Question: I will be visiting New York this summer and would be pleased with some winery visit recommendations.
Answer: Very topical to tour this region. Both the Finger Lakes for a focus on Riesling and Long Island for sauvignon blanc and chardonnay whites plus merlot and cabernet reds are all doing well. Of course the historic Dr. Konstantin Frank winery on Keuka Lake is a must. Also nearby Hermann Wiemer. Ravines has an interesting Alsace-like riesling and Sheldrake Point sweet dessert examples. Lots of tips on the web for visiting there. A new good one this month is on winespectator.com by James Molesworth spotlighting among others Bedell, Wolffer & Lieb. Lots of fine choices!
Privileged to try recently quite a few classified growths from the 2000 vintage of Bordeaux. These wines are now just over 15 years of age and showing some development. The vintage was special right out of the gate not only for that unique triple zero but following a weaker decade of the 1990s including the lesser 97, right bank favoured 98, and lighter variable 99. They are now being challenged in some properties by excellent underrated wines from 2001 but not the disappointing 2002.
The Vancouver chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux just held a dinner featuring 9 chateaux of 2000 served in 3 flights. Some brief impressions by this scribe:
1. FIGEAC: Deep red colour. Shows that herbal cabernet sauvignon component on the nose. Still young and a bit raw but with depth and intriguing flavours. No rush.
2. LA CROIX ST. GEORGE: Lighter more mature red look. Some cranberry fruit but is drier than on its release and simpler in this exalted company.
3. NENIN: Darkest of first flight. Shows a lovely bouquet of complex plums with a touch of medicinal iodine. Very stylish with minerality and balance. Best of flight but had expected even more.
4. RAUZAN SEGLA: Prefer the lovely elegance of the flowery bouquet here. Young but excellent depth underneath and will still develop further in bottle.
5. BRANE CANTENAC: Lightest of second flight but surprises. Very Margaux terroir with a floral nose and softer approachable tannins now. Enjoy sooner.
6. PAPE CLEMENT: Darkest look of second flight. Big with a forwardly earthy Graves character. Would like more complexity.
7. BRANAIRE DUCRU: Juicy intense fruit. Good effort here with smooth rich excellent St. Julien expression. Needs more time.
8. GRAND PUY LACOSTE: Classic Pauillac but more youthful and backward than expected. Still seems quite herbal primary and with growing pains presently. Wait a few more years.
9. PONTET CANET: Another favourite chateau of mine making outstanding wines. So rich, deep full intense powerful ripe cabernet sauvignon fruit here. Again quite backward at 15 years.
Overall summary would be an excellent 2000 vintage with some consistency overall including several other properties not listed here. Still believe the better wines are still quite youthful, structured and backward which can be rewarded with further patience. Hope you have some bottles tucked away for a future special occasion when they will be really shining brightly.
Since its inception in 1993, the Food Network has gone on to be a television juggernaut, available now in nearly 100,000,000 American homes and worth approximately $3 billion dollars. And by placing the culinary arts at the vanguard of pop culture, this cable channel has been successfully minting “celebrity chefs” for more than two decades, from Emeril Lagasse to Giada De Laurentiis. “We’re not trying to be the Gourmet magazine of the airwaves,” said one former network president. “Our shows are chock-full of recipes but reinterpreted in television terms for our audience, which is young, urban, and more interested in food as part of their lifestyle. It’s up to us to be bold.”
To document this meteoric rise is journalist and author Allen Salkin, whose 2013 book From Scratch: The Uncensored History of The Food Network gives us twenty years worth of juicy gossip about both the channel—and its larger-than-life personalities. Why did network executives decide to kick Emeril off the air after hosting their flagship program for over a decade? What was going on behind the scenes as Paula Deen’s career was imploding before our very eyes? Viewers of the network will simply devour all of this tabloid material. But more importantly, Salkin’s book provides us with some great insight on how the channel first got off the ground.
When TVFN premiered on November 23rd, 1993 as one of hundreds of new cable stations flooding the airwaves, very few in the industry gave it a chance. Back then, food and cooking shows were seen as something housewives watched on weekend mornings or during the daytime in between soap operas and picking up the kids from school. The idea that anyone would want to see a food-oriented program in prime time was simply ludicrous. Additionally, the fact that most of these shows like Julia Child’sThe French Chef aired on PBS led many to believe that there was no money to be made through advertising. After reading the first two chapters of From Scratch, you start to realize just how big of a gamble this whole endeavor was.
Strolling down memory lane, Salkin takes us through the early years when the Food Network featured hosts such as Robin Leach and aired classic shows like Ready.. Set… Cook!and the British import Two Fat Ladies. Running on a shoestring budget and desperately scrambling for content, the network even bought old episodes of classic cooking shows like The Galloping Gourmet in order to fill its schedule. What’s interesting to note is that the founding president originally envisioned it as “CNN with Stoves,” featuring more journalistic programs like Foods, News and Views which attempted to seriously analyze the politics and laws surrounding what people ate. But steering the ship in another direction was a New Orleans chef who would eventually put the network on the map.
After some fine-tuning, a flamboyant and extremely likable Emeril Lagasse quickly took off as the face of the Food Network during the 90s with catchphrases like “Bam!” and “Time to kick up a notch.” Cooking in front of a rowdy studio audience and featuring a live band, Emeril Live soared in popularity, helping the network move beyond its core demographic as the culinary arts met The Tonight Show. While today there are many detractors of the network who feel it is more about entertainment than food, Salkin reminds us that back then, even a distinguished chef like Emeril wasn’t immune from these sorts of attacks. Describing the atmosphere of the show as “a little bit of the wrestling ring or the roller derby,” New York Times dining reporter Amanda Hesser declared him to be “more jester than cook,” noting that “professional foodies are a bit dismayed at the tone of the program.”
