French Wine and Cheese - Is There Anything Better?

I have a serious question for you: is there anything better than wine and cheese?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

One of favorite things about visiting France is enjoying the fresh bread and local cheeses that are usually served with seasonal fruit and a delicious glass of wine.  France does a few things exceptionally well, and I have to say, cheese and wine are two of them.

Fortunately, we don't have to travel to France to enjoy some of their best products, these agricultural products are shipped all over the world!

For this post I have partnered with the French Ministry of Agriculture to pair some of my favorite French cheeses with a selection of wines they have introduced me to.  I never cease to be surprised with the quality of French wine, and unsurprisingly, these wines are no different - complex, drinkable, and all wines that pair beautifully with cheese.

For this post I wanted to create a few decadent scenes that embody the French joie de vivre with references to French art and architecture throughout the ages.  I hope you enjoy.

Champagne Guilleminot Brut Prestige with Saint-André 

In my opinion, one of the most decadent and delicious cheeses out there are triple crème cheeses, which are a more intense version of a brie.  Saint-André is a perfect triple crème cow's milk cheese that pairs beautifully with the Champagne Guilleminot, which has flavors of toasted brioche, spices, and candied nuts.  Serve with seasonal fresh fruit, such as plums, pulots, and currants and fresh baguettes.  

Château Bonnet Red with Président Unsalted Butter 

Another one of my favorite things about France is the butter.  Oh, my the butter! I always overdo it with the bread and butter when I'm there, because it's so delicious!  I'm a salt addict so I like to sprinkle salt on my buttered bread, which pairs beautifully with a glass of red wine from Bordeaux.  Château Bonnet might become my new house wine because it is so drinkable - it is light and refreshing while at the same time, full of complex flavors of vanilla, ripe fruit, and a slight smokiness.  Food helps bring out the flavors in this wine (like most European wines), the creamier the better.  The Château Bonnet Red is made from a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and is harvested from 17 year old vineyards with clay-limestone and clay-siliceous soil that gives this wine a nice acidity and minerality.  

Château Bonnet White with St. Agur Blue Cheese

It is unsurprising to learn that St. Agur is the number 1 blue cheese in France, as it is hands down one of the most delicious and memorable cheeses.  I often refer to St. Agur as a gateway cheese: its creaminess helps people learn to love the spiciness of blue cheese, a first love for many.  As they say, the first cut is the deepest.  St. Agur pairs well with many different styles of wine, but lately I have been loving it with the Château Bonnet White, a crisp and refreshing wine that is perfect for summer.  The wine is made from 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon, and 15% Muscadelle, and has flavors of peach, meyer lemon, with a gorgeous floral note.

Of course, the true pleasure of cheese is putting out a gorgeous spread of a variety of cheeses, different types of breads and fruit and tasting each one with a different wine.  The possibilities are endless, and they are all delicious.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The French Ministry of Agriculture. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Rosé Season Entertaining

In case you haven't noticed, it's gorgeous out there.  It's officially rosé season, and it's time to load up your fridge for the duration of the summer.

I love a glass of crisp, extra dry rosé, but sometimes a girl needs some bubbles!  Fret not, dear imbibers, not all bubbles require a champagne budget - there are so many amazing sparkling wines that won't break the bank.

One of my favorites as of late is Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé, a delightfully dry wine that is wonderful for sipping in the afternoon or mixing into a summery cocktail.  It is made with a combination of Glera grapes (typically used to make Prosecco), Chardonnay, and Malbec to add color and richness.  The wine it self is not too sweet and has a slight flavor of red berries and toasted brioche.

While Santa Margherita is delightful on its own, I also tried it in a summery cocktail, a variation on a Negroni Sbagliato, but with Hendrick's Gin, Aperol, and a splash of sparkling wine.  Served over a large king cube and garnished with an edible flower, this might be a perfect summer tipple.

Unusual Sbagliato

1 oz Hendrick's Gin
1 oz Aperol
1.5 oz Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé

Combine gin and Aperol in a mixing glass with ice.  Stir until chilled, and strain into a low ball glass with a king cube.  Top with Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé and stir.  Garnish with an edible flower.
Enjoy!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Santa Margherita. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible. 

Après Ski with G.H. Mumm & Hygge Life

I grew up in Colorado, spending much of my youth in the mountains.  I had skis strapped to my feet from the age of two (my first ski days were when I was 6 months old, in a pack on my dad's back, which is illegal now but a brag worthy claim of kids from the 80s who grew up in the mountains), and every weekend was spent outside enjoying the sun, the mountains, and good friends.  It was really the best way to grow up.

Last year, my husband and I moved back to Colorado (although it seems like I am on more airplanes than I am home these days), but it has been a welcome change from life in New York City.  It has also been a massive cultural shift. 

New Yorkers spend their weekends brunching, sipping mimosas, followed by shopping (a dangerous combination if you ask me). Skiers have much different imbibing habits, which include waking up early to get on the lift (the first chair if there is new snow), skiing through lunch, and then enjoying Après in the late afternoon.  A quick run to the car to change out of your ski boots and into comfy snow boots is a necessary move before settling into an afternoon of Après snacks and libations.  The best après tipple is always champagne, best served from a freshly sabered bottle and surrounded with friends.

