Monthly Archives: July 2012

Intern Jean-Hubert visits Dogfish Head Brewery!

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Hello America and beer fans

Here is a new post from me, Jean-Hubert Fabre, the French intern at Total Wine & More!

Last Thursday was an amazing and exciting day for me and my colleague Rob Hill (Twitter: @TWMBeer) – we visited the Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware.

French people do not yet have the same beer culture as here in America. We drink beer, but most of the time they are large brands such as Heineken or 1664. We do not have stores like Total Wine and More, which provide a huge quantity of craft beers. So I was really excited for my first visit to a brewery!

We had a beautiful trip from the Total Wine & More headquarters in Potomac, Maryland to both Rehoboth and Milton, Delaware. The weather was beautiful and the landscape before us on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was gorgeous. It was also my first road trip here in the U.S.A!

We arrived at 9:00 am in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The beaches looked fantastic but we had no time for that (unfortunately!) We had a meeting with Justin Williams, a marketing team member, in the Dogfish Brewpub. Upstairs, they have a distillery and a small experimental brewery. It was unbelievable. We filmed all of this in order so you can discover the fabulous world of Dogfish. I am convinced that you will enjoy the videos.  That’s why the Customer Experience team is working to share them as soon as possible! To complete the brewpub visit, we concluded with a delicious lunch on the patio with a vine of hops overhead.

In the afternoon, we met Sam Calagione, the founder and President of Dogfish Head. He spent time with us to describe his fabulous products and to talk to us about his first meeting with David Trone, founder and co-owner of Total Wine and More, many years ago. For me, with my French viewpoint, these two men realized what is called the “American Dream”. They created a successful company from nothing, except an iron will and a great idea.

Dogfish Head is younger than Total Wine and More. It was created in 1995. It was Delaware’s first brewpub when it opened in Rehoboth Beach. It was also the smallest commercial brewery in the USA. With a very high quality of beer and delicious food, it was certain that the success would follow. Seven years later, in 2002, they moved all their production to Milton, Delaware, into a 100,000 square foot facility!

Total Wine and More is extremely impressed with the quality of Dogfish’s beers and we are very proud to share them with you.*

A bientot,

Jean-Hubert

*Dogfish Head not available in all markets

Intern Jean-Hubert and the Tour de France: Armagnac

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Hi! My name is Jean-Hubert Fabre. I’m visiting from France where my family owns several properties in Bordeaux and I’m interning for the next few months at Total Wine & More’s headquarters in Potomac, Maryland. I thought it would be fun to write about the Tour de France from a wine perspective, I hope you enjoy my posts!

The 99th Tour de France started on Saturday June 30th and is made up of 20 stages, which represent almost 2,200 miles. The runners will cover this distance in 23 days and the final stage will be, as all years, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

I want to use this event to allow you to discover French wine areas. You will be able to discover beautiful places like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy. At each stop, we will tell you about their wine history, winemakers who work with Total Wine and with which recipe you can drink these wines.

Gascogne and Armagnac

The cyclists start the last week of the Tour de France. They enter in the middle of Armagnac’s area, in southwest France.

Armagnac is distilled from white wine grapes, called Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Baco blanc varieties. After distillation, it’s aged in local black oak casks.

A common question for consumers is to know the difference between Cognac and Armagnac. The first one is distilled twice, whereas the second is distilled only once. The result is that Armagnac has more finesse and roundness.

Most Armagnac is a blend of vintages. In blended Armagnac, the label is important in order to choose a bottle. A label that says “VS” means the Armagnac has spent a minimum of two years in cask; VSOP and Reserve labels indicate five years. “XO” and “Napoleon” are aged six years and “Hors d’Age” ten years or more. The older Armagnac are better, more complex (vanilla, toffee nougat, pepper,…) but more expensive.

We can also find Armagnac in the Gacony’s food. One of the specialists of this area is a salmi of quail. It is a stew of quail, where the portions are slow braised then simmered in onions and herbs.

A great recipe for Gascogne quail can be found here.

Spread the News! Total Wine & More is coming to Laguna Hills!

