|
|
|
Gomer's Midtown Weekly Newsletter
Two Stories, One About Muscadet.
1) When I moved here, in late Spring 2001, one of the first wine sales
I made was to a woman who was looking for a white wine to pair with
scallops. I came to Kansas City with little more than a suitcase of
clothes and a couple cases of wine in the trunk of an old Honda Accord.
Gomer's was listed in the "top 100 U.S. Wine Shops" according to Food
and Wine magazine. Jack hired me off the street part-time, and I
moonlighted as a club doorman to help make ends meet (a few of you may
remember my SCARY goatee from those days).
I sold the woman a bottle of Muscadet. She flinched at first - "I don't
want anything sweet," she protested, and it took me a moment to
mentally process her response. Muscadet isn't sweet. It's one of the
best dry wines on earth! She thinks it's something else completely!
"Oh, no," I said. "This isn't Muscat, or Mostcatel. This is something
totally different. This is what Parisiennes drink with oysters. Totally
different thing. This wine is made for shellfish."
Apparently I was convincing. She bought a bottle, and then relied on me for recommendations for years afterwards.
2) On Wednesday, my day off, I went to Extra Virgin to taste some
German wines with the representatives for Rudi Wiest. There were some
great Rieslings (come try a few on the 21st!) and a great Pfalz Pinot
Noir (to be offered later this Fall - here's the early 'Wow!'). As we
polished off lunch, featuring a brilliant Ceviche, exquisite Pork
Belly, and Pork Scrunchions to die for, conversation turned to life in
KC. Jamie, the manger of The American, Jeremy, the manager of Bluestem,
Michael Smith (Beard-award winner, XV, MS, et al.) all talked about how
much we love bringing what we bring to Kansas City. Sometimes, it's
frustrating that we're not New York, Portland, San Francisco or
Chicago, but KC is as cool or more so than virtually every other
similarly-sized city I can think of. Our best is really darn good. We
should hold our heads up.
The guys at that table admitted how much they liked to make an impact
on KC's food and wine culture. So think of those restaurants when you
think of going out to eat. You can go anywhere and find a Cheesecake
Factory. Venues like The American, Bluestem, Michael Smith and Extra
Virgin (among others) are Kansas City; they are part of its soul, and
we should be proud.
And now, to tie these two stories together - you should come buy some
Claude Branger 2008 'Le Fils des Gras Moutons' Muscadet from me. It's a
wine that is here in Kansas City because I knew how good it was and I
wanted to bring more great wine to Kansas City. The best Muscadets are
intensely bright and vibrant, but have a rich middle from the wine
resting on its lees after fermentation. This is like a sunny day with a
pefect breeze in a bottle. At $12.99, it is my favorite wine of the
moment.
It is also one of several interesting Loire Valley wines we have received.
Claude Branger 'Le Fils de Gras Moutons' 2008 Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie - $12.99/bt
On Pleasing Pretty French Girls.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed this very pretty French girl in the
Loire section. I went over to offer help, and she immediately shot me a
dirty look.
"You don't have any Bourgueil," she accused.
"Paris drinks it all," I said. "That's not my fault."
That's almost true, by the way. Paris Bistros sop up the lion's share
of Bourgueil's red wines. Both Saumur-Champigny and Bourgeuil are my
favorite appellations in the Loire for Cabernet Franc - they produce
exquisite, middleweight, raspberry-scented and flavored wines that are
perfect with food.
"I cannot find Bourgueil anywhere in this city," she sighed, existentially.
"Come back in a week," I said. "I'll have one then. Until then, I have this beautiful Saumur-Champigny."
"That is not Bourgueil," she said, the Stupid Man implied by her tone,
but she took one, and then came back for another a few days ago.
"Bourgueil will be here Friday," I said. If a disdainful sneer can be charming, hers was.
And it's here - Domaine de la Chevalerie 2006 'Galichets' Bourgeuil - $23.99/bt. And it's delicious.
Riesling Tasting!
I remember a few years ago Doug Frost writing about a Riesling in the
dead heat of summer and saying "This is the only kind of wine I can
stand to drink when it's this hot."
Well, it's this hot. And I really want to have a fun wine tasting, so
on Saturday, August 21st, I am going to open close to a dozen Rieslings
for you to try, ranging from the boniest of bone-dry to some of the
best semi-sweet wines we have.
One thing Doug has said to me behind the scenes is that Riesling is the
greatest grape, but no one understands it. It has been buried by the
image that "sweet = unsophisticated," and that drinking Riesling might
as well be like drinking White Zin. It's simply not true, and I will
have dry examples open from Alsace, Austria and yes, Germany (where dry
wines are trendy now!) to prove it.
And please, give the Kabinetts and Spatleses a chance. That little bit
of sweetness can make the come alive like a jolt of electricity. I will
have some great ones open.
The tasting will be a walkthrough from 1:00 to 3:30 PM. No charge. Snacks provided. These wines are liquid air-conditioning!
Jim Coley
Wine Director
Gomer's Midtown
August 13th Newsletter
August 6th Newletter
July 23 Newsletter
July 16 Newsletter
|
|
