THE DRY COUNTY WINE REVIEW: DECANTING CHAMPAGNE.
As a wine nerd, I love this time of the year, when inspired article after inspired article hit all of my favorite publications about the greatest drink in the world: champagne. Obviously, this is because it's the holiday season and we associate champagne with celebration. But my excitement for the time isn't solely because I like the drink, but because wine writers and wine loves alike pour so much love and work into talking about champagne that everyone is incapable of writing a slouchy piece on the subject. I imagine if the wine writers of the world had their druthers, every other article throughout the year would be on champagne or similar sparkling wines. They are the single most versatile food pairings, the single most complex aromatic experiences, the single greatest conversation starters and the single most memorable punctuations to an evening. Oscar Wilde once said "Only the unimaginative can fail to find a reason to drink champagne." Not wanting to be called unimaginative by Oscar Wilde, Hannah and I decided to elope last Wednesday. With us I brought a bottle of 2006 Jerôme Prévost "La Closerie" champagne which we promptly opened after dinner, breaking two rules I have with good champagne: 1) don't drink it without food, and 2) decant it. Drinking wine with food isn't always a necessity and sometimes, with NV (or non-vintage) champagne especially, it can actually be quite enjoyable. However, not having a great champagne with food is to deny the poor beverage of it's full potential. Forgivable offense, so long as you follow rule number two: decant.My friend and oft-mentor Alex and I once agreed that champagne was without a doubt the best drink in the world, and although it requires the bubbles to be so, they get in the way of its genius. If you do not own a decanter, don't sweat it, simply open your bottle of champagne a few hours before consuming. The oxygen will invigorate the wine and compel it to open up and become more balanced, more expressive. Put it on ice to keep it slightly chilled, but you don't want to drink it too cold––or nearly any other wine for that matter, if you want it at its best. Cold temperatures subdue the expression of wine, I like my champagne somewhere between fifty and sixty degrees––a good handful of degrees below room temp, but well above refrigeration.Good wine, notably, should stay good for days, be it champagne or otherwise. In fact, for me, it should only get better. When we opened the bottle on Wednesday it wasn't drinking well, it was too young, too acidic, too tight and needed time and air. But when we opened it again last night––five nights later!––the wine was wonderful. It was fully expressing itself and although it still maintained some of its effervescence, it was greatly calmed. The palate was, ahem, married. The aromatics were caramelized and earthy. And although I don't necessarily recommend waiting an entire five days between opening and drinking, the experience decidedly did not punish me for it. No time of the year do more people drink or write about champagne quite like New Year's. Don't worry about decanting Veuve or Moet––the only thing that makes those wines better is fresh orange juice––but if you decided to venture off into the world of vintage or grower champagnes you will not regret letting it open up before ringing in the new year. But most importantly, if you're drinking champagne, don't regret anything. That should be rule number three.- Jesse/
A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY.
Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday was calm and bright, full of peace and happiness and simple gifts. It was a terrifically full day on Sunday...Jesse and I completed FOUR different Christmas celebrations by the end of the day! We are already getting a taste of what married life brings - the compromises and the new traditions and the crazy rushing around. But we loved every minute of it. This Christmas was one of the happiest I can remember, because I am part of a new, little family with Jesse. I can't describe the happiness, really, and I feel like it is only now beginning to set in. With the madness of the wedding and the holidays over, I am now able to sit back and realize that I am MARRIED, that I am about to start on this adventure with my HUSBAND, that we are blessed beyond anything we deserve. Even as I write this, I sit with a big yellow dog asleep at my feet, a fire in front of me, Bob Dylan on vinyl and a glass of wedding champagne in my hand - the first day of our honeymoon. Like I said, I am a happy girl.Here are a few moments from yesterday - Merry Christmas! We have so much love for you all.- Hannah.
LOUISVILLE IS FOR (FOOD) LOVERS.
Louisville is located just on the border of Kentucky and Indiana––unfortunately often referred to as Kentuckiana––in arguably one of the most fertile areas in all the country. Kentucky was long considered sacred land by native americans for how rich and verdant the landscape was, and when the distillers eventually settled the area in the 1700's they found the soil perfect for grain growing and the limestone water highly conducive to whiskey making. Now, several centuries later, no city quite embraces its locality and heritage quite like Louisville.Where the wine lists occasionally lack, the whiskey and beer lists more than make up for it. Also no one seems to be slacking on the food. Local food is becoming a near given amongst the menus, and in places like Harvest Restaurant, the walls are even graced by large portraits of the farmers. With the increasing number of talented bread makers, beer makers, cooks, bartenders and farmers in this city, Louisville has become a contender among the Portlands, Seattles, and Austins of the country. Needless to say, Hannah and I spent 24 hours there this week worthy enough to warrant a post.
We checked in at the Brown Hotel, one of the many historic hotels in Louisville's blossoming downtown, and met up with our photographer, Tim. For lunch we took a break from the pictures to stop in at Hillbilly Tea on 1st street. Conservatively and creatively designed in local art and primitives––it was not only comfortable but inviting. Hannah got a tea platter, a variety of bites inspired by high tea in England with a southern twist and I went with a wild mushroom sandwich. Tim ordered the pulled pork and we all slipped silently into reverence as we ate then came-to a few minutes later in deep praise of the food––all very fresh and thoughtfully prepared. Later on Tuesday evening, we stopped into the Beer Store on Market Street for a celebratory beverage. Everyone everywhere should be jealous that this store wasn't their idea. On top of having one of the greatest beer selections I've ever had the privilege of witnessing, you can drink a beer as you peruse, or sit out back and enjoy it at a table the other beer nerds. You will spend money there but you wont regret it. With fear of sounding too much like a travel magazine, if you fancy a more bar-like ambiance one can head over to their bar, Holy Grale, on Bardstown. They were recently voted among the best sliders in the U.S. by foodandwine.com. The Eiderdown restaurant and its sister bar, Nachbar, are similarly some of the other great beer experiences in the city. Chef Brian Morgan is doing amazing things with local food at The Eiderdown to match its geeky yet wonderful assortment of draft beers.
When I lived in Louisville over 8 years ago, I don't know if I even was aware that Market Street existed, but its now a destination. Galleries, nearby hotels, restaurants––Market Street is suddenly another neighborhood to rival the equally attractive Highlands, Germantown, Frankfort Avenue, and Old Louisville parts of the city. For dinner, we wanted to try somewhere special neither of us had been before so we made reservations at Market Street's recent addition, Harvest Restaurant. This is a place whose entire existence revolves around the farmer as a self-proclaimed but aptly titled "Farmer to Fork" restaurant. I had the smoked goat cheese lasagnette, and Hannah ordered the pretzel bread gnocchi and neither of us wanted to share. There was soul in the food, that ineffable quality that elevates a meal beyond a simple compilation of flavors. Great service, ambiance, food and cocktails––everything about the meal was special. We cannot recommend it enough.
The next morning, after coffee at Sunergos, we headed over to brunch at Blue Dog Bakery on Frankfort avenue for one last memorable dining experience before we departed. I've eaten here a number of times and it neither lets me down, nor fails to inspire another visit. The whole city is that way. This is a respectable list of recommendations for any city, but it barely scratches the surface of Louisville's prolific and booming artisinal food and beverage scene. I haven't even mentioned Proof on Main, the restaurant equivalent of a well-fitting suit. Or Vietnam Kitchen. Or Heine Brother's Coffee. Or any of the other things that make Louisville special, or in their words, keep Louisville weird. Lastly, these types of places also make Louisville a great honeymoon destination, you know, if you might ever need one.- Jesse.
