2022 C&C Lecareux L'Hydrophobe: The "Water Hater"

A wine of resilience in the face of disaster, a wine that emerged after the devastation of hail storms. It's also delicious and interesting, an excellent showcase of the Gamay grape. 

Back in 2017, the vineyards of Domaine Les Capréoles sustained significant damage from terrible hail storms, and they had to somehow make do with the limited amount of grapes which remained. They chose to create a new cuvée, L'Hydrophobe, the "Water Hater."

Domaine Les Capréoles was established in July 2014, although the wine estate they purchased in Regnie-Durette possessed a history of over 250 years. The term “capreoles” derives from Old French and means "vine tendrils." They only own about 5.5 hectares of organic vineyards, upon granitic bedrock, in the Brouilly appellation in Beaujolais. However, some of their Gamay vines are over 80 years old.  

The Beaujolais wine region contains 10 crus, including Brouilly, which is the largest and southernmost cru. It has been recognized as an AOC since 1938, and the history of the region extends back to the ancient Romans, who were the first to plant grapes vines in this area. The cru's name derives from the name of a nearby mountain, which was named after an ancient Roman lieutenant. 

The 2022 C&C Lecareux L'Hydrophobe ($28), composed of 100% Gamay, has a 13% ABV, and little information seems readily available on its production process. Gamay probably doesn't receive as much attention as it should, and far too many people think only of Nouveau Beaujolais when they think of the Beaujolais wine region. In the ten different Crus of Beaujolais, the Gamay grape can be expressed in many different manners, showcasing terroir, and providing a complex and compelling wine. 

I very much enjoyed this wine! With an intriguing nose of cherries, violets, and subtle spices, on the palate, it was bright, fresh, fruity and complex with silky tannins. A delightful melange of ripe plum, black cherries, hints of forest, a touch of minerality, and even a subtle briny note. Well balanced, good acidity, and a lengthy, pleasing finish. You can easily enjoy this wine on its own, but it also will pair well with a variety of foods, from pizza to burgers. It's also stated that this wine can age well for 5 years. It earns my hearty recommendation.

I bought this wine at the Cellar Door in Ipswich, a cool shop which sells wines, beers, and gourmet foods. Their wine selection is interesting, with many small production wines, organic wines, skin contact wines, and more. Wine lovers should definitely check out this shop.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) With summer coming, here's a few options for patio dining:

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse opens an outdoor patio during the spring and summer months in the Seaport. Enjoy traditional Italian, steak and seafood dishes paired with fine wine and cocktails while taking in the views of the Boston Harbor. A stroll along the adjacent Harborwalk is also the perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening after dining. The patio is expected to open on or around May 1. 

Unlike many restaurants in the North End, Forcella has a year-round outdoor patio that is tucked privately behind the restaurant - an enclave of peace, quiet and romance in the busy neighborhood. Able to seat 44 guests, dogs are also welcome. All guests must order food when sitting outside. Heaters are set up during a portion of the fall & winter months and umbrellas can be put up during the hot summer months to create a comfortable atmosphere year round. The patio is currently closed to prep for the new spring season, but is anticipated to open up again as early as the first week of April, pending weather. 

Located along Boylston Street in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, steakhouse Abe & Louie’s boasts a patio area ideal for people-watching. Enveloped in lush topiaries with manicured topiaries, the Abe & Louie’s patio is lined with heat lamps ideal for chilly nights and awnings for sun-filled leisurely lunches or weekend brunches. For the best tastes of the season, opt for the lobster club sandwich or slurp some local oysters while enjoying a crisp rosé.

2) On May 4,  from 4pm-7pm, Joe’s Waterfront will host a Kentucky Derby watch party worthy of Churchill Downs complete with actual ponies, Louisville-inspired bites, specialty sips, raffles benefiting MassGeneral Hospital for Children, and more. While guests will have their chance to compete for “Best in Show” titles in top Derby attire later in the day, the real standouts will be the event’s welcoming committee: a duo of ponies from Hunter Haven Farm (Groveland, MA) who will be decked festively in blue and with flowers for the occasion.

