SWE Evening #2: Science, Wine, and More

OK, for now, ignore the photo!  I need some sympathy. I'm sitting here thinking how hard it is to taste wine all day. From Champagne at lunch, to Bordeaux mid-afternoon, I switched to beer with dinner. But no, I didn't max-out on wine. Susan and I wanted to try a Washington gastropub we had read about in Food Arts, and beer is definitely Birch & Barley's "thing."

But (sigh!), now that I'm finished complaining about the responsibilities associated with a Society of Wine Educators conference (tasting wine, wine, and more wine), then why have I included a photo of what looks like supplies for a chemistry lab? The photo is my tip-of-the-hat to a fabulous session today conducted by Harriet Lembeck, CWE, and Steve Dente, VP of Research & Development, Robertet (use Google's "translate this page" feature for the French Robertet site).

With an approach that was way too cool to describe here (we'll have to talk in Greenville, or do a Greenville Wine Meetup to discuss it), Harriet and Steve tackled the topic, "Science and the Nose."  Why do we smell what we smell in wine?  What's the chemistry behind it?  What physiological and psychological factors come into play?  What would a team of 32 perfumers (see the Parfumerie link on the Robertet site), backed by a staff of engineers, chemists, and technicians, say about our "wine words"?  Terms like "velvety," "hearty," "crisp," "rich," "flinty," and more were evaluated by professionals at aromas and tastes, and their assessments were supported by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

None of this is intended to take anything away from the fabulous sessions on Champagne and Bordeaux wines I attended earlier in the day.  Both were extraordinarily informative and I'll be incorporating material from both of them in future Greenville Wine Meetups, as well as staff training for Table 301's restaurants.  But for flat-out, stunning originality, and "you never heard it taught this way before," "Science and the Nose" just blew all of us away, who had the privilege of attending.  Kudos Harriet and Steve!  Sincere thanks.

SWE Evening #1: Tasting at New Zealand Embassy

As promised, I will post daily reports while Susan and I are in Washington, DC, for the Society of Wine Educators annual conference.  Today was a short day, just to pick-up our registration packets and then attend a tasting at the New Zealand Embassy.

All 51 wines, as you might guess, were all from New Zealand!  We found some lovely surprises, including a marvelously restrained, almost austere Sauvignon Blanc; a bright, refreshing Pinot Gris (PG makes up only 3% of the varietal plantings in New Zealand); a stunning Pinot Noir; and the best non-Pinot red wine I've ever had from New Zealand (a Bordeaux blend, showing good ripeness, but also intelligence, finesse, and complexity).

So, here are our personal picks of the day.  Not all of these wines have widespread distribution in the U.S., but I'll be investigating SC availability while at the conference.

• Palliser Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008.  Forget everything you thought you knew about New Zealand Sauv Blancs (as lovely as they can be).  This wine was restrained, almost austere, and absolutely wonderful.  I may have found something I like as much as Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre!  No distribution information yet, but I have to find this one.
• Manu Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009.  Bright, refreshing, and a total surprise.  This wine was the "sleeper" of the night.  I'm not a big fan of Oregon Pinot Gris, and only enjoy a limited number of Pinot Grigios from Italy.  We know that this wine will have distribution in South Carolina through Grassroots, a firm which has always distinguished itself by offering truly worthwhile wines in SC.
• Saint Claire Pioneer Block #14, Doctor's Creek, Pinot Noir 2007.  As noted above, absolutely stunning.  New Zealand Pinot Noir, going back 3-4 years, failed to excite.  No more!  This is a classic Pinot Noir that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best from Oregon or Burgundy.  Wow!  And Saint Claire's entry level Marlborough Pinot (2008) was quite nice, too.  No distribution information yet.
• Alpha Domus Hawkes Bay Navigator 2006.  This was unquestionably the best non-Pinot red wine I've had from New Zealand.  Until now, at least to my taste, Bordeaux varietals either were not planted in the right soils or couldn't achieve adequate ripeness.  But this blend of Merlot, Cab, Malbec, and Cab Franc was a classic right-bank Bordeaux.  Well done, Alpha Domus!  And my understanding is that Grassroots will be bringing it to South Carolina.

On the Menu Podcast

Susan and I are on now our way to Washington, DC, for the Society of Wine Educators conference! Whether driving or flying, we often listen to podcasts  while traveling. I thought you might be interested in a podcast we are listening to now.

Ann & Peter Haigh, from On the Menu Radio, recently visited Greenville to talk about Euphoria, September 23-26.  I had the opportunity to chat with them about Euphoria's wine program for 2010.  Have a quick listen here, if interested.  Euphoria founders Carl Sobocinski and Edwin McCain take the stage first, as they should!

If you have time, I hope you'll enjoy the entire podcast. If you're rushed and need to fast-forward to the wine portion, Peter and Ann begin talking we me about wine at roughly 29:20 into the podcast. As always, if you have questions, email me?  Euphoria should be a wonderful event again this year and I hope we'll see many of you there!

