Paul No.8 Cascadais ENG

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Nº8

PAUL’S CHOICE. A DIFFERENT PRODUCT IN THE SPOTLIGHT EACH MONTH

Patricia’s

Wine month October calls for a special PAUL, resulting in three wines, two regions, and one winegrower. With the leading part going to: Château Cascadais, Corbières, Philippe Courrian 2013 Bio


perfection. By living in a small house that has its own spring, situated on his terrain, the winegrower escapes the frenzy of the Médoc. He focusses on replanting the vineyard in Corbières.

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Gold medal

French winegrower Philippe Courrian has pledged his heart to the Corbières. A very broad AOC in the south of the Aude department. In terms of volume it is the largest ‘appellation’ of Languedoc-Roussillon, thereby being the number four of France. The AOC stretches from Narbonne to Carcassonne and counts eleven different terroirs. All of these are exposed to the dry and warm Mediterranean Ocean climate and to the notorious tramontana; a dry, cold and strong wind blowing from the northwest. Greek merchants introduced agriculture in this region and it was the Romans who started growing wine. It took centuries for the farmers here to choose quality over quantity. The wines of Courrian are an example of this quality.

Idyllic domain

One could argue that Courrian devotes himself to romance. In order to get his own valley in the Corbières, he leaves the beautiful and prestigious Médoc, where his real winner, Cru Bourgeois, Tour Haut Caussan, has been made for years. Mainly the fact that money seems to be the only topic of conversation in that region, bothers him. He sells three hectares of his terroir and lets his son and daughter manage the remainder of his vineyards. He uses the profits to buy a 52 hectare terrain in the Corbières: Château Cascadais. Here he has his own valley, where the sun hits the vineyard so that the grapes can ripen to

La Roque Dansante - Coteaux de la Cabrerisse - Vin de Pays – Philippe Courrian – 2014 Bio 60% Carignan – 40% Grenache. Scent of red fruit, blackberries, cherries, wild strawberries. A pleasant glass of wine. Pairs perfectly with light meat dishes. € 6.40 per bottle, incl. VAT. Château Tour Haut Caussan 2002 – Médoc Cru Bourgeois – Fam. Courrian 50% Cabernet Sauvignon – 50 % Merlot. Perfectly ready to be enjoyed now. Pairs beautifully with meat dishes. A very good wine for a very good price. € 19.70 per bottle, incl. VAT.

WANTED! We are always looking for old, rare and special wines. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are curious to find out what you have in your basement.

PAUL -Nº 8 - CHÂTEAU CASCADAIS

One winegrower, two vineyards

In the meantime, his domain has been certified as biological and the Château Cascadais 2013 has won the gold medal at the Concours International de Lyon. Made from Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah grapes, this wine is bursting with red fruits and a hint of wild herbs. The wine pairs perfectly with grilled lamb, spiced game and mild cheeses. Do not serve it too warm, but at a maximum of 15 or 16 degrees. Place the bottle in the refrigerator and take it out again a half hour before serving. Once in the glass, the wine can obtain the perfect temperature.


Oud Sluis she works at de Kromme Dissel (*) in Heelsum.

PAUL -Nº 8 - CHÂTEAU CASCADAIS

Then restaurant Oud Sluis hits the news; Sergio Herman says goodbye to Oud Sluis and opens a new restaurant in Antwerp: The Jane. An adventure in which Zoë is more than willing to partake when she is asked to become their sous-chef. Soon, however, it becomes clear that working in Antwerp and living in Rhenen is a tough combination. Boyfriend Ralph Jonker, who at this point has been her support and anchor at their home in Rhenen for about five years, is the host and owner of restaurant Sal do Mar. Lensen decides to come home and become the chef of Sal do Mar. This leads to a complete transformation of the restaurant. Lensen introduces a concept of tasting and experiencing, in which you can share small dishes with your table partners.

Wild duck & spicy wine Zoë Lensen

Since it would take a lot for her to do it herself, we will shout it from the rooftops for her: There is a cooking talent in Rhenen! Zoë Lensen, chef of restaurant Sal do Mar has the perfect wine-dine combination to go with the Château Cascadais. Wild duck (shot) and yellow curry.

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Lensen (1990) dreamed of a career as jeweller. Later on she thought she wanted to become a lab technician. Nowadays she cooks jewels of dishes in her own laboratory, the kitchen of Sal do Mar in Rhenen. This Zeeland resident who was raised in Axel moved to Rhenen when she was 13 years old. This is where she decided to become a chef. One of her first learning companies was restaurant ’t Kalkoentje. One year later she ended up at Ciel Blue (**) in Amsterdam. After completing her intermediate vocational education (MBO) she decides to participate in the first year of the ‘Sterklas’ in Amsterdam. Once again she is welcome at Ciel Blue and in her second year she is asked to join the team of three star restaurant Oud Sluis in Zeeland. The combination of the education in Amsterdam and the long days in Sluis is a heavy one. She persists, works hard, and even wins the Silver Cooking Knife; a prestigious award for young chefs. After

For the Château Cascadais she came up with a dish of her own preference. ‘I mainly cook what I like myself’, Lensen explains. ‘This can vary from very delicate with subtle grades of acidity to more course and earthy flavours. I chose for the latter to go with the Château Cascadais. Green cabbage, horn of plenty, yellow beets, the little yellow carrot and subtle yellow curry, combine perfectly with the robust spicy wine. The crispy layer of fat from the duck connects it all.’ The recipe can be found at: www.hermanwines.com P3

