French Fromage and Wine Tasting

FRENCH FROMAGE & WINE

TASTING

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

PRESENTED BY Natasja Mallory completed a Master’s Degree in Food Service Management at New York University, and worked for the prestigious Union Square Hospitality Group with Top Chef Tom Colicchio and restaurant entrepreneur Danny Meyer. Tasja was the first woman to lead the food and wine department of the prestige Lavinia Group in Spain and also worked for Caves Augé in Paris. Fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, Tasja is an educator and judge for the European Taster’s Guild.

Helen Gregory has worked for wine and spirits leaders such as Moët Hennessy USA, Rémy Cointreau and Robert Mondavi Winery, and has led global marketing campaigns for the European Union, Vins de Bordeaux, Wines from Spain and many others. A lifestyle entrepreneur, Helen founded a food, wine and travel communications agency in 2001, and writes a monthly column for Fra Noi Magazine and Style & Design. A graduate of Princeton University with a B.A. in Politics/Economics, Helen completed her business studies in Paris and speaks French, Spanish and Italian.

HELEN GREGORY

Wine & Lifestyle Expert

NATASJA MALLORY Cheese & Wine Expert

HOW STILL WINE IS MADE GRAPES

FERMENTATION Add Yeast. Sugar (the grape must) + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2

AGEING & BLENDING

STEP

01 STEP

02

REMOVE SKINS AND PRESS Skins are removed.

Press wine is transferred to ageing.

Options: Wooden barrels, stainless steel (unoaked).

HARVEST

STEP

03 BOTTLING & STORAGE

Grapes are crushed and delivered to the winery

At the winery and in your cellar STEP

04

TO ADD BUBBLES…

HOW SPARKLING WINE IS MADE STEP

04

CHAMPAGNE IS WINE + BUBBLES STEP Sparkling wine is easy to drink, but hard to make! It requires two fermentations; one to make wine and the other to capture CO2 and make bubbles.

05

SECOND FERMENTATION Finished wines are blended. A mix of wine, sugar and yeast is added, and the bottle is sealed. Voilà! Second fermentation takes off inside the bottle.

AGEING & RIDDLING After fermentation, the yeast die and form a sediment (lees). The bottles are gently riddled (rotated) from a horizontal to a vertical position. The yeast collects in the neck.

STEP

06 DISGORGEMENT & DOSAGE The neck of the bottle is frozen; the bottle is uncapped – the yeast shoots out with the force of the trapped CO2. Sugar and wine is added to refill and balance the acidity in the “house style.”

STEP

07

THERE ARE 1,600+ FRENCH CHEESES AND 4 FAMILIES: 1. Fresh Cheeses 2. Soft-Rind cheeses 3. Pressed cheeses 4.Blue Cheeses

MILK?

PASTEURIZED OR NOT? Pasteurized cheese is made with milk that has been heated to 161 F for 15 seconds or 145 F for 30 minutes to kill any potential pathogens. Cheeses made with unpasteurized (raw) milk cannot be sold in the US unless aged for 60 days or more.

‘LA PETITE PERRIÈRE’ SAUVIGNON BLANC, 2018 Origin AOC Loire, France

Varietal 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Tasting Notes • • • •

Shiny and bright appearance.

The nose is elegant and well-balanced with aromas of white flowers, elderflowers, acacia and light minerality.

Silky to taste with crisp freshness Finishes with fruity notes of white peaches and lychees.

Process Grapes are harvested in mid-September. The wine ferments for 8 days in stainless steel vats at 68°F, using native yeasts specially selected for their pure Sauvignon Blanc characteristics. After fermentation, the wine is racked and aged on fine lees to add more character.

Alc % 12.5

AOC LOIRE

BRIE DE NANGIS Country / region Brie, France Milk Type Cow Rind Bloomy White Rind Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged up to 6 weeks Tasting overview Brie de Nangis is made by the Rouzaire family in the Brie region, just southwest of Paris. One of the milder, more buttery bries; creamy and smooth, with a pleasant, earthy flavor. Try it with with jam, honey and dried fruits. The fluffy, pillowy rind comes from a penicillin mold.

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ALBERT BICHOT ‘VIEILLES VIGNES DE PINOT NOIR,’ 2018 Origin Beaune (AOC Burgundy), France

Varietal 100% Pinot Noir

Alc % 13.0

Tasting Notes • •

Fresh, fruity aromas (blackcurrant, redcurrant, plum).

Balanced on the palate with touches of oak and a pleasing finish.

Process “Vieilles Vignes” (old vines) is made from 25-30 year old grapes grown in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits areas of Burgundy.

Varying exposure and altitudes create a mosaic of parcels with great complexity. The extensive age of the vines results in remarkable concentration. Ageing: 20% to 30% in oak barrels, 70% to 80% in vats for a total of 8-12 months.

AOC BURGUNDY

ESQUIRROU OSSAU-IRATY Country / region Aquitaine (Basque), France Milk Type Sheep Rind Washed Rind Treatment/Age Pasteurized; Aged 8 months

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Tasting overview By legend, this was one of the world’s oldest cheeses, made by the god Apollo’s sheepherding son in the Western Pyrenees. Beneath the amber, mold-dappled rind lies an ivory paste that is very rich, with toasted wheat aromas and nutty, grassy-sweet flavors. The sheep milk curds are warmed before being pressed into wheels, making this a superb melter.

DOMAINE DU PÈRE CABOCHE CÔTES DU RHÔNE, 2018 Origin / designation AOC Côtes-du-Rhône, France

Varietal 53% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 8% Marselan, 3% Mourvèdre, 1% Cinsault

Tasting Notes • •

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Deep ruby red color with purple highlights.

The nose is very expressive with intense flavours of black and red fruit preserves with mineral notes and a hint of herbs.

Fine tannins support a long and elegant finish.

Process The vines encompass the heart of Châteauneuf du Pape/Rhône in the villages of Barbe d’Asne, la Crau, la Font du Pape, le Parc, les Plagnes, and les Serres Lieux-Dits.

Aged in a combination of traditional concrete vats and old, large, oak foudres for 12-14 months.

Alc % 14.5

AOC Côtes-du-Rhône

COMTÉ Country / region Cave Marcel Petite Fort St. Antoine (Franche-Comté-Jura), France Milk Type Cow Rind Dry Rubbed with salt Treatment/Age Unpasteurized; Aged 24 Months Tasting overview A boutique family-made Comté from cheesemaker Marcel Petite’s Fort St. Antoine aging cave (a 5th generation family-owned business). Full of flavor after 24 months of aging! Look for aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries over cut grass, wet earth and straw. There is a humble, everyday perfection in these wheels; herbaceous and fruity, and kissed with deep, heavy cream. The crunchy, crystallized texture is a hallmark of beautifully-aged cheese.

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TEST YOUR PALATE

ACID AND FAT SWEET AND SALTY

UMAMI

SWEET AND MORE SWEETNESS

TEST YOUR PALATE (VEGAN)

ACID AND FAT SWEET AND SALTY

UMAMI

SWEET AND MORE SWEETNESS

FROMAGE INSPIRATION

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