SWE Conference 2010

Hello Vine & Grape friends!  Susan and I are off to the Society of Wine Educators annual conference in Washington, DC, tomorrow.  We attended two years ago, when the conference was in New Orleans, LA, to show solidarity with that wonderful city after Hurricane Katrina.  This year the conference is in SWE's "hometown."  Updates to follow later this week.  See you then!

It All Matters

"OK," you might ask, "what does wine packaging have to do with topics normally discussed at Vine & Grape?"

Just this: when it comes to wine, everything matters. By analogy: go to an automobile dealership. If their demonstrator vehicles have ashtrays full of cigarette butts and smell like trash incinerators, what is that dealership's commitment to quality? Are they proud of the cars they sell? Will you get great post-purchase support? Get conscientious work from their service department?

Now go buy a case of wine. Carry it out of the retailer's store. The cardboard case flexes in your arms. You wonder if it will make it to the car. The bottles are clanking against each other because the separators between them are hardly the thickness of playing cards. The whole affair is held together with the cheapest, generic transparent tape. You begin to wonder in what other areas the winery cut corners: i.e., in grape growing? Vineyard management? Winemaking??

It all matters! I have friends who say my blood chemistry is impossible to distinguish from Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre, because I like the wine so much. Well, that's true enough. If any of us have a "go to" wine, i.e., a wine that just tastes right all the time, on almost all occasions, the Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre is mine. Lest I go overboard, here are only brief tasting impresssions: unity, complexity, and intensity, accompanied by stony minerality, lime leaf, and white grapefruit notes, with intelligent, even sensuous, undertones that reward repeated attention.

But I'm convinced my respect for this wonderful wine is a direct result of their commitment to quality at every single step of the process: grape-growing or sourcing, harvest timing and techniques, crush and fermentation, along with extraordinary care all the way through bottling and packaging. Look at the thickness of the cardboard case! Look at the thought that went into the bottle cradles, even including a thumb/finger hole to help remove them easily! It would be so easy for an accountant to say, "Oh, the packaging doesn't matter. If a few bottles break in transit, they are cheaper to replace than to buy good packaging. Besides, no one but the retailer or restaurant will see the packaging and they don't care. They just care about price."

Mais non! Au contraire. Where else did your accountant tell you to cut costs? Where else did the firm's leadership just not care? Just not think something was important?

So, let me sit in your demonstrator vehicles; you will tell you a lot about the pride you have in your automobile dealership. Take me to your restaurant's restrooms; I will know a lot more about the cleanliness of your kitchen.

Now. . . show me the quality of your wine's packaging; I will know almost all I need to know about the seriousness of your winemaking.

Devereaux's 5th Anniversary

It's wonderful to see a business that strives for excellence do well. That is especially true in the restaurant business. The early-failure rate is daunting. So, for a restaurant to grow and prosper for 5 years is an accomplishment!

To celebrate their 5th Anniversary, Devereaux's is saying "thank you" by offering $50 gift certificates for just $25!

The only catch:  the window during which you must purchase these "Summer Dining Anniversary Certificates" will be open only three days: from 9:00 a.m. Friday June 11, until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. But there is no limit on the number that can be purchased and they can be used any time before August 31, 2010.

This is a wonderful offer that I wanted to Vine & Grape readers to know about ASAP. Chef/Partner Spencer Thomson, and General Manager Alexandra Hackett, are providing one of the most exciting dining experiences in South Carolina (or for that matter, anywhere). Devereaux's gets rave reviews from NY and CA guests, and was the site of dinner that Michelin three-star chef, Guy Savoy, hosted at the Euphoria festival last summer.

The link to purchase these "$50-for-$25 Summer Dining Anniversary Certificates" is here: http://tinyurl.com/2uzdww5

Thank You, Clos du Val!

It was very gracious for Clos du Val Winery to mention Vine & Grape on their Facebook page, pointing out our tasting.  Click here and scroll down a few posts until you see the headline about tasting in South Carolina.

Even kinder was a note from Clos du Val back to our hosts for the tasting, Mike & Marci Greci, who hosted the tasting:

"I sent your email to our Marketing team and to winemakers Bernard Portet and John Clews. It seems your group really captured the essence of what Clos Du Val wines are all about! We love hearing from our members and as Bernard so kindly wrote: 'It is really great to read the enthusiasm that people have when tasting our Clos Du Val wines.'"

The Magnificent Seven

Ah, the Magnificent Seven!

No, this post is not about the 1960s film, which ended in a typically 1960s angst-filled way.  Instead, the magnificent assemblage to which I refer here was a vertical tasting on May 22, 2010, of seven vintages from Clos du Val going back to 1975.  Friends Mike & Marci Greci extended an invitation to nine friends to enjoy some "dusty bottles" from their cellar, and what a treat this evening was!

In fact, as good as the Heitz vertical was three years ago (click this link for Vine & Grape's tasting notes), I think "The Magnificent Seven" actually exceeded the pleasure and interest of the "Lucky Thirteen." So, without further ado, here are our tasting notes:

• 1975: Elegant, refined, gorgeous.  Garnet color, medium concentration, with rim variation fading to burnt sienna.  Nose still full of fruit:  red currant, cherry, red plum, dried fennel, and dry peat, with a dusting of cocoa.  Silky tannins.  A lingering finish.  12.5% alcohol.  All agreed that the overall description of this wine was a wine with "good breeding."
• 1994: This was the minimalist wine of the night.  Medium-minus color concentration, with the rim fading to light amber, but with bright fruit, mostly red. Intense nose initially, falling-off somewhat in the glass as we compared other vintages.  Higher acidity than the other vintages.  This was the least congruent of the seven-wine series.  13% alcohol.
• 1996: "Big velvet," was the consensus description.  Much life left in this wine. Demonstrated unity, complexity, and intensity.  Great balance of fruit and earth. Cab-typical red and black fruits, but with much more happening:  some tasters picked up traces of black pepper, along with leather and dark chocolate on the palate and in the finish.  Incredible texture and mouthfeel was noticed by several tasters.  One described it as "beyond velvet, but just short of highly-textured brocade."  13.5% alcohol.
• 1998: This wine was the sleeper of the night!  From a vintage which suggested to several of us not to expect much, it emerged as the dark-horse favorite.  The 1998 was the most nearly Old World vintage.  The nose included mushroom, compost, barnyard, and even traces of clean, hot linen.  "Elegant" and "earthy" were the most frequent descriptors.  We later discovered that tasting this wine with a well made St. Nectaire cheese was a pairing epiphany!  13.5% alcohol, well integrated and balanced with the overall complexity of the wine.
• 2000: In contrast to the 1998, the 2000 vintage was clearly a New World wine: even now, ten years after release, a substantial amount of blue and black fruit predominated.  The tasters were surprised (for a year that received abysmal ratings, generally) at what a solid wine this was!  It demonstrated that a great winemaker can make good wine, even in a difficult year.  13.5% alcohol.
• 2002: The 2002  was mostly fruit and tannins (still immense tannins, though not unpleasant), with medium-plus to high concentration of color, while the earth/sense of place are, for the present, very much in the background.  In addition to Cab-specific fruit, tasters noted marzipan, roasted nuts, and toasted cashews.  Substantial backbone/structure.  Significant intensity.  This was a highly concentrated beauty.  13.5% alcohol.
• 2004: This vintage is still a "baby," waiting to show what it will become in adulthood.  Concentrated; full of fruit.  One of our hosts likened it to an Old Masters canvas, the beauty of which will emerge when the years peel away the current overpainting of fruit and tannins, and allow sight of the mature wine.  If you own this vintage, hold it.  There seems no point in opening it for another 8-10 years.  Some tasters cited Lindt dark chocolate bars with 85% chocolate solids; depth and an almost bitterness.  13.5% alcohol.

And yes, if you are curious, our most generous friends who invited us to this tasting are holding all the "odd years," too.  Oh, what a tasting that will be!

Overall, one reason this tasting was an immense pleasure is because the winemakers, Bernard Portet and John Clews, have not succumbed to the ultra-ripe, highly oaked, overly alcoholic style that has become too prevalent today.  Despite numerous mentions of fruit, concentration, and even "New World," in the notes above, these wines all exhibited superb balance and breeding.  This allowed the primary variables, terroir, age, and the distinct vintage itself, to clearly show.

A technical note, for anyone attempting to replicate our experience. All of the wines were decanted roughly two hours in advance.  When I arrived, I was concerned for the 1975, having had Napa cabs as little as ten years old, which were mostly gone within a few minutes of opening the bottle.  That was not the case here!

Random, hopefully enlightening comments from particpants:

• "This was like meeting seven different good friends.  They had enough enough similarities to be interesting and intriguing; to provide a common thread, but they were completely individual!" (Susan)
• "Most post-1994 wines were like looking at a child 6-8 years old, or in some cases perhaps 12-14, who is going to grow up into an incredible adult." (Donna)
• "Buy 2004 now, and hold it 10 years!"  (Steve)
• "Time, place, and us . . . what could be better?"  (Scott)
• "Wine is meant to be shared.  This would not have been the same, drinking these by ourselves!"  (Marci)

Vietnamese Wine Dinner at Stella's Southern Bistro

Yep, you read that heading correctly!  On May 13, the Greenville Wine Meetup held a wine dinner featuring Vietnamese cuisine, at a southern bistro, featuring wine pairings from classic French vinifera.  Chefs Jason Scholz and Huy Tran exceeded all expectations.  Comments were extraordinary on this event!  Just a few include:

• Some of the best food and wine pairings I have had at a wine dinner! We also had a lot of fun at our table
• The word of the night was UNREPEATABLE. I am so glad I didn't miss this one. The quail, the soup, the pork...each was better than the last. I can't wait to go back to Stella's.
• Excellent meal, well prepared, great presentation, the wine pairings complement the meal. I enjoyed having the Southern wine represesentative giving us the descriptions and insights of each wine we are having. Thank you Richard and Susan for having this meetup. It was a memorable night for me.

