I wil "Close the deal"!

Salut/Hi R&M,

le/on 21 Sep 2004 08:40:08 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

Catasatrophic choice. This will wreck both the wine AND the chocolates.

Think again. Use crème de Menthe.

Or Tokaji Aszu or Banyuls or Brown's Muscat, or ANYTHING. Dry champagne with something sweet is AWFUL.

If I were your intended target, I'd run a mile.

Hey! Just so there is no confusion, the suggestion of drugs was

Sure...

But I don't think this pairing will work at all, in fact I think it will clash terribly. I'd reconsider the suggestions of dessert wines. Even some inexpensive Quady Essencia would be much better with chocolate.

Cheers, Dana

A purist (not an Ian Fleming fan) would point out that a "martini" is made with gin and not vodka...but, if vodka you must, then Grey Goose is a fine choice. Jazz it up a bit with a black olive rather than green and NEVER with a twist!

Not bad. I like PN with a much wider range of foods than most purists so this is acceptable.

I'm right on track here with Dana and Ian. While champers is always associated with "festive" occasions, it doesn't really make chocolate "sing" and especially in a Brut will probably leave more of a "bad beer face" sort of pucker than you would be hoping for.

If you're committed to chocolate you might search out some of those big chocolate dipped fresh strawberries and use a sweeter champagne.

If truffles are mandatory, then find a bottle of quality cognac like a Kelt Tour du Monde or better yet, a Spanish Brandy like Carlos I or Cardenal Mendoza--they will make the chocolate absolutely sing.

Later, after you are firmly wrapped up, you can let her eat the chocolate after dinner with the brandy while you unwrap a fine Partagas for conversation before the fire.

And, did I mention Port?

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" "Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights" Both from Smithsonian Books

Indeed, there are few "rules" in wine, but there are some known disaster areas. Dry Champagne (from France) and sweets are a very popular but completely wrong combination. Kills wine, and does chocolate no good.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Did you know that Grey Goose, a product of France, is not available in France?

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

No, but if you hum a few bars, I can fake it..... badabing...rimshot!

Where's Henny Youngman when we need him?

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" "Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights" Both from Smithsonian Books

Heh! That comes as no surprise at all to me.

;-)

Dana

I am totally with you, but this combination is still higly regarded in highest circles. An official lunch ("Déjeuner") at the Élysée palace invariably finishes with champagne poured with dessert.

M.

Are you sure? I just returned from a couple of weeks in France, including six nights cruising on a barge on the Burgundy canals. The bar on board had Grey Goose. I suppose it's possible that they bought it outside France, but that seems unlikely.

Salut/Hi Michael Pronay,

le/on 21 Sep 2004 22:52:02 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Which merely goes to show that ignorance about good food and wine matches is as common among eminent politicians in France as anywhere else.

It's an unspeakable combination. When Jacquie celebrated her 60th, we had a birthday cake, and of course everyone expected Champers. Not having enough sweet champagne for 20, I served some excellent Moscato d'Asti from Bera that Mike (T) will remember with affection from Oullins. It went very well indeed with the pralin butter cream iced sponge.

Or at least a good sec, or demi-sec Champagne with the chocolates, please not the brut.

Hunt

Hi

I met Gianluigi Bera again last spring, drove him from Turin to the winery at Canelli, and had a chance to enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful views from atop his hill.

I think a wine like this goes well with sponge. In Italy it is often served as aperitif, which as an error I find perfectly complementary to the dry Champ - dessert combination. Le monde a l'envers...

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

I am sure that they were able to obtain some, they know what their customers look for... But considering the amount of marketing Absolut does in this country, you will never see a trace of GG on the shelves here...

It's a bit like absynthe, France produces plenty of it for export, but it is actually forbidden in France, under pretext of toxicity, but in fact to protect the business of Pernod Ricard.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Salut/Hi Mike Tommasi,

le/on Wed, 22 Sep 2004 09:23:55 +0200, tu disais/you said:-

If our trip to Hungary had panned out we might have been able to do likewise. Grrr. He's a heck of a nice guy, and makes some revelatory wines.

Couldn't agree with you more. Asti Spumante and Moscato Spumante (I can never remember the spellings, sorry) are both pretty light in alcohol and have good residual sugar. Both of these make for a wine that's happiest drunk with light cake-y desserts (no sachertorte for it) or on its own just for the pleasure. As a general rule, an apéritif wine is at its best (IMO) if dry and quite strong. Champagne is an exception in that it is not too alcoholic, but the bubbles make up for it, transporting the alcohol fast into the bloodstream. An apéritif wine serves two purposes (again IMO) it sharpens the appetite - dry savouriness does that, and also serves to break the ice. A liquid containing 18% alcohol or thereabouts, apparently is the perfect strength to get the alcohol quickly into the bloodstream where it serves to relax and loosen the tongue" A dry (Fino or Manzanilla) sherry is perfect on both counts, and is our (Jacquie and me) very favourite pre-prandial tipple.

I don't think it is illegal anywhere in the EU anymore. And in fact Pernod does make true Absinthe again, as seen here:

It's not too bad either, but I do prefer Staroplezencky, Ulex Absinthe Ordinaire green label 70% and TABU red 70%.

Markus

Both perfect.

No objection, but often I have a glass of beer, especially when it's hot outside or after a longer drive. Helps against dehydration and thirst.

In France, ordering beer (as an aperitif or whatsoever) is regarded as a capital gastronomical sin – somewhere next to ordering Coca-Cola – , but I have learned my lesson: I order a coupe de champagne *and* une bierre. This always deroutes them completely, but generally after a while they take me serious (and being francophone helps a lot, of course).

M.

You are right, I found out it was legalized in France in 1998.

Mike

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link

Salut/Hi Michael Pronay,

le/on 22 Sep 2004 14:36:41 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Nothing wrong with a glass of beer - even as an Apéro. A lot better than a Muscat vdn.

That's because French beer is so awful. (grin).

This always deroutes them

francophone helps a lot, of course).

Jeepers, what d'you do, mix them together and throw then down your throat, or what?

OK. I'm sure that living there, you know much better than I. I wonder how they got it, though.