The recent pounding rains of typhoon No. 10 shook our house like mad, and also triggered a crazed desire for that classic stormy winter dish, braised lamb shank. Rain and Tokyo summer heat be damned, we set out on a shopping trip clutching a recipe from Patricia Wells' "The Paris Cookbook."
While most braises are based on a combination of chicken stock and generic red wine, Wells' specifically calls for red Banyuls. This is a fortified wine akin to port that is produced on the Mediterranean coast, just north of the French-Spanish border -- but to many chocolate-dessert lovers, it's known simply as the elixir of the gods.
We were unsure whether we could find a bottle of Banyuls in Tokyo. But as we dripped our way through the National Azabu supermarket, we were ecstatic to spot (way up on a top shelf) the latest from Dr. Parce of Domaine du Mas Blanc, a gentleman who is widely regarded as the King of Banyuls.