January 2013
1 post
3 tags
EXCELLENCE AWARDS FOR CHATEAU LA BOUADE AND...
The Sweet Bordeaux Château La Bouade 2009 and Guiraud 2009 obtained prestigious titles in the United States. They reward their exceptional qualities.
Château Guiraud Sauternes 2009, first Grand cru classé 1855, ranked fifth over on the list of one hundred best wines of the year 2012, filed by Wine Spectator, an American magazine, with a score of 96 out of 100. Indeed, every year since 1988,...
September 2012
7 posts
Summer, ripening period
Ripening is the ultimate stage in the vineyard’s cycle. This is when the grapes mature, before you harvest them. Ripening takes place in July and August and the timing depends on climatic conditions.
What happens during ripening in the Sweet Bordeaux vineyards? It’s simple, vines stop growing, and the grapes change color. Beginning mid-July, white grapes begin to ripen, but...
Tomatoes and anchovy tartines
Sometimes, unexpected guests show up. Hopefully, they have brought a bottle of Sweet Bordeaux wine… And you are able to prepare an appetizer in less than 14 minutes… The solution: Bread with sundried tomatoes and anchovies! This recipe is easy to make and is the perfect appetizer especially during the summer! Recipe for 4 people: 10 minutes preparation - 4 minutes cooking time...
White Sauvignon, full of aromas
Recognizable by its pale yellow grapes, Sauvignon Blanc is an essential grape for Sweet Bordeaux. Very popular abroad, the so-called “sô-vin-yon-blonk” in English, comes from Bordeaux. Cultivated for centuries, it has been used in the Graves vineyards since the 18th century. Often used for making dry white wines, Sauvignon Blanc is also famous for its sugar content and its aromatic...
Crab appetizers and toasts
Here is an easy recipe. These tasty crab verrines require only 10 minutes of preparation! The crab’s sweetness combined with a sweet fruity wine is a great combination as summer appetizer… For 4 people: 10 minutes of preparation Ingredients:
1 can of crabmeat
1 shallot
Fresh chives
2,5 oz of soft cream cheese
1 tablespoon of softened butter
1/2 pink grapefruit
1 smidgen of...
Muscadelle, third element of Sweet Bordeaux wines...
Muscadelle is the third and last grape that used in Sweet Bordeaux wines alongside semillon and white sauvignon. Less common than the other two species, Muscadelle is a white grape traditionally used in Bordeaux vineyards. Sometimes used for dry white wines, it is also famous for its floral flavor in sweet wines. Muscadelle is characterized by its acacia and honeysuckle aromas, and even exotic...
The Sweet Bordeaux wines have been noticed in...
Last July (12th to 15th) was held the first edition of the Wine & Dine Dalian Festival in China. This festival, dedicated to wine and gastronomy, has been positive for the Sweet Bordeaux wines which were able to present their delicious wines to visitors… This first edition was a success for Sweet Bordeaux wines During four days, 10 Sweet Bordeaux winemakers encouraged the visitors to...
(Sweet) Bordeaux Wine Festival in Quebec
The Sweet Bordeaux pavilion was a huge success at the last Bordeaux Wine Festival with over 35,000 wine tastings! What about the Bordeaux Wine Festival in Quebec? The mayor of Quebec decided to organize this festival in his city because he really appreciated the event’s concept, which he attended several times. In honor of the Grand Prix Cycliste of Quebec and the 50th anniversary of the...
August 2012
2 posts
1 appellation, 1 recipe... by Georges Gotrand -...
Chef Georges Gotrand, personal chef, has a passion for Sweet Bordeaux wines. He gives you secrets on how to follow easy recipes and how to pair food and wine for each of the 11 appellations of Sweet Bordeaux. Discover the Roquefort cheese biscuits recipe which pairs perfectly with the Sweet Bordeaux Bordeaux Supérieur wine appellation. Easy to cook, these biscuits will surely impress your...
