“My life is full of mistakes. They’re like pebbles that make a good road,” said surreal artist and ceramicist Beatrice Woods. The avid journal keeper and author of I Shock Myself lived until she was 103 which she attributes to chocolate and young men.

Known as the Mama of Dada, she hung out with Marcel Duchamp and others in Paris where she studied art and acting. In one of her paintings in a surrealist exhibition in New York City, a woman rising from the bath with a real piece of soap in “the tactical position” as Beato put it, garnered a great deal of attention.

In 1947, Beato settled into nearby Ojai (as I mentioned last week in my article about the area) where she influenced the art scene here for over 50 years.

If you’ve remember the end of James Cameron’s film The Titanic, you might understand the character of Rose better knowing she was inspired in part by Beatrice Woods. Or maybe understand Beato knowing she inspired Rose!

Speaking of ROSE… The Mama of Dada also inspires a group of my creative, artsy friends who go by the name of “The Daughters of Dada.” Recently, we went to see the Erotic Art Show at Art City and to gather for a picnic next door at the Avant Garden, both in Ventura on Dubbers Street.

As the best picnics have sparkling wine, and to toast Beato as well as to toast us, I brought two bottles of Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux to share, Crémant being the term for sparkling wine from France NOT made in Champagne.

And one inspired by Amelia Earhart seemed especially apropos! The name Amelia means “striving,” and the folks at Amelia “translate her ambitious spirit through our meticulous, labor intensive work that is essential to crafting Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux in the traditional method.” Hmm this sounds just like us as well!

A few days later, Sue came over to my house and we did a more thorough tasting of the wines along with pairings.

Menu

• Cheese, cakes, salami, fruit with the Daughters of Dada
• Crab and Prawn Bisque
• Crab Cakes
• Black rice
• Squash Fritters
• Ricotta and Arugula Salad

Wines

• • Calvet Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux  2017 SRP $18
  • Amelia Brut Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux SRP $23

 

2017 Calvet Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux  12.5% alcohol SRP $18
100% cabernet franc; sample for my review consideration 

Color: Rose gold, peach, delicate  soft perlage

Nose: Sue found brioche, peach, apricot, while I got more red stone fruit, cherries and raspberries, raspberry pastry. We both found minerality; Sue found a grassiness.

Palate: Peach,  asian pear, nectarine, tart tangy bright fruit,  lively bubbles, clean finish; definitely a palate cleanser.

Sue felt that the texture on the label expressed the texture of the wine.

Pairing: The sweetness of the crab and shrimp in the bisque as well as the cream are very nice with the wine. I personally liked the crab better than the prawns at first, but then had a hard time deciding. Fantastic with the squash fritters. It liked the creamy ricotta, the arugula, and the fried squash fritter. Fried food goes so well with sparkling wine. Crab cakes, rice, and aoili were also another fantastic pairing with the wine.

NV Amelia Rosé Crémant de Bordeaux 12% alcohol SRP $23
85% merlot, 15% cabernet franc; sample for my review consideration 

Color: Pale pink, golden pink,

Nose: Perfumed nose, florals and fruit, juicy fresh strawberries, I thought of strawberry cheesecake ice cream, strawberry creamsicle,

Palate: Tart up front, strawberry rhubarb pie, or a strawberry danish, some tart cherry, blood orange/citrus pith finish.

Pairing: The bisque brings out the sweetness in the wine. I felt that the wine really enhanced the vegetables in the stock. Both the soup and the wine are enhanced when shared together. Both Sue and I loved the squash fritter salad with the wine. There was such a rich umami richness with the food and wine together. Crab cakes and rice were also amazing with the wine, making this a sparkling that can carry through from beginning to end. While Sue liked the Amelila with the entire meal, she felt it went best with the crab and prawn bisque.

In the beginning neither one of these two wines stood out from the other, and while they both went nicely with the wine, The Amelia Brut Rose went best from beginning to end.

Neither one of us wanted to turn this into a cocktail, although they would have made nice cocktails. The bubbles on both of these wines made us burp, therefore being quite gaseous.

NOTE: The next day with sushi– yum!

