Sunday, February 14, 2010

Boeuf Bourguignon & Orange Wine (not together..)


How many of you foodies made Boeuf Bourguignon after watching Julie & Julia? I did. I didn't even really have to think about it; just got up the next morning, pulled out Julia's book and went to work. It's actually one of her easier recipes, and delicious! We had it on top of shredded potato gratin and a bottle of.....no, not Burgundy. I had a lovely bottle of Italian red open, the COS Cerasulo di Vittoria Classico 2007. It's a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato from the island of Sicily. With it's dark, plummy, earthy notes and medium-high acidity, it was fabulous with the Boeuf.

But, what I really want to write about today is orange wine. This week I tasted the Movia Lunar, 2006, from the Brda region of Slovenia. It is the most fascinating wine I have ever tasted. Made from the Ribolla grape, it is a completely naturally, biodynamically made wine. After being harvested, the grapes are put into custom-made, oak barriques and put to rest for seven months. No yeast is added, and the barriques are undisturbed until the wine is bottled, unfined and unfiltered. There is oxygen contact throughout the fermentation process. The result is a wine that is distinctly orange in color, and a bit cloudy (due to the lees that is not filtered out before bottling). The nose is of orange, apricots and mineral; it is almost sherry-like, due to the oxidation that has occurred. But on the palate, it is beautifully crisp and refreshing. It developed dramatically over the course of an hour, with the nose becoming less fruity and more almondy.
If you would like to read more about orange wines, the February issue of Food & Wine Magazine
has a story featuring the Movia and a few others.
Apologies to my readers for the lapse in writing. Please keep reading, eating and drinking!

2 comments:

Tree said...

I want to try it! Sounds delightful and delicious.

Tea Drinker said...

I would love it if my wife made Boeuf Bourguignon! Some how I think it turn into a turkey adaptation.
Keep writing!