Food & Drink | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 23, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
We’d like to hear from you! What’s on YOUR Mind? Contact us at: editor@ mtnviewsnews.com or www.facebook.com/ mountainviewsnews AND Twitter: @ mtnviewsnews FOOD AND DRINK & MORE Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 23, 29017 Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills thechefknows@yahoo.com SUE COOK REALTOR®, PSA 626.253.1323 Sue.Cook@podley.com CalBRE# 02015404 Exclusively Represented By: 30 N. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre 91024 Thank you for your continued business & friendship in the coming new year! By Peter “St. Nick” Dills Wishing you & your family Originally dubbed “the devils wine” because the bubbles tended to explode in the thin bottles, champagne has long been the choice (well, my choice) to celebrate special occasions for as long as I can remember. January 1st is National Champagne Day, and for good reason - more bubbles will be served from December 24th to January 1st than any other time of the year. Remembering that only grapes from the region of Champagne, France can be so-titled, our last review for the year celebrates bubbles from Champagne: Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut. This is a non-vintage winner - just like many blends I have written about from California, some of the best champagnes I’ve had are non-vintage. The wine maker has access to over 500 acres of grapes, and the Reims area of Champagne produces great juice year after year. The Mumm name is rivaled only by the House of Moet for champagne dominance. Though you might see me at the local market picking up a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, for $10 less I can hardly notice the difference. Of course, this is not a beverage I would recommend drinking on a regular basis, but for a very lasting memory of a great occasion, this champagne will surely create it! Many of you expressed the need for me to keep the prices down in this article - trust me I hear you loud and clear - but for a celebration I do like this champagne. The Cordon Rouge has a wonderful depth of flavor, though some say a little too sweet (I disagree). If stored properly and chilled to the right temperature you will enjoy this immensely. Save the strawberries and cherries for the prosecco, this is real champagne. Champagne goes also very well with fried food (the bubbles cut through the oils of the food) and will also compliment a nice bowl of salty popcorn. Yes, I said popcorn. One last tip for the holidays, your sparkling wine or champagne will not keep overnight, so once it’s opened at the restaurant or your home plan on sharing with a friend to finish it. Closure: Corked Dills Score Each week I will give you my Dills Score. Starting with a base of 50 points, I have added 8 points for color, 7 points for aroma or “nose”, 9 points for taste, 8 points for finish, and 9 points for my overall impression, which includes my value rating. Total Score 91, retail $ 44 on Sale, around $34 at most area supermarkets Tune into Dining w/Dills Saturday 4 PM KRLA AM 870 Radio Find my food blog www.peterdills.com HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS | ||||||||||||||||||||