French cows fed red wine to enhance flavour

Giving a new meaning to the term laughing cow, a number of farmers in the Languedoc have taken to feeding their cattle local red wine to improve the flavour of their beef. As reported on db.com, local farmer Claude Chaballier has been feeding his cattle red wine from Saint-Geniès-des-Mourgues, resulting in “lean, marbled and tasty,” beef.

Chaballier fed the wine to three of his cows last year in a trial run, and is set to repeat the experiment next month. Two Angus cattle and one Camargue cow were fed a mixture of leftover grapes, barley and hay before two litres of wine were integrated into their diet. Keen to develop the practice locally, Chabellier says he will use a regional wine in next month’s experiment and is considering using Muscat from Lunel-Viel to give the meat an aromatic character.

Scientists in Australia have already found a link between feeding cows grape marc and an increase in milk production. Meanwhile, in 2010 it was reported that Canadian farmer Janice Ravndahl in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley had taken to feeding her Angus cattle local red wine for the 90 days before slaughter. Ravndahl chanced upon the idea while watching celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay feed beer to his pigs on TV cookery programme The F Word.

According to Jean-Charles Tastavy, founder of Vinbovin, cows can consume up to a litre-and-a-half of wine per day, the human equivalent of two to three glasses. Tripling the cost of animal feed, Chabellier admits that the wine diet will inevitably affect pricing, pushing up the best cuts of beef to nearly €100. “It won’t be for all pockets,” he said, admitting that he aims to target top-end restaurants.

Undeterred by the high prices, Michelin-starred chef Laurent Pourcel is attracted to the meat’s unique texture and ability to caramelise during cooking. “All the finest restaurants in Paris are going to take it,” he said. The improved taste of the beef doesn’t just come from the chemistry involved in the change of diet; French researchers believe the occasional litre of wine may also increase a cow’s wellbeing.

La Trompette

La Trompette turns 11 in April. In London’s merry-go-round of a restaurant scene, 11 years is a significant achievement, when the lifespan of many establishments is shorter than a house mouse. Located off the beaten track in Chiswick’s Devonshire Road, the cosy Michelin-starred venue is very much a neighbourhood restaurant.

One fifth of Nigel Platts-Martin’s restaurant empire, which also includes The Ledbury in Notting Hill, The Square in Mayfair, Chez Bruce in Wandsworth and The Glasshouse in Kew, from the chocolate brown leather banquettes to the beige colour scheme, everything about La Trompette is achingly tasteful. On my visit, the small space is populated with local ladies and courting couples. Lighting is low and chairs square. An old-fashioned bar remains invitingly open at the far end, prettified with white orchids.

On arrival, Lionel, our baby-faced, bespectacled French sommelier, glides over to our table and launches into an impassioned recital of the wine list, pushing us towards daring pairings. Turning down his initial offer of a Greek Assyrtiko, I opt instead for his second suggestion – a zippy 2010 Zárate Albariño from Spain’s über cool Rías Biaxas region, which sings with apricot, lime and flint. Before the main event, my dining companion and I are treated to a cappuccino-coloured cup of cep and potato soup, served with a cheeky ham and cheese croûte. As if determined to fill us up, our waitress is unnervingly forthcoming with the walnut, raisin and olive bread, and I feel compelled to try the holy trinity.

The soup doubles for central heating on this frosty night, the earthiness of the mushrooms complementing the creaminess of the potato, the ensemble lifted by a citrus element I suspect to be yuzu, leaving me craving a mixing bowl full of the elixir (wooden spoon optional). Rather than a main course, I order three starters, perhaps having got so used to the sharing plates philosophy peddled in Soho’s hip hangouts. Their signature starter of foie grass dressed with lentils is heavenly. Accompanied by a slab of brioche shaped like a Champagne cork, the foie gras arrives in a white china pot beneath a bed of toad green lentils. Rich, creamy and impossibly smooth, each mouthful is more delicious than the last, and though the lentils add texture, I would have been happy with the creamy foie alone – why play with perfection?

