Cotes du Rhone blanc Les Travers - White Wine
Origin
Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Blanc – AOC
Flavour profile
Soft, elegant, aromatic. A real winter wine.
Grape variety
30% Clairette, 20% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanche, Marsanne and Viognier (may vary per vintage year)
Vineyard
Les Travers includes several lots on the hills of Cairanne and on the flat Plan de Dieu. For this white Les Travers the grapes are harvested in vineyards with a bottom of clay and limestone on the flanks of the 'coteaux' and alluvial sand in the Valley. The average age of the vines is more than 30 years.
Vinification
The grapes are 100% hand-picked and carefully selected in the vineyard. Upon arrival in the wine cellars, they are immediately pressed and pneumatically cooled for the must to settle. 80% of the fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 18 ° C and 20% in new oak barrels, with regular bâtonnage. To maintain the necessary freshness in the wine is typically a malolactic fermentation not desired.
Taste/nose
Very bright and sparkling colour, yellow with a green tang. In the nose, floral aromas dominate, complemented by nuances of exotic fruits, pear, melon and tangerine with a hint of vanilla. Notes of almond paste and honey are not far away. Spicy, fruity and round in the beginning, dry and smooth on the tongue, beefy and greasy in the beautiful long finish.
Serve with
In the Rhône Valley this organic wine is often served with oysters and other shellfish. Classically combined with sea fish, poultry or white meat. Particularly good with poultry paté or terrine.
Serving Temperature
8-12 °C
Culinary Advice
Delicious served with our Sole and Scallop Roulade.
Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton
China Town
Every city around the world has it's own China Town and Amsterdam is no different.
On a street called Zeedijk, a stones-throw away from the Red Light District, you'll find a cluster of Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. There are Peking ducks hanging in the windows, Chinese families doing their groceries, paying their respects at the beautiful Chinese Temple or grabbing a bite to eat.
We needed some specialty Asian ingredients so we made our way to Dun Yong supermarket. You'll find an incredible array of Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Asian ingredients. Ranging from frozen tom yum soup packs, fresh coriander with the root attached to a range of woks and steamers. This is the one-stop shop for your Asian store cupboard and ingredients you won't find any where else.
It was getting late and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so Mischa suggested we go and eat dim sum at Hoi Tin. He's been eating there for years and has always wanted to take Bernadette to try it out, so this was the perfect opportunity.
We sat down to a pot of fragrant, steaming jasmine tea before tucking in to steamed dumplings with prawns and scallops. Aubergine slices, filled with pounded shrimp, deep fried in a light batter and served on a soy based sauce. To end, sesame balls, fried and filled with a sweet peanut paste. Reasonably priced food which does wonders for your soul and belly! We'll be going back soon to have dinner there.
Palmer & Co. Brut Reserve - Champagne
Champagne Palmer has evolved considerably over the past half century from its roots in Avize. It is now one of the most succesful Co-operative houses, based in the centre of Reims. With over 300 hectares of vines, 180 of which are rated Grands Crus, they have an enviable array of quality Chardonnay (50%) & Pinot Noir (40%) with which to blend their beautiful wines. The Blancs de Blancs exemplifies the overall quality of this Domaine.
The Brut Reserve of Champagne Palmer is made up of about of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier.
The taste of the Brut Cuvée depends not only on grape varieties coming from 40 different crus; they also result from the wine making and the ages of the wines which compose the cuvée. The grape harvest provides the main note, and is embellished by the addition of Reserve Wines which give a rare fullness and maturity.
To the eye, it offers a beautiful and bright straw-yellow colour; the bubbles are abundant and persistent. On the nose, the aromas are clear and cut; they develop a rich and wide aromatic palette, aromas of white fruits (pear), apple (cooked), freshly picked fruits (apricot), with subtle notes of honey, fresh coffee, dried fruits (roasted hazelnuts, dried currants) and a discreet buttered touch evoking croissants and pastries.