Zoë Lensen Sal do Mar


By Patricia Herman

Open it, pour it and drink it. That is all you should do with this wine. No decantation required. And......make sure the next bottle stands ready. Yes, La Roque Dansante-Coteaux de la Cabrerisse is that good and happens to be one of the wines of my favourite wine producer, Philippe Courrian. The scent of red fruit erupts from your glass. This wine is pleasure to practically everyone. When they told me I was being given the opportunity to give my unvarnished opinion about wine in this medium, I insisted that I would also be allowed to choose which domain would be in the Spotlight this time. I chose the domain of Philippe Courrian in the Corbières. They produce

Château Cascadais, Corbières, Philippe Courrian 2013 Bio Tasting notes: Beautiful red fruit with a spicy note (wild thyme, rosemary etc.) Serving temperature: 15-16°C Content: 75 cl. 14.5% Price: € 8,80 per bottle, incl. VAT.

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PAUL -Nº 8 - CHÂTEAU CASCADAIS

COLUMN UNVARNISHED

a wine which triggers my emotions and takes me back in time 28 years. My brother Paul had taken over the business from our father and mother and I decided to start working with him. In those days I was a very fanatic windsurfer. Mostly I could be found on de Braakman, but what I really loved was to be on lake Leucate in the Languedoc-Rousillon in France. The weather was always fantastic, the water warm and the wind strong. After a great French day of surfing, Paul called me to tell me that one of our loyal suppliers from the Médoc, Philippe Courrian, had bought a domain in the area where I was staying. Paul had visited that domain once, in the winter of 1991, under very bad, wintery conditions. He had had to cross a river barefooted in order to reach the house. He was so enthusiastic about it that it sparked my curiosity. I therefore visited Courrian. It felt like being at world’s end. Situated in a valley, the domain had been last to be connected to the electricity grid. It was surrounded by ‘garrigue’ (low vegetation) with lots of wild thyme and rosemary. The terrain was given its character by a cascade, a large pile of rocks. Depending on the quantity of rain, the water from the spring which springs in the distance, either ripples or flows over these rocks. Breathtakingly beautiful. I was there to help with the first harvest, in 1992. An unforgettable experience. With each step I took I caught a different scent. On top of that, a wonderful and soothing quiet ruled this wild nature, or ‘terre sauvage’. I can taste all of this in the wines that are made there. Especially in the Château Cascadais, which can best be drank at 15°C and 16°C. Whenever I drink this wine, my mind takes me back to Cascadais, which to me is the earthly paradise. Just like the La Roque Dansante-Coteaux de la Cabrerisse, the Cascadais promises a lot of red fruit to the nose, but then with a spicy note which reminds me of the herbs that grow there. Ever since that harvest I go back to the region a lot. No longer to windsurf, but to enjoy all the good stuff this area has to offer: wine, delicious food, sun and CASCADAIS!

Wijnhandel Herman, Weststraat 6, 4571 HL AXEL, The Netherlands, info@hermanwines.nl, Tel. +31 (0) 115 561860


Recipe For 4 persons

Ingredients: 2 clean wild ducks at 700 g, 2 handfuls of hay, butter, 2 green cabbage leaves, rice vinegar, chardonnay vinegar, olive oil, pepper and salt, 100 g horn of plenty, 2 yellow beets, 4 small yellow carrots. For the yellow curry paste: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 peppers, 3 cm of ginger, 1 tbsp. garam masala, lemon zest, salt, 2 lime leaves. For the polenta: 150 ml vegetable broth, 30 g polenta, 1 tsp yellow curry paste. For the yellow curry crème: 1 tbsp. curry paste, 100 g curd. For the yellow curry sauce: 4 tbsp. curry paste, 100 g cream, 100 g vegetable broth. Season the ducks with pepper and salt and rub the insides with butter. Place the hay on the oven plate and briefly light it on fire in a few places. Let the hay cool down and then use it to stuff the ducks. Independently vacuum the ducks and ready them in a warm water bath at 63.5 °C for 35 minutes,

immediately cool them back down in ice water, cut the breasts from the carcasses and bake them directly on their skins. Finely cut all the ingredients for the curry paste and use a mortar to grind the whole into a nice paste. For the polenta, cook the broth along with the polenta, add the curry paste, dump everything in a container, and cut the whole into squares of 2.5 cm after it has cooled down. Mix all the ingredients for the curry creme, strain and put it in a piping bag. For the yellow curry sauce, put heat under a pan containing the yellow curry and then add the vegetable broth, add the cream and allow the whole to simmer for 30 minutes, strain, and then froth up the whole before sending it out to be served. Cut out circles from the green cabbage, marinate them using the rice vinegar, chardonnay vinegar, olive oil, pepper and salt. Cut out the yellow beets and steam them for 6 minutes along with the cleaned yellow carrots, bake them shortly before serving and season with pepper and salt. Neatly arrange all the components on a plate, give the duck its final heat under the salamander, cut it into thin slices and complete the plate with the frothy curry.

PAUL -Nº 8 - CHÂTEAU CASCADAIS

Zoë Lensen Sal do Mar


PAUL -Nยบ 8 - CHร TEAU CASCADAIS

Wild duck, green cabbage, beetroot, carrot, horn of plenty, polenta and yellow curry


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