Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [117]
Q: What are some Loire and Chablis wineries that you recommend for visitors, and are reservations necessary?
A: A lot of wineries in Chablis receive visitors. It is best to go and knock on the door. Most will be welcoming, but not Bernard at Domaine Raveneau. He’s closed to the public. In the Loire, same story, but all my producers there will receive visitors. My staff can help, or people can just call or have their hotel arrange for a visit.
Q: Do you often get invited for meals at the homes of winemakers?
A: I am often invited to dine at my producers’ homes and have known some great home cooks like Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier, Gérard Chave, Maguey Brunier, and many others. Some particularly memorable pairings have included bouillabaisse with a cool young red Bandol, leg of lamb with a red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, asparagus with Cheverny, and oysters and grilled sausages with Chablis.
Q: What’s considered your “house wine” at your home, wine that you pour for everyday drinking?
A: I drink white Burgundy often: Pouilly-Fuissé from Domaine Robert-Denogent is a recent favorite around the house. My wife always looks for a glass of Bandol rosé as an apéritif. We drink a lot from my winery, Domaine Les Pallières in Gigondas, which I make to my own taste: a full-bodied red but not heavy, oaky, or aggressive.
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is located at 1605 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley (510 524 1524). Browse the Web site (kermitlynch.com) to search the newsletter archive and to learn more about the wines represented.
INTERVIEW
Ina Garten
Readers who may have met Ina Garten at one of her many book signings know that she is as gracious and enthusiastic in person as she appears on her Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa. I feel fortunate to know her, and I can confirm that her warm personality isn’t just confined to her work: Ina is a real down-to-earth, thoughtful, fun-loving person. Plus, she’s gaga for Paris! In her seven bestselling cookbooks (all published by Clarkson Potter), she has boosted the confidence of many home cooks to tackle dishes they might otherwise never have tried, and she firmly believes cooks should have fun at their own parties. Her book Barefoot in Paris (2004) is devoted to simplified versions—but without loss of flavor—of many classic French dishes. Note that even if you don’t cook, you should take a look at her list of recommended Parisian places at the back of the book.
I recently caught up with Ina by telephone as she was in the final stages of completing her most recent book, How Easy Is That? (2010).
Photo Credit 24.1
Q: When did you first know you wanted to visit Paris?
A: When I was three years old, my grandparents brought me back a dress they’d bought in Paris. I loved that dress, which I always referred to as my Paris dress, even though I had no concept of what Paris was—I’m not sure I even knew it was a city. I just knew it had to be a special place.
Q: When did you finally get to Paris?
A: When I was growing up, my parents thought that traveling to Europe was something you had to do in your life. But, according to my father, it was something you did only with a husband, along with acquiring cashmere and pearls. I was twenty-three when I married Jeffrey, and during the first week we were married he gave me pearls and cashmere. A year later we went on an American Express tour to Rome, Paris, and London. Recently, I discovered a box of letters Jeffrey wrote to me in high school—I met him when I was fifteen. He wrote one letter in particular that neither of us remembered. In it, he wrote, “Someday I’d like to take you to Paris. We won’t have much money at first, and we’ll have to rough it, but maybe one day we could stay in a nice hotel. And maybe one day we could buy an apartment there.” It was really a wonderful surprise to find this letter.
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