On the palate, this champagne is ample, round and fleshy; it offers the same intense sensations of fruit already present on the nose evolving towards in a more ‘compoté’ note. The finish is long lasting, harmonious and structured, ending with a beautiful freshness.
Culinary advice
Delicious served with our oyster recipe.
Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton
De Volkskruidentuin - The Spice Garden
Situated on the Kinkerstraat, around the corner from Amsterdam's newest hotspot The Foodhallen, you'll find spice heaven.
As you walk in to De Volkskruidentuin, the heady aroma of exotic spices and rose water make you feel as if you've stept into a middle eastern souk. Spices, whole and ground, orange blossoms, rice and exotic ingredients jostle for space. The owner, originally from Afghanistan, has brought a part of his world to Amsterdam.
If, like us, you're a fan of Ottolenghi, but have difficulty finding some of the ingredients used in his recipes, then you'll probably find them here. Think date syrup, pomegranate molasses, sumac, za'atar, dried pulses and nuts. So spice up your life and pay this shop a visit!
Barbera d’Asti - La Vigna Vecchia - Red Wine
Origin:
The Cossetti family have been active in this wine region since 1891. Respecting tradition, but utilising new technology in considered doses, they have been producing distinctive wines here for many generations. In this part of Piemonte the soil is a mixture of clay and lime, perfect for sweet wines, white or ... red.
Preparation:
The grapes are harvested in the historic vineyard of this domain near Castelnuovo Belbo. The vines are more than 40 years old and provide a modest yield with a high fruit quality. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled vats. By keeping the temperature low, the the characteristic properties of the Barbera grape are maintained. Maturation takes a minimum of 1 year and takes place in large oak casks with a capacity of 5000 liters. A part of the wine matures in barriques (barrels of 225 liters) that are used for one year. The wood influence remains controlled and gives the wine just that little extra complexity. After maturing the wines are assembled. In this way the beautiful characteristics in the wine come to the fore where the fruit plays a predominant role supported by the wood flavours. Large drums are used to aerate the wines very lightly and the wood has hardly any role to play.
Taste impression:
Red colour with purple impressions, a long intense aroma of red and black cherries with a gentle spiciness. The rich full flavour remains elegant with the characteristic Barbera freshness. Serve at 18 ° C.
Culinary advice:
Goes well with traditional appetizers, various white and red meat and medium-ripened semi-hard cheeses.
Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton
Urban Cacao
Urban Cocoa was founded in Amsterdam on 1st November 2013 where they produce chocolate in the center of Amsterdam. Under the inspired leadership of chocolatier, patissier and glacier Hans Mekking, they produce a varied assortment of patisserie in an open workshop of over 400m2 .
Besides chocolate, they also create macarons and contemporary pastry work. You are always welcome to go and taste. Their workshop has room for you to enjoy a coffee and ice cream in the summer. Always fresh and transparent, their products are made of natural ingredients with an eye for quality and a sound source.
We love the brownies and blondies - do go and try them for yourselves!
Rozengracht 200, Amsterdam
For more information please visit urbancacao
Fromagerie Kef
Fromagerie Kef is one of our favourite cheese shops in Amsterdam. As you walk in, you are immediately hit with an intoxicating aroma of delicious cheeses.
The shop, which has been in existence for 62 years, stocks an array of local and international cheeses from small producers. The fridges and cheese cellar are always brimming with these edible gems. The cheese is often ripened in the shop, ensuring that when you purchase it, it will be at it's best for eating and enjoying.
We love that when you purchase your cheese, they are loving wrapped, including the name of the cheese. When you get home, it's like unwrapping little presents of joy. The shop also stocks bread from bakery Niemeijer, chutneys, wines and charcuterie to complete your cheese board.
The staff are always on hand to give you advice if you need it.
On Sunday's you can order small cheese platters to enjoy in the store with a glass of wine.
Fromagerie Kef is our preferred supplier for our caterings and dinners.