For those who weren't able to attend, here's the menu and pairings:

Reception South Carolina Quail Breast on Benne Seed “Puff,” Lemon Pepper Sauce
Carolina Cup ½ Shell Oyster, Scallion and Kim Chee Mignonette
Exotic Herb and Mushroom Summer Roll, Peach and Peanut Dipping Sauce
Pairing: 071 Prosecco Vino Frizzante NV (Veneto, Italy) 
First Course Happy Cow Buttermilk, Cucumber and Lemongrass Soup
Avocado and Persimmon salad
Pairing: Pierre Sparr 2007 Gewurztraminer (Alsace, France) 
Second Course Watermelon and Shrimp Salad
Lime leaf, mint, Thai basil, jalapenos & crispy cellophane noodles
Pairing: Sauvion Vouvray 2008 (Vouvray, Loire Valley, France) 
Third Course Coconut Braised Local Pork Belly and Roasted BBQ Loin
Sweet potato puree, sorghum baked Sea Island red peas, curried pork jus
 Pairing: Ridge 2008 Three Valleys Zinfandel (Sonoma County, CA)
Fourth Course Dessert Duel 
Banana & Tapioca Pearl Stew, versus Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Ginger Caramel Syrup Pairing: Neige Cidre de Glace
Traditional Vietnamese Coffee Service

P. Simpson's Wine Dinner

On April 22, we had an extraordinary wine dinner at P. Simpson's Hometown Grille in Simpsonville, SC. Just check-out the menu and pairings:

Amuse Bouche
Chef’s Creation
Pairing: Verve Cliquot Ponsardin, Brut
Course One
Foie Gras Torchon.
Cider Reduction, Pain Perdu, Apple-Opal Basil Salad
Pairing: Jordan Chardonnay, Russian River
Course Two
Duet of Game Birds
Duck Crepinette, Thai Gastrique, Peruvian Blue Rosti.
Hickory Smoked Quail Breast, Plum Recado.
Pairing: Erath Pinot Noir, Oregon
Course Three
San Danielle Prosciutto Wrapped Beef Tenderloin
Mole, Ratatouille Brunoise, Pomes Dauphine.
Pairing: Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma
Dessert
Chef’s Spring Salute
Pairing: Pacific Rim Framboise, Washington State

If there's any doubt we had fun, as well as our fill of great food and wine, just check out this video of the Greenville Wine Meetup 2nd Anniversary "Happy Dance"!

Winemaker Tom Meadowcroft at Devereaux's

Winemaker Tom Meadowcroft will be showing his wines for the first time in Greenville, SC, at Devereaux's on March 25, 2010.

From Tom's bio:  "Tom Meadowcroft knows dirt.  Or better yet, soil.  He knows what it takes to grow grapes and has been a student of the soil for many, many years.  His love of wine and growing grapes began during the summer of his 19th year.  He traveled to France where he wanted to see first hand how the grapes were harvested and later turned into wine.  What excites Meadowcroft the most is bringing together the winemaking styles of Europe and California and combining the two worlds to create something that will resonate on the palate."

A few seats remain for the dinner!  Looking forward to seeing you there, if you are able to attend.  Phone Devereaux's at 864 241-3030 for reservations.

5 Courses, 5 Wines at The Lazy Goat

Looking forward to seeing many Vine & Grape readers at The Lazy Goat tomorrow night (Thursday, March 18) for a five course dinner, with five matched wines!  Should be a great event, with Chefs Vicky Moore, Michelle Weaver, and Teryi Youngblood all contributing.

If you haven't made reservations, but I can help, just email me or append a comment to this post!

In addition to five courses and five wines, there will be hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 and a welcome wine.  Should be a great evening.

April 30: The Reedy River Jazz & Wine Festival

On April 30, Greenville will be hosting the first Reedy River Jazz & Wine Festival on April 30, 2010! Times for each artist's appearance are to be determined, so that's one reason to check back here for additional details.

All proceeds from the Reedy River Jazz and Wine Festival will go to support The Ronald McDonald House here in The Upstate. RMH provides a "home away from home" for the families of critically ill or severely injured children being treated at area hospitals. It's a place of hope and encouragement during an unpredictable time in their lives and the lives of their children. We're truly honored to support this worthy cause.

Several of the top wholesalers in the Greenville market are providing wines: Grapevine, Southern Wine & Spirits, Carolina Wine Source, and Grassroots. Although these names aren't household words for most wine enthusiasts in Greenville, I can tell you that they provide some of the most wonderful wines we enjoy in restaurants and retailers around the Upstate.

