Tag Archives: #winophiles

Did someone say French Wine and Gourmet Grilled Cheese? #Winophiles

I bet I’m not the only one who comes running if someone so much as whispers “French Wine and Cheese”!

You could simply say brie, but you’d have me doing a 400 yard dash for

  • “Camembert” — a cow’s milk from Normandy
  • or “Emmental” — a cow’s milk from Savoie
  • or “Brillat-Savarin” — a cow’s milk from Burgundy
  • or “Roquefort” — a sheep’s milk from the Pyrenees
  • or “Delice” — a cow’s milk from Burgundy
  • or  “St Augur” — a cow’s milk from Auvergne
  • or Crottin de Chavignol — a goat’s milk or chèvre
  • or “Morbier” or “Mimolette”  or …
  • so many cheeses, so little time!

Major AOC cheeses: the size of the symbol equates to the size of production (from Wikipedia)

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Discover Lirac’s Southern Rhone Palate with the #Winophiles

Ever heard of Lirac wine before?

If you’re a typical American, probably not. If you’re a regular Rhone wine drinker, maybe.

Regardless it’s time to add the palette of Lirac to your palate!

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Sweethearts: French Wines Paired With Mini-Pizzas #Winophiles

Who doesn’t love PIZZA?

Especially on National Pizza Day when you’re celebrating your sweetheart’s Valentine’s Day birthday with French wine and heart shaped pizzas?

That was us on February 9, National Pizza Day when we gathered at Sue’s to celebrate John’s birthday with gourmet sweetheart pizzas — big enough to share with two, fun to share with all!

Because this February focus on L’amour. Continue reading →

Do you know the way to Beaujolais? We do! Part 2 with Coq a Vin!

Pair with pate and triple cream brie — together!

Do you know the way to Beaujolais?

You should!

Beaujolais is a great greeter wine– a wine to greet guest with to rev up there palate and say HI!. Much like Sauvignon blanc can be a greeter wine, beaujolais has acidity and brightness, it awakens the palate and prepares you for what’s to come. Pair this wine as a greeter wine with pate and a triple cream brie and your guest will love you!

So do you know the way to Beaujolais? Continue reading →

4 French Wine Finds $20 and under paired with Croque Monsieur and Monte Cristo Grilled Cheese

4 French Wine Finds $20 and under paired with Croque Monsieur and Monte Cristo Grilled Cheese and a simple summer salad

Many of us think of French wine and food as fussy and difficult and expensive. But that is definitely not true as you can tell from a visit to your nearby Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Bevmo where you can find a number of French wines under $20 as well as heat and eat food. However, with a little effort, you can have an amazing gourmet yet causal meal without spending a great deal on food or wine.

So! What do you get for $5 or $10 or $20 for a bottle of French wine?

Recently we tasted four wines in four glasses — all at $20 or under and we paired them with grilled cheese — French style two ways. Continue reading →

Finding and Pairing Wine, Cheese, and Spirits from SouthWest France for French #Winophiles

map of southwest France from Wikipedia

This month’s French #Winophiles challenge is to find, taste, and write about wine from the Southwest region of France — or in French,  Sud-Ouest. Like the name suggests, the region is located in the southwest of France: south of the more famous Bordeaux and west of the lesser known Languedoc.

We found several yummy cheeses from South West France at Fromagerie Sophie! Pictured: owners, educators, cheesemongers Paul and Sophie

According to Wikipedia, Romans cultivated wine grapes there long before Bordeaux!

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