For more information please visit Fromagerie Kef.
Marie-Stella-Maris Archives
In 2010 the United Nations declared access to clean drinking water and sanitation to be a basic human right (Resolution 64/292).
Resolution 64/292 inspired the creation of MARIE-STELLA-MARIS in 2011. MARIE-STELLA-MARIS strongly believes in the idea of taking care of one another and spreading creativity, personality and style to realize our social objectives.
Through sharing our personal interests and by offering a broad range of water and care products they aim to change the life of others. For each product purchased, MARIE-STELLA-MARIS donates a fixed amount towards clean drinking water projects worldwide.
The MARIE-STELLA-MARIS Archives store in Amsterdam is a must visit.
For more information please visit MARIE-STELLA-MARIS
Mendo Bookshop
MENDO is a candy store for book aficionados. Browse the latest and greatest on fashion, photography, architecture, interior, traveling, food and graphic design.
Led by its founders, Roy Rietstap, Joeri Worm and Joost Albronda, MENDO has become the home-base for inspirational and creative books on fashion, photography, architecture, interior and graphic design. Since its inception in 2002 MENDO evolved into the book candy store of Amsterdam. Both the physical and online stores are frequented by book lovers around the globe. MENDO derives its existence to three strong pillars, being a well-balanced selection of creative books, a personal approach and a stunning environment.
The interior of the store was designed by Concrete Architectural Associates. The walls are not made of bricks, but of thousands of black MENDO books. The intimacy of the scenery, combined with the stunning publications by some of the best publishers in the world, makes MENDO without a doubt one of the most unique and inspiring stores in the Netherlands.
MENDO is located in the Berenstraat, one of the 9 Streets in the heart of Amsterdam. Visit them to find unique culinary books. They also have stores at citizenM in London and New York City.
For more information please visit Mendo.
Iphöfer Kronsberg Scheurebe - Kabinett Trocken - white wine
Chefs Notes:
We drank this wine with Thai Style Mussels. The combination of spiciness and coconut milk brought a lovely acidity and the chilli heat brought out the light sparkle and liveliness in the wine.
Origin:
Hans Wirsching winery is one of the best in Franken and certainly one of the better in Germany. There are two major key points to the area: Silvaner grape (almost 40% of plantations) and the bocksbeutel, the classic bottle of Franconia, in the characteristic shape of a buck's scrotum. The bottle is transparent for the modern, fruity wines but green, blue, brown or even black for the classic Franken wines. Besides Silvaner grapes, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau (Riesling x madeleine royale), Scheurebe, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder are also grown. The spitzlachen of Wirsching are located near the towns of Iphofen: Julius-Echter-Berg, Hannover and Kalb. The soil of the vineyard consists of many different of layers: Keuper gypsum, limestone, ancient sediments (from the time when large parts of Europe where below sea level), variegated sandstone, muschelkalk stone, Jura limestone and Keuper sandstone, slate, weathered stone the form of rock containing clay ... and all laced with minerals. The combination of these different soil types and microclimates provides a fascinating variety of wine styles and flavours , from elegant fruitiness to powerful minerality. The steep vineyard Iphöfer Hannover is famous for both the dark-coloured, very mineral rich Keuper soil and microclimate that allows for a very long growing season. This gives this Scheurebe wine a very personal, incomparable character, full of minerality, exotic fruit and elegance.
Taste impression:
Beautifully clear and sparkling golden-yellow. An explosive nose with aromas of grapefruit, mango, passion fruit, cassis, mint and lemon balm. Mouth-filling, big, sweet, lively and mild flavour. To serve: 10-12 ° C.
Culinary advice:
Classicly served with appetizers, especially with game terrines. Surprisingly good combined with savoury 'dim sum' and other Oriental appetizers. Beautiful with fish!
Culinary tips:
Mussels
Fish en papillote served with stir-fried oriental vegetables.
Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton