Hi. I’m Kevin Brady and I’m the Director of Wine at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. I’m going to be writing a monthly wine column with tips on hip sips.

If you have any questions about wines, I’d love to hear from you. Please post a comment here and I will respond as soon as possible.

Warm Regards,
Kevin

MOOD ENHANCER

The wine doctor is reading his version of technical journals.  Remember little oenophiles, wine is a mood.  According to Mary-Colleen Tinney’s article in Wine Business Monthly (March 2007), Champagne is not just a holiday season celebration.
According to Tinney, “Champagne and sparkling wine sales outside this holiday period have increased 6 percent.  Off-peak sales between 2004 and 2006 have jumped by 12 percent overall, while peak sales have increased by 10 percent.”  This is huge when you  understand the power and immense size of the Champanoise syndicate.
So what do these statistics have to do with my current wine mood you ask?  New Year’s Eve and birthing great ships has always been what most people feel is the correct time to partake in bubbles.  Wrong.  Bubbles are acceptable anytime.  My mood is bubbles, as reception fodder, aperitif chatter, full bodied rosé saignée style with an Oregonian Salmon bake.  Shall I go on.  . .
Mood.
One can only refer to some of the great leaders and Champagne widows when measuring your Champagne temperature;  Winston Churchill, “Remember gentlemen, it is not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne”.
However, I think of all the Champagne widows, Madame Lilly Bollinger expressed her mood quite succinctly, “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad.  Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.  When I have company I consider it obligatory.  I trifle with it if  I’m not hungry and drink it when I am.  Otherwise I never touch it - unless I’m thirsty”.
So my hat is off to the newest Champagne widow, Carole Duval-Leroy.  Widowed in 1991 she has taken a historical Champagne house and driven her brand to international recognition, winning multiple awards and accolades.
Availability of Duval-Leroy is actually quite good in the U.S. as Americans have a reputation for consuming some of the highest quantities of tête de cuvée or grand cru level Champagne.

Here some recommendations from the Champagne house of Duval-Leroy which will lift your spirits and are available year round.

$ Approximately $30. retail - Duval-Leroy Brut NV - Do not be foolish and over measure this selection.  This Brut is simple, light and reliable.  Most other Champagnes at this price are inconsistent in quality.  The light airy simplicity of this Champagne works well as simple conversation tool, with shellfish, as an aperitif or even with french fries on the couch during your New Year’s day football party as pain relief.  Look for light airy palate feel, light citrus notes, a tad bit of pineapple, some apple on the nose, chalky texture, very light yeast undertones.

$$ Approximately $38. retail - Duval-Leroy “Paris” NV - This Prestige cuvee contains the same light balanced style expected from this producer.  The  lovely artwork on this bottle was created by Carole Duval-Leroy’s American artist friend, Leroy Neiman.  Expect an uplifting, brisk nose with iodine character.  This wine provides a creamy mousse and strong acidic structure.  This a perfect second course wine and can even step up to sturdy seafood if needed. 
$$$ Approximately $42. retail - Duval-Leroy Rose de Saignee NV - This Champagne is well made but tends to be a bull out of a riding shoot at a rodeo.  It has the strength to be paired with very sturdy seafood such as a swordfish with possibly a port reduction. I know this sound crazy however, the blunt strength and acidity would pair well with the sweetness of this type of reduction.
$$$$ Approximately $58. retail - Duval-Leroy “Femme” 1995 - I always find the encouragement of quality, especially when there is a common theme throughout the different styles within a single producer of Champagne.  That is precisely what we find in all of the Duval-Leroy Champagnes.  The Femme is not an exception.  This wine is strong, subtle, and balanced.  A distinct coffee and biscuit character is evident throughout.  The 1996 version of this wine exhibits more ripe fruit.
So when you reach for a Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc or Cabernet Sauvignon at your local wine shop to enhance your perspective, think Champagne.  The four styles mentioned provide a simple but broad range of alternatives to your state of mind.

Remember, let the wine and you mood be your guide.

Kevin Brady, CSW, WINE PSYCHOLOGIST

What to do with all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey?
The chefs at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort have a few suggestions.

Turkey Croissant Melt from Chef Dan McEvoy
This tasty warm sandwich uses Sage Derby cheese, which is a cheddar type of gourmet cheese made using leaf sage for flavor. You can find it at gourmet food stores.

The basics:
Sage Derby cheese
Leftover turkey
Croissant or bread of your choice

Fill croissant with cheese, turkey and warm in a skillet. Serve with leftover vegetables or fresh spinach salad.

Sweet Potato Mousse from Chef Ken Harvey

Phyllo dough
Leftover sweet potatoes at room temperature
Whipped cream
Marshmallow fluff
Cinnamon
Sugar

This is a way to sweeten up your sweet potatoes and make a clever dessert. You’ll put the phyllo dough into cup cake molds to form a cup and then fill with your sweet potato mousse. Yum!

The cup:
Spread out the phyllo dough across wax paper or a cutting board. Spray with butter. Sprinkle with four parts sugar and one part cinnamon. Repeat for four or five layers. Cut into 3 inch squares and put in a cupcake shell. Bake on 350-400 degrees for two or three minutes until golden brown.

The mousse:
With a quart of mashed sweet potatoes you want to fold in 2 cups of whipped cream and mix together. Then fold in about ½ cup of marshmallow fluff.

Pipe mousse into the cups and serve.

Boogie-woogie what?
Boogie-woogie blues.
It’s a style of piano-based blues that became popular in the late 1930s and 40s. It’s not a sad, moody kind of blues, but rather an upbeat grab-your-girl-for-a-dance-and-get-over –your-blues kind of sound.
The music was commonly played at what was then called a rent party, a party where tenants hired band to play passed a hat around to raise money to pay their rent.
Boogie-woogie who?
Mr. Boogie and the Hot Wings, Arthur Migliazza and Tom Walbanks, just to name a few.They’re the blues musicians who’ll be playing at the Blues, Brews and Barbeque Brunch at the resort in November and December.

Arthur Migliazza, who has become a semi-regular at the resort, is a keyboardist extraordinaire and you’ll find yourself checking to see where he’s hiding that big piano.
Walbank, who brings a gritty guitar and harmonica to the bill, is a tattooed British import who “lays out the blues like he was born in muddy waters.”

The boogie-woogie Blues, Brews and Barbeque Brunch lineup:
Mr. Boogie Woogie and the Hot Wings: Sundays Nov. 25 and Dec. 2

Arthur Migliazza and Tom Walbank: Sundays Dec. 9, 16, and 30

Where:
Blues, Brews Barbeque Brunch
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
7000 N. Resort Drive.
Tucson, AZ 85750

For reservations or hotel information:(520) 299-2020