You can buy your tickets online, in advance, for $40 (click here for www.reedyriverjazzandwinefestival.org). Or tickets will be available at the gate for $50 per person.

Fun at The Lazy Goat This Thursday, March 18

On Thursday, March 18, Chef Vicky Moore will be hosting Chef Michelle Weaver of The Charleston Grill, along with Pastry Chef Teryi Youngblood of Soby's, to offer a five course dinner with paired Mediterranean wines!

The dinner will begin with hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m., followed by the first course at 7:00.  The price is $65, plus tax and gratuity.  For more information or reservations, phone The Lazy Goat at 864 679-LAZY (679-5299).

For full details on the menu and wine pairings, just click here!

Dreaming of Tuscany . . . and Virginia!

Maybe that's why I woke up thinking about Prosecco Mimosas today (WOTD post below)!  I was dreaming of Tuscany.

Shortly after my wife, Susan, and I moved to Greenville, we took off for Montalcino with friends from Oregon who purchased a week at this villa in a charity auction. We hope the charity benefitted richly from their generosity, because we know we sure did!

The photo overlooking the pool was at breakfast one morning:  bread, cheese, grapes, OJ, Prosecco, and Prosecco Mimosas!  And all of this was simply to prepare for a day in Tuscan Wine Country. The best was yet to come (although I have to admit this wasn't a bad beginning).

The Greenville Wine Meetup is planning wine tours to Virginia, California, France, and Italy.  We began with "baby steps" . . . a chartered motor coach tour of Yadkin Valley and nearby wineries (Shelton, Round Peak, Raffaldini, and RayLen).  Had a gorgeous catered lunch with wine, provided by Chef Paul Lange at the Harvest Grill.  Click the Yadkin Valley link, then scroll down and check out the 100+ photos (or click here).

Now our Meetup is ready to spread our wings a little farther afield.  Look for a Virginia Wine Country tour this summer—tentatively June 10-13.  We'll find a B&B or a pleasant hotel near Charlottesville, and explore the dozens of wineries nearby, including Barboursville, Kluge, Veritas, Linden, Gabriele Rausse (see also this Vine and Grape blog post about Gabrielle), King Family Estate, and more.  If everyone is up for it, we'll dine at Restaurant Pomme in Gordonsville.

If you are interested, click here and send me a note via Meetup.com?  You'll see "Email Me" just below the words "Organizer: Richard" on the left side of the page.  Or just click the comments link below this post, and leave me your name and email address. Thanks and cheers!

WOTD: Wines of the Day

Years ago, when I was one of the administrators for a corporate UNIX machine, the computer's operating system had a feature called MOTD (message of the day).  We used it communicate whatever might be important—or sometimes just fun—for users to know that day.

Well, you can think of this as your WOTD message.  Woke up thinking about Prosecco Mimosas, Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre, and Brandborg "Bench Lands" Pinot Noir! Yep, I think those will be my WOTD.  But first I have to walk the dog and make breakfast.

And as long as I was thinking of sparklers, I'm having fun with the web tool Amazon provides to grab book pictures and descriptions.  Wish we had a similar tool for wines! Lacking that, Don and Petie Kladstrup's book on Champagne is one of the most readable wine books in my library (along with their Wine & War, about the Burgundy region). Richard Juhlin's 4000 Champagnes, on the other hand, is the most comprehensive possible coverage of the topic. Read and enjoy.  Cheers!

       

Rangeland Wines

Back in 2007, I posted about to Vine and Grape about a friend's vineyard (click here).  I'm pleased to say his wines are now being released:  Rangeland Wines, from Adelaida Springs Ranch's ASR Estate Vineyard.

Years ago—long before I moved east from California—he and I flew down in a small plane, landed on the ranch, and walked what would become the vineyard sites.  Adelaida Springs Ranch isn't mine, but it's a great feeling of accomplishment to have been a small part of this effort from the beginning.

Congratulations, Laird, and best wishes for success.

Hey, Cookbooks Talk About Wine, Too!

Well . . . at least some cookbooks talk about wine.  See that great big glass of Australia Shiraz in the background?

And you can count on wine being included in Soby's New South Cuisine Cookbook.  In fact, every recipe—from soups and salad, to main courses and desserts—includes a wine pairing suggestion.  And usually the text not only suggests a wine (or occasionally, beer!), but explains why.  It's almost like a quick class in food-and-wine pairing.

If you don't already have a copy, go to ShopTable301.com and get one now.  OK, OK! I know maybe I'm being immodest, since I'm one of the co-authors.  But the real heros of the book were Chefs Rodney Freidank and David Williams, along with Table 301 restaurateur Carl Sobocinski.  They did the heavy lifting.  I just helped stitch together all the great content they provided.

Bordeaux Blending Exercise Winners!

On March 11, three teams from the Greenville Wine Meetup met in The Loft at Soby's to test their skills!

