A Taste of France, French Embassy, DC (lengthy)

This past Saturday I attended A Taste of France--French wine, cheeses, Dartagnan pates, porcelain, etc.
I attended two seminars during the afternoon.
Different importers or wine producers were represented. Calvert- Woodley Wine Shop was a major sponsor. Only took down names of wines I especially liked as I was juggling wine glass, listing of wines, sometimes a plate, and purse.
At the Louis Latour table I especially liked the Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru and Beaune Vignes Franches.

From William Harrison table I liked a 2005 Morey-St-Denis "Tres Girard."

The Laboure'-Roi Macon was a simple, tasty, refreshing white wine (Chardonnay.) Nice Pouilly-Fuisse also.

David Milligan Selections table had two very nice Fournier white Sancerres. I really liked the Les Belles Vignes which one website has priced at $14.99 for a half-bottle, but another listing has the 750 ml. at $23.95 which seems very reasonable for the quality. Interesting nose on the Grande Cuvee' Sancerre (which is expensive for Sancerre, comparable to some of the better Cotat wines.) These were not available for purchase at Calvert-Woodley as single bottles but only orders of six bottles to be delivered/picked up later.

Several tables had Champagne. I asked Vranken-Pommery representative to pour me the one with the most Pinot Noir and sampled the Heidsieck Blue Top, Non-Vintage (around $30) which I did like. Wine Spectator has given it 91 points in 2007.

At Remy Martin table I enjoyed Cointreau and Cointreau Noir which blends regular Cointreau with Remy Martin cognac. It was suggested that we try the Cointreau Noir both straight and with an ice cube as it changes the character somewhat. (One for the fireside in winter and one for the patio in summer.)

GiroMondo put on the seminars I attended. The first was "Men are from Bordeaux, Women are from Burgundy." It went into some of the differences in how men and women approach wines and then served a 2005 Louis Latour Marsannay as a Burgundy sample and a 2005 Medoc (I believe a Chateau Chantel although I didn't see the label and am judging from the pronunciation.) The majority of the men in the audience did prefer the Bordeaux and the majority of the women did prefer the Burgundy although there were some crossovers.

The second seminar I attended was on French cheeses. We were given some education on cheesemaking and varieties of cheese (white rind, orange rind, pressed, cooked, mold cheeses, etc.) and were supposed to sample five varieties. Unfortunately my plate tipped (that juggling act again) and only two survived on my plate--luckily the Roquefort was one of the two.

A great way to spend an afternoon.

"Men are from Bordeaux, Women are from Burgundy."

Interesting, I can sort of see that from the styles of the two wines. I.E. suave and supple and goes with lighter meats vs. harsh and stern and goes with fatty meats.

But, of course there is the whole complex detail-collecting aspect of Burgundy that seems to appeal to men..

Either way, they're both good wines.

Some of the aspects the speaker mentioned:
Women make about 70% of wine purchases but received minimal attention in marketing until recent years.
Women look for wines to serve for dinner or when entertaining; men are more apt to be into "collecting."
Women like versatile food wines; men think what would go with a big juicy steak.
Men are inclined to share a "good" wine with like-minded friends who are serious about wine.
Women are more casual about sharing wine with a wide circle of female friends.
Women like a wine with elegance; men like a powerful wine.
Of course these are all generalities but there is some kernel of truth in them.

Some of the aspects the speaker mentioned:
Women make about 70% of wine purchases but received minimal attention in marketing until recent years.
Women look for wines to serve for dinner or when entertaining; men are more apt to be into "collecting."
Women like versatile food wines; men think what would go with a big juicy steak.
Men are inclined to share a "good" wine with like-minded friends who are serious about wine.
Women are more casual about sharing wine with a wide circle of female friends.
Women like a wine with elegance; men like a powerful wine.
Of course these are all generalities but there is some kernel of truth in them.

Hmmm. Based on that, I guess I must be a woman trapped in a man's body. Who knew?