16 Monday Jul 2012

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We’re opening our 8th store in Southern California on August 16th, and we’re hoping that you will help spread the word to family, friends and co-workers in the Laguna Hills area.

We have a lot of traditions here at Total Wine & More, and one is our grand opening t-shirts. We would appreciate your help to select the best t-shirt out of the three designs below. Please vote on your favorite design and share this poll on Twitter or Facebook to your friends and family in the Laguna Hills area.

The poll closes August 9th, one week before we open!

The design that ends up in the winner’s circle will be provided to the first 500 who attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony. (Date is not set yet, but will be announced on our Southern California Facebook page when determined)

Thanks for spreading the news in Southern California — and thanks for your business!

Intern Jean-Hubert and the Tour de France: Languedoc and Bastille Day

14 Saturday Jul 2012

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Hi! My name is Jean-Hubert Fabre. I’m visiting from France where my family owns several properties in Bordeaux and I’m interning for the next few months at Total Wine & More’s headquarters in Potomac, Maryland. I thought it would be fun to write about the Tour de France from a wine perspective, I hope you enjoy my posts!

The 99th Tour de France started on Saturday June 30th and is made up of 20 stages, which represent almost 2,200 miles. The cyclists will cover this distance in 23 days and the final stage will be, as in all years, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

I want to use this event to allow you to discover French wine areas. You will be able to discover beautiful places like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy. At each stop, we will tell you about their wine history, winemakers who work with Total Wine and with which recipe you can drink these wines.

Languedoc

During the Bastille’s Day, the cyclists are on the Languedoc’s roads! What a great area for this such important day! For the 14th stage, the Tour de France will leave from Limoux, a famous sparkling wines AOC. Much to France’s chagrin (we love to win on Bastille Day), André Greipel, a German on the Lotto-Belisol team Belgium won a third stage victory on the tour.

The Languedoc is one of the largest winemaking region in the world with its 608,000 acres of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Bourboulenc, Viognier, …. You can find also Rousanne and Marsanne varieties in the Languedoc’s vineyard. 30 000 winegrowers make a living doing what they love. In Languedoc, the France’s most southern region, a vast variety of soil types exist in a Mediterranean climate: vast pebble terraces, calcareous clay, limestone and shale, pudding stone, sandy soils, and many more!

For twenty years, the quality of these wines has always increased thanks the replanting of the vineyards and the updating of winemaking technology. Producers took important strides to improve the quality and limit the quantity.

The Minervois is one of the most famous AOC of this region. It is located east of Carcassonne, a well known medieval walled castle city. The parcels are located on a high plateau and close to the river Aude. The Minervois gives concentrated wine with red fruit flavors.

In Languedoc, we can taste a delicious “Crème catalane”. It is a traditional Languedoc’s dessert. You will enjoy it! Recipe here.

Intern Jean-Hubert and the Tour de France: Burgundy

12 Thursday Jul 2012

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Hi! My name is Jean-Hubert Fabre. I’m visiting from France where my family owns several properties in Bordeaux and I’m interning for the next few months at Total Wine & More’s headquarters in Potomac, Maryland. I thought it would be fun to write about the Tour de France from a wine perspective, I hope you enjoy my posts!

The 99th Tour de France started on Saturday June 30th and is made up of 20 stages, which represent almost 2,200 miles. The runners will cover this distance in 23 days and the final stage will be, as all years, on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

I want to use this event to allow you to discover French wine areas. You will be able to discover beautiful places like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy. At each stop, we will tell you about their wine history, winemakers who work with Total Wine and with which recipe you can drink these wines.

Burgundy

Ten days after the start in Liege, Belgium, the Tour de France arrives finally in Burgundy! In Mâcon, the racing cyclists have a day off. I hope that they can visit some wineries! This place produces one of the world’s most famous wines.

The notion of terroir finds its fully expression in Burgundy. “Climats” in Burgundy are small parcels which form a mosaic. There are several thousands of climats and 100 AOC only in this wine region! The Burgundy region is composed of 5 main areas (143 miles From north to south) : Chablis, Cȏtes de Nuits, Cȏtes de Beaune, Cȏtes Chalonnaise and Mâconnais.

