Video Tasting: Helfrich Gewurztraminer "Steinklotz" Alsace Grand Cru 2005

As a follow-up to the interview I recently posted with Alsace's Emmanuelle Kreydenweiss, here is a video tasting of a fantastic Gewurztraminer from the same region: The Helfrich "Steinklotz" Alsace Grand Cru 2005. Also, please note that, though I said in the video that the vineyard faces South-Southwest, what I meant to say was South-Southeast. Either way, it's seriously delicious wine.

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Interview with Alsace's Emmanuelle Kreydenweiss

In Alsace, names like Zind-Humbrecht, Hugel, and Kreydenweiss carry enough prestige among their fans to send them into heart-fluttering fits of vinous happiness at the mere mention of them. Earlier this month, I had a chance to sit down with Emmanuelle Kreydenweiss of Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss at the Wilson Daniels tasting in New York to discuss her family's wines, the region itself, biodynamic winemaking, and more. Click on the videos below to watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview.

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Back in the States

Last night, after an hourlong hop from Edinburgh to London, followed by an almost eight-hour flight from Heathrow to Philadelphia, I arrived home after a two-and-a-half-week trip to France and Scotland. And this morning, sitting at the kitchen table with my newspaper, cereal, and coffee, I couldn't help but think to myself, This time two weeks ago, I was wandering through the vineyard at Chateau Petrus. A recycling truck was idling outside my window. I was thirsty for a nice glass of red.

Such is the nature of travel, I suppose. Re-entering reality isn't supposed to be easy.

The good news is that now I have my own, thankfully reliable Internet to work with. Which means that I'll be able to post all of those other videos I couldn't while I was away. (Still, I was able to post a number of them from overseas these past two weeks. If you haven't seen them yet, check them out below and let me know if you've tasted any of those wines, too.)

So keep an eye out for my videos of vineyard visits and winery tours from Bordeaux. Also stay tuned for more video interviews with legendary producers.

In the meantime, click on the short video below. I shot it a week-and-a-half ago in Pauillac as I stumbled upon one of the great chateaux of the appellation completely by surprise.

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Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2006

After a fascinating tour of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Leognan, I was able to sneak off to record a tasting video of their stellar 2006 white. Check it out below: This is a textbook example of just how spectacular Bordeaux blanc can be.

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Fish and Chips

I've finally made it to Scotland. After spending 10 days in France, and ending my stay there with a dinner of duck confit and a fantastic Saint Chinian at a cafe in Paris, followed by a glass of marc de bourgogne (think grappa, but French), I flew up to Edinburgh yesterday morning and almost immediately tucked into a plate of deep-fried local haddock and fries at the Dunvegan in St. Andrews. And, as planned, I enjoyed it with a perfectly paired glass of Scottish ale--in this case the slightly sweet, slightly nutty Belhaven's Best.

But that's not the only beverage I could have enjoyed with it. As I've written here before, a nice glass of Champagne would have done beautifully, too. Prosecco or Cava, as well.

In fact, it doesn't even have to be bubbly. Cool dry rose comes to mind, as does a nicely chilled Pinot Grigio. Verdicchio and Sauvignon Blanc, too. Esentially, a dish like fish and chips is, perhaps surprisingly, so wine friendly that your options are fairly unlimited. Just avoid tannic, heavy reds and you'll be fine.

Better than that, actually: You'll be thrilled. A comfort dish like fish and chips often provides huge surprises in the wine-pairing department.

(Also, an update: I still have many, many hours of video that I shot in France to sift through and edit. Keep checking back for more highlights from the trip!)

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Chateau Leoville Barton 2008 Barrel Sample Video

After the tour of Chateau Leoville Barton that I mentioned last week, I had the chance to taste a barrel sample of the 2008. And though it still has time to go before it's ready for the bottle, it was, happily, delicious.

Take a look at the tasting video after the jump for my notes.

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Food and Wine in St.-Emilion

One of the great pleasures of visiting France is spending an afternoon soaking up the sun, drinking inexpensive wine, and pairing it with simple, honest food that's as delicious as it is affordable.

Check out the video after the jump to see what I mean. It was shot in St.-Emilion during one of the quietest, most pleasant afternoons of the trip.

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Lafite...And McDonald's

Today was a day of highs and...well, if not lows then unexpectedness. It began with a tour and tasting at Chateau Leoville-Barton with Lilian Barton, the daughter of proprietor Anthony Barton (the 08 barrel sample was amazing!) and continued on to Chateau Lafite, where we were not only shown the entire production facility, but where we were treated to a bottle of Chateau Lafite 1995, a legendary wine that more than lived up to its reputation.

The unexpectedness is where I'm actually typing this blog post: At the McDonald's in the town of St.-Foy le Grande. A quick explanation: There have been massive thunderstorms here the past several nights, and yesterday's knocked out a key telephone line. Which means that, with no Internet in the farm house, I was relegated to traveling to the nearest publicly accessible source of it with the President of The Wine School and a number of our students:

To Le Macdo, as it's called here. And this is a borrowed computer, one sans the videos I've been filming.

So from 95 Lafite to a large Coke and fries, it's been a full day. But with wines and tours like these, a bit of fluorescent lighting and soggy fries are a small price to pay.

Stay tuned...there are certainly no dull moments here!

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Technical Difficulties, But at Least There's Great Wine

Unfortunately, the Internet connection in the farm house I'm staying at has been spotty at best. I have connectivity for a few minutes at a time before it re-sets itself, which pretty much makes it impossible to upload the videos I'm taking with any regularity. Once I'm in Paris, though, I'm hoping that my hotel room has better service. In the meantime, I thought that an update on what's been happening so far would be appropriate.

Each day, we've focused on a different part of Bordeaux and explored its wines and its terroir as much as possible. Monday was Margaux, with tours and tastings at Chateau Brane-Cantenac and Chateau Rauzan-Segla. Highlights included the 2006 Brane-Cantenac (flowers, leather, smoke, sandalwood, cassis) and the 2001 Rauzan-Segla (flowers, cedar, powerful fruit, and a silky texture).

Yesterday we hit Pomerol. I'll post my tasting notes in the coming days and weeks, but perhaps more fantastic than the wines themselves (Le Bon Pasteur was great) was the standing around and feeling the soil beneath my feet in the vineyards of Petrus and Cheval Blanc. If loitering can ever take your breath away, then this was it.

And today I had the privilege of driving around St.-Emilion and Pomerol with the winemaker at Chateau Ausone, Philippe Baillarguet, and his brother, Bruno, who owns the Wine School of St.-Emilion and an amazing wine shop called Vignobles & Chateaