Get Thee to the Greek

 fig. a:  Greek spring!

Team Foodlab & Team Oenopole are teaming up again to bring you another Greek extravaganza, featuring not one, not two, not three, but FOUR honest-to-goodness Greek wine producers

Thymiopoulos
Argyros
Tselepos
&
Papagiannakos

Opa!

 fig. b:  Opa!

and a wide range of Greek delicacies, including

grilled lambchops
stuffed eggplant
octopus salad
grilled Izmir-style kebab
fresh grilled flatbreads
&
honey-walnut cake

 fig. c:  Foodlab + Oenopole

And, get this:  you don't have to wait, because the festivities take place TONIGHT!

Wednesday, May 15
5pm till close
Foodlab
1201 boul. St-Laurent
3rd floor
Montreal, QC

It's official--Greek Spring has arrived!

aj

Real wines, fun times, rev. ed.

 fig. a:  the view from on high

Close out le joli mai in style on May 29th with a FoodLab/Oenopole co-production.  The festivities take place on the SAT's rooftop terrasse (one of Montreal's loveliest),

 fig. b:  Daumen + Oenopole + FoodLab

and the idea here is to pair Jean-Paul Daumen's brand new line of organic Côtes-du-Rhône and Vin de Pays wines, courtesy of Oenopole, with some grilled delicacies from your friends at the FoodLab (the menu according to Michelle:  "Grilled Toulouse sausage with apple and kohlrabi remoulade. In a bun." Yes!).  Now, doesn't that sound civilized?  Well, don't be so sure, because this is Montreal and the wine is going to be FREE.  (The grilled items will run you $5 a pop, just to maintain some sense of decorum.)

 fig. b:  Das Daumen*

If you're not familiar with Jean-Paul Daumen, he's the talent behind the highly regarded Vieille Julienne label (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône), and this is a brand-new project from him, an ode to the new generation of vignerons who've revitalized the Rhône region and its methods.  As he explains things (in English, courtesy of his website):

This project is about winemaking, it is about buying grapes from parcels whose [soils] are rich, vibrant, and alive--an integral part of my philosophy.  [This] project is also about working sustainably... 

This is a new portfolio of wines for me, wines that are meant to be accessible and authentic.  I want them to be real wines, meant to be enjoyed without pretence.  They are modest, and straight from the heart. 

Finally, this project is about being true to my approach to making wine, which is working the the best and healthiest fruit in my cellar.  This allows me to simply guide the winemaking process, with the least intervention possible.  My work will remain nuanced, avoiding extraction and artifice.  My desire is to leave my imprint as an artisan, with the challenge of making wine that expresses purity of fruit, uniqueness of vintage, and a terroir's personality.

Bring your wine-loving friends--there will be lots of fantastic wine.  Bring your food-loving friends--the eats are going to be hot & tasty.  And bring your fun-loving friends, too--this is going to be a blast!

aj

* photo credit:  frenchwineimporters.com / route des vins imports

p.s.  Well, when I predicted things might get wild at the Daumen 5 à 7, I didn't think Mother Nature was going to get in on the action.  Thanks to all those who braved the elements (apocalyptic amounts of rain, hail, thunderstorms, widespread flooding, etc.) to come on down and make the event a smash hit.  We knew this was a wine town, but this show of devotion was impressive, to say the least.  You people are amazing!--aj

 fig. c:  mission accomplished!

MM @ QV

fig. a: ready for her close-up

Yep. That's right. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to participate in one of La QV's "La QV été" wine tasting events back in July, and now it's Michelle's turn. Not only that, but she'll be teaming up with La QV on their final event of their Winesdays season! And she'll be serving a delectable chestnut terrine (!). And if all that wasn't enough to shake you out of your stupor and get you to attend Montreal's most convivial weekly wine tasting event, well, how about this? The wines on offer will be Domaine Bourdy's totally biodynamic (and totally awesome) crémant and Côtes-du-Jura white, and they'll be served by François Bourdy himself. How's that for a monster of a wine event? A veritable Jurassic Lark!

fig. b: close-up

The fun takes place:

Wednesday, October 26th
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
La QV
29 Beaubien est
514-504-5082
(for more information: info@laqv.ca)

aj

Winesdays

One Wednesday evening, a few weeks ago now, a friend of mine launched into a theory of hers:

"Wednesdays are the new Thursdays!"

I was a little skeptical at first, but then I looked around me. We were standing in the middle of a gorgeously appointed gallery in Montreal's west end. There was a vernissage going on in full effect and the place was buzzing. A DJ was spinning tunes and the bass was rumbling through the cavernous space. And representatives from Rézin, the local wine importation house, were serving up generous pours to lubricate the proceedings. And, like I said, it was a Wednesday. Maybe she was on to something.

fig. a: winesdays @ La QV

Fast forward a week, and I found myself at La QV--"votre caviste"--on Beaubien, where Team QV was hosting another installment of their 20-week extravaganza, La QV Été. You've heard of a "cinq à sept"? How about a "cinq à dix"? That's right, 5 hours of wine & beer tasting (mostly wine), nibbles, socializing, and shopping (wine, beer, charcuterie, etc.), all in the cozy confines of La QV. Sound like fun? It is.

A couple of weeks ago, Daniel (a.k.a. Montreal Oyster Guy) brought a selection of popping-fresh oysters from New Brunswick, Massachusetts, and Washington, and Team QV matched it with a crisp Sancerre. Ten days ago there were pickled pigs' tongues paired with an Austrian urkorn beer. This past week there was a beautiful terrine aux poireaux served with a lovely sylvaner.

And this coming Wednesday, July 20th, there'll be another collaboration going on: Team QV will be providing chopped liver plus samples of a Côtes du Rhône (Domaine de la Roche Buissière's Petite Jeanne, in magnums!) and AEB's very own Team Švestka will be providing a selection of summer pickles, along with our famous oignons confits, all of them for sale at near-wholesale prices.

I should add, Team QV knows their Côtes du Rhônes, and Domaine de la Roche Buissière is an outstanding producer. Their 2007 "Flonflons," which we had the pleasure of having at Lawrence one night last year, was one of our top three bottles of 2010--utterly enticing, and a remarkable value (Thank you, Etheliya! Thank you, La QV!). It would be an understatement to say that I'm excited about their latest vintage.

fig. b: Švestka Summer 2011

So come by, have a glass of wine and a nibble, and say "hello." Here's what you'll find on tap:

--Domaine de la Roche Buissière's Petite Jeanne
--Julie's chopped liver
--Švestka Preserves Inc.'s oignons confits, spicy carrot pickles, gingery pickled beets (red and gold), zucchini pickles, and pickled radishes
--and a selection of Quebec cheeses

plus

--Domaine de Pervenches lamb
--organic sausages by Fou du Cochon
--beautiful petits chèvres from the Eastern Townships
--and a juice-of-the-week selection*

Anyway, I'm still not 100% sure about this "Wednesdays are the new Thursdays" business, but with La QV Été going on well into October, I'm positive that for the time being, at least, Wednesdays are my new Winesdays, and I like it.

Santé!

Salon de dégustation de La QV, 29 Beaubien Est, 504-5082 (Little Italy)

aj

p.s. To keep abreast of the whole La QV Été schedule, contact "info at laqv dot ca"

* To pre-order the lamb, the sausages, the chèvres, and the juice, please contact Julie ("julierondeau at laqv dot ca") by Sunday.