From the meeting in 2003 between Alain Graillot (Crozes-Hermitage, Saint Joseph) and Thalvin was born TANDEM, one of the most interesting wines from the current Moroccan production.

The collaboration between Morocco and France is known for its fertility and the history of TANDEM is one of the most beautiful illustrations ever.

In 2003, during a visit to the Moroccan vineyard Alain Graillot, great French wine producer in the Northern Rhône (Crozes-Hermitage, Saint Joseph) and artist in love with the grape vineyard of Syrah, meets Thalvin teams (one of the leading wine producers in Morocco) to the cellar of the Ouled Thaleb estate in Benslimane.

Attracted by the quality of work done on the Syrah and the rich soils, Alain Graillot decides to engage in a collaboration with his fellow Moroccan winemaker that will lead quickly to a friendship which first result is the birth of TANDEM, a sumptuous wine where one can found all the knowledge of a magician of the wine together with the typicity of the Moroccan vineyard.

On the nose, this vintage is proving very expressive. The complex bouquet of aromas, combining notes of ripe black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry) enhanced by spicy notes, evolves into a cocoa final note. The wine is balanced and harmonious in the mouth, the aftertaste is a remarkable, and an elegant bitterness and astringency on the finish suggest that if TANDEM can of course be enjoyed now, it will also be exciting to see it evolve over the years.

So it is definitely a “winner tandem” we’ve got here and that opens up more than cheering perspectives for the future of Moroccan wines.

The exquisite Tandem red wine is to be tasted during a gourmet short break in Morocco or discovered – as a start – in the beautiful book that Restaurant Riad Monceau has dedicated to the best of Moroccan cuisine and wines (a worldwide premiere) : “Riad Monceau – Palace of Moroccan gastronomy” which can be overviewed on ISSUU. Get more information on this page of the present website.

At an age when many aspire to live an easy life Charles Mélia decides that his own life as a Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine producer is definitely too well settled. So at nearly 50 years old he entrusted the keys of his estate to his eldest daughter, Anne-Charlotte, and go and explore the world in search of a new wine “Eldorado”. A new adventure, a new start in life.

It is finally in Morocco, land of his childhood, that the Val d’Argan will born in 1994, a family estate created from scratch in the middle of olive trees, a few kilometers from the white Essaouira. Four long years will be needed to construct, develop, gradually clear of stones and plant 30 acres of grapes from the Rhone Valley.

Become a new land of great wines, Southern Morocco now gives birth each year to a new vintage of the different wines that make up the range of the Val d’Argan: The Gazelle of Mogador, El Mogador, The Val d’Argan, Orients of the Val d’Argan, all from organic farming. Many elegant and genuine wines, born of the passion of a man for his job and the desire to make wine without any constraints other than those dictated by the nature itself.

Present at the finest restaurants in the Kingdom – and of course at Restaurant Riad Monceau which has made them its favorite – and soon available in France thanks to the work of Emmanuelle Mélia, who joined her father in 2007, the wines of the Val d’Argan fall within the high-end production with Moroccan wines in particular, the “Orients Blanc”, an exceptional vintage grown in barrels of French “Haut Sauternois”. The ultimate Moroccan white wine for most experts.

The Val d’Argan wines are to be tasted during a gourmet short break in Morocco or discovered – to start with – in the beautiful book that Riad Monceau have dedicated to the best of Moroccan cuisine and wines (a worldwide premiere) and which can be overviewed on ISSUU.

Even though the idea might seem strange at first sight today, it is actually less surprising than it appears if one remembers that, since Antiquity, Mococco as always been a privileged land for vineyards and wine.

The contemporary Moroccan vineyard takes its expansion, from 1880, thanks to the emigration of French winemakers defeated by phylloxera, and since, their descendants and successors have continued to invest and gradually refine their skills to offer more and more subtle and complex wines, the best of them now deserving to be served at the finest tables.

Beside the excellent chapter about great Moroccan wines in the book “The Riad Monceau – a palace of Moroccan gastronomy” (la Croisée des Chemins editors) we are very pleased to present here these beautiful wines born under the sun that will of course ideally pair with all Moroccan recipes presented in this book but also, more generally, with all Eastern or Mediterranean-style dishes.

The international distribution of some of these great wines still remaining a bit confidential, we will provide on this blog, with the help of the most important wine producers, a regularly updated information about where to find the best Moroccan wines outside Morocco (wine merchants, websites,…).

You can have a look here at the online overview of the book of the Riad Monceau about Moroccan gastronomy and Moroccan wines on ISSUU

Published by the great Moroccan editor La Croisée des Chemins, this luxury Moroccan cookbook was thought as an hymn to this extraordinary city that is Marrakech, perfect symbol of today’s Morocco, a country firmly heading towards future and modernity, but also strong of its culture and traditions that make its richness.

Featuring 284 pages under a canvased hard cover, the book is formed of 4 great chapters allowing the reader to discover the 1001 aspects of the Riad Monceau as a charm hotel and a prestigious gourmet restaurant :

Part 1 : An oriental dream - Discovery of the Riad Monceau, a gem of arabo-andalusian architecture. An introduction chapter to discover the Riad Monceau, its history and origins with dozens of beautiful photos by Ludovic Antoine to visit the many parts of the hotel.
Part 2 : A palace of Moroccan gastronomy - Restaurant Riad Monceau, a highlight of Moroccan gastronomy in Marrakech. The genesis of the restaurant, from the initial guest table to the famous gourmet restaurant.
Part 3 : Cooking secrets - 56 great recipes of Moroccan gastronomy by Rachida Sahnoune, the chef of restaurant Riad Monceau. The cookbook that the amateurs were hoping for ! All you need to cook at home the famous recipes that have made restaurant Riad Monceau’s reputation.
Part 4 : Borned under the sun - Exclusive guide of the greatest Moroccan wines. A worlwide première ! Restaurant Riad Monceau is proud to publish the very first guide of these beautiful but almost unknown wines borned under the sun.

Riad Monceau’s clientele being international, Riad Monceau’s book is entirely bilingual french/english. For practical purpose the 1st and 4th covers are in French, their english translation being inside the cover.

” I hope this book will allow those who know Marrakech, and love it as we do, to take home a little part of the magic of this extraordinary city in their luggage, and those who do not know it yet to discover some its treasures “. Isabelle Aubry.

Buy Riad Monceau’s book : « The Riad Monceau – A palace of Moroccan gastronomy » will be available in early 2012 in most bookstores, Fnac, Virgin Megastores as well as on Amazon. Do not hesitate to ask your usual bookshop to order it for you with the following references : Code EAN : 9 789954 103647 – ISBN : 978-9954-1-0364-7.

A special limited edition of 500 numbered copies, presented in luxury hard boxes, is also available directly at the riad. Please contact us for availability, price and delivery conditions.

Feel free to have a look at the digital digest of the book that is now available on ISSUU.

The Christmas ‘ Eve is a unique evening in the year, Marrakech is definitely a fantastic place to celebrate this very special moment and Restaurant Riad Monceau is a special and exclusive place – all dedicated to the best of Moroccan gastronomy – where we will be delighted to welcome you for an unforgettable 1001-night dinner with your friends and/or family. Children are of course very welcome (special 50% off for children under 12).

The seating capacity of Restaurant Riad Monceau Marrakech being extremely limited (50 people or so) we kindly recommend you to make your reservation for the 2011 Christmas’ Eve in Marrakech dinner as soon as possible if you plan to join us. Please use our online booking form to contact us and check out availabilities.

A 50% deposit will then be asked to secure your reservation.

For more information about Moroccan haute cuisine and gastronomy feel free to have a look at the digital overview of the beautiful book “The Riad Monceau – A palace of Moroccan gastronomy” that is now available on ISSUU. A great introduction to Marrakech, its architecture, lifestyle and of course gastronomy, and a great way to savour – in advance – your… upcoming Christmas’ Eve dinner in Marrakech !

Pre dinner drink

Kir Royal of the Monceau

Bites of Traditional M’hanchas as Apetizers

*

Tasting of fine Moroccan Fassia Style salads

*

Shrimps’ “tatin”, Green Salad with a Dash of Pure Argan Oil

*

Lamb Tajine with Dry Fruits and its Extra Fine Semolina

*

Home made Half Cooked Chocolate Cake

*

Mint Tea or Coffee – Moroccan Honey Pastries

*

Wines

Domaine de Sahari Réserve (Rosé) and Cuvée Première Président(Red)

*

Ambiance

Traditional Musicians

*

Cost per person, all included : 700 MAD (65 €)

Children under 12 : 50% off

The New Year’Eve is a unique evening in the year, Marrakech is definitely the place to celebrate this very special moment and Restaurant Riad Monceau is a special and exclusive place – all dedicated to the best of Moroccan gastronomy – where we will be delighted to welcome you for an unforgettable 1001-night dinner.