Squash Fritters
Makes 8 palm sized fritters; serves 4

2.5 roasted winter squash (about 4 cups)
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 C flour
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/2 C honey
3/4 C ricotta
1-2 T milk

 

1. Prepare and cook squash until mushy and soft.
2. Mash well with 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c flour, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper.
4. In a small bowl, whisk one egg.
5. In a small bowl, 1/2 c bread crumbs.
6. Make a small, palm sized wad and make an oval.
7. Dip into flour, then egg, then bread crumbs.
8. Put in hot skillet with olive oil and fry until crisp and golden brown.
9. Cream the ricotta with 2 T of milk.
10. Combine 2 T of honey with 1/4 C lemon juice.
11. Smear ricotta on plate.
12. Place arugula on cheese, then fritters.
13. Drizzle with dressing.
14. I loved mine with extra ricotta on top!

 

How did others #ClinkDifferent with cremant? Here are links to the blogs and topics; I will update with links to the posts when they are live. Join us for our twitter chat from 8-9am March 21 by following the hashtag #winophiles; questions below.

• Cam at Culinary Adventure with Camilla shares Definitively Bordeaux: Cannelés + Crémant without the Champagne Price Tag #Winophiles
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass enjoys Date night during a pandemic with Crémant de Bordeaux (#Winophiles)
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest introduces Crémant de Bordeaux, Sparkling wine from the land of big reds #Winophiles and showcases Biodynamic Crémant in Bordeaux #Winophiles
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles introduces Bordeaux Bubbles? #Winophiles
• Jeff at Wine Food Click! takes A Stroll Around Saint Emilion with a Visit to Les Cordeliers #Winophiles
• Cindy at Grape Experiences says Welcome Spring with Amelia Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé and Raspberry Clafoutis #Winophiles
• Terri at Our Good Life serves Warm brie, cool bubbles #Winophiles
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator tells Clink Different with Cremant: Bordeaux’s Sparkling Wine Paired with Crab Cakes, Squash Fritters, and the Daughters of Dada #Winophiles
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm serves Wilted Spring Greens Soup with Amelia Brut Rose #Winophiles
• Susannah at Avvinare enjoys Cremant de Bordeaux, An Unexpected Pleasure #Winophiles
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings Drinks Cool Malesan Crémant de Bordeaux and Eats Chinese Hotpot #Winophiles

#Winophiles March 2020 Twitter Questions

3/21/2020 11:00 a.m. ET Welcome to the #Winophiles chat on Crémant (Sparkling wines) de Bordeaux or from other French wine regions. Introduce yourself, and where you are tweeting from. Share a link to your blog if applicable.

3/21/2020 11:07 a.m. ET Q1 We are talking about Crémant (Sparkling wines) de Bordeaux or from other French wine regions this morning for today’s #Winophiles. Was it easy for you to find a bottle of Crémant de Bordeaux?

3/21/2020 11:14 a.m. ET Q2 Let’s hear your definition of Crémant.  #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:21 a.m. ET Q3 What are the similarities and differences between Crémants and Champagnes? #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:28 a.m. ET Q4 Which Crémants did you open? Share a picture and your tasting notes. #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:35 a.m. ET Q5 What dish did you pair your Crémant with? How was the pairing? Share a link or photo with #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:42 a.m. ET Q6 #Winophiles participants, have you been to the winery/vineyard where your Crémants were produced? If so, how was the experience? #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:49 a.m. ET Q7 How do your Crémants measure up to Champagnes? Or should we compare our Crémants to Champagnes at all?  #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:50 a.m. ET Q8 If you stand by your Crémants, what will you do to encourage people to give Crémants a try? #Winophiles

3/21/2020 11:57 a.m. ET Q9 #Winophiles Any final thoughts about Crémant de Bordeaux or Crémants from other French wine regions? Are you excited to take a trip to Bordeaux?

3/21/2020 11:59 a.m. ET Next month #Winophiles will be focusing on the Northern Rhône hosted by @syrah_queen. Join us!

3/21/2020 12:00 p.m. ET Thanks for joining #Winophiles to chat about Crémant de Bordeaux or Crémants from other French wine regions. Enjoy the weekend!