Saturday, July 28, 2018

Episode 38: Tribute Show To Bourdain and Gold, Best of Season 4 Paris GOODfood+wine

by Paige Donner

This episode of Paris GOODfood+wine is a tribute show to Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold, both great figures in the world of culinary criticism and food journalism. who recently passed away. 



 

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This is what Bourdain said about Jonathan Gold: 

Bourdain wrote about Gold, who was then at L.A. Weekly. (Gold subsequently moved onto the Los Angeles Times.) "Jonathan Gold, the food writer for L.A. Weekly, is a hero. I'm hardly the first to notice. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his dedicated and pioneering coverage of all those places in the L.A. area that nobody had ever covered before. (His award was the first for a food writer.) He gave them respect, treating little mom-and-pop noodle shops in strip malls with a degree of importance they hadn't enjoyed before."

Bourdain added, "He helped give a 'legitimacy' to serious critical analyses of Thai, Vietnamese, inexpensive Mexican, and less appreciated regional cuisines, which hadn't really existed before. He put them on a par with fine dining and wrote about them with as much — if not more — enthusiasm, helping to usher in a (very useful) kind of reverse snobbism, a skepticism about fine dining that has only been helpful and a good thing in the long run."  MORE HERE 

(Read USA Today's Obituary HERE)

And HERE for Bourdain

Episode 38 of Paris GOODfood+wine features a few of the Best of Season 4. In this show we hear excerpts from my original interviews with Jamiee Anderson , the wine director from La Reserve Hotel & Spa here in Paris, who talks to us about food and wine pairings; then from Dirty Dick's Tiki bar owner, Pigalle's very own Scott Schuder; we then go to Steven Spurrier, a fixture on the French and English wine scene, and a consultant editor for Decanter ; then we switch to Victoire de Taillac who, along with her husband, opened the Grand Café Tortoni in the upper Marais last fall; and lastly (but not least!) is an excerpt from my interview earlier this year with two Michelin star chef, Sylvestre Wahid. 

click HERE logo PGF+W with blk title title and Paige Donner 1500x1500

This episode of Paris GOOD food+wine is a tribute to two of our finest culinary critics who recently passed away : Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold. Bourdain, of course, was the host of No Reservations and Parts Unknown,  food and travel shows that became embedded in people's hearts. That Bourdain passed away here in France, makes it all the more poignant. And then only just a few days ago, Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times and Good Food radio show fame, also left us. He was a Pulitzer prize winning food journalist and a staple on the Los Angeles restaurant scene.

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So for these two accomplished and respected members of our profession, here is a show curated just for them. It is comprised of a few of the best from Season 4 of Paris GOOD food+wine. I hope you enjoy it, dear listener and I also hope that they may hear and enjoy it, too, wherever in food heaven they may be.

tly passed away : Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold. Bourdain, of course, was the host of No Reservations, a food and travel show that became embedded in people's hearts. That Bourdain passed away here in France, makes it all the more poignant. And then only just a few days ago, Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times and Good Food radio show fame, also left us. He was a Pulitzer prize winning food journalist and a staple on the Los Angeles restaurant scene.

So for these two accomplished and respected members of our profession, here is a show curated just for them. It is comprised of a few of the best from Season 4 of Paris GOOD food+wine. I hope you enjoy it, dear listener and I also hope that they may hear and enjoy it, too, wherever in food heaven they may be.



 

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Monday, July 9, 2018

Vins de Bergerac Southwest France

by Paige Donner

It seems that everyone these days can't get enough of the wines from the Southwest of France, namely the Bergerac region. It's likely just a coincidence that Wine Enthusiast named it their region of the year for 2018, since it has definitely been on its own upswing for quite awhile now. 

Gamme-Belingard

When I communicate with fellow wine appreciators from abroad visiting France, I emphasize that for quality:price ratio you can't beat the wines from Bergerac & Duras. Probably its most famous appellation (outside of France, at least) is Monbazillac, which produces the sweet wines full of botyritis-induced honey-stewed apricot notes. 

