Valentine’s Day is an interesting holiday. The cynical side of me considers it a Hallmark holiday, where much money is spent on cards. We don’t do cards. Just like the advent of digital cameras impacted film, and the progression to ebooks is affecting book stores, and newspapers and magazines fall one after another, it is only a matter of time until cards in the mail disappear as well.
But the point of this post is “What did we do for Valentine’s Day?”
Wine and chocolate.
More of the first and less of the last. I try to limit the amount of chocolate in the house, so just a taste is what I want. Not a box full of empty calories.
This fit the bill. Just enough to enjoy, and the wine lasted two nights. 15.9% alcohol will make it last more than one sitting. I have to thank Les Amis du Vin, the predecessor of Taster’s Guild, for introducing us to Biale Zins. Big Zins. With interesting names like Black Chicken. For a trip down memory lane, we reminisced about Yogi Barrett and the wine tastings at the old Chez Fernand, where we first tasted Biale wines. A piece of HoCo loco trivia. The names of the restaurants where Fernand worked. Where was Papillon? Chez Fernand? It also had us to trying to remember the name of the restaurant when he was in Baltimore after the fire in Ellicott City. Then returning to Ellicott City with Tersiquels.
This wine is from 2002. It is a Lodi appellation, from Spenker Vineyard. High in alcohol yet not with that burn that high alcohol wines sometimes contain. Perfect with a chili infused dark chocolate.
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AnnieRie Unplugged 
OMG (If you’ll pardon the abbreviation) – we are members of Taster’s Guild and joined when it was still Les Amis du Vin!!!! Yogi is alive and well, he has moved to Texas and we are in frequent contact with him!!!! My husband and I used to work with Yogi.
And the tastings at Chez Fernand !!! (I must tell you about the port tasting one Feb when they were predicting an ice storm. Oh my . So much port & chocolate. What fun)
What a hoot!! (great Valentine’s celebration, too!)
papillon restaurant in e city//in early 70s nothing to do with fernad//2 places next door//papillon and morecasual petit papillon//up from e city// as 4 fernand//original//chez fernand //e city//fernand near shot tower //then back to e city hiwife ran the show all those years amazing woman who ran the show until son took over// hope my memory is correct
correction//not petit papillon//but pauvre papillon//re//smaller more casual place next 2 papillons
Hi Barbara, Fernand was a chef at Papillion after leaving Cross Keys Inn in Columbia and before opening Chez Fernand. I do remember that much from talking to them years ago when he would do Les Amis dinners.
I just checked his web site and it confirms he did work both places before opening his own place.
Annie
Found the link to his history page.
http://www.tersiguels.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=17&Itemid=83
was into les du vins big time in early days//my introduction into learning about wines//used 2 purchase at charring liquors west of eadsome [SPELLING] village back in early 70s