Kir is a Aligote-based cocktail

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety Aligoté.

Date: May 13, 2011

Mr Félix Kir (born in 1876 in Côte d’Or, in the heart of Burgundy) was a canon, ordained as a catholic priest in 1901.
He used to be a major Resistance fighter against the German occupation during WW 2 and got the French Honour Cross in 1946.
During the same year, he became a member of the French Parliament as a “député” and the mayor of Dijon, the most important city of Burgundy, what he still was when he passed away.
This is during this period that he started offering, for all public events parties in Dijon, a pre-meal drink all the Burgundese people already knew under the “blanc-cassis” (in English “white wine-blackcurrant) name people used to drink in bars everywhere in France.
At a point when this drink became quite popular, the Damidot family, owner of the biggest liquor factory of Dijon, called Lejay-Lagoutte, asked from Dijon’s mayor the authorisation of using his (Kir) name.
Probably flattered that such an important family wanted to pay him a tribute, he accepted.
Some time later, seeing the increasing success of the Lejay-Lagoutte “kir”, he invited the other liquorits in order to grant them the same privilege but it was too late : Lejay-Lagoutte had registered the “kir” trade mark. Despite numerous court cases, and at the final appeal step, the highest instance court (“Cour de Cassation”) confirmed on October 27, 1992 that the Lejay-Lagoutte company was the exclusive (and forever) owner of the “kir” trade name

And now the original (from the origin) proportions of a true ” KIR ”

1/3 blackcurrant cream from Dijon
2/3 white Burgundy wine (Aligoté grapes)

However, in most bars and “cafés” (and because of the sugar surplus coming from the fruit cream) kir is now made with these proportions :

1/5 blackcurrant cream from Dijon
4/5 white Burgundy wine (Aligoté grapes)

Personally, I prepare it when the first blackcurrant creams of the year are available at the wine merchants and I use a cool aligoté wine from Chitry, a small village close to Irancy in the Yonne department. I serve it with still warm “gougères” (salted cheese choux buns)(note of the translator : I will soon translate th gougère recipe into English).

You will find many variations of this recipe, with rapsberry, blackerry or peach cream, Champagne or other sparkling wines etc…
However, one must pay a tribute to the clairvoyance of this excellent canon, died in 1968 at the age of 92 years who allowed this nice small regional drink to become, today, the most drunk apéritif in the world. Of course, drink it in moderation !

Source: http://www.aftouch-cuisine.com/news/news-93-2.htm

The wine shop in Angeles Philippines Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga as well as other wine shops, wine bars and wine outlets in Subic and Manila are wells stocked with interesting selections of Aligoté wine from various producers covering a wide range of prices. Yats Wine Cellars likes to regard itself as more than a wine shop but a source of useful information about wine that makes drinking wine such an interesting hobby.

As a wine collector, hobbyist or someone in the wine trade, are you concerned or interested about this also? If so, please stay tuned in to Yats Wine Cellars’ web site to stay abreast of things to do with wine in the world.

News and pertinent information about wine trade, wine appreciation, wine shops and outlets, wine and food pairing, wine making, viticulture, vintages, climate conditions affecting wine, new and revived wine regions etc can be found here in this section. Yats wine Cellars is much more than a Philippines wine supplier with a few wine shops, wine bars and wine outlets in Philippines where clients can buy good wines in Manila, Angeles City, Subic and Clark Philippines. Yats Wine Cellars is also a rich source of information for the convenience of the growing community of wine lovers, wine connoisseurs and hobbyists. Wine lovers in Manila, Subic, Angeles City, Pampanga, Clark Philippines can enjoy fine vintage wines in any of Yats Wine Cellars wine shopping outlets, wine bars, wine shops and wine restaurants.

You are welcome to post your comments and questions about any topic related to wine on http://www.YatsWineCellars.com or email Wine@Yats-International.com with your comments, suggestions, questions, purchases or inquiries on wine and wine-related topics. Don’t forget to register yourself on our mailing list to be informed of the dates and venues of the Yats Wine Experience public wine tasting events.