, cultures, vocations, ministries). It's a really liberating experience and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to experience so many new things.
One of my wishes came true (I'll keep you posted on the others):
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