Counting down to the “greatest two minutes in sports,” revelers will get the party going on passed hors d'oeuvres (caprese skewers, pimiento cheese crostinis, fried mac and cheese, Joe’s prime burger sliders, chicken satay) and stationed snacks (spinach dip, Italian hoagie, mini desserts). And because no Derby Day is complete without spirited spirits, the bar team will be shaking up themed cocktails at the cash bar.

Steam those seersucker suits and add some extra feathers to your topper because there will be luxe prizes at stake for those who come best dressed to impress. If you’re not feeling all that confident with your future bet, try your luck with the raffle – with proceeds benefitting MassGeneral Hospital for Children – that includes prizes like gift cards, overnight hotel stays, and more.

COST: $49 per person (includes entry and food)
TICKETS: Advance tickets recommended via EventBrite. Walk-in entry available as space permits.
MORE: A portion of ticket sales and all raffle ticket proceeds will be donated to MassGeneral for Children. This event is reserved for ages 21+.

Rant: Summer Is NOT Rosé Season!

The advertisements and media articles have begun, and will continue for the next several months, promoting the upcoming Rosé season. Distributors are promoting Rosé season to their wine store customers, who will start stocking a variety of Rosé wines. Everyone is being told that Summer is Rosé season. 

However, there's a major problem with all of this: Rosé season doesn't exist! 

It's a pervasive myth, a wrongful stereotype, that spring and summer herald Rosé season. The simple fact is that Rosé is appropriate year-round, even in the winter. Many of those perpetuating the myth of Rosé season know better, but they choose to ignore the truth. Stop deluding the public and embrace the reality of Rosé every month of the year. 

Sure, a chilled Rosé can taste wonderful on a hot, summer day, but it can equally satisfy when you are at home during a snow storm. It's extremely food friendly, and there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it with the same roast chicken or seafood dish you serve in the summer or winter. 

Even though many people drink more white wine than red in the summer, most continue to drink white wine all year round, including the winter. Why should Rosé be any different? For example, Rosé is a great choice for your Thanksgiving feast. And it doesn't matter how cold it might be on Thanksgiving, or even if it snows. 

The situation has slowly improved during the last several years but change is still needed. The myth that Rosé wine is just for the summer needs to be shattered. Wine writers should promote Rosé year round rather than jump on the bandwagon and only proclaim that summer is the season for Rosé, misleading the public. If these writers recommended Rosé year round, then Rosé consumption would grow even more. 

There are some wine stores which stock Rosé throughout the year, which they should, and if your local shop doesn't, then you should recommend that they stock it. And if they don't bring in some Rosé, then seek elsewhere for this wine. 

From 2017 to 2021, worldwide consumption of Rosé has risen to about 9.5% of all still wine consumed. Rosé production, from 2001 to 2021, has also risen by 25%. France is the largest consumer of Rosé, drinking about 35% of all production, while the U.S. is in second place, consuming about 15%. Germany is in third place with about 7%. Rosé wine continues to grow, and will get even larger if people embrace the fact it is a year-round wine, and not just a seasonal one. 

 I drink Rosé all year round and strongly encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) Bakes for Breast Cancer – the Massachusetts-based non-profit organization dedicated to funding breast cancer researchers and clinicians – is proud to announce its 25th anniversary in 2024 and event dates for all ten events, including the addition of new locations for its signature weeklong fundraiser in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Founder Carol Sneider launched this event and nonprofit in memory of her mother who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 43. The best memories Carol recalls were the times spent in the kitchen baking bread, cakes and other sweet treats.

