Being that there are a limited number of shopping days until Christmas, it’s important to get our letters to the North Pole in the mail. I’ll be including the following wine-related items on my personal list to the big guy up north.
The Grand Ardent glass stands out for its beautiful lines.
From www.chefsommelier.com, a set of four Grand Ardent spirits glasses (€44) for enjoying either a tasty Cognac or Armagnac, or a good single-malt whiskey. These are not your father’s brandy snifters. Unlike that classic, short-stem glassware, sometimes referred to, because of its shape, as a “balloon,” these glasses have a modernistic, angular shape that makes you want to naturally cradle it in your hand, warming that brandy up to the proper, 22 °C drinking temperature. The large surface area at the bottom of the glass helps to evaporate the 2-3 ounces of brandy that you’ll pour in, sending the complex aromas up to your nose via the chimney-like sides. I particularly like the especially-short stem and wide foot that are in perfect proportion with the rest of the glass. Made from KWARX®, a high-tech, ultra-resistant material developed by ARC International, these glasses have the sparkle and transparency of crystal and the resistance of glass. They should remain like that for a long time, as the company has tested them in its laboratory with more than 2,000 “industrial washes” that are more strenuous than your average dishwasher. The chefsommelier website doesn’t ship to the U.S., but I found the same glasses on a U.S.-based website, www.onwinetime.com, for $45. If I get these, Santa, I promise to leave out one next Christmas Eve with some of my favorite Armagnac.
This Open Up Spirits decanter keeps your Cognac and Armagnac safe from Angels.
Equally elegant, and just as contemporary looking, is this solidly-footed, spirits decanter (€65), also from the chefsommelier site. It’s from their Open Up Spirits line, and I think that it will–hint, hint to my wife who will probably see this letter before Santa—accompany perfectly those Ardent glasses. The decanter is made from regular glass, but its stopper has an hermetic seal (so any nearby Angels will have to do without their Angels’ share). Also, I’m sorry for my compatriots, as I couldn’t locate this stylish, functional decanter for sale on any online stores shipping to the U.S. Maybe you can find it in your favorite wine shop.
Finally, if you want to test your knowledge of French gastronomy, while improving your command of French, Trivial Pursuit Gastronomie de France needs to be on your list. French food specialties from foie gras to traditional cheeses, along with its great wines, are included in this special version of the popular knowledge game. There are over 3,000 questions in the categories of History, Geography, Biology, Art & Literature, Entertainment and Sport. You can enjoy without moderation for just €65, but you need to speak French, and you need to live in Europe, as it isn’t, unfortunately, shipped to the U.S. See www.wine-and-spirits.com for ordering information.
French gastronomy, not a trivial pursuit...