Of course, as non-chefs like Sandra Lee, Guy Fieri and Rachael Ray started to dominate the lineup, criticism and the Food Network has gone hand in hand. Ironically, one of its biggest foes is CNN’s Anthony Bourdain, a former network star who has ridiculed numerous personalities for their lack of knowledge or for allegedly “selling out.” Dissecting these criticisms at length, the author also provides a number of counter-arguments, including one from Julia Child who compared some of these shows to her very own. “It’s entertainment programs that bring in the money … You have to make teaching an entertaining thing to watch … It has to be lively to and fascinating.”
Sandra Lee’s infamous “Kwanzaa Cake” provided tons of fodder for critics of the Food Network.
Unfortunately, despite being on the cutting edge with series like Japan’s Iron Chefand Good Eats, Salkin also reminds us how network executives completely missed the boat with slicker and edgier programs like Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen and the Bravo’s hit franchise Top Chef. Instead of copying the Food Network’s family friendly culture, its competitors did the exact opposite by featuring more reality-based chefs who don’t shy away from smoking cigarettes and using an unhealthy dose of profanity. However, as the author points out, personalities like the foul-mouthed Gordon Ramsey and chefs decked out in tattoo sleeves would have never fit in with a network that takes pride in a wholesome image.
And with this image, Food Network personalities have been able to cash in—big time! While earlier TV chefs like Child and James Beard dabbled in endorsements, they were being paid no more than a “C-level actor” for their efforts. But this all changed as superstars like Ray, Lagasse and the others were able to monetize their success to a whole new level. With only a few thousand dollars dedicated to the production of its earlier shows, hosts were able to promote their products as a way to compensate them for their lack of salary. Beginning with Emeril’s spices, a very lucrative market took shape from kitchen gadgets to the numerous cookbooks that fly off the shelves year after year. Given the multi-million dollar achievements of these undertakings, it makes you wonder if they should change their name to the Marketing Network?
Whether you’re interested in the history of cable television, the politics behind choosing the next primetime show or simply a fan of these big names, From Scratch has something for everybody. Meticulously researched and full of fascinating anecdotes, it is a book that will make you the center of attention the next time you’re at a dinner party as you tell your friends story after story about this game-changing channel and the people that made it into the powerhouse that it is today.
Question: I hear some chatter that Pommard Rugiens and Epenots should become Grand Cru vineyards. What are your thoughts on this idea?
Answer: Yes I have heard that lobby as well. There presently are 27 Premier Cru vineyards in Pommard and no Grand Cru. Certainly Rugiens & Epenots are 2 of their best but both are not totally consistent having different terroirs even within those vineyards. I am sure the INAO are hearing about these and other representations for changes to their original 1936 appellation classification. IMHO there are other vineyards that warrant consideration for elevation to Grand Cru ahead of Pommard. 3 that would be at the very top of my promotion list based on their quality and present price levels would be Chambolle- Musigny Les Amoureuses, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques, and Meursault Perrieres!
Gambero Rosso (www.gamberorosso.it) are celebrating their “30 years of passion” (1986-2016) with a roadshow which on June 10, 2016 was promoting #trebicchieriVAN. Their new Red Guide (30 Euros) is out spotlighting 2400 producers, 22000 wines, 421 Tre Bicchieri. They conducted a special Master Class of 9 top winning Italian wines that showed amazing diversity of style. Here is a brief summary:
1. Sparkler of the Year: Franciacorta Dosage Zero Noir Vintage Collection Riserva 2006 Ca’del Bosco – 60% chardonnay with pinot bianco & pinot nero from 22 sites vines averaging 30 years shows acidity, structure, elegance and harmony. Fantastic bubbles!
2. Best Value For Money: Falanghina del Sannio Svelato 2014 Terre Stregate – Fruity tangerine character drinking well at super value from increasingly popular grape easy to grow in Campania.
3. White Wine of the Year: Collio Friulano 2014 Schiopetto – 100% friulano from Collio DOC aged in stainless on lees is balanced with almond, apricot & pear fresh aromas with full flavour that can age.
4. Award For Sustainable Viticulture: A.A.Terlano Sauvignon Tannenberg 2013 Manicor – Alto Adige gives lovely refreshing style with minerality with sustainable methods used by Manicor.
5. Red Wine of the Year: Etna Rosso V. Barbagalli 2012 Pietradolce – First bottle corked but 2nd excellent! Single vineyard Barbagalli from the trendy Etna volcanic slopes is a light colour but delivers lovely delicate elegant earthy yet clean roses. Excellent purity and not tiring to drink.
6. Grower of the Year: Barbaresco Asili 2012 Ca’ del Baio – One of the brilliant sites delivers complex cherries already smooth and rich – a worthy winner for the wine as well as the grower.
7. Up-And-Coming Winery: Bolgheri Rosso Sup. Atis 2012 Guado al Melo – IGT Blend of older clones cab sauv, cab franc, & merlot from vines planted in 1999 with 24 months in barrique has lots of balsamic red fruits with impressive structure.
8. Winery of the Year: Amarone della Valpolicella Cl. 2011 Allegrini – The Allegrini family have been involved in Valpolicella since the 16th century with now the 6th generation in charge. Own about 100 hectares of vineyards and emphasis is on not having residual sugar or oxidation in their wines. Don’t want brown colour or a porty styled Amarone but fresh clean wine with acidity. A great success!
9. Sweet of the Year: Valle d’Aosta Chambave Moscato Passito Prieure 2013 La Crotta di Vegneron – Has slightly higher alcohol but certainly sweet with acidity too in a true passito styling from Aosta Valley.
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