Very fun opening party last night at the swanky Setai Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to honor the newly published biography of the company’s iconoclastic founder. The book, written by acclaimed journalist Ettore Gobbato and published by Veronelli Editore, will be available at your favorite bookstore in fall. What makes the [...]
Jim Collins “I strive for the perfect blend of art and science,” says Jim Collins, who is the ‘official’ ambassador of Frei Brothers wines, and also holds the more illustrious title of Coastal Viticulture operations for Gallo wines in the region. As you may know, coastal regions in California are considered ‘cool climate,’ and ‘cool [...]
“Does Robert Parker still have influence?” was the topic of conversation at “Fête de la Fleur,” held on the 23rd June at Château Lascombes in Margaux. It was a gorgeous evening, though a bit on the chilly side — ladies in lovely long, strapless dresses during the three hour cocktail reception kept saying “tres froid!” [...]
So I just returned from Vinexpo where the talk was all about the chinese Market. As you know, top chateaux are creating special bottles for China, and are looking East to sell their wine. But what about the ‘little guy?” Decanter magazine ran an article in which Ian Ford, managing partner of Shanghai-based Summergate, [...]
Very fun and social event today at the glorious BPSO (Banque Populaire du Sud Ouest) where Smith Haut Lafite and other wineries got together to taste the last three vintages (2010, 2009, 2008). Tout La Monde was there to comment on the newer vintages and also taste some classic wines in this fabulous space overlooking [...]
Chateau Phelan Segur in Saint-Estephe hosted a fabulous Les Feux de la Saint-Jean, which traditionally celebrated the beginning of summer and harvests. In the past, a large fire was lighted in each village. People danced around the fire with the goal of joy, celebration, and protection for the years to come. In 1997, the [...]
. So what fun to attend the special VinExpo “Master Class” on pairing Sauternes with Chinese food. I was very excited to attend for two key reasons: First, I won an AXA scholarship for my ideas on the subject, and second, a benefit of the scholarship was a day at AXA property Chateau Suduiraut picking [...]
Fun party at Pichon-Longueville on Monday June 20, to coincide with the many international guests at Vinexpo in Bordeaux. The 27 producers of Douro Wines set up tables in the vat room of this storybook chateau to showcase the wines of the region. They included: Churchill’s, Quinta de Cottas, Quinta do Crasto, Duorum, Durham-Agrellos, [...]
A fabulous fete at Chateau Kirwan to pair classic vintages with the cuisine of Chef Philippe Arrambide from the Pyrenees Michelin star restaurant in Saint Jean Pied de Port. After a gorgeous outdoor reception we sat to dinner – I was quite honored to have Sophie Schyler-Thierry, Director of Marketing and Communication, at my table. [...]
Fabulous opening dinner at Haut-Brion last night for the press … Haut-Brion was the host Chateaux, with each table hosted by the members of the Grand Cru Classes de 1855 of Medoc and Sauternes. My hosts that night were Gonzague Lurton and his wife Clare of Chateau Dufort Vivens, Chateau Haut-Bages-Liberal, and Chateau [...]
Fabulous event at chateau Brane-Cantenac (second growth) in Margaux. One of the most fabulous things about Vinexpo in Bordeaux is that the Chateaux put on some very creative and fun events. Here, owner/winemaker Henri Lurton (enjoying the concert in the picture above( hosted a musical evening with the famous opera singer Elizabeth Vidal. [...]
“Pinot Grigio from Argentina?” a guest asks, accepting a glass of nicely chilled, cool climate Pinot Grigio at the private dining room of Industria Argentina in Tribeca. I am tasting the Pinot Grigio, rolling its dry, mineral-rich, balanced flavors in my mouth whilechatting with two very intriguing and charming gentlemen. First, meet Argento’s Chief [...]
Wow i had such a great educational experience at the Wines of Chile event today. Though Chilean reds are totally fab, I wanted to focus on whites today. And ‘focus’ is a key word at these tastings. While it is nice to be able to taste every wine from every producer, it is a [...]
So last night, June 13, we celebrated the fourth anniversary of our Wine Media Guild Dinner at the prestigious Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan. Wine Writers inducted into the Hall in Fame include Gerald Boyd, Stephen Spurrier, Tom Stevenson, and posthumously, Leon Adams. I was pleased to see fellow member Peter Sichel give a rousing [...]
Fab event to celebrate 30th Anniversary of Sonoma-Cutrer at the French Culinary Institute. Jacques Peppin and i exchanged air kisses as I entered … and you can see him with other celebrity chefs in the photo above. The chefs collectively prepared a ‘blast from the past’ food pairing to match the wines from the [...]
NY area sommeliers do! So today I was a one of four judges to find the most ‘Languedoc-Roussillion” savvy sommelier. The competition was created by the Sud de France and American Sommelier Association. The morning started with the competitors blind tasting three wines: one white, one red, and one sweet red. To literally put myself [...]
“We are very lucky today!” a woman said, stepping onto the gorgeous rooftop of a West Side building where the gorgeous sun displayed its golden rays after several days of clouds and rain. And in a similar vein, the wines of Croatia are seeing the light of day. Thirty Croatiion producers were [...]
Ah, Tempranillo … would this same varietal by any other name taste as sweet? In Toro, the tempranillo grape is called Tinto de Toro. Recently Manual Farina, winemaker and founder of Bodegas Farina in Toro, was in Manhattan to meet with distributors and journalists and talk about his wine. We met on a very [...]
Today I received three bottles of Pinot Grigio, all at different price points, from Northern Italy. I think that this shipment is interesting because Pinot Grigio is one of the most popular wines in the world. In fact, I’ve heard sommeliers say people walk into restaurants and just demand a bottle of PG no [...]
So today I just got my “new” issue of Drinks Business (it takes way to long for it to come from the UK) and I was delighted to see on page 120 the publication recommended Brane-Cantenac, saying: “Margaux Second growth Brane-Cantenac may not have the sex appeal of some of its neighborhing cru classes in [...]