Of course, nestled in the Périgord region famous for its gastronomic food culture, you would expect the wines to match up to that. Still, for the last several centuries the region has been a bit overshadowed, at least on the export market, by its neighbor just to the northwest, which you may have heard of, called Bordeaux. However, the regions share such close proximity that the far eastern edges of Bordeaux's appellations actually touch up against Bergerac. 

The average, every day wine enthusiast in either France or abroad is not the only type of wine drinker who has become infatuated with this promising region that tends to overdeliver. The English have long staked their claim here as a retirement haven and now even landed wealth from elsewhere has been moving in and renovating chateaus and replanting vineyards as organic. 

Case in point: 

 

Chateau Monestier La Tour

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This fully refurbished and renovated chateau produces a wide range but one that is fairly standard for the region: red, white, rosé and sweet.  Their wines carry the appellation (AOC) designations of Bergerac, Côte de Bergerac and Saussignac.  The vineyards of the chateau literally touch right up against the frontier to the Gironde. 

This idyllic wine producing chateau was bought in 2012 by the Swiss family (Scheufele) who owns Chopard. They just simply fell in love with the region. Since purchasing the historic estate, they became passionate about converting their 27.5 hectares into not just organic but bio-dynamic vineyards. Their efforts are bearing fruit. The winemaker is also advised by the well respected Stpéhane Derenoncourt. 

To try: Côtes de Bergerac Rouge 2015  & Côtes de Bergerac Rouge 2016

Each are blends of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with the 2016 getting a 5% dose of Malbec, too. 

 Château Monestier La Tour

 

Chateau Bélingard

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If the château described just above is sort of this region's Cheval Blanc, then Château Bélingard could be its Figeac. Owned and operated by Laurent and Sylvie de Bosredon, the estate has been in the family since 1820. Their 75 hectares are situated in the Périgord, just a few kilometers from Bergerac. 

The château produces reds, whites, rosés and sweet wines. The traditions that allow them to make such fine and elegant wines - their white Reserve 2015 for example is fresh, light and crisp - have been anchored in the family's cellars and methods of elaborating their wines for generations. The Réserve Sec is 70% Sauvignon and 30% Semillon with its freshness belying its 13.5% alcohol level.  

To try:  Château Bélingard Réserve Bergerac Sec 2015;  Ortus de Château Bélingard Côtes de Bérgerac Rouge; Blanche de Bosredon Monbazillac  (perfect with foie gras and/or roquefort).

Belingard.com 



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Sunday, April 15, 2018

Les Vignerons Parisiens & La Confiture Parisienne

by Paige Donner

For a double-whammy on #localfoodandwine bliss, stop by Paris' only urban winery on rue de Turbigo in the 2nd arrondissement, Les Vignerons Parisiens, to pick up the jamglee du vin rouge download

that they inspired the ladies behind Confiture Parisiennes to make in their honor: wine jelly!

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gelee nuits saint georges downloadThese limited edition jams and jellies are made with wine grapes as their base and they perfectly with crackers and cheese and, yep!, dainty (or not so dainty) sips of wine.

An urban winery is a tried-and-true concept in familiar wine regions in the U.S. such as Napa, Santa Ynez and Willammette Valley - but folks here in Paris are still getting used to the concept. But Les Vignerons Parisiens is one of the most inviting chais I have ever visited here in France, and that it's just a few minutes walk from my office makes it even better!

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So if you're visiting the city and are hankering to get that wine experience in, but have limited time, Les Vignerons is the next best thing to a visit out to Bordeaux or Burgundy. The vinification tanks are on premise and they'll even tour you around the premises, explaining how the wine is made. Finish this all off with a tasting of their red and white wines - coupled now by the divine Confiture Parisienne limited release of wine grape jellies.

#localfoodandwine never tasted so good - in Paris!


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Wednesday, April 11, 2018

L'Esprit Champagne Castelnau 'Hors Catégorie'

by Paige Donner

Maybe it's because there's a woman Chef de Cave, Elisabeth Sarcelet, at Champagne Castelnau? Or maybe it's simply because the champagne limited edition by Castelnau designated 'Hors Catégorie' which translates into English as 'priceless' or 'beyond categorization,' is a limited edition unique blend? But there's something about this cuvée that truly makes it exceptional.  

