Le Cordon Bleu - Wine Essentials #3

French wine law. Categorizing French wine. Wine production regions of France.

After walking away from this class, I think I need a whole degree on this topic. The French wine system – which has recently been encumbered by European law – is the most complicated in the world.

Call it picky. Stubborn. Or just plain, French. Labeling wine in this country is a chore. To understand the French label, it helps to understand the broad structure.

First there is the category of wine. Presently there are four. Vins de table (table wine, a.k.a. crap). Vins de pays (table wine with country origin specified). Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure, VDQS (great wine, but not the best). Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, AOC, (wine within a controlled region – top notch stuff).

Once the category of wine has been decided three other classifications can be given. Department (like a town). County (many departments grouped together). Or a broad region (area). For example, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (department) in the Côtes du Rhône region. Vins de pays wines are exclusively labeled with this classification.

The category and location identify the name of the wine. Let’s take this label as an example.

The category is usually the biggest writing. Chassagne Montrachet – an AOC. We know that it is an AOC because the bottle tells us so, Appellation Contrôlée. We also know because we have memorized the 450 AOC regions.

Next. We find Côte d’Or. The county. It is more complicated than that though. Chassagne Montrachet is in the Côte de Beaune area of Côte d’Or. Furthermore, Côte d’Or is in the Bourgogne wine region. So, this wine could be called Chassagne Montrachet, Côte d’Or, Côte de Beaune, or Burgundy. None of which directly label the type of wine.

The wine maker, Olivier Leflaive, information is found on the back of this bottle. Barely mentioned compared to American wine labels. Olivier Leflaive would be the equivalent to Robert Mondovi.

Alors. What type of wine is it? Some times the cépage, varietal, is not even listed on the bottle. But, because this particular wine is in an AOC, we know that the grape is strictly regulated. Pinot noir is the only grape allowed in the Chassage Montrachet AOC for red wine production.

To make matters more confusing, this is not to say that you will only find pinot noir being produced in Chassage Montrachet. What this does mean is that all wine labeled as AOC produced Chassage Montrachet will be pinot noir. The others are categorized as VDQS, vins de pays, or vins de table.

In addition to regulating varietals, the governing body of the AOCs also caps production. Five hundred liters per hectare

European Union law – which supersedes French law – does not differentiate wine into VDQS and AOCs. By the fall of this year, all VDQS wines will need to make the decision if they are going to step up to AOCs or down to vins de pays. This is a huge shift in the French wine industry. Needless to say, this is still unsettling to the French.

Overall, I concluded that when picking French wines you need great knowledge of the producing regions, a lot of research under your belt, or luck.

Session #3 - Tastes

• Vins de table
• Vins de pays
• Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure, VDQS
• Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, AOC

New York City

I’m not so sure that I am in the best form for writing. The jet-lag has my head in a bit of a fog. And my emotions are still running wild. Missing James. Already.

We had the most wonderful weekend in New York.

With a reported high of 23 degrees Fahrenheit, high winds, and a threatening blizzard we opted for a museum. The American Museum of Natural History. Just a short jaunt from our hotel. We wandered from gallery to gallery. Marveling at the zebra, hump-back whale, and cnidarian installations. We gazed far into the universe through the models of our solar system. And we even followed the human evolutional path.

True to ourselves - our attention was individually pulled at particular moments. First, the wall of crustaceans. The over-sized, almost human-sized, lobster caught James’ eye. His love for the B-52’s Rocklobster makes any lobster worthy of a photo. Accompanied by a few hummed bars, of course.

Not too far from the Rocklobster lied a display of fungi. My attention was pulled. I was dreaming of all the sauces, stuffing, and sautés that I could do with all these mushrooms. The flavor profile was developing in my mouth as I gazed at the variety so beautifully displayed.

With only 48 hours we had to move fast. The museum lead us to a matinee of A Little Night Music starring Catharine Zeta-Jones and Angela Landsbury. A Sondheim revival – James’ favorite lyrists – with an enchanting score. Laughter, angst, and relief were just a few of the emotions evoked.

Dinner reservations were at Dovetail on the Upper-West Side. One that has been on our list for some time. It was wonderful. James was over-the-moon about the truffle butter sauce that was served with halibut. I was particularly crazed about the amuse bouche – tuna fava bean, lamb cream, and shrimp croquette.

Sunday was a nice, quite day. A day for us to hang out, chat, catch up, and just be with each other. We stayed in bed until the very last moment before check-out. We wandered the streets holding hands. Had a nice lunch at one of our favorite Venezuelan places in the East Village. A long chat over ice cream and coffee. And. Of course. We accompanied each other to the airport.

As James said, “Not enough.” Our 48 hours came and went faster than either of us imagined. But, it was so worth it.

The only eventful thing about my flight home was the Airbus a380 – the huge double-decker. Airborne since 2007. 525 passengers. This thing was enormous. Even I was suspect on its ability to fly!

NYC Here I Come!!!

This weekend James and I are meeting in New York! Our first visit since I left for Le Cordon Bleu.


In our 48 hours we plan on celebrating our one year wedding anniversary. Celebrating Valentine’s Day. Catching Night Music starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury on Broadway. Dinner at Dovetail. Arepas in the East Village. Lunch at our favorite deli. And the best part of it all? We get to do it together – husbands reunited!

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #15; Practical #15

Fish – Part 2 was much more straightforward than Part 1. In other words, no Hollandaise sauce!

Instruction #15 – Fish – Part 2

• Breaded and deep fried – Breaded strips of sole, green sauce
• Salmon escalope with sorrel
• Braised – Brill fillets in white wine sauce

I’m not sure where to begin. Each of these dishes were extremely good.

Deep fry anything and I’m a fan. After filleting the sole we portioned each fillet into small pieces. Breaded them anglaise style – dredged in flour, dipped in egg, oil, water mixture, and patted with breadcrumbs. Rolled each piece into cigar shaped tubes. And deep fried. Served with mayonnaise – made by hand, of course – which was flavored and colored with a blend of parsley, chervil, watercress, tarragon, and spinach.


Taking thin slices of salmon and pounding them between two sheets of plastic we created salmon escalopes. (Similar to that for veal escalopes). Flash seared – 20 seconds per side. Dramatically reduced fumet until only a glaze remained. Creamed. And finish with butter. Garnished with courgettes - balls - of zucchini, carrot, and celery root.

The final dish was a familiar one. Filleted brill – a white fish similar to sole, but larger. Made stock with the left over bones. Braised the fillets in the stock. Reduced the braising liquid. Finished with cream and butter. Simple, but delicious. Garnished with turned, boiled potatoes.

Lesson #15 also signals our half way point of Basic Cuisine. Next week we will individually meet with a chef to discuss our progress and grades. I am chomping at the bit waiting for this meeting. I am very curious to see what type of marks I have been getting. What I think might be a 4 on a 5 point scale, might be a 2 or 3 to a chef – eek!

Hollandaise Sauce

Feeling unsettled about my Hollandaise sauce I practiced the moment I got home. Luckily after one try I got it! A perfect Hollandaise sauce. Low temperature. A lot of whisking. And patience!

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #14; Practical #14

The first time. The pan was too hot and I scrambled the eggs.

The second time. The sauce separated because of hot butter.

The third time. I don’t have the faintest idea what went wrong.

I asked the chef why my Hollandaise sauce miserably failed the third time.

You need to go home and reflect on each step of this recipe. He said.

Go home and reflect. That’s where I am. In a state of reflection - resisting the urge to throw my Le Cordon Bleu paraphernalia out my apartment window. Needless to say, all my free-time will be practicing Hollandaise sauce until I get it right.

The good part of today – if you could call it good – was that my fish was cooked perfectly, the vegetables were nicely presented, and my organization/cleanliness was excellent. Minor details to a practical centered around Hollandaise sauce. A sauce that I didn’t even come close to getting right.

Here is what it was supposed to look like.

In addition to this bugger of a recipe, Chef Stril also made Sole Meunière. Pan-fried sole with nut-brown butter.

Instruction #14 – Fish – Part 1

• Poached in court-bouillon – Poached hake steaks with Hollandaise sauce.
• Meunière – Pan-fried sole with nut-brown butter