For this Après sesh I partnered with G.H. Mumm Champagne and invited Alexandra and Koen from Vail's Hygge Life shop, as well as our photographer friends Ali Vagnini and Matt Kennedy to help us pop some bottles and kick the 2017/18 ski season off right.  Alexandra and Koen specialize in furs, and pretty much everything cozy, and they brought major Hygge vibes with them.  Koen even wore a vintage fur that belonged to his grandfather, a perfect accessory for anyone sabering a bottle of champagne on top of a mountain!!

It was a fun afternoon enjoying G.H. Mumm Champagne, nibbling on cheese and charcutarie and hanging with friends.  Our 9 month old puppy, Bowie, made a guest appearance as well as my forever dapper husband, Zac.

I hope this photo story inspires you to get out on the mountain for a great ski day and an even better après afternoon, because I know it got me very excited for winter!  

Saber Master, Koen

Photography: Ali Vagnini & Matt Kennedy

Creative Direction: Emily Arden Wells, Gastronomsita

Glassware: Lehmann Glass Jamesse Prestige Grand Champagne

Champagne:  G.H. Mumm Champagne

Sunnies: Thierry Lasry

Red Coat: Fjallraven

Hygge Coziness (furs, gold bottle holders, black fur mittens & styling): Hygge Life

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of G.H. Mumm Champagne. All opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Cocktail Friendsgiving with G.H. Mumm Champagne

This year I'm starting a new tradition - Cocktail Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving Eve.  It's a perfect night to get together with some of your favorite people, drink a few cocktails, pop a few bottles of bubbly, with the luxury of having the entire next day to nurse your hangover with turkey, gravy, and football.  Genius, I say.

Just like any Friendsgiving, my boozy version is based on the flavors of a thanksgiving meal; sweet, savory, and autumnal.

Start the evening out with an aperitif, a glass of cold G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne.  There is truly nothing better than a glass of champagne at the beginning of cocktail hour; bright, effervescent, with flavors of peach, pineapple, apricot, honey, and vanilla caramel.  Nothing.  Better.

For extra holiday flair, make a wine bucket out of frozen cranberries, a beautiful display that plays double duty by keeping your bubbly cold!  Don't forget to make a new one for Thanksgiving - it will be sure to earn you extra points at the dinner table!

For the first cocktail I'm serving an herbaceous cocktail made with Träkál (an apple and pear brandy based spirit infused with the essential oils of herbs, berries, and botanicals found only in Patagonia), triple sec, Peychaud's Bitters, and topped with champagne.  Träkál has a unique flavors of anise, mint, red summer berries, sage, lemon, orange, and a bright spicy finish - it's incredibly savory - and all those bright fruity flavors of the spirit pair beautifully with the fruit forward flavors of the champagne.  Garnish this cocktail with apple slices and a sprig or two of fresh herbs to compliment the cocktail.

Magellanin
Created by Gastronomista

1 oz Träkál
1/2 oz Triple Sec
Top with G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne
4 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a low ball glass with fresh ice.  Garnish with apple slices and fresh herbs.

The second course is based on a cocktail I had many years ago, a cocktail created by the one and only David Wondrich.  The cocktail is called the Corn Goddess, and was one of those cocktails that blew my mind early on in my booze blogging days, it was sweet yet savory, and was made with unexpected ingredients - tomatoes and corn.  Yes, you read that right, corn.  I modified the recipe a little bit by adding a bit of fresh chili to the recipe to give it a bit of kick - just add more or less chili to the mix based on your preference for spice. And of course, top it off with a bit of Champagne, because Friendsgiving.

Chicomecoatl
Modified by Gastronomista

1 oz Gin
1-1/2 oz Campari
2 T Fresh Corn Kernels
2 Cherry Tomatoes Cut in Half
1/4 Sliced Chili Pepper
Top with G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne

In a cocktail tin muddle the corn, tomatoes and chili pepper.  Add gin, Campari, and ice, and shake until chilled.  Strain into a cocktail coupe, top with champagne and garnish with a fresh sage leaf.

My final course in my cocktail Friendsgiving is a simple champagne cocktail made with cranberry bitters and topped with sugared fresh cranberries.  (Pro Tip: candied cranberries are insanely delicious and addictive.  Make a whole bag and set them out for snacking).  I wanted to make a cocktail that had the bright, sweet flavors of cranberry without being too syrupy, something that would taste fresh at the end of this cocktail flight.

Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
Created by Gastronomista

1 small sugar cube
10 dashes Cranberry Bitters
4 oz G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne

Thoroughly coat a sugar cube with Cranberry Bitters, and place at the bottom of a champagne flute.  Top with Champagne, add a few fresh cranberries, and rest a cocktail pick with three sugared cranberries on the top of the glass.

Sugared Cranberries
Recipe from My Recipes.com

2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
2 Cups White Sugar
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Superfine Sugar

Heat sugar and water in a pot until the sugar has dissolved.  Let cool.  In a non-reactive container combine fresh cranberries with the simple syrup, and place in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day, roll the cranberries in sugar and let dry for one hour.

Finish off the evening with a few more glasses of champagne, takeout (because who wants to cook the night before Thanksgiving?!), and a few laughs before you have to be on good behavior for Aunt Mildred.

Styling Notes:

Champagne: G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon
Champagne Flutes: Lehmann Glass Jamesse Prestige
Cocktail Coupes: Ralph Lauren
Low Ball Glasses: CB2
Mixing Glass: Analogue Merchantile
Jigger & Mixing Spoon: Parched Penguin
Vase: ACV
Coasters: Ikea
Ice Mold: Crate & Barrel

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of G.H. Mumm. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.