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Located between St.Malo and The Somme in Normandy France is the apple rich area of France known as Calvados where one of the world's famous fruit brandies originates. With the city of Caen as it's capital , this region of production was first named in 1949 and has 11 sub-regions within Calvados itself.

The best region is the appelation Pays d'Auge found inland from the town of Lisieux where the pot still is used leaving more flavouring characteristics in the finished product , unlike the patent still which is used more often elsewhere ending up with a spirit lighter in body and structure.

Forty-eight different varieties of apples are used in making Calvados ranging from tart to sweet with pears even used to bulk up the spirit.

To get more info about Calvados Fruit Brandy? Please Visit :
Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle

I chose Chateauneuf du Pape from the Southern Rhone this week to cover a few grape varieties. Of course the main grapes of the Rhone is the Syrah predominant in the Northern part and the Grenache in the Southern Rhone. Both these grapes are found in Chateauneuf du Pape but the interesting thing about this wine is it allows for up to 13 grape varieties in total.



So we are going to try to cover the 11 others that are allowed in a Chateauneuf du Pape. Grenache Blanc which is not part of the 11 others could also be included in the mix bringing it up to 14 but since we are not sure if it is actually included under Grenache , we will skip it


To get more info about The Grape Varieties of Chateauneuf du Pape ? Please Visit :
Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle

To continue on from my post of last week distillers will usually buy the grapes in from local farmers to press and ferment them into what is a pretty harsh wine. They say the worst wine makes the best cognac but it is important that the wine is free of any blemishes that would make for an inferior final product.

The harsh unaged wine is then put into what is called locally an alembic Charentais/Cognacais or what we refer to as a pot still. Pot stills are also used to make the finest single malt whiskey. Designed by the Dutch during the 17th Century the still consists of a huge copper kettle pot or boiler encased in a brick framework with an open air furnace underneath. A pipe shaped like a swan's neck juts out from the hood on top of the boiler. This will carry the vapours from the kettle pot past a pre heater to a condenser coil which is immersed in cold running water. The change in temperature causes the vapour to turn to liquid.

To get more info about The Making of Cognac ? Please Visit:

Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle

Little did I know back in 1979 when I took a Bartending Course that I would have the opportunity to travel , make a great income , have flexibility to do the things I wanted while working , and meet great people along the way. The top ten reasons I am still waiting on tables and loving it are the following.

 

Due to the increasing labour shortage there is a growing demand for leaders in the Hospitality Industry as never before so when you become proficient in what you do the opportunity to make your mark is easier and the rewards greater.

 

As the need for serious and skilled employees increases in the future, working conditions will improve so that you will not see the long laborious 12 - 14 hours shifts that some workers face nowadays. Unless the owner wants to see continued high turnover in his establishment the main onus will be to do whatever he or she can to keep the good employees they have.

"I would like to thank Steve Nicolle - my new guest blogger who willing to share with us his knowledge & experience in Food & Beverage Industry". ~elvan

 

                                                     Steve Nicolle

Steve Nicolle currently teaches Bartending & Wine at Georgian College and is co-author in the "Wake up Live the Life you Love" Book Series. He is from Ontario, Canada and happily married with two boys 6 and 4 years old

 

A graduate of Hotel Motel Restaurant Management and a Certified Sommelier Steve has held many front of house positions from Maitre'd to Bar Manager and Sommelier.

 

Nearly 30 years of experience, Steve has traveled extensively in the Hospitality Industry providing excellent customer service from remote isolated resorts to luxury cruise ships.

 

Providing valuable insight from his experiences Steve is available to speak to students about how to go about choosing their destiny in the Hospitality Industry throughout North America.

 

As well Steve is available to conduct wine tasting at your venue.

 

Steve can be contacted at: http://www.stevetalks.ca/

Visit Steve's Blog at: http://waiterextraordinaire.blogspot.com