Onion tarts paired with Sweet Bordeaux wines
Your guests will surely appreciate these delicious onion tarts with a glass of Sweet Bordeaux wine! This recipe is easy to follow. You can eat them warm or cold, depending on your taste ! Recipe for 4 people Preparation: 20 minutes - Cooking time: 40 minutes Ingredients:
shortcrust pastry equivalent to one big pie plate
1 1/4 lb of onions
10 fl oz cream
5 eggs
1...
July 2012
8 posts
Sweet Bordeaux 2011 vintage by Jacques Dupont
Jacques Dupont, famous journalist at The Point newspaper, tasted the Sweet Bordeaux 2011 wine vintage.
This passionate wine expert gives his impressions and feelings about the latest vintage! Watch the video!
Sweet Bordeaux wines: how it started...
Sweet Bordeaux presents Xavier De Pontacq, owner of a Château in Barsac. He was interviewed and talks about Sweet Bordeaux wines and how it all started! Watch the video if you want to learn more about sweet wines…
The second Sauternes Marathon!
More than 500 runners started Sauternes’ Marathon on Saturday June 2nd 2012 at 8:30 am. The run started at Château Guiraud and the 26.1 miles of the marathon took place across the Sauternes region.
Athletes came to run and to discover the area. They went through the vineyards of some of the famous châteaux of Sauternes - Barsac.
Check out the video of this event !
Sweet Bordeaux Wines at the Dalian Wine & Dine...
The first edition of the Dalian Wine & Dine Festival just started! 100,000 visitors should attend this event. They will be able to enjoy four days of celebration with the most famous wine producers in the world and aspecially the Sweet Bordeaux. The festivities have already begun for Sweet Bordeaux wines. On Monday, July 9, 2012, teachers from the Bordeaux Wine School tasted Sweet Bordeaux...
Sweet Bordeaux wines are on their way to Dalian...
Just after the Bordeaux Wine Festival, where Sweet Bordeaux welcomed over 35,000 people, the Sweet Bordeaux wines and winemakers are off to Dalian!
For the first time, the China Dalian International Wine & Dine Festival will be held in Dalian, a big city which draws a lot of tourists. It’s one of top 10 cities for wine consumption in China!
The China Dalian Wine & Dine Festival will be...
Sweet Bordeaux at the 2012 Brussels Wine Week!
It was a “premiere” for Sweet Bordeaux in the streets of Brussels…
During “Brusselicious”, the year of gastronomy, the Brussels-Capitol area organized the Brussels Wine Week on the first weekend of June. The city offered a wide range of events from June 1st to 3rd in the Mont-des-Arts in downtown Brussels. For wine amateurs, tastings took place in different wine...
Spring and summer : The blooming period
The winemakers have a lot of work to do in order to produce Sweet Bordeaux wines that you will be able to enjoy at home! In June, following the first buds, the Sweet Bordeaux vines enter in their reproductive cycle, called blooming. This is a key period in the life of the vine. The flowering period doesn’t last long (on average 10 days) and will have impact on the quantity and quality of...
Delicious chorizo madeleines
Why not revisit the traditional “madeleines” for cocktails? Sweet Bordeaux gives you a delicious recipe for chorizo madeleines to spice up your next cocktail hour with friends! Discover the surprising mix of the chorizo’s spiciness and the sweetness of a Sweet Bordeaux wine. Serve warm or cold according to your taste! For 12 madeleines appetizers Preparation: 10 minutes -...
June 2012
3 posts
Hong Kong Chefs guests at the Bordeaux Wine...
The Bordeaux Wine Festival is THE place to be for whoever likes wine. The Festival will be held from June 28th to July 1st 2012. A unique opportunity to discover Aquitaine and Bordeaux’s 80 appellations which will be present along Bordeaux’s docks. Sweet Bordeaux wines will be among them of course!
Hong Kong city, the guest of honor For this eighth edition, the city of Hong Kong is...
Lunch Box Day – House of the 5 senses – 11/05/2012
On May 11th, the House of the 5 senses in Bordeaux proposed a rather unusual culinary workshop!
