LE REFUGE
One of the reasons I love Montreal is because of how culturally diverse and open we are! We all love to learn about new cultures and try new things! Last year, I went to Portugal and got the chance to explore this beautiful country and its many hidden gems! (Here are my Articles from Portugal: https://lerefuge.webflow.io/portugal-travel-guides).
Whether it's for its landscapes and beaches,
For their Pasteis de Natas,
Or their Porto... Portugal has been a trendy destination for the past couple of years!
One thing Portugal is also famous for is Vinho Verde. Unfortunately, I hadn't had the opportunity to learn much about this special wine during my trip, so when I was approached to assist an event in which we would learn more about Vinho Verde & celebrate the Launch of Lobster season, I was utterly excited!!
For those of you who are imagining green wine when I talk about Vinho Verde (aka me a year ago), here is a little back story about the wine itself.
The name Vinho Verde comes from the density of greens that can be found in the region where the wine is produced. This environment contributes to the freshness and the light weight of the wine. Interestingly enough, the term "Verde" actually refers to the youghtfulness of the wines, since they are sold 3 to 6 months after their harvest. Vinho verde is produced exclusively in the North West of Europe, more specifically in the region located near the rivers of Minho and Douro in Portugal.
Now, let's get into tasting. In general, the flavors that are associated to Vinho Verde are fruity and floral. Unexpectedly, Vinho verde can be white, rosé, red or sparkling.
Now that everyone is a bit more familiar with Vinho Verde, let's talk about the event:
If you were not aware, seafood and Vinho Verde are a great summertime pairing! And what better time to discover Vinho Verde than during lobster Season?! The event took place at the lovely Perles et Paddock located in Griffintown.
We had the chance to try an exclusive Lobster menu that was created by the chef from Perles et Paddock, while tasting and learning about different Vinho Verde wines with Yann Janvier, a modern sommelier. For the food here was the official menu:
We started off with a small bites:
Cold bisque with pastis and cut up celery.
Then, as an appetizer, we had a lobster mayo salad with smoked tomatoes, corn espuma and cider vinegar caramel.
The main dish, which was also my favorite, was a hot lobster tartlet with asparagus, braised bacon, pearl onions, morels and a sabayon of olive oil and coral.
And finally for dessert, almond iced milk and pear, which consisted of compressed pear candied in beetroot and lemon juice with fresh almonds, deconstructed miso-mamey sapote white cake and amaranth sprout.
Honestly, the food was incredible! I am not usually the biggest fan of seafood, but every dish was so well balanced with such original flavors! Plus, all the dishes fitted really well with different types of Vinho Verde!
We got the chance to try out 6 different white wines! For those who aren't aware, not all Vinho Verde are sparkling wines.. In fact, most of them aren't! But an interesting fact about the bubbles is that when smelling the wine at first, it is possible to get a cheese smell. This comes from the bubbles that are caused by the short fermentation period!! So here is some information on the wine we tried:
To conclude, since Lobster season is here, I guess we could say Vinho Verde season is also here! Perfect mix for the upcoming summer weather! Make sure to check out Vinho Verde on facebook and instagram!!
Bon Appétit!