Archive for December, 2013

A Last-minute Stocking Stuffer for Your Francophile Friends

Thursday, December 19th, 2013
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Looking for an inexpensive way to share holiday cheer? Our book, Paris Insights – An Anthology was created with the Francophile reader in mind. Written in a lively, personal style that is both revealing and inspiring, this collection of informative newsletters explores various aspects of history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light.

Published by Discover Paris!, Paris Insights – An Anthology contains 33 articles that are grouped into chapters by theme: La Vie Parisienne (Life in Paris), Americans in Paris, Tasty Treats, and Paris, Past and Present. Our article entitled “A Very Merry Paris Christmas” is the perfect way to learn about how this holiday is celebrated in the City of Light.

Just in time for Christmas—the Kindle edition can be purchased and downloaded immediately!

The Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology is available to give as a gift with free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet! At $9.95, this version of the book is a fraction of the cost of our Premium edition, and you can receive it instantly thanks to Amazon’s Whispernet technology. It is “Read-to-Me” enabled for those who like to listen to books while driving, or those who are visually impaired.

When you give your friends the Kindle edition, be sure to tell them that a Kindle device is not required to enjoy Paris Insights – An Anthology. Amazon.com provides free Kindle reader apps that allow anyone to read Paris Insights – An Anthology and other Kindle books on any major computer, smartphone, or tablet.

To purchase, click on the image below.

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Tasting Gentilini (a Greek Wine) at Mavrommatis

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013
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La Cave Mavrammotis

La Cave Mavrammotis
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

On the evening of November 29, Monique and I attended a wine tasting organized by Mavrommatis at its wine shop at 49, rue Censier in the 5th arrondissement. I arrived thinking that I would taste the resinated wine (wine flavored with pine resin) that I have heard is popular in Greece. To my surprise, I learned that the wine produced by the winemakers whom I met there, Marianna and Petros Markantonatos, is not flavored with resin. Rather, their goal is to produce wines that don’t use resin, which can hide imperfections. They want their wines to compete on the European and American markets with the best.

Marianna and Petros Markantonatos

Marianna and Petros Markantonatos
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Marianna and Petros’ estate, called Gentilini, is located on the island of Cephalonia. They say that the soil there, which is chalky and shallow and lies above a limestone bedrock, is the best type of terroir for fine wine production. Some of their vineyards are on gradients so steep that it requires the agility of a goat to harvest the grapes.

Presently, Marianna and Petro farm over ten hectares of vineyards that are planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Moschofilero (white grape of Greek origins with a pink/purple skin), Syrah, Muscat, and Mavrodaphne (black wine grape indigenous to the Achaea region). They also manage two vineyards planted with Robola and Tsaoussi, two grape varieties indigenous to the island.

Marianna’s father founded the Gentilini winery forty years ago. She and her husband took it over in 2002. Their vineyards are located around the winery, and all vinification and bottling is done there. The wine is aged in stainless-steel vats or oak barrels that come from the best cooperage houses of Europe.

Robola 2011

Robola 2011
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We tasted a number of white wines at Mavrommatis, including a 2011 vintage of Robola. Pale yellow with a hint of green, it had a fresh, light citrus aroma and flavor. It was dry, crisp, and slightly peppery at the finish.

Genitlini Eclipse 2011

Genitlini Eclipse 2011
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We also tasted the Gentilini Eclipse, made from the Mavrodaphine grape variety. With a clear, dark-purple color, it was medium-bodied with a fruity aroma, cherry flavor, and peppery aftertaste.

We were quite impressed with the quality of the wines that we sampled that evening. We found them to be as good as any French wines that we have tasted in their price range.

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Christmas Beer and Cheese Paring with Elisabeth Pierre

Sunday, December 8th, 2013
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Elizabeth Pierre with Mandrin Bière de Noël

Elizabeth Pierre with Mandrin Bière de Noël
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Just in time for the holiday season, I was recently invited to a Christmas beer and cheese paring organized by French bièreologue Elisabeth Pierre.

Christmas beers used to be brewed from the cereals that were left over in the granary at the end of the harvest season. Today, they are specially concocted for beer aficionados at Christmastime. At the tasting, which took place at Tempero restaurant in the 13th arrondissement, Elisabeth presented five different French artisanal Christmas beers and a selection of French and Swiss cheeses.

