Posts Tagged ‘sparkling wine’

Tasting Vin Crémant de Neuilly-Plaisance

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
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Vin Crémant de Neuilly-Plaisance

Vin Crémant de Neuilly-Plaisance
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Last Wednesday I blogged about my visit to the hidden vineyard of Neuilly-Plaisance where Pierre Facon produces a sparkling wine called crémant. Following his presentation, I purchased a bottle from the 2010 harvest and took it home to taste.

I chilled it overnight in the refrigerator and pulled it out the following evening to serve with dinner. Monique took the bottle and proceeded to remove the cork. All of a sudden—pow! About one-third of the crémant shot out of the bottle in a burst of foam and wine. (See the photograph of Mr. Facon opening a bottle in last week’s blog.) That wine was under a lot of pressure!

Tasting it, I found that it didn’t have the dry, yeasty taste that I like in champagne. I suppose that I shouldn’t have expected it to taste like champagne, but I was hoping that it would. Its flavor was round and somewhat fruity, not dry.

The following day it was still fizzy in the bottle (we had corked it with a special stopper that retains the pressure). We tasted it again and found its flavor closer to that of champagne. We figured that the flavor of the previous day could be attributed to the excessive effervescence in the wine.

Tasting this wine was an adventure. Here’s to future harvests at Mr. Facon’s vineyard—may the crémant flow abundantly!

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A Visit to a Vineyard in Neuilly-Plaisance

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
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La Grappe

La Grappe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

In mid-September France celebrated its cultural patrimony by opening buildings and gardens that are normally closed to the public. This year’s theme was “Hidden Patrimony,” and I profited from the occasion to visit a 600 m2 vineyard that is tucked away in the nearby town of Neuilly-Plaisance.

Getting there by public transportation was a challenge, but I was up to it: a metro ride to the Châtelet station, an RER train ride to Neuilly-Plaisance, a local bus ride to a spot several blocks from the vineyard, and then a walk uphill to the rendezvous point.

After a long wait for a group to gather, Pierre Facon, the owner of the vineyard, gave an overview of the history of wine production in Ile-de-France. He then took us along a hidden path to his vineyard where he talked about wine growing.

Pierre Facon

Pierre Facon in His Vineyard
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

His presentation was extensive and quite technical. To be mercifully brief, he has operated this vineyard since 1995, where he harvests four kinds of grape: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Arbanne. He transforms these grapes into sparkling wine, called crémant. (The process of transformation is the same that is used for making champagne.) The 2010 harvest yielded about 780 bottles of bubbly.

Wine Cellar

Wine Cellar
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Following his presentation in the vineyard, he took us down the road to his house, where he has installed his grape-processing equipment in his converted garage. There, he gave a presentation about how the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed, fermented, and transformed into sparkling wine. He has invested in an impressive amount of equipment, including a manual grape press, a grape crusher, a de-stemming tray, and a couple of stainless-steel vats. During the presentation he demonstrated how to use a refractometer to determine the amount of sugar in the grape juice.

Opening a Bottle of Mousseux

Opening a Bottle of Crémant
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis!

Then it was time to sample the wine! In front of the garage, he donned slickers to protect his clothes from the wet froth, and then opened a bottle. There was a loud pop and an impressive spray of mousse. The wine was poured and a good time was had by all!

A Glass of Bubbly

A Glass of Bubbly
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Thank you, Mr. Facon, for allowing us to see your hidden vineyard and for your very informative presentation!

Pierre Facon has a blog (in French) about his vineyard. Click here and scroll down to see photos of this year’s joyous harvest.

Next Wednesday: our impressions of the wine from the 2010 harvest.

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We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!

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