This week, we took a gastronomic trip to a hotel and restaurant trade show in La Grande-Motte to sample the latest products to share with you onboard the MAM GOZ Hotel Barge. We stopped by a few different locations en route, here is what we found.
The first discovery was the Costières de Nîmes at CHATEAU GUIOT. We sampled the 2016 MAGNANIMES ROUGE made from an old Mourvèdre (90%) supplemented with a little Syrah. They harvest is made by hand with meticulous sorting of the grapes then aged 18 months in oak barrels. The result is an expressive wine with hints of blackberry that our Chef will offer you as an accompaniment to a skewer of Camargue beef accompanied by local speciality ‘aigrillade Saint-Gilloise ‘ (a bed of capers, anchovies, onions and parsley).
Another wonderful discovery on our tour was the BLUE DE NIMES. An organic gin produced by CHATEAU GUIOT who named their creation after the city of Nîmes, famous for its denim jeans. These jeans decorate the bottle and point to a successful era in the 19th century. This tasty gin is made with Mediterranean products of the scrubland. Very aromatic, it will be served on board as an aperitif, to be enjoyed neat with some juniper berries. A real treat!
Our next discovery was in Provence, towards the dazzling light of the Gulf of SAINT TROPEZ, the town of ‘glitter and diamonds’. Here we selected the ‘EXCELLENCE ROSÉ 2019 CRU-CLASSÉ‘ from Château SAINT-MAUR. It did not betray its title! It is a bold and very aromatic wine with hints of grapefruit, to be enjoyed on the upper deck of the MAM GOZ hotel barge accompanied by toast and black olive tapenade.
On the final stop of our journey ending in Provence, we discovered an original creation by a Camargue rice producer. A Saké drink combining the sparkle of champagne with the freshness of a cocktail and the sweetness of an aromatic dessert wine. ORIZON is a local, organic and fermented rice alcohol creation with aromas of orange, black pepper or Yuzu and mint. Again, perfect to share onboard the MAM GOZ for you evening aperitif accompanied by a carpaccio of scallops with citrus fruits or tuna tartare!
