Monthly Archives: November 2013

VELO VOUVRAY 3: Maison Darragon: EU Austerity Drinking Tour #48

Posted on November 11, 2013 by waywardwine

For this Monday’s EU AUSTERITY DRINKING ADVENTURE, we trade a château for a maison.

Underwhelmed and starving, we leave the lofty Château Moncontour of last week’s post. Our rent-o-bikes take us to lunch of quiches, bread, and fabulous pastries. We eat on a cliff square. Mossy shingles span below us, Vouvray’s crumbling, cream church looms above us.

Full, we follow signs up a tortuous slope. We pass a villa hewn into Vouvray’s famed tuffeau cliffs: Continue reading →

Posted in Loire, White, WINERIES WANDERED | Tagged Acid, Château Moncontour, chenin blanc, Darragon, European Union, Florilege, Haut des Ruettes, Loire River, Loire Valley, Maison Darragon, Marc Bredif, Oak (wine), Sweetness of wine, Tour, Vouvray, wine | 3 Comments

PIG’S NOSE, BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY, AGED 5 YEARS, SCOTLAND

Posted on November 7, 2013 by waywardwine

We hit Scotland last August. It nearly halted our seven month, thirteen country, EU Austerity Drinking Tour. We so fell in love with its people, countryside, and Whisky that we nearly stayed. We imagined ourselves William Wallace, Robbie Burns, Mary Queen of Scots, or that princess from Brave, with every castle tour, every distillery visit, and every haggis eaten.

But back in the United States, nostalgia ate us. Local distilleries proffered harsh, young spirit: too hot and tight to be enjoyed alone.

But then we found a bottle of Pig’s Nose, Blended Scotch Whisky, Aged 5 Years, from Scotland for under $30. Continue reading →

Posted in EMPTIED BOTTLES, Whisk(e)y | Tagged Alex Nicol, Blended whiskey, Master Blender, Pig's Nose, Richard Patterson, Scotch, Scotch whisky, Scotland, Single Malt, Single malt whisky, United States, Whisky | 4 Comments

VELO VOUVRAY 2: CHATEAU MONCONTOUR AND CHENIN BLANC: EU Austerity Drinking Tour #47

Posted on November 4, 2013 by waywardwine

Last Monday’s EU AUSTERITY DRINKING TOUR post began our cycle of the Loire with Marc Brédif’s chic winery. Well inebriated, we continue upriver into Vouvray, hunting wine.

As mentioned prior, the green grape Chenin Blanc reigns supreme in Vouvray. Crafty Dutch merchants launched it here four centuries ago. It fits decently in this cold, marginal climate because it ripens earlier than red grapes. Although other whites would work better, the obstinate French stick to tradition. Continue reading →