The days that we spend traveling through some of the most gorgeous and delicious places on Earth are our favorite days of the year, and the best part of those days is…YOU. We want to stay connected to the friends we’ve made on those journeys, and to keep you connected to the people, places, and wines that have brought us together. We are also excited about making new friendships, and are looking forward to lots of fun journeys ahead. Read on and join us!
Vintner Varietals: Winemakers We Love
Eric Taillet
On the inaugural evening of our tour through French wine country, we welcome our guests with a plunge into the luxury and celebration that flow throughout the entire trip. The terrace of our Champagne hotel offers a vista of verdant vineyards rolling into the horizon, and against this backdrop, we pour glasses of Champagne from one of our favorite producers, Eric Taillet. His bubbly is nuanced and sophisticated, crafted with a single-minded focus of extracting and bringing to life the extraordinary terroir of the Champagne region, and is special enough to commence our time together.
Eric is the fourth generation of his family to produce Champagne, and he has ripened alongside the grapes in the family vineyards in the Marne Valley, working the vines for more than 50 years, since he was thirteen. The majority of his grapes and the wine he produces is Meunier, a fruity, acidic red grape more commonly used in a supporting role in Chardonnay-based blends. Though he incorporates some Chardonnay into a couple of cuvées, Eric’s true fervor is for Meunier, also called Pinot Meunier. He proselytizes the grape’s virtues through speech and in practice, calling it “my passion, my life,” and founding the Meunier Institute, a collective of Champagne producers who also make 100% Meunier cuvées and who share Eric’s commitment to elevating this often overlooked varietal.
Eric maintains an approach of minimal intervention in both the vineyards and the winery, believing the grape expresses itself with most purity when manipulated as little as possible. In the vineyard, that means using organic farming practices, with an emphasis on encouraging biodiversity and rich soil microbiome. He dedicates great thought to pruning and the height and spacing of the vines, and has planted beech trees in and around the parcels for windcover and carbon storage. During the winemaking process, Eric uses a hydraulic press, which allows for extreme precision when extracting the must and disturbs the juice as little as possible to preserve the purity of the fruit. He uses no filtration and ages the wine in oak and stainless steel depending on what he determines to be the needs of each parcel of vines. He aims to let the wines express themselves using the lightest touch necessary.
And what Taillet Champagne expresses is pure poetry. Meunier grapes create Champagne with peachy and floral notes, and a roundness and balanced acidity that age beautifully. The minerality that the limestone soils of Champagne impart adds structure and finesse to the approachable fruitiness of Meunier.
Eric is a gentle spirit, but his deep enthusiasm for his work emanates from him in force, and despite a language barrier between us, it is always a joy to witness his passion. Now Eric’s son and daughter, Dylan and Léna, are active in the family business as well, and will continue to build the Taillet legacy. The glasses of their Champagne that we share on our first night together are the ideal way to set the tone for our extraordinary exploration of French wine country.
Cultural Terroir: Places We Love
Highlights from our Summer in France
We had an absolutely incredible time sharing experiences with many of you on our second year touring France. The landscape was iconic, the food incomparable, the wine superb (and plentiful!), and the company unforgettable. There were so many joyous moments and memories made together, but here is a tiny sampling of our favorites.
The Art of the Barrel: At this workshop, we learned and laughed with the most hilarious and animated of teachers, an experienced cooper who brought the 2000-year history of barrelmaking to life and led us through our own comic attempts at assembling a barrel of our own.
Dinner at Paul Bocuse: Wow. This meal alone is worth the trip to France. From the—shall we say, striking?—presentation of the chickens cooked en vessie to the gilded chocolate heaven of dessert, every moment, every bite, rings superlative in our memory.
Tasting hillside at Louis Chèze Winery: When Alex Poinard, our winery host, first suggested an al fresco wine tasting, we happily agreed. Everyone was completely game, however, and once we all made it to the top (with the help of Alex’s four-wheeler), this tasting was a stunner. The views were genuinely breathtaking, the wine was fantastic, and Alex’s homemade terrines made for some of the tastiest bites of the trip. A deeply special surprise twist that will now be a tradition.
Cooking class and lunch in Saint-Rémy: We roamed the outdoor market with chef Jane as she chose the freshest ingredients for our meal, then returned to her charming, homey cooking studio to be led through preparations for our exquisite lunch. She shared and we absorbed her insight and pride in the classic techniques and the delicious, hyper-local sea bass and zucchini blossoms and, of course, abundant rosé.
Wine Key: Insights We Love
The Méthode Champenoise
For centuries, winemakers in the Champagne region have been using the Méthode Champenoise in their production of sparkling wine (legally, this term can only be applied to wines coming from Champagne; elsewhere, the same method is referred to as the traditional, or classic, method). In this method, which began its evolution in the 1600s, all carbonation occurs naturally during a second fermentation within the bottle—as opposed to secondary tank fermentation used in, for example, prosecco. The Méthode Champenoise has several steps, each crucial to the delicious, effervescent experience of the Champagne on your palate.
First, the grapes for Champagne—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier—are pressed for their juice, also called must. In most Champagne wineries, the grapes are carefully pressed without first being crushed, which renders juice that has minimal volatile compounds found nearer the skin. Yeast is added to the must, and the first round of fermentation, resulting in the conversion of sugars to alcohol, happens in large vats or barrels.
