Saturday, October 22, 2011

Waddesdon Manor and Wine Tasting!

I am off on another AWC trip to a treasured National Trust "Home", Waddesdon Manor, built by Baron Ferdninand de Rothschild. This Renaissance style chateau was built to display his collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world back in the day when an invitation for a weekend hunting trip outside the city of London was just what the Royals looked forward to. We arrived early in the morning and the sun was just peeking over the elaborate roof line so I took a few close-ups as we waited for our private guided tour of the house.
Since the 19th century, the Rothschild name has been synonymous with riches, banking, lavish houses and exquisite art collections. Equally important, however is the family's long association with the finest wines in the world. So how could we resist a wine tasting in the private wine cellars containing over fifteen thousand bottles of the finest Rothschild wines in the world.
It is rare that we are able to bring home a gift for our husbands (who are working while we play!) but I thought Rick might enjoy two of the wines we tasted. For future reference: Blason d'Aussieres 2008 - A.C. Corbieres in the South of France...a blend of 4 grapes - Spice from the Syrah or Shiraz *wine tip* Known as Shiraz in Australia and South Africa and as Syrah in California and France Amancaya 2009 - Mendoza, Argentina ...less tannin more alcohol - Malbec/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend *wine tip* A wine with a high alcohol content works best with fatty foods such as Duck.
Cheers Love!

1 comment:

A Tale of Two Cities said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful day at one of my favorite places in all of England. Makes me sad to see all of you and to think I missed sharing it with you, but maybe we can all plan a trip to the Loire Valley in France where we can share many more French chateaux together.