french Archives : Me, Annie Bee.

Weekly Winedown #32 – Fitou Mme. Claude Parmentier.

Anna — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 19:32:05 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy Happy Friday! IWD is fast approaching so tonight I will celebrate with another woman, of sorts. Bienvenue Fitou Mme Claude Parmentier! Fitou hails from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France – sunnier climes with a bit of a Mediterranen vibe. Oh how I miss you so! I’ll be honest, I’m hoping for a glass of joy to run alongside my currently, happy self! The Label This is a very modest looking label. Mme Claude Parmentier clearly isn’t the showy type. The label is off white with black text. It’s intentions are clear – to be wine. If this label were a business card, you would want to do business with the person who handed it to you. It’s so confident in itself it doesn’t need to show off. This label is quietly confident, I have high expectations. Yeah, I’m judging my wine by it’s cover! The Blurb As with the last few bottles of wine featured in the Weekly Winedown, the blurb is in two languages. Is that a new thing? Who knows! It means I can brush up on my French whilst drinking wine. Though my language skills oft improve after wine anyway… “Raised on the family vineyards from where she gets her passion and her traditional know-how, Mme Parmentier works with love to create gourmet wines full of tenderness and typicity which are a reference in terms of quality. Thanks to her talent, her attention to detail and her involvement, Mme Parmentier’s wines cross borders with audacity, nobility and success”. Seriously though. What? Basically the blurb is telling us that Mrs Parmentier grew up on a vineyard. She likes to make Fitou that tastes like Fitou. Her involvement and knowledge means her wine is great and noble. It looks like someone used all their humility in the label and ol’ braggy pants appears in the blurb! Let me judge how noble your wine is Madame! OK, so it’s not awful. A spiced/peppery scent that reminds me of warm summer evenings in France, it is pleasant to the nose. Initial taste is tart plums but it soon mellows out into a soft, subtle spiced finished. She may be a bit of a braggy pants but that Madame DOES know how to make a good Fitou! Name – Fitou Mme. Claude Parementier. Price – £7.99 Colour – Dark Burgandy red. Smell – Summer spice with a hint of pepper. Taste – Tart but smooth plums (oioi) Goes well with – A Drama Llama daughter. Overall score – 4/5

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Weekly Winedown #30 Chateau Corbonac Corbieres

Anna — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 20:11:12 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. 30 Winedowns! It’s like an anniversary or something! Anyway, this week Donald Trump has been deemed to remain ‘fit for duty’ for years by the White House Doctor (who has no invested interest in saying just that-obviously). According to the report, Ol’ Trump is physically and mentally capable of running America. Interestingly there was no morality test. As a woman of heft, I am not a fan of the BMI system (even when slimmer I find it ridiculous so it’s not a ‘fat person’ thing). However I do not, for one moment believe that Trump doesn’t fall into the obese category. I fear there may be some of that fake news in play, he may have added to his height and subtracted from his waist – good maths! So yes, sighs of relief all round. Donald has a good few years left in him to run America into the ground YAY. In good news though, I asked Aoife the questions on the cognitive test and she too is fit to run the USA. She also isn’t obese, just like Donny T… My high hopes for that girl have just gotten a little higher. Now, WINE! I am feeling the cold and wishing we were living in France and so, as the next best thing, I have French Wine. Bonsoir Château Carbonac Corbières, comment ça va? The Label Looks familiar, I’ve checked through previous weeks and never tried this wine though so I guess it’s just a bit generic. An off white label with black text and a line drawing of the Chateau on the Carbonac estate – tidy. It does what is required of it, tells you what’s inside the bottle. We don’t need any fancy stuff. The blurb “Just outside the village of Monze, close to Carcassonne, Carbonac is a wine-growing estate with a single-stretch of 33 hectares (82 acres) where they produce a wine known as the nectar of the Corbieres. On the edge of the “Bretonne” road, the estate is a former monastery for women. The old, tall and well preserved square tower still stands. Chateau Carbonac with deep purple reflections, offers an intense bouquet distinguished by notes of dark fruit and spice. On the palate, this wine produces wonderful expression, with tannins perfectly integrated. Served at 16-18°C, it will elegantly enhance red meats, game cooked in sauce, and firm cheeses.” You get a little geography, a touch of history and some wine information. That’s what I like to call ‘Wineducation’, you’ll all be saying it soon. ‘Intense’ combined with dark fruits and spice makes me hopeful that this is the kind of wine I’m hankering after to warm my cockles tonight. I’m hoping for something full bodied, a good mouthful. I’m hoping that the temperature has been specified to make the Vintner look more impressive. A wine that can go from good to bad in the space of a degree is far too risky a wine for me! Let us investigate! The nose was…..dubious, like when you open vacuum packed meat. Except it didn’t dwindle. If you can get past the smell the taste is actually OK. Not too fruity, certainly not sweet. Deep and full bodied, just how I like it. It’s not the best wine I’ve ever had but by no means the worst. I’d happily have a case of this on standby because, life. Name – Château Carbonac Corbières Price – £6.99 Colour – Deep red/purple Smell – Like vac packed steak…with pepper Taste – Dry and full. Bitter aftertaste but not awful Goes well with – Average me. Overall score – 3/5

