The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook

Aliske Webb

What’s My Wine?

It’s been a beautiful Summer here at the Inn. This afternoon I was lazing on the

porch reflecting on the abundance of joy and happiness that we have shared with our

guests, friends and general wellwishers, when, much to my delight, I spied an ancient

Citroen huffing it’s way up the driveway. The banging of steel on steel accompanied

bynoxious exhaust fumes announced the arrival of our local grape-grower and vintner,

Pierre LaBouche, of LaBouche Freres Winery. What a delight to see him!

Pierre brought our order of wine. If you find the Inn temporarily out of your

favorite dinner wine blame it in the vagaries of Pierre’s visits. He turns up whenever the

spirit(s) move him.

We carried cases of wine to the cellar where Pierre made his routine inspection

of our wine cellar. We’ve never made it past a “B-minus” in his rating. Perhaps

because we don’t stock enough of his wines! The wine cellar was never intended as

such. In fact, the cellar is only under part of thehouse, and is really only a root cellar dug

under one side of the Inn. Perhaps it was an afterthought. The rough dirt walls and

massive wood ceiling beams make it an ideal wine cellar, though, with only the

addition of some simple racks.

After opening and sampling a robust red wine (“From the cellars directly to you,

mon ami,” Pierre said), he asked if I would like to play a little parlor game with him.

“Let’s test your knowledge of wine trivia, my budding sommelier,” he said. “And

perhaps the guests of the beautiful Quilt Inn and readers of your upcoming cookbook,

will benefit from this knowledge.”

I readily agreed, but not before fortifying myself with some more red. “Let the

game begin!” I exclaimed.

. True or false? Wines made from grapes have to be aged whereas wines

made from raisins do not.

False. In Italy, vintners dry the harvested grapes until they are raisin–like to

make Vin Santo or Recioto della Amarone. These wines need aging just as wines from

freshly picked grapes do.

Published by Bookmice.com

Country Cooking