At this point, the winemaker is required to reserve a portion of the current cuvée for use in future blends. They may choose to blend previous years’ reserves into current cuvées to achieve their desired balance of flavor and acidity and to maintain consistency of their house style year after year. (Blends of fresh wine with reserve wine are sold as non-vintage bottles; vintage bottles contain the cuvées from only a single year’s harvest.) Blending is a delicate and crucial step of the process—it takes experience and skill; once the wine undergoes its second fermentation, the carbon dioxide and fizzy effect will magnify any flaws, so the foresight when tasting the still wine must be astute.
While still in large batches, the winemaker then adds the tirage de liqueur, a mixture of yeast (usually a different strain than used for the first fermentation) and sugar. The still wine is decanted into bottles and usually sealed with a metal crown cap, like those on beer bottles, though some winemakers do use cork at this point. The bottles are laid horizontally either in tilted wooden racks called pupitres or on pallets, and it’s here the wine experiences its second fermentation. This fermentation adds slightly more alcohol and, moreover, produces the carbon dioxide that is trapped in the bottle to create the hallmark sparkling bubbles. As the yeast dies through a process called autolyse, its sediment, or lees, settles on the bottom of the bottle. Time spent aging on the lees (sur lie) emparts a round, creamy mouthfeel and depth of toasty aromas and flavors. Left undisturbed, the wine ages for a minimum of 15 months, with a minimum of 36 months for vintage bottles.
When the winemaker determines the wine to be ready, the pallets of bottles are loaded onto automated machines called gyropalettes. Over the course of seven to ten days, the bottles are turned and tilted to gather the lees into the neck of the bottle. This clarifying process is called riddling and traditionally (and still in some cases) is done by hand, a quarter turn a day, bottle by bottle, over four to six weeks.
When the riddling is complete and the lees have settled into the neck of the bottle, it is time for disgorgement, when the lees are removed. To do this, the winemakers generally freeze only the bottle’s neck, uncap it, and let the pressure inside the bottle push the frozen sediment out. This leaves only the clarified sparkling wine behind.
It also leaves a little extra space in the bottle. To fill this, the winemaker often adds a mix of wine and sugar, called dosage, to reach the desired sweetness. If they are producing the driest styles of Champagne, Brut Nature or Brut Zero, they will not add any sugar, instead topping up the bottles with only more wine. Then the cork is inserted, the wire cage (the muselet) is fitted over it, and the bottle is shaken to fully incorporate the dosage. The bottle is then cellared for at least a few more months. Finally, the bottle is ready to sell.
The Méthode Champenois is a laborious process, with many legally codified rules and regulations. For the winemaker, the process is a labor of love; for the consumer, it is an assurance of quality in the glass.
Pairings: Recipes We Love
This tender, roasted pork makes delicious use of two types of the tangy, sharp mustard produced and revered in Burgundy, both in the glaze and in the classic, creamy pan sauce. (The sauce is also excellent puddled into a side of mashed potatoes.)
Mustard-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cream Sauce
Recipe Created By Maggie Moriolis
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
DIJON-GLAZED TENDERLOIN
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 to 1 ¼ pounds each), patted dry
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or other neutral oil with high smoke point)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
DIJON CREAM SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped, about 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
FOR THE PORK:
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Generously season the pork tenderloins all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the pork and cook, turning, until the tenderloin is well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Whisk together the honey, mustard, and garlic. Transfer the pork to a sheet pan or baking dish, setting aside the skillet to use for the pan sauce, and brush the meat all over with the glaze. Transfer to the oven and roast until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145° (start checking at 15 minutes). Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for ten minutes, while you make the sauce.
FOR THE SAUCE:
- In the same skillet used for searing the pork, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until very soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and thyme to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced to less than ¼ cup, around 4 minutes.
- Switch from a wooden spoon to a whisk. Whisk in the heavy cream and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced enough to leave a distinct, slowly-closing trail in the pan when scraped, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the mustard, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
FOR SERVING:
Slice the pork into 1-inch slices, arrange on a platter or plate, and ladle the sauce over the slices.
ENJOY!
New Growth: Joy Of Wine News We Love
Meet Joe & Maggie
After co-hosting a tour with us this summer, we are happy to share that Joe Billesbach and Maggie Mariolis will be joining the Joy of Wine family to host some of our wine tours through France.
Now married for almost 20 years, Joe and Maggie met while working in New York City as servers at the same restaurant, where they prided themselves in (and admired in each other) a genuine dedication to hospitality. Eventually, their career paths diverged while running parallel: Joe honed his passion for wine, while Maggie focused on food.
Joe became a sommelier and beverage manager, leveraging his vast wine knowledge and his natural aptitude for setting others at ease. He joined Uva Imports in 2022 as a portfolio manager, where Adam’s focus on excellence, education, exploration, and relationship-building immediately resonated with him.
Maggie went to culinary school for pastry, worked in a fine-dining kitchen, and landed a job at Food & Wine magazine. Since the birth of their two daughters and several moves around the country, she has been freelancing both writing and recipe development. Through Joe, she connected with Adam and me, and we all share a common enthusiasm for seeing, and more importantly sharing, the world through the lens of delicious food and excellent wine.
They could not be more excited about hosting Joy of Wine guests along their journey through France!