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Weekly Winedown #10 Pardon My French – Minervois.

Anna — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 18:59:26 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. Let me start with an apology, I’m sorry for not partaking in a Winedown yesterday. I know, I know. I let you all down but worst of all I let myself down. Or is it the other way round? Or do you even care? I went to watch the rugby and drink beer instead. Karma ensured I will never abandon a Friday again. Rugby requires four basic skills (in no particular order) 1) Catch ball 2) Hold ball 3) Throw ball 4) Run like Billio. Simple you’d think. We lost. HORRIBLY. Let’s speak no more of it. My palate is not a stranger to today’s wine. A few weeks ago my Auntie Anna (yes, we’re a family of very few names) sent me a bottle. She knew I’d appreciate the label, and the contents. Alas she sent the wine on a Monday. There wasn’t a hope in hell it would still be around by the Monday night Friday so I bought a replacement for purpose of review. Please give a warm welcome to Pardon My French, £4.49 a bottle from Aldi. I’m going to start with the label – the reason this wine was chosen for me in the first place. IT’S PERFECT. It’s very ‘En Vogue’ (not the 90s RnB girl group). It’s the outfit I’d like to wear and the life I’d like to live. Like a still from the 50s, the Hollywood one. It’s a label that would encourage me to buy a case of the stuff. Yes, I’m that easily swayed. It’s just so… Bang on trend as the kids would say. The kids still say that right? The blurb “‘Pardon my French’ is a ‘tongue in cheek’ approach, designed to trigger memories and emotions which we’ve captured in every glass. ‘Min Air-Waa get down with the Minervois’. A key Appellation in the Languedoc region of Southern France, with vineyards pushing up into the airy foothills of the dominating Montagne Noire, making attractive, lively and characterful reds mainly from Syrah and Grenache grapes. ‘Min Air-Waa get down with the Minervois’!” That’s a lovely little write up but I need more information than that. I turned to the internet to get a more precise description… “A deep ruby red with intense black fruits, tapenade and liquorice aromas elegantly mixed with soft spices. Well-balanced and structured with silky tannins and a lingering finish.” Now that’s the kind of descriptive description I like. Even if it sounds a little dubious. I’m now looking forward to a glass of berries, memories and emotion (could go horribly wrong) with a smell of olives, liquorice and spices. Well. The aroma is one of moss, which is lovely in general but maybe not in a glass. I am not getting any olives or liquorice. Which is probably a good thing as I don’t REALLY like olives. They’re just confusing grapes. The taste is bitter and rich, like blackberries and spice. Not an elegant taste but a completely drinkable one. It’s warm like autumn and I think would suit being chilled as well (controversial I know). It’s a good party wine. Not to take to the party of your rich fancy friend, if you have those kinds of friends. But you’re normal, totally cool friends will love it if only for the label. I’m still waiting for the memories and emotions. I’m guessing I need to be a few glasses in for them to kick in with effect. I’m hoping for memories of indie discos circa 2008, skinny jeans, elaborate hair and dancing to The Libertines (or The Bravery). Name – Pardon my French – Minervois Price – £4.49 at Aldi (or Aldi, however you say it) Colour – Sexy (not smutty) red. Smell – Like oak and moss. Taste – Sharp and bitter berries. Goes well with – You tubing indie songs from 2004 onwards (Kooks, Panic at the disco, Fall out Boy…Do it!) Overall score – 3.5/5 For the wonderful indie earworms, you’re welcome.

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