aVin -アヴァン- 南仏ワインの輸入、販売 ローヌ＆プロヴァンス Rhone&Provence

The delicious story of the French pastry “éclair”2019/4/1

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The name éclair comes from French meaning “flash of lightning” and it’s named this way because well, it’s eaten in a flash. Some people also believe that the pastry received its name because it sparkles when coated with confectioner’s glaze.

Not much is known about the origin of the éclair, but it is known to have originated in France around the turn of the nineteenth century. Many food historians speculate that Éclairs were first made by Marie-Antoine Carême, a famous pastry chef for French royalty.

So, what exactly are the éclairs? A true éclair is a long, thin pastry made with choux pastry filled with a cream and topped with icing.The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry then is filled with…pastry cream (crème pâtissière), custard or whipped cream, and topped with fondant icing.”

Of course, if that seems a bit long, this definition for the éclair seems rather concise: according to the Chambers English Dictionary, an éclair is “a cake, long in shape but short in duration.”

Eclairs are becoming increasingly trendy, sporting new shiny coats and fluffy fillings with flavors like matcha (green tea) and lemon cream.

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And it’s delicious paired with Ultime Muscat, Jaillance!

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アヴァンの試飲会ってどんなところ？2019/3/29

月に一度開催しているaVin（アヴァン）南仏ローヌ＆プロヴァンス地方のビオワインを実際に味わえる試飲＆販売会

目黒の住宅街にひっそりと佇むスタジオでやっています。ちょっと見つけにくいのが・・いいと思ってもらえたら。

カフェに立ち寄る感覚で、友達と気軽に行ける、そんなスタジオの様子をご紹介します。

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初めてaVinの試飲会へ　会場はここかな。フレンチシックなおしゃれなスタジオ。
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「いらっしゃいませ受付はこちらです。」

エントランス料を払ったら、ワインの詳細が書いてある紙をくれた。
服装にも迷ったけど・・・みんなカジュアル。よかった。

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グラスを持って、さぁ飲むぞ～。

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わぁ、ワインがずらりと並んでる！どれにしようかな。

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スパークリングワインや白ワインが好きだからそのあたりからはじめよう。

「番号順に飲む方もいらっしゃいますし、

お好きなのもの、気になるものから飲まれる方もいらっしゃいますよ。」

「じゃあ13番お願いします。」
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これ、すごく好きだなぁ。さっきのあれも良かったなぁ。メモメモ。
これと同じブドウ品種のはあるかな？同じ銘柄の年代違いも試してみたい。

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いい香り。同じワイナリーのも飲んでみよう。
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「これはどこのあたりのワインなんですか？」
「ミストラルって何ですか？」

丁寧に教えてくれた。
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ちょっと飲み切れないなってときは、この吐器へ。

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ウォーターサーバーのお水もある。
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パテとパンがある。ワインの合間に、ワインのあてに、これも食べていいんだ。うん、美味しい！

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さて、どれを買って帰ろうかな。メモを見返してみよう。

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お気に入りの1本を買えた。次は友達もつれてこようかな。開けるのが楽しみ！

☆アヴァンが南フランスのワイナリーから直輸入しているワイン

毎月25本程度をセレクトして試飲会を開催。

ワイン仲間ができたり、ワイン情報を交換し合ったり。

1人で来場の方も多いですね。

ワインショップのように当日お持ち帰りもできます。

次回試飲会の日程はこちら

http://avin.jp/category/event/tasting

The Gem of Provence: Bandol2019/3/28

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“There are certain wine appellations that are cursed by thriving tourism, and the sunny, Mediterranean region of Provence is one of them. Typically, quality goes to the wayside when you have a steady, reliable market for whatever wine made, whether good or not. Moreover, the region is really, really sunny (I think I said that already), so this is good for tourists, but bad for grapes, which can ripen too quickly for their own good, with lackluster flavors in the final wine.

But Bandol is one of the blessed exceptions. The vineyards (first planted by the Greeks in 600 BCE) are planted on south-facing slopes on rustic stone terraces called restanques where they are protected from cold northerly winds, but bathed in warm Mediterranean breezes. This is, in fact, the only French red wine region where Mourvèdre dominates–because this grape actually needs all that glorious sunlight of this region in order to fully ripen; and any Bandol Rouge must have at least 50-95% to be classified as such (pink Bandol wines 20-95%). On its own, this unique variety is known for producing wildly rich, meaty and structured red wines, but it is often blended with Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah or Carignan. The red wines must spend 18 months in oak before it is released.

