LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2019

WINE  EVERYDAY SPARKLE

GRANDE CUVÉE 1531 DE AIMERY CRÉMANT DE LIMOUX LCBO 428086, $18.95 Once there was a sparkling wine called Blanquette de Limoux made from a grape called Mauzac. It was first produced in 1531—long before Champagne—and it tasted interestingly of cider apple. It’s still made today but, in the 1990s, wineries around Limoux, in southwestern France, introduced another bubbly with a more fashionable, international style, adding local Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc to the Mauzac. They called it Crémant de Limoux and this is a fine example full of peach, Granny Smith apple and yeasty brioche. CHÂTEAU DE MONTGUÉRET CRÉMANT DE LOIRE LCBO 217760, $19.95 Chenin Blanc stars in this Loire bubbly giving aromas of pear and citrus. A fine, creamy mousse delights your tongue then a tangy, citrusy acid kick washes in. Pair it with blinis with sour cream and caviar or (less posh but equally yummy) crackers with cream cheese and lumpfish roe. DOMAINE CHANDON BRUT CLASSIC LCBO 218032, $31.55 Made in the Napa Valley from Champagne’s classic trio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, you can think of this as a California Crémant, though it’s pricier than French versions. A robust bubbly with tangy green apple and melon fruitiness. Medium-bodied, it can take on fried foods with ease—anything from fried chicken to frites to dainty air-filled cheese gougères— and it’s super with dim sum.

CRÉMANT Traditional-method sparkling wine is made in many parts of France outside Champagne, and is usually known as Crémant followed by the name of the area it is from. Less than $20, these are terrific bargains as an aperitif or with a meal.

Why is brut bubbly so good with potato chips and fried snack foods? Opposites attract. The refreshing fizz and the high acidity balance the salt and fat and find a happy medium in your mouth. CHIPS WITH THAT?

THE COMBIER ROYALE recipe on page 98

It’s well known that Kir Royale comes from Burgundy and is made with Crémant de Bourgogne and the local crème de cassis liqueur. But jump to the Loire and use Crémant de Loire and Triple Sec and you could call it a Combier Royale, named for Jean-Baptiste Combier, who invented Triple Sec orange liqueur in Saumur in 1834. If you can’t find L’Original Combier Triple Sec, use Cointreau.

52  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2019