Jacquère is one of the indigenous grapes of the Savoie region in France, a place I continue to find oenologically irresistible. One source I read referred to the grape as a 'tourist entertainer' since it's so easy to drink and I'm sure has had many thirsty skiers a-sluggin'.
As someone unlikely to be careening down vertiginous slopes anytime soon, I still get to enjoy being a tourist with Jean Perrier et Fils Apremont "Gastronomie" 2023 -- one that 'tastes like being at altitude' as a friend remarked upon tasting.
The aromatics of alpine floor, melon and peach immediately refresh, and on the palate the wine has an easy zing -- I found myself wanting to draw all the flavor out of each drop like it was a lemon candy. The dry finish made every sip more inevitable, and the low alcohol means even where oxygen is scarce, enjoying a glass won't take you off course.
This one is at a friendly price point and I think would thrill any guest looking for pinot grigio or sauv blanc, this Thanksgiving and beyond. You can find this wine here.
Jazz
Blind tasting usually involves ascertaining the what and the where of a wine by taste -- blind listening is usually asking for the who. In the case of this week's recording, I think it's possible to guess the 'where' of this song without knowing its title.
Manhattan Island is a Herbie Hancock original from his only solo piano album, "The Piano" (CBS/Sony Japan 1979) and it has both grandeur and grit that unmistakably evoke New York City.
Hancock's crystalline voicings, melancholic tinged harmony, and upward reaching flourishes capture a nuanced snapshot of a tourist's New York -- that of a hotel piano bar, a Madison Avenue sunset, a coat clutched against the bracing wind of Wall Street, or a solitary stroll by the river as the evening lights come on.
A moment from a Central Park stroll this week:
Truly,
Kristen