The winning team is pictured.  From left, Marci Greci, Mike Greci, and Holly Deitz.  With 36% Cabernet Franc, 36% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot, their blend took top honors!  OK, so neither the right- nor left-bank in Bordeaux use that much Malbec.  You had to be there to understand, but this team made all the right choices!

The winning team named their blend "Ojo Rojo" (Red Eye), a blended red wine from the Mahomi Winery (two letters taken from each of their first names).  Congratulations, Mahomi team.  And don't miss checking out Holly's equally creative, limited edition jewelry designs here.  Gorgeous items, Holly!

Kind Kudos

G: The Magazine of Greenville did a very kind article about me recently, as a result of earning my Certified Wine Educator credential from The Society of Wine Educators.  Click here for a great photo of Soby's wine cellar by Paul Mehaffey (look beyond the guy loafing around in the cellar and drinking wine), along with gracious commentary by Managing Editor, Heidi Coryell Williams.  Thanks, Heidi and Paul!

Great Books!

At several recent Greenville Wine Meetups, we've talked about some of the most interesting wine books we've read over the past few months.  Here is a selection I can highly recommend.  Click any image to go to a description of the book.  And I'm happy to answer questions!  Just email me.

                     

Tom Meadowcroft Coming to Greenville!

Be the first to try Tom Meadowcroft's wines in Greenville!  And winemaker Tom Meadowcroft will be here to present them. See Chef Spencer at Devereaux's has created a wonderful menu.

See the  Greenville Wine Meetup site for details! Hope that you'll be able to attend and be among the first to try Meadowcroft wines in South Carolina.  And if you have questions, email me!  Always happy to help. And of course, you can phone Devereaux's at 864 241-3030 for reservations.

A New Look

Welcome to the new Vine and Grape!

Our Greenville Wine Meetup has grown so large, I thought it might be helpful to have a Meetup-related blog where we can continue our conversations about wine.  At the same time, I took this opportunity to update the look of Vine and Grape.

The new look provides a bit more space to write about wine.  I've also added Amazon Associate features that will enable me to link you directly to wine information resources we talk about at our Meetups or that come up in conversation here at Vine and Grape. More on that in another post, but for example, you'll see here I've inserted a direct link to one of the most informative (and funny!) wine films our Meetup group has watched.

If you are not already a member of our Greenville Wine Meetup, but would like to be, just click here.  Love to have you join us!

1/2 Price Wine!

Looking for a way to beat the recession? Look no more. Half price wine at Table 301 restaurants. Here's the line-up:

Tuesday night: Soby's whole list, all night long, but only in the bar

Thursday night: The Lazy Goat, select list, all night

Sunday night: Devereaux's, the whole list, all night

(Wines pictured for illustration only, but isn't that a nice selection for an evening?)

Greenville Wine Meetup

Just wanted to let everyone know Vine & Grape remains alive and well, but a lot of my work during the first half of 2009 has been organizing The Greenville Wine Meetup.

The calendar of upcoming events that I used to post to Vine & Grape now appears on the Wine Meetup site. Click here. Moving the events to the Meetup site will create more room on Vine & Grape to discuss the wines themselves, industry personalities, emerging regions (worldwide and in the U.S.), and more.

If you haven't yet attended one of our meetings, all are welcome! Have a look at some of the events we've held (scroll down to "Past Meetups"). If you think some of the things we've been doing might interest you, then all of us in the Meetup hope to see you there! Meanwhile, cheers and very best wishes for a wonderful 4th of July.

Schug Wine Dinner & Guest Chef Virginia Willis

Wanted Vine & Grape readers to know about an opportunity coming up next week:  Virginia Willis will be in Greenville, greeting guests and signing her new cookbook, Bon Appetit Y'all.  

Winemaker Michael Cox, from Schug Winery in Sonoma, CA, will be presenting his wines paired with Virginia's food.  The dinner will be $65 per person, all food and wine included.  Tax and gratuity are in addition.  Cookbooks will be available for sale and signing by the author.  For a complete menu (and some crazy sounding recipe names, like $20,000 Rice Pilaf!), see the post on Meetup.com.

Phone Soby's (864) 232-7007 to make reservations.  If you have questions, give them a call or you can always feel free to email me!  

Father of Virginia Wine

While in Virginia recently, I had the pleasure of tasting with Gabriele Rausse. Gabriele is widely regarded as the father of viticulture in Virginia (see here). More more than that, however, he is a genuinely charming man and almost unbelievably gracious in sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for wine.

My first experience with Gabriele's wines came more than two years ago, when when Kimberly Eakin of Wine Gourmet (Roanoke, VA) pointed out his wines to me. I tried one and immediately became a believer in Virginia's potential—but more specifically, in Gabriele Rausse's skills. His wines demonstrate European elegance, restraint, and balance, while remaining true to Virginia terroir and a clear testament to his own skills in the winery.

