Simonnet-Febvre French Sparkling Wines

I have been on a quest to get people to drink sparkling wines on a regular basis. This concept that sparkling wine is only to be consumed on special occasions in nonsense. We deserve to feel special "just because" we are who we are! We are awesome and we love wine and food. So, check out these wines and let me know what you think.

This sparkling wine had a nose of white fruit and breadiness that is found in champagne. The nose mimicked the palate with an addition of nice minerality and a creamy mouth feel. This sparkling wine is wonderful to sip alone or to pair with triple cream cheeses like St. Andre and young goat cheese like Humboldt Fog on a slice of French bread. I would also pair this wine with seafood especially oysters. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Louis Latour Inc. http://www.burgundyandbeyond.com/ SRP $18.00

Humboldt

Fog

St. Andre

This sparkling wine had a beautiful light pink hue. The nose was filled with red fruit flavors and a bit of toast. The palate mimicked the nose with an addition of a hint of spice on the finish.  This wine may look soft, but it has a depth of flavor of a red wine which makes it a wonderful food wine. I would pair this sparkling wine with roast chicken, fried chicken, ham, pork roast and salmon. Note: This wine was a sample provided by Louis Latour Inc. SRP $18.00 http://www.burgundyandbeyond.com/

I decided after one sip of this rose` sparkling wine,  that it would pair well with a baked tomato. It made for a great pairing!

Lorrie's Provencal Baked Tomatoes

Serves 2

1 ripe red tomato

sea salt (to taste)

Herbes de Provence (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

good olive oil

Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the tomato in half horizontally. Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle sea salt, (I used Celtic Sea Salt http://www.vgourmet.com/) black pepper and Herbes de Provence http://www.vgourmet.com/ on the cut side of the sliced tomatoes. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle the tops with panko crumbs and drizzle a little more olive oil on top so they can brown. Bake for 20-25 minutes. This would be great side with salmon or roast chicken.

This was the most flavorful baked tomato that I've ever had. I've had them on brunch buffets and they were okay, but this is one preparation that you need to try! Note: The Sea Salt and Herbes de Provence were samples provided by Victoria Taylor's Seasonings.