Throughout the day, Chefs showed off their “cuisine” and served meals in small boxes that you can easily take-out! Of course, all the recipes could be paired with a glass of Sweet Bordeaux!
Look at the video of this lunch box day with chefs Olivier Straehli, Christophe Girardot, Aurelien...
Tapas of smoked duck breast, figs and gingerbread
Ingredients:
3.5 oz of smoked duck breast sliced
Gingerbread
7 oz of fresh figs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoons of Espelette pepper
Peel the figs and cut them into small pieces. To prepare the accompaniment, mix the figs with the cinnamon, the fresh ginger, honey, salt and Espelette pepper in a saucepan....
May 2012
4 posts
Spring: bud breaking period
Being a winegrower is quite a demanding activity… For every season, there is a specific task in the vineyards, which will impact the grapes’ quality and the famous Sweet Bordeaux golden nectar. The grower has to adapt his work to the grapevine’s growing cycles and weather conditions, every season and year is different… After winter, a new cycle of growth starts :...
Saint-Jacques scallops, mashed carrots, spring...
Try the “Roasted Saint-Jacques scallops with Tandoori spices, mashed carrots, spring onion reduction with fresh coriander” recipe by Hélène Darroze, a chef who created special recipes that can be paired with Sauternes-Barsac wines.
Recipe for 8 people.
For the sauce:
2 shallots
3,5 cl of apple cider vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp of rare peppers
20 cl chicken broth
...
2011 wine futures: a vintage full of promise !
On March 15th 2012, more than 50 winemakers unveiled the 2011 Sweet Bordeaux vintage at Cadillac’s wine house.
The opportunity for brokers, traders, winemakers, as well as students of Vayres’ Rural Institute to taste Sweet Bordeaux’s 11 AOC wines, meet wine producers and improve their knowledge about sweet wines. This tasting session was also a meeting between winemakers...
Sweet Mix: a trendy cocktail!
Festive and trendy, Sweet Bordeaux is part of the party. Here’s the new trend of 2012 : the Sweet Mix!
Sweet Bordeaux offers a new way to drink Sweet Bordeaux white wines with a fruity and surprising taste. A unique way to taste and enjoy sweet white wines.
The Sweet Mix will surprise everyone and will be, without a doubt, the star of Sweet Hour events! Sweetness and exoticism, a...
April 2012
1 post
Feta and spinach samosas
As an appetizer or a starter, hot or cold, the samosas pairs perfectly with a glass of Sweet Bordeaux ! The wine’s sweetness goes well with the salty feta and spinach’s intensity. An easy and delicious recipe…
For 20 samosas:
10 pastry sheets
1 onion
300g of spinach
Feta
35g of grated Parmesan cheese
90g of Ricotta
4 eggs
1 tablespoon of olive oil
40g of melted butter
a...
January 2012
4 posts
1 tag
[VIDEO] Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival 2011
Our weekend recap of our fabulous time in Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival. We met new friends, enjoyed the landscapes, and sipped wine with the best! Hope to see you next year, cheers!
2 tags
Sweet Recipe: Canelés
We found this simply delicious canelé recipe from chocolateandzucchini.com and since our New Year resolution is to learn how to cook…I figure, why not try it?! I completely adore these caramelized crust desserts and looking forward to letting you know how the experiment goes! Canalés have been around since the 18th century and recently, they’ve been coming back into successful...
4 tags
Sweet Recipes with Olivier Straehli
Take a trip to Olivier Straehli’s kitchen in St. Augustin, where he’ll show us how to cook pasta, the risotto way. By using simple ingredients such as penne pasta, gorgonzola cheese and sweet Bordeaux wine, Olivier gives us visual instructions for his signature dish. [captions in English] Looks delicious, doesn’t it? What to pair this dish with? Well, sweet Bordeaux of...
3 tags
To The New Year!
To the New Year! A blemished label doesn’t stop us! 2009 Chateau du Grand Carretey, Sauternes. $16 Cheers! [Photo courtesy: @myvinespot]
December 2011
8 posts
3 tags
To A Golden New Year
We’re getting in the golden mood for New Year’s. Whether you’re hosting a party or going out, here’s some cute picks (gold of course) we’ve found from Grey Likes Weddings: 01 DwellStudio gold ribbons and gold triangles drinking glasses | 02 Design Within Reach satellite chandelier | 03 Essie golden nuggets nail polish | 04 The Future Perfect...
3 tags
Merry Christmas from Sweet Bordeaux!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We’re enjoying the holiday lights over at Chateau Coutet! Cheers! [Photo from Chateau Coutet in Barsac]
3 tags
Sweet Recipe: Express Foie Gras Terrine
An absolutely divine meal…try out our Express Foie gras terrine recipe! Melt in the mouth, the textures and tastes of this meal is like a mini eruption of pleasure on the palate! Ingredients (4 servings):
2 tablespoonful preserve onions
8 duck ( or goose ) foie gras escalopes
Jam or marmalade (to your choice: mango, tangerine, orange etc…)
50 gr butter
1 tablespoonful balsamic...
4 tags
Understanding Sauternes
Enjoy this entertaining video from the people at Obiwine, where they explain the process of making sweet wines over at the Chateau Guiraud estate. The above video covers the topics regarding:
The mastery of Botrytis fungus, or Noble Rot
Difference between Ice Wine and Sauternes
Food pairings for Sauternes wine
Warning: The video is all in French, with subtitles Check out more videos...
4 tags
Last Tasting Flight
Nice shot of James Molesworth’s last tasting flight during a recent trip to Bordeaux. Could you imagine tasting all these sweets?! Photo courtesy @jmolesworth1
3 tags
Sweet Recipe: Spiced Mangoes
Spice it up this winter with our easy recipe for Spiced mangoes! Ingredients (4 servings):
6 mangoes (NOT too ripe), peeled and chopped into cubes
1½ cups of sugar
1½ cups of corn or coconut syrup
1 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
1 tablespoonful of cinnamon
1 tablespoonful of cloves
1 tablespoonful of chopped fresh ginger
Instructions: 1. Mix all the ingredients (EXCEPT the...
4 tags
Sweet Wine Gift Set: Limited Edition Box Set
Are you looking for a unique gift for the wine expert on your gift list? Or maybe the newbie wino? Or maybe for you?! We came across this sweet deal over at Wally’s Wine and Spirits, a limited-edition box set from the esteemed Sauternes house of Chateau Guiraud. The gift includes three 100ml vials from vintages 2002, 1998, and 1996 along with tasting notes. This...
4 tags
Wine Review: 2007 Castelnau de Suduiraut - Honey...
Here’s a recent wine review of Castelnau de Suduiraut 2007 Orange marmalade, honey, quince on the nose. On the palate, it’s sweet. Can be enjoyed before dinner as an aperitif. Would pair well with creme brule, pineapple upside down cakes, or blue cheeses. $15 - $28 for a half bottle. Check out the review on Vimeo along with other Bordeaux wine reviews. Have you tried this...
November 2011
6 posts
8 tags
A Sweet Soiree in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, crazy with Sweet Bordeaux! Again this year, a huge success for Sweet Bordeaux wines at the 3rd Annual Wine & Dine Festival in Hong Kong! 12 Sweet Bordeaux winemakers have made the trip to serve wines at the booth at the Wine and Dine Festival which was full of guests during the four day event. With over 8,000 tastings, the sweet bordeaux wines booth was the most popular of...
3 tags
Extravagant weekend at 2011 Hong Kong Wine & Dine...
This past weekend (October 27 - October 30), we were spending our nights at the 2011 Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. We were excited to be a part of the extravaganza of exceptional wines and gourmet delights this year, which was located at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade. It was the third year of the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival and organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). ...
8 tags
No Stress with a Vintage like this - Chateau...
Friday, September 30th, Sweet sun in the vineyards of sweet Bordeaux wines. “No stress with a vintage like this,” said Daniel Sanfourche smiling from Chateau Loupiac Gaudiet. The weather is beautiful; the botrytised grapes dry quickly under the blazing sun and the east wind. “Anyway, we need to take time to properly sort grapes and the press in the cellar cannot go...
8 tags
Ideal Conditions at Chateau Rabaud Promis
Ideal conditions at Chateau Rabaud Promis. “The conditions for harvesting are very comfortable this year,” said Philippe Dejean, owner of Chateau Rabaud Promis (1st classified growth). “What better: the hot weather and an east wind, coming to concentrate our golden grapes already botrytised” he added. However, the reactivity is required this year we recruit; we hired...
8 tags
The Precious Nectar of Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey
In Bommes, the nectar is precious. More than 65 pickers harvest the shriveled grapes at Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey (1st classified growth). Half of the team returns each year. Here, we control three times the grapes: the baskets that are paid in Bastes, the Bastes arriving in the dumpster and then at the winery. “This allows us to see which picker did not understand,” said the...
8 tags
Second Round of Sorting at Chateau d'Arche
The wind has arrived in Sauternes! At Chateau d’Arche (2nd classified growth), they start the second sorting. Grapes are scattered in the vineyards and can be rare because 50% of the vineyard was hailed in April. Two teams of fifty people get to work. This group is quite unique because you can meet young Polish students and Portuguese pickers. The atmosphere is great, and different...
October 2011
8 posts
7 tags
New York Wine Experience with Chateau Coutet
This week we had a chance to meet up with the head of strategic marketing and communications for Chateau Coutet: Aline Baly. We met at the Wine Spectator’s annual New York Wine Experience at the Marriot Marquis, right in Times Square. She gave us a taste of how she got involved with the liquid gold, and a glass of the 2007 vintage to sip as well! Describe Chateau Coutet in 3 words....
9 tags
Harvest at Chateau La Rame with House Dog Putschi
Back in Sainte Croix du Mont at Chateau La Rame, under a blazing sun the pickers suffer as much as grapes, vineyards and winemakers. La Rame (the Rock in Old French) was at the Revolution, owned by Baron Vertheuil, Governor of the Ile d’Oleron and Lord of la rame. Cited as the oldest cru and the most famous of the AOC (Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1895 in Bordeaux and Paris...
9 tags
Meeting Up with Chateau Guiraud
Meet Premier Cru Classe Chateau Guiraud’s Brand Ambassador Augustin Lacaille, who came into town last week for a special wine tasting at Upper East Side Millesima Wine Shop. While he’s in town, Augustin’s main task is to meet with consumers, restaurants, and wine shops, to extend the knowledge of sweet Bordeaux. How he describes the wine? “It has character. Elegant. Not...
8 tags
More Than 100 Pickers at Chateau Bastor Lamontagne
More than 100 pickers in Preignac. With over 55 hectares of Sauternes, Michel Garat of Chateau Bastor Lamontagne needs a large and strong team. “We usually hire 80 pickers during harvest, but we had to hire 100 pickers to go faster,” he explained. Jason and David, from the village of Fargues, come back each year. They have fun especially when it’s nice outside. They are...
10 tags
Horses & Harvest at Chateau Moulannes
Since Tuesday, the harvest is in the agenda in the Sweet Bordeaux wines region. Horses graze nearby and watch the harvest at Chateau Mourlannes. In Gabarnac, located on the slopes of the Garonne River, between Loupiac and Sainte Croix du Mont, Jany and his small team walk in the rows. Under the anxious eyes of the horses, the tractor that sorts the grapes disturb them. His cousin from...
8 tags
The Best Pickers in the World - Harvest at Chateau...
Vineyards overlooking the Chateau of Cadillac. A friendly atmosphere and team of Marc Medeville at Chateau Fayau in Cadillac. “It is a good laugh while working,” he says. You can meet famous people of the region like:
1. a famous back basket man: Erwin who was in several newspapers thank to his size and shape,
2. Daniel called “pheasant”, not because hunting but as...