If Virginia is America's best kept secret in terms of quality wines, then Gabriele is Virginia's most extraordinary example of what is possible there.

Those of us who are wine enthusiasts, and live on the east coast, should make time at least once a year or more often, to spend a weekend in Virginia wine country. While a number winemakers there are doing an admirable job, Gabriele Rausse is in a class all by himself. Tastings are by appointment only (details here), but you can frequently find Gabriele showing his wines at local festivals and retail outlets. Don't miss his wines. And let me know if you enjoy them as much as I do.

If You're Driving Up I-81 . . .

If you are in the area around Roanoke, VA, plan to stop at Tony Pope's Bistro & Wine Bar.

On a recent trip to Virginia wine country, I had what turned out to be the great good fortune of becoming tired and hungry a couple of hours before reaching Charlottesville.

Checking my GPS for eateries, I chose a promising-sounding name on Crystal Spring Avenue. Garmin guided me to the location. But to my great surprise, next door to the eatery my GPS had suggested was a gorgeous wine bar and bistro with indoor and outdoor seating!

The meal and service were incredible. Tony Pope's wine list is exactly what a bistro's should be: short but imaginative. A glass of Grüner Veltliner gave me time to review the menu. Having just driven 300 miles, I asked Heidi, my server, if Chef Tony would just make all the decisions for me and do a tasting menu. His selection of courses and matched wines (yes, I was very careful about how much wine I enjoyed) was superb: sea scallops with shitake mushrooms, braised butternut squash, and dark, flavorful chicken jus; quail with buffalo sausage and braised Swiss chard, over polenta; and finally, sirloin slices with cubed potatoes and mushrooms. When I asked about dessert, I was brought ice cream with delightfully warm cinnamon sugar sauce and a cup of dark coffee—just the ticket for remaining alert for the remainder of the drive.

Thank you, Chef Tony, for a great experience! Thank you, Heidi, for your wonderful service. Vine & Grape readers: if you are driving up I-81, don't miss Tony Pope's Bistro & Wine Bar.

Euphoria Wine Track Is a Hit!

Wow! What can I say about the 2008 edition of Euphoria / Southern Exposure? "Fantastic," might be a good a start. Just three of dozens of seminar participants are pictured above.

Other publications and bloggers are reporting wonderfully on the food and music at Euphoria, so I'll focus on wine! This is Vine & Grape, after all! In addition to The Grand Tasting on Saturday afternoon, which featured more than 200 wines, a full afternoon of wine seminars were presented by four Master Sommeliers: Wayne Belding, Laura Williamson, Ron Edwards, and Sara Floyd.

It's difficult to convey how special the designation "Master Sommelier" really is. Every Master's knowledge of wine is extraordinary; their tasting skills are exceptional; their service impeccable. Among the 300 million people in the United States, there are only 95 Master Sommeliers! Four of them were in Greenville, talking about wine with enthusiastic seminar attendees, ranging from novices to accomplished wine enthusiasts. What a treat!

Perhaps best of all, every Master subscribes to standards that include an emphasis integrity, hospitality, and humility. There is no group of professionals, anywhere, who are more warm or more gracious. If you missed Saturday's seminars, you missed a rare opportunity.

I'll post more soon. Meanwhile, Wayne, Laura, Ron, and Sara: Greenville sends her thanks!

New Orleans Hospitality . . . Red Fish Style!

New Orleans is known for being gracious. However, one experience during my recent visit deserves special mention. If you don't have time to read this entire post, here's the bottom line: go eat at the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street, just off Canal Street.

Red Fish Grill is one of New Orleans’ many fine restaurants. Red Fish, of course, is worth special note because it is one of Ralph Brennan's establishments—which also include Bacco. My wife, Susan, and I celebrated her birthday at Bacco, while in New Orleans last week. A good number of my colleagues at The Society of Wine Educators also dined at Bacco and Red Fish, during our conference in New Orleans.

But birthdays and Bacco aren't the point. The point is extraordinary guest service! Keep reading. This is one of those rare stories with a happy ending.

Background: A cranky guest (me), who was tired and frustrated for other reasons, arrived for lunch at Red Fish Grill. We were short on time and our meal didn't arrive as quickly as it had on the previous day. There was no chance of finishing our meal and getting to the next conference session for which I was registered. Short version: we complained to the lunchtime floor manager, gave him a business card, and left. Was the problem mine or Red Fish’s? In retrospect, it was at least half mine for being short of time and in a bad mood.

Here's the happy ending: Only an hour later, I received an email from the Red Fish Grill's Assistant General Manager, Leah Magouirk. Her note couldn't have been kinder, despite my crankiness with her staff. She invited us back, assuring us Red Fish would exceed our expectations, and even provided her cell phone number if we wanted to phone her in advance.