In fact, for restaurant-goers, Bandol Rouge is often a ‘steal’ on a wine list, compared to a Cabernet Sauvignon. Why? Because most consumers simply aren’t familiar with its key grape, Mourvèdre, or the region. But this makes one of the finest French reds in France, and is also responsible for some of the best, most layered rosés!

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So as far as pairing food with a Bandol Rouge, think savage and meaty. Steak is a no-brainer, roasted pork, or hearty stews or casseroles work very well, but rich cheeses such as Tete-du-Moine from Switzerland, marked by delicious notes of beef consommé, or Pyrenees Agour, a full-flavored savory cheese from the Basque region of Spain. Bandols with some age can be quite a meditative experience without food.”

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full article here: https://savvydrinker.com/tag/bandol-rouge/

to order Bandol wines:
https://shop.avin.jp/?pid=138116702

Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf du Pape Les Safres 2016 red2019/3/25

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What is the soil characteristic and why the name “Les safres”?
Safres soils is a type of compact sand. Located on the name place “Les Bédines”, the soil of this cuvée is made of Sandy and safres soils giving to the wine suppleness and fineness!

2016 VINTAGE : An excellent cellaring potential.

The vintage 2016 benefited from really exceptional weather conditions, every bloc was harvested with optimal maturity.
Following by soft winter and cool spring, summer was hot and dry.
However, very high thermal amplitudes was observed between day and night, favoring the synthesis of polyphenols.
Harvest started on September 7th with red grapes, for 3 weeks.
Nevertheless, the drought of the summer lead to decrease the size of berries, as a result of low yield but with outstanding juice.
Red wines have dense and dark dresses with very high levels of anthocyanins and very beautiful tannic structures leading to predict an exceptional potential of ageing.

VINIFICATION:
Harvest started on September 20st.
Hand-picking with sorting in the vineyard and then in cellar.
De-stemming (100%) and vinification in wooden tanks with wild yeasts. Manual punch-down and delestages are made during all the grape maceration (35 days).

BLEND : 95% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, Vaccarèse and Cinsault

AGEING : In foudres and in demi-muids for 14 months.

WINEMAKER TASTING NOTES :
This wine presents an attractive madder red color to the dark purple reflections. The nose is greedy with flavors of wild lilacs and notes of flowerbed and faded roses. The mouth is magnificent with a beautiful sweetness, a beautiful fineness of tannins with aromas of liqueur of licorice and peaches/cherry compote.
A very pleasurable wine.

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FOOD AND WINE PAIRING :
Pie of wild pigeon – Ballotine of roe deer in blueberries.

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https://shop.avin.jp/?pid=104186295

3/24（日）南仏ローヌ＆プロヴァンスワイン試飲＆販売会 *ご予約不要2019/3/24

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Domaine du Gros Nore Bandol Rose

南フランスに春の訪れを告げるアーモンドツリーの花。今年も2月の終わり頃より開花しはじめました。ブドウ畑やその周辺の草木、虫たちが動き始めているのでしょうね。3月の試飲会は、お花見ピクニック気分の南仏ロゼワインや白ワインをいつもより多めに、ローヌ＆プロヴァンスの軽やかな赤ワイン、ワイナリーが作る国産のぶどうジュースなど全27種のラインナップです。

aVinスタッフ日下部が実際にワイナリーに出向き選んだワイン。自然派・ビオ・オーガニックなどにこだわった環境にも体にもやさしく、そしておいしい商品をお届けします。

【日時】 2019年3月24日(日) 13:00 ～ 18:00　最終エントランス 17:30　（ご予約不要）
【会費】エントランス料　￥2,000 (￥2,000のディスカウントチケット付き)
【会場】 studio Que（キュー）　目黒区目黒本町2-24-12

お一人でも楽しんでいただけるような、フランスの小さなアトリエ風スタジオが会場です。

ご予約不要。お気軽にお立ち寄りください。