We tasted Mandrin Bière de Noël (pictured above), a cloudy, light-amber, fruity-tasting beer with no bitterness with Vacherin Mont d’Or, a soft, smooth, creamy, cow’s-milk cheese from Switzerland. The beer is brewed by Brasserie Artisanale Dauphiné located in the Rhône-Alpes region.

La Joyeuse - Bière Bellon - with La Fourme de Montbrison

La Joyeuse
Pictured here with La Fourme de Montbrison

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

La Joyeuse, a triple-fermented beer from Le Berry (a province under the Ancient Regime), is brewed from regional malts. An amber beer, it almost has the flavor of light molasses. I learned that it had been brewed with liquorice, which must have accounted for the flavor that I tasted. It was served with Gruyere cheese from Switzerland (not pictured), a mild cheese with delightfully crunchy Tyrosine clusters (tiny protein clusters that form as cheese ages).

Gaillard de Noël

Gaillard de Noël
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Gaillarde de Noël, a blond, cloudy beer from the Languedoc-Roussillon region, had a sweet-honey aroma and tasted bitter and fruity at the same time. The brewery was opened only 20 months ago in the little town of Gignac by husband-and-wife team Elisabeth and Benjamin Moinet.

La Rouget de Lisle with Mimolette

La Rouget de Lisle with Mimolette
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Elisabeth poured a cervoise brewed by La Rouget de Lisle in the town of Bletterans in the Franche-Comté region. She said that cervoise is a beer that is brewed without hops, the flavoring agent that gives beer its distinctive bitter taste. The beer had a sweet honeysuckle aroma and a honey-like flavor. We tasted it with La Fourme de Montbrison (pictured with La Joyeuse), a cow’s-milk blue cheese made in the Auvergne region in southern France. The Fourme de Montbrison is perhaps the mildest blue cheese that I have ever tasted, and I thought that it went well the mildly-sweet cervoise

Entre 2 Mondes

Merry Chrismouss by Entre 2 Mondes
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Merry Chrismouss, a Christmas beer brewed by Entre 2 Monde in the Vallée de la Loue in Franche-Comté, had an aggressive, bitter-coffee flavor. All of the beers produced by this company are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and re-fermented in the bottle. It was the beer that I liked the least, and as far as I could tell, it didn’t go with any of the cheeses.

Elisabeth’s beer and cheese tasting was a great occasion to learn more about the world of beer, and I was happy that I had the chance to attend.

Have a very Merry Chrismouss sampling the Christmas beers that you find at your favorite beer supplier!

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A Christmas Gift for Your Francophile Friends

Thursday, December 5th, 2013
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Looking for an inexpensive way to share holiday cheer?

Our book, Paris Insights – An Anthology, was created with the Francophile reader in mind. Written in a lively, personal style that is both revealing and inspiring, this collection of informative newsletters explores various aspects of history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light.

Published by Discover Paris!, Paris Insights – An Anthology contains 33 articles that are grouped into chapters by theme: La Vie Parisienne (Life in Paris), Americans in Paris, Tasty Treats, and Paris, Past and Present. Our article entitled “A Very Merry Paris Christmas” is the perfect way to learn about how this holiday is celebrated in the City of Light.

We offer three editions: Premium, Travelers’, and Kindle.

To learn more, click here: www.ParisInsights.com.

Bonnes Fêtes de Noël!

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Bügelski

Thursday, December 5th, 2013
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Cyril Dedieu - Bügelski

Cyril Dedieu – Bügelski
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Cyril Dedieu operates Bügelski, a delicatessen on wheels that serves fresh, local products, including bagel sandwiches. Information about his hours of operation and location of the food truck can be found on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bugelskideli.

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

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The Eternal Quest for Beautiful Fesses – Our Fesses of the Month

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
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Tom Photographing Archer

Tom Photographing Archer in the Jardin des Plantes
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

This month’s bronze fanny belongs to the sculpture of an archer that sits in a grove located in the Jardin des Plantes. Follow the link below for a close-up view!

www.pinterest.com/pin/411586853416838379

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