Here, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the main varieties. The both represent 82% of the grape varieties produced in Burgundy. Gamay and Aligoté are also planted but in a small proportion.

And how do we speak of Burgundy and not include the famous dish Boeuf Bourguignon?

Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe/index.html

The beef Burgundy is the best-known recipe of the region. It is easy to cook it and no one is ever disappointed. The steak is cooked in olive oil, then simmered in beef broth and red wine. It’s seasoned with thyme and then mushrooms and onions are added. We suggest you to drink a bottle of Château de Chamirey 2007, a red Mercurey (Wine Spectator-90 points). An excellent vintage with a red cherry and vanilla flavors.

Intern Jean-Hubert and the Tour de France: Alsace

09 Monday Jul 2012

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Hi! My name is Jean-Hubert Fabre. I’m visiting from France where my family owns several properties in Bordeaux and I’m interning for the next few months at Total Wine & More’s headquarters in Potomac, Maryland. I thought it would be fun to write about the Tour de France from a wine perspective, I hope you enjoy my posts!

The 99th Tour de France started on Saturday June 30th and is made up of 20 stages, which represent almost 2,200 miles. The runners will cover this distance in 23 days and the final stage will be, as all years, on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

I want to use this event to allow you to discover French wine areas. You will be able to discover beautiful places like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy. At each stop, we will tell you about their wine history, winemakers who work with Total Wine and with which recipe you can drink these wines.

Alsace

After the Champagne region, the Tour de France’s racing cyclists cross the Meurthe-et-Moselle, close to the Alsace and its wines. Located in the east of France, this area owns a real terroir thanks to the Vosges Mountains and the several varieties of soil  (clay, gravel, schist,…). The clay brings body to the wine,  while schist gives it delicate fruit and floral aromas. The Vosges Mountains protect the area against too much rain and give it 50 additional days of sunshine compared to the western area of these mountains.

When Alsace is mentioned, Gewϋrztraminer is the first word that comes to mind. This famous grapes variety gives to wines an intense yellow color. The nose is complex and offers exotic fruits (especially lichee), flowers and citrus aromas.

Riesling is also another ultimate Alsatian variety. It is cited for many centuries, but its culture did not develop until the second half of the 19th century. And today, Riesling is the most produced variety in Alsace.

Flammekueche or Tarte flambée is a well-known Alsacian specialty. It is onion and bacon tart with a thin-crusted cheese. With the Tarte flambée, I recommend you the Arthur Metz Riesling or the Albrecht Pinot Blanc Reserve . (Recipe for the Tarte flambée can be found here)

Keep up wih the Tour de France with Total Wine & More!

08 Sunday Jul 2012

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Hi! My name is Jean-Hubert Fabre. I’m visiting from France where my family owns several properties in Bordeaux and I’m interning for the next few months at Total Wine & More’s headquarters in Potomac, Maryland. I thought it would be fun to write about the Tour de France from a wine perspective, I hope you enjoy my posts!

The 99th Tour de France started on Saturday June 30th and is made up of 20 stages, which represent almost 2,200 miles. The runners will cover this distance in 23 days and the final stage will be, as all years, on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

I want to use this event to allow you to discover French wine areas. You will be able to discover beautiful places like Champagne, Alsace and Burgundy. At each stop, we will tell you about their wine history, winemakers who work with Total Wine and with which recipe you can drink these wines.

This stage starts in Epernay, the most famous town with Reims in Champagne. It is a small town with 25,000 inhabitants. Originally planted by the Romans, the Champagne vineyards cover today 85,000 acres. It is important to note that it was not until the 17th century that Champagne produced sparkling wines. In Champagne, just three varieties are allowed : Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and the famous Chardonnay.

Champagne is also known for its food products. Biscuit de Reims are sweet, fine biscuits and are known under their French name Biscuits Roses. The ingredients are very basic: only sugar, eggs and flour and vanilla-flavor. Fossier’s Confectioners who first made it in the late 18th century keeps still secretly its original recipe.

With these pink biscuits, we can suggest you to drink Mailly Brut Reserve Grand Cru. Champagne Mailly practices sustainable methods of cultivation and they produce elegant wine with a complex nose of pears, and necatarines and citrus.