Since its inception in 1999, Bakes for Bakes Cancer has encouraged restaurants, cafés, bakeries, pastry shops, grocery stores and other businesses offering desserts to designate one of their sweet treats during the weeklong event where 100% of the proceeds go to Bakes for Breast Cancer to fund breast cancer research. Participating establishments also have the opportunity to offer up their entire dessert roster where 50% of the proceeds goes back to the organization. Over the last twenty five years, Bakes for Breast Cancer has raised over 2 million dollars and over 5,000 different establishments have participated in the annual weeklong event throughout Massachusetts and as it expanded into different regions in various years. 

The dates for the 2024 Bakes for Breast Cancer Massachusetts and Rhode Island events include: Friday, May 10 – Thursday, May 16.

“Since 1999, Bakes for Breast Cancer has been on a mission to do its part to help eradicate breast cancer for good, one sweet treat at a time,” said Bakes for Breast Cancer Founder Carol Sneider. “We are proud to keep expanding into different states and marquee cities, and we will continue to do so in areas with thriving culinary scenes with establishments that share the same mission as ours. Statistics on the number of both women and men directly and indirectly affected by breast cancer are alarming, and we will continue do our best to help reduce those numbers.”

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2023, an estimated 297,790 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women except for skin cancers, and it is estimated that in 2023, approximately 30% of all new female cancer diagnoses will be breast cancer. On average, every 2 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States and approximately 15% of women diagnosed have a family history of breast cancer.

2) Croatian Premium Wine Imports (CPWI) has recently received, to their Massachusetts warehouse,  a new container from Croatia. In addition to new vintages of some of their previous favorites, they have brought in some new labels, including sparkling, roses and orange wines. The new wines should be available in their online store in a couple of weeks.

In addition CPWI has finalized the onboarding of a large distributor in Massachusetts – the Boston Wine Company (a division of MS Walker), who will soon been doing o a big-scale launch all over Massachusetts. They are starting with just a few wines at first, and will be adding more, so ask your favorite local wine store, restaurant or bar to contact the Boston Wine/MS Walker rep to carry deliciuous Croatian wines.

Recent Top Restaurant Dishes

I want to highlight a few worthy restaurant dishes I recently enjoyed, which are from some of my favorite restaurants. These dishes are some of the best dishes I've eaten so far this year, and which may also be some of my top dishes at the end of this year.

This past week, I was thoroughly impressed by a Rabbit Pappardelle special at Il Ponte in Woburn. It's one of my favorite Italian restaurants, and the cuisine is always delicious. This dish consisted of house-made pappardelle, with an excellent texture, covered with a rabbit ragu and topped by a scoop of ricotta. With a great depth of flavor and a nice balance of spices, each bite brought such pleasure to my palate. Rabbit is such a great protein, and with its mild flavors, most people would enjoy it if they can get past the idea that it once was a fluffy bunny. My dining companion was also quite taken with this dish.

The short movie shows a bubbling dish of Chicken Claypot, my favorite dish at Soall Viet Kitchen in Beverly, an excellent Vietnamese restaurant. This dish is made with small pieces of tender chicken in a caramelized sweet and savory sauce, with a couple chili peppers. It's accompanied by jasmine rice, or noodles, with some pickled and fresh veggies. It's also served bubbling hot and the aromas are so enticing. The chicken is moist and tender, and the sauce possesses a great depth of flavor, nicely balanced between sweet and savory, and with a mild bit of spicy heat. The veggies act as a nice palate cleanser to the richer sauce. They also make a Salmon Claypot as well. 

The Clam Box of Ipswich is my favorite clam shack, for the quality of its fried seafood, the quantity you receive, and its excellent service. Others may prefer other places, but the Clam Box has never disappointed me. This dish was a combination of Fried Clams and Fried Scallops, with an ample pile of onion rings and French fries. The Fried Scallops are superb, tender and sweet, and the fried clams are delicious as well, both with a clean, light fried batter. The dish is large enough to share, or to have leftovers for another meal. 

What have been some of your favorite restaurant dishes lately?