Go Barging! What is barging you may ask?

 Welcome aboard!

If my pictures could speak a 1000 words?!
This was just a lovely and peaceful moment.

On Board La Belle Epoque

I recently had the pleasure of working with 2 top notch chefs on board the barge (boat) along the Burgundy Canals. (Canals de Bourgogne)
Basically it is a Luxury Hotel Barge Cruise that goes many places. Slow and lovely river cruises that offer fine dining, paired wine, and local tourism in the area of your choice. 

What a nice day to cruise on the Burgundy canal!

Bikes for the trials in between locks and a jacuzzi after is a nice treat.

The rooms are private, nice, and very spacious.

If you want to try something new...please contact nikki@gameofseasons.com and I will put you in touch with European Waterways. This was such an amazing experience, like no other. I had the pleasure to work the trips I was on. We ate amazing food, paired superb wine from the region, and I got to talk about it with the guest. I was completely in my element and felt gratitude working in Burgundy a place I also call home. 

La Belle Epoque from 1930 and she is gorgeous!


Food and wine for the next blog..... check in after this one....

xo from Game of Seasons

We tried a very exceptional wine the other night....Something lovely to pair with a nice-crisp 2009 Premier Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes Chablis?!

Chablis

Exceptional.......

Vaillons is one of the finest and most powerful Premiers Crus in Chablis. Excellent east/south sun exposure and Kimmeridgean soils ensure ripeness and fruit precision and a portion of clay in the soil adds richness. The old vines produce wines with exceptional depth and complexity.

Vintage Information
After a dry and cold winter, spring was unusually warm. This weather encouraged plant growth and fruit setting in perfectly healthy conditions. The wines have complex aromas of citrus with chalky minerality. Grape ripeness was achieved without any excess of weight or overripe aromas.

Vinification
The grapes were pressed in a stainless steel pneumatic press and settled for 12 hours. Fermentation took place over three weeks at 18°C. 15% of the wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels, imparting very well integrated oak flavours, and the remainder was vinified in stainless steel. All the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. Nine months of ageing was followed by a light bentonite fining and minimal filtration to preserve the natural body and fruit of the wine.

Tasting Notes
An intense gold colour in the glass. Complex aromas with hints of flint, ripe pear and summer blossom. The palate offers intense yet dry white fruit flavours, a long finish and a fine freshness.

Something lovely to pair with a nice-crisp 2009 Premier Cru Vaillons Vieilles Vignes Chablis?! How about a beautiful Artichoke soup drizzled with Olive oil. Followed by fresh Salmon marinated in homemade teriyaki sauce, and golden butter potatoes. A Thursday night by the fire, with an awesome neighbor, and great conversation. #aboutlastnight 

#throwbackthursdays #chablis 

Thank you Sarah! xo

https://photos.google.com/search/_tv_Videos/photo/AF1QipP7XLZ93QmphwcUP36yH5qtQmLfaIFbNdLVEDaa

Perfect evening! 

Fin

A good evening is with a Gin Fizz, les huîtres, et jambon avec mes amis!

A good evening is with a Gin Fizz, les huîtres from Le marché, et fresh jambon with friends by the fireplace. 
Deep in Bourgogne, France staying warm with music and fun. 
Thanks Guillaume!

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNyJjtwqc1jxkL-TlfJV3vgnx0oVnymyecdj38c

How to Make It

1. Pour the gin, juice, sugar, and egg white into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake vigorously. More than usual if using the egg white to ensure it is mixed thoroughly with the other ingredients.
3. Strain into a chilled highball glass with ice cubes.
4. Top off with soda water.
5. Garnish with a brandied cherry.....if you want....

Thank for stopping by.....

When in Bordeaux....you eat Moules Frites!