Each of these limited edition release cuvées under the label Hors Catégorie are blended to stand alone. They are not a standard by which other champagnes of the house will be blended, as is the production M.O. in Champagne (with a few exceptions such as Jacquesson).  When Ms. Sarcelet blends this cuvée she does so by selecting only the most exceptional wines in the cellar and then delicately and expertly blends them to bring out only the best individual characteristics of each of the singularly vinified cuvées. Each of these champagnes released under this special label or "cuvée" is made to stand alone. 

What's even more extraordinary is that in this current release of Hors Catégorie, CCF 2067 released on 22nd January, 2018, there is only 5 g. of sugar. But its roundness and its voluptuousness would have even the most expert of champagne connoisseurs guessing otherwise. 

" For this second edition, the spirit of Hors Catégorie is ever present. As its fine bubbles burst we are transported to a universe of spice and vanilla notes. A gentle signature of oak is conferred by ageing for 10 months in Burgundy barrels made from wood from the local Argonne forest, and it is this that gives some smoky notes to the blend. An aromatic complexity develops as the wine opens up with scents of toast, candied lemon and delicate minty notes.  - Elisabeth Sarcelet, Chef de Cave, Champagne Castelnau

Elisabeth Sarcelet, Chef de Cave, Champagne Castelnau, pictured above

According to the tasting notes, the best wines for this release, Hors Catégorie CCF 2067, were selected mainly from Trépail, Villers-Marlery, Montgueux, Vitryat, Riceys and Montagne Ouest. Fifteen % from 2011 harvest and 85% of reserve wine from 2010 (a very good year in Champagne). Aged for nearly a year in oak from Burgundy. 

15% Chardonnay 

40% Pinot Noir

45% Pinot Meunier

3600 bottles. 300 magnums. Produced June 2012. Disgorged May 2017. 

Click Here for the Product Sheet


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Saturday, April 7, 2018

Episode 36: 2017 Bordeaux, Chef Sylvestre Wahid & Boneshaker Doughnuts Paris

by Paige Donner

Episode 36 Paris GOODfood+wine

For our April in Paris Goodfood+wine show, we take you this month to the city's first freshmade doughnut shop, Boneshaker Doughnuts; we bring you with us on a tête-a-tête with a 3rd generation Bordeaux château wine expert who tells us about her 2017s just in time for En Primeur; And, lastly, but most certainly not least, you join me for a sit-down with Chef Sylvestre Wahid, the 2-star Michelin chef whose 10-table dining room called Restaurant Sylvestre on rue St. Dominique, offers truly luxury dining and spares no detail in the service, the setting or the cuisine.







photos by Paige Donner, more on FoodWine.photography

So relax, kick up your feet, pour yourself a glass of whatever is tugging at your taste buds this minute, and join us for yet another episode of Paris GOODfood+wine where we introduce you to some of France's finest wine and food entrepreneurs and experts.

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photos by Paige Donner, more on FoodWine.photography

We'll begin the show with Julia Gazaniol whose grandfather purchased Château de Parenchère in 1958. For most wine estates in Bordeaux, 2017 was an especially difficult year, climatically speaking. Many estates lost anywhere from 50 – 80% of their grapes due to late frosts. It was the smallest Bordeaux harvest since 1945. However, as Julia will explain to us in greater detail, the quality remains quite good..

Fresh-baked Paris Doughnuts by Boneshaker Doughnuts on rue d'Aboukir Paris 75002

Boneshaker Bacon Doughnut for Paris GOODfood+wine

 

 

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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT PARIS GOODFOOD+WINE AND A COMPLETE SHOW LINEUP GO TO LOCALFOODANDWINE.WORDPRESS.COM
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All photos (where noted) copyright 2018  Paige Donner  FoodWine.photography

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Media Engagements, speaking and collaborations: contact PaigeDonner.info