The seating capacity of Restaurant Riad Monceau Marrakech being extremely limited (50 people or so) we kindly recommend you to make your reservation for the 2011/2012 New Year’s Eve dinner as soon as possible if you plan to join us. Please use our online booking form to contact us and check out availabilities.

A 50% deposit will then be asked to secure your reservation.

For more information about Moroccan haute cuisine and gastronomy feel free to have a look at the digital overview of the beautiful book “The Riad Monceau – A palace of Moroccan gastronomy” that is now available on ISSUU. A great introduction to Marrakech, its architecture, lifestyle and of course gastronomy, and a great way to savour – in advance – your… upcoming New Year’s’ Eve dinner in Marrakech !

Pre dinner drink

Kir Royal of the Monceau

Bites of Monceau’ Specialties as Apetizers

*

Broad Bean & Paprika Cream Soup with its Cumin Pie

*

Home made Seafood Pastilla, Green Salad with a Dash of Pure Argan Oil

*

Coquerel from the Farm with Candied Clementines and Saffron

Crushed Carrots with Spices of Morocco

*

Monceau’s Sweet Trilogy

Cup of Champagne

*

Mint Tea or Coffee – Moroccan Honey Pastries

*

Wines

Val d’Argan (Rosé) and “S” de Siroua (Red)

*

Ambiance

Traditional Musicians – Midhnight Surprise

*

Cost per person, all included : 1400 MAD (125 €)

]]> http://www.riad-monceau.com/2011-new-years-eve-dinner/feed 0 http://www.riad-monceau.com/shopping-in-marrakech http://www.riad-monceau.com/shopping-in-marrakech#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:09:39 +0000 ludovicantoine http://www.riad-monceau.com/?p=1414 Though it does not seek to compete with large cities such as London or Paris, Marrakech is a city that is still attractive in many ways and it is not uncommon to leave it the arms - and luggage – full of multiple purchases.

Of course Morocco has always been famous for its handicrafts but Marrakech has changed a lot within the last few years and, beside the basic local workshops, you can now find here luxury shops, stores and even designer workshops where artists of great talent combine the most contemporary vision and ancestral know-how to produce some really – and unique – interesting pieces.

We intend to share with you in this topic some of our favorite places,  in the medina (old quarter), Guéliz (modern city) as well as in Sidi Ghanem, the activity area where concentrate many workshops, factories and warehouses where costs can still be interesting even though, because of the recent development of the city, most prices now tend to approach those of Europe.

However, whatever the qualities of this wonderful food, it can happen of course that after a few days in Morocco, some of our visitors feel the need to take a break in their brand new culinary habits made of tagines, couscous and pastilles !

We believe therefore useful to offer here our guests a selection of good foreign restaurants covering all or most of world cuisines - Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, … enough to travel far beyond the borders of Morocco … without leaving the city !

Recipes of tajines, pastilles, couscous, Moroccan salads… many specialties that have made the reputation of Restaurant Riad Monceau and that we are going to teach you here.

You can of course come to learn and experiment directly ”on site” during a stay in Marrakech by joining one of the Moroccan cooking classes that are held each morning in the kitchen of Restaurant Riad Monceau (note: only 4 to 5 participants are admitted per set so it is highly recommended to make reservations well in advance).

In case you are interested in Moroccan cuisine and gastronomy we would also highly suggest you give a look to “The Riad Monceau – A palace of moroccan gastronomy“, a beautiful cookbook published by La Croisée des Chemins editors (Casablanca). This book is available at main bookstores, as well as on Amazon but we can also arange a special delivery in case you’d have difficulties in finding it. A free overwiew is available on ISSUU.

Beside 56 great recipes by Rachida Sahnoune you’ll find also in this book an exclusive guide of the best Moroccan wines that are as good as unknown outside the country borders. Full infomation about these great wines can be found on our “Blog of the best Moroccan wines” available on this website.

All recipes that will be published on this blog are from the book “The Riad Monceau, A palace of Moroccan gastronomy” for which we would like to thank La Croisée des Chemins editors.

Considered also as one of the most romantic restaurants of Marrakech, Restaurant  Riad Monceau has become a must-eat place where to live very special moments like proposals as well as for unforgettable romantic dinners.

Having become – a little in spite of ourselves (!) – king of honeymoon specialists in Marrakech, we propose to share with you our experience in this matter which – we hope – will help you to make your stay the most beautiful and successful one.

Options and other little extras, ideas of various activities and outings, tips from the inside, … we will not fail to draw on our experience from the past to make your future as good as possible, being understood – of course – that our staff is also available for you, before your coming - by email or phone – as well as when you are there, to answer your questions and  meet all your needs.