Moules frites. 
Straight from the ocean. 😋Don't 4get to use an empty shell as a pincher with which to pry out other mussels and pop them in your mouth! #sipandtips

It was very hot this day.
We had Pastis (Pastis (French pronunciation: ​[pa.stis]  is an anise-flavoured spirit and apéritif from France, typically containing less than 100 g/l sugar and from 40–45% ABV (alcohol by volume). and a Monaco beer (white beer) mixed with a Schuss (shot) of sweet syrup (Gernadine) instead of soda.
French pairings on a hot day.
 I love to eat this dish, drinking Champagne or a nice Chablis....yummy! 

Wiki facts: As a dish, the moules and the frites are usually served on separate plates or dishes so that the fries do not become moist. Often, the moules are served in the same pan and stock used to cook them.^[11] A second pan or dish is generally also provided in which the mussels' shells can be left once the mussels themselves have been eaten.

One of my favorite recipes for this is Julia Childs.
Yes I said it

A Vintage Glass Can Change Everything!

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtag-n5R5VAvITA8HMRIVMQukoFKYqMLLJjS3q

We hope you had a great holiday!
Sips and Tips!

by Game of Seasons Boutique Wine Import/Export. 
We continued with some day after Champagne cocktails I created: TJ's Ginger beer, a dash of St.Germain Elderflower liqueur, and a Les Pintos favorite French Champagne Pascal Walczar extra dry brut....... 

Paired with French foie gras snacks, cheese, cured meats.....good peeps, and California sunshine.

Another Sips and Tips Champ cocktail....

Spruce up your holidays.🌲 Champagne Rosée cocktails...by Game of Seasons. 🎋🍾
Cut thin orange slices and freeze them. 

Add 1 dash of grapefruit bitters, and voilà! 

Again Use fancy-inexpensive- "vintage" glasses for festive flare! 
Laurenti Champagne Cuvée Rosée, Imported by @gameofseasons 😘 'Tis the season to be merry and bright! #recipes #champagne 
#bubbles #laurenti #winelife #parties

Laurenti CHAMPAGNE Grande Cuvee Rose Brut
Imported by Game of Seasons

Rufio and Dieselle and enjoying their holidays.....

May your holidays continue to be Magical!

xoxo Game of Seasons!

Happy National ZINFANDEL Day!

I NEED MORE ZIN IN MY LIFE.

I was reminded today was National ZINFANDEL Day and wanted to share some of Game of Seasons favorites off the clock......

Wiki Facts:

Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards.^[1] DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštelanskiand Tribidrag, as well as to the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Apulia (the "heel" of Italy), where it was introduced in the 18th century.^[2] The grape found its way to the United States in the mid-19th century, where it became known by variations of the name "Zinfandel", a name which is probably of Austrian origin.

The grapes typically produce a robust red wine, although in the United States a semi-sweet rosé (blush-style) wine called White Zinfandel has six times as many sales as the red wine.^[3] The grape's high sugar content can be fermented into levels of alcohol exceeding 15 percent.^[4]

The taste of the red wine depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruit flavors like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas,^[5]whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas^[5] and in wines made from the earlier-ripening Primitivo clone.

Select your food pairings based on the style of ZIN you're serving. Enjoy these quick tips when pairing Zinfandel with food!

MEATS
Zinfandel wine is happiest when paired with anything from the meat aisle, from barbeque pork ribs, leg of lamb or a big, hearty meal.
- Pork
- Beef
- Lamb
- Italian sausage
- Spare ribs
- Brisket
- Venison

POULTRY
A lighter Zinfandel wine is a wonderful red wine food pairing choice for poultry and game fowl, especially when served with a heavier sauce.
- Turkey - try Zinfandel for Thanksgiving!
- Duck
- Quail
- Pheasant 
- Chicken

PASTA
A bigger Zinfandel wine pairs best with tomato-based dishes while lighter Zinfandels make an excellent wine pairing for creamy pastas.
- Lasagna 
- Cannelloni
- Spaghetti

SEAFOOD & FISH
Try pairing Zinfandel with seafood stews and soups, as well as seared or grilled fish.
- Tuna
- Cioppino (Tomato and fish stew)

OTHERS
Enjoy Zinfandel with bold, hearty soups, as well as your favorite kind of pizza! 
- Beef Stew
- Chili
- Pizza

HERBS
Black Pepper, Basil, Thyme, Italian Parsley, Bay Leaf, Fennel

CHEESE
Parmesan, Aged Cheddar, Aged Gouda, Asiago, Dry Jack

xoxox Game of Seasons

Holiday Pairings are coming up soon! 