Susan and I took Leah up on her offer. Our dinner at Red Fish, the final night of the conference, couldn't have been nicer! Leah greeted us personally, as did Ariel O'Hern. Adam Rahn also stopped by to say hello (since Susan and I had retreated from the heat and humidity earlier in the week, to enjoy margaritas at the Red Fish bar, for which Adam is responsible). Greg and Carey cared for us during dinner, with grace—thank you, Greg—and enthusiasm. Don't miss this team; ask for their section. Carey is 110% energy, knowledge, and smiles. Ask why he salts your drink napkin! And watching Carey crumb a table is like watching an artist.

Congratulations, Red Fish! This kind of guest service is all too rare.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago on this blog (in a different context), there is a very important sense in which the customer is always right. Any of us who love good food and wine expect that to be the rule when eating out. But when things go wrong, that anxiety we feel in the pit of our stomachs always strikes. It is the anxiety that Harvard professor Shosanna Zuboff calls "the transaction crisis" . . . the fear that we will be snagged on the barbed-wire fence that surrounds too many commercial exchanges. The hotel lost your reservation; will they find you a room? The airline canceled your flight; will they rebook you quickly? Your meal at a restaurant wasn't up to expectations; does anyone care?

Red Fish Grill cares. Kudos to Ralph Brennan and his organization. And a big, big thanks to Leah Magouirk, who was the bright spot of our entire visit to New Orleans!

New Orleans Report #1

Hello again! Sorry the blog has been quiet for a week or so. I’ve been in New Orleans for some serious wine-work.

“Tough job,” some say. Oh, really? Attend a Society of Wine Educators conference. Then tell me what you think.

Conferences are great, of course. They provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn from colleagues, and to taste wines you or I might otherwise never have a chance to try otherwise. But spend eight hours trying to identify the subtle nuances that separate the world’s best wines from the “merely” very good. It’s enough to make your head hurt!

By the way, the headache is not from over consumption. When tasting seriously, wine enthusiasts spit. Yes, that’s right. Wine goes into the mouth, and then right back out again. Seems a shame, doesn’t it? But there is no other way to taste 100 or more wines per day (and survive).

Over the next week or so, I’ll bring you up-to-date on some of the most interesting ideas—and interesting wines!—encountered at the conference. Meanwhile, thanks always for your interest in Vine & Grape.

Wine 411

In our constantly connected world, there aren't very many new ideas—when we can already text each other instantly, Google almost anything we want on the Web, and phone friends overseas for pennies.

But the Spanish firm, Bodega Señorio de Barahonda, offers something that's just plain fun. On the back of the bottle of Nabuko shown at left, they include a phone number: 888 653-8466 (or, 888 OLE-VINO). Dial the toll free number, and then enter extension 131, the number for that particular wine. In return, you get a quick wine briefing on what's in the bottle!

Want to sound like an expert when you're serving wine to your guests? This is a great way to get a briefing.

By the way, Aldo Morales of Advintage Distributing, who showed us this OLE VINO service recently, will be speaking at The Greenville Wine Meetup on July 15th. Click the "July 15th" link, or scroll down and click on the Meetup logo in the right column to learn more.

Update on Upstate Foodie

Last week, Vine & Grape reported on Upstate Foodie, an exciting new publication produced by Community Journals (publisher of The Greenville Journal). Upstate Foodie deserved kudos then. Their response to my original post deserves even higher praise.

In my first post, along with praise for their print publication, I quibbled about a couple of features of their web site. To Upstate Foodie's credit, their response was almost immediate. That response is praiseworthy because it shows that customers matter.

There is a very important sense in which the customer is always right. Any of us who love good food and wine expect that to be the rule when eating out. "Your steak is not properly cooked? Let me correct that, and while you wait, can I bring you a complimentary appetizer?" Or "The wine is not acceptable? No problem. Let's find something better suited to your taste."

Harvard professor, Shoshanna Zuboff, coined a term for that sinking feeling we get in situations like that. She calls it the transaction crisis, the fear that we will "be snagged on the barbed-wire fence that surrounds nearly every commercial exchange." The hotel lost your reservation; will they find you a room? The airline canceled your flight; will they rebook you quickly? The website didn't quite do what you expected; does anyone care?

Congrats, Upstate Foodie and Community Journals for cutting through the barbed wire! Love the publication and can't wait to see the ongoing improvements to your site.

Robert Mondavi Dies

Today is a sad day for all of us who respect the pioneers of California's fine wine industry. Robert Mondavi, founder of the winery that bears his name, died at age 94.

All of us who appreciate America's transition from the jug wines of the 40s and 50s, to the world-renowned wines of California today, owe Bob Mondavi a debt of gratitude.

Robert Mondavi titled his autobiography Harvests of Joy. We can pray that he is reaping such a harvest today.

For more reading, see Harvests of Joy, by Robert Mondavi, with Paul Chutkow. Photo shown here is by photographer Jose Luis Villegas, of The Sacramento Bee, as it appeared in Mike Dunne's wonderfully readable blog, when Bob Mondavi was inducted into The Vintners Hall of Fame at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, CA.