A second starter of smoked eel with balsamic beetroot and egg and wasabi mayonnaise is enchanting. The pearl pink slices of meaty eel rest atop a bed of beetroot and watercress, the smoky taste of the fish lifted by refreshing cubes of apple dyed red by the beetroot ink, while the mustard-yellow wasabi mayo delivers a life-affirming kick of heat. After a trio of standout dishes, my final starter of tagliatelle, purple sprouting broccoli, capocollo and mozarella fails to reach such heights.

Though painterly in appearance, the pink ham and grass green broccoli jumping out against the sunshine yellow pasta, the consistency of the sauce is disappointingly watery, while the melted mozzarella chunks are bland and soggy. For a Michelin-starred restaurant, the dish doesn’t have the X-factor, lacking the intrigue and finesse I’d expect. Lionel however, delights, pitting 2009 Ernst Triebaumer Blaufrankisch from Austria against 2009 Black Cottage Central Otago Pinot Noir. The former is floral, feminine and perfumed, while the latter bursts with black cherry and red berries, offering a easy going, fruity mouthful.

To enliven our palates, we’re offered a pre-dessert in the form of a tiny triangle of ginger cake, enhanced by a dollop of crème fraiche and grated lime peel. Pudding proper is a satellite dish of crème brûlée. The creamy, vanilla-flecked interior is à point, though I find myself defeated after half. To pair, Lionel presents his final flourish, a glass of 2008 Muscat de Samos Grand Cru, served so cold it needed defrosting. Had the bottle been left out in the snow?

Being a Chiswick local, I wanted to like La Trompette more than I did. I wanted to blow its trumpet. It has all the hallmarks of a superb neighbourhood restaurant – service is attentive yet unobtrusive, the atmosphere is animated, the interiors tasteful, and yet for me there was something missing. That all-important sparkle that separates a good restaurant from a great one. La Trompette displays flashes of brilliance, but it failed to keep my fire lit.

La Trompette, 5-7 Devonshire Road, Chiswick, London W4 2EU; Tel: +44 (0)20 8747 1836; £42.50 for three courses.

Hip-hop help sees Moscato sales soar in US

Sales of Moscato are soaring in the US as hip-hop artists continue to name-check the low alcohol sweet wine in their songs. As reported on thedrinksbusiness.com, US Moscato sales grew more than 80% for the 52 weeks ending November 12, according to Nielsen, helping the wine to break out of its after-dinner niche. "The last thing I can remember that shot out of the cork like that was Pinot Noir after the film Sideways," said Danny Brager, vice president of Nielsen's beverage and alcohol division. “But the pop-culture inspired growth in Pinot Noir has been eclipsed by the rise of Moscato,” Brager added.

A year-on-year comparison shows sales of Moscato in America topping $300 million for 2011, more than triple what they were for 2009. With an average price of less than $10 per bottle, the varietal now accounts for 3% of total table wine sales in the US, up from 1% in 2009.

Moscato’s recent sales success among urban drinkers has been boosted by plugs in R&B and hip-hop songs by the likes of Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Lil’ Kim and Ab-Soul. West was one of the first to elevate Moscato's profile, serving Saracco Moscato d'Asti at a party in 2005 and mentioning the wine in a remix of the song Make Her Feel Good.

"Moscato is coming on strong, especially in the urban market," said New York-based wine consultant Lisa Carley. "The rise of Moscato and sweet red wines seems to indicate that Americans are getting more comfortable with wine in general. Because of that, they are drinking what they like as opposed to what they ‘should’ drink," Carley added.

The rising popularity of Moscato from entry-level brands like Sutter Home, Gallo and Yellowtail is leading to increased plantings of Muscat in California, Chile, Argentina, France and Spain. "Moscato is a good gateway wine for people that don't typically drink wine. It's sweet and it's not intimidating," said Megan Metcalf, editor of US trade publication Wine & Spirits Daily, adding, “People who would have drunk White Zinfandel are now drinking Moscato.”