From the Château Monbazillac tasting room to home. A worldwide known vineyard which holds many secrets!

The Château is symbolic of the Bergerac region and has stood proudly since the end of the 16^th century when the quality of its wines was well known far beyond the borders of Aquitaine. This constancy is remarkable in a region where wars, peasant revolts and revolution hardly allowed a moment’s peace for the aristocratic properties dotted about the landscape.

From the Château Monbazillac tasting room to home. Sweet dreams of wine for my sweetheart.🍏 💗 😚
These were favorites of ours. 
This Sweet yet dry 2011 Château Monbazillac 

SÉMILLON-SAUVIGNON BLANC BLEND

 can age for another 20 years pairs well with foie gras, confiture, and these noisette cookies perfectly. 

 

 

Facts: Producing a sweet wine needs to get in first full maturity of the grapes. This is primarily conditioned by the selection of plots with soils providing good permeability and good drainage of water. It is in the result of careful management of the plant with a minimum density of planting 4,000 vines per hectare a short size which limits the growing power of the plant, and a low yield of 30 hectolitres per hectare. The main grape varieties relatively early and mid force are Muscadelle, Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, and Sémillon.
#winelife #sweetwines #oldworldwine#Renaissance #somm #winewinewine#womeninwine #exploring #experience#lifeofanimporter #sipandtips

Round and full bodied reds and delicious sweet and dessert wines, delicate dry whites, and fruity roses, wines from Bergerac and Duras offer a style for every type of food.

The terroir

It is the action of Botrytis cinerea, that microscopic fungus, which transforms the grapes during warm autumn days so that they give up their wonderful sugars to these famous sweet wines.  Monbazillac wine, so renowned in the 17th century, benefitted from the exodus of Protestants to Holland following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The exiles became zealous promoters of these great sweet white wines, hugely appreciated by their hosts.  Four centuries later, Monbazillac still enjoys this reputation, thanks to the talent of its impassioned and determined winemakers, as well as the introduction of science which has enhanced the quality of the vineyard’s grands crus.

http://chateau-monbazillac.com/en/the-castle/the-terroir

The winemakers

The decision required careful consideration just 4 years after the deadly frosts of 1956 which had ravaged part of the vineyards.  The vote was a secret one and the result was 13 in favour out of 13 votes, so a unanimous decision.  These managers were good winemakers, but also not indifferent to arts and culture.  So the Château and its estate did not fall into unknown hands or under the umbrella of a speculative group.  Nowadays, this historic monument, open to the public, is managed by the children and grand-children of those winemakers, all striving to preserve the Château and make it accessible to as many people as possible.

Facts: It is in a second time ripeness that produces grapes suitable for winemaking sweet wines. It is related to the combination of topographic and climatic conditions very particular found together in a very short .In autumn sites oceanic influence promotes dew, mists or the morning fog that will stagnate at the bottom of hillsides which will be followed by beautiful sunny afternoon. The moisture content is between 85% and 90% and promotes the development of botrytis cinerea whose activity is greatly slowed by the heat of the afternoon.

The best soils, located in northern slope towards the valley of the Dordogne, longer benefit from the conditions of humidity at daybreak; they produce the most concentrated wine. The plateau and the southern slope, submitted in the day to sunlight are less precocious and will produce wines with less sap.

To perpetuate the old practices and to facilitate the extraction of juice pressing, the grapes are placed whole in the press. The wines get their fullness after a few months and they are subject to a breeding until at least 31 May of the year following the harvest.

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xoxo Game of Seasons

https://goo.gl/photos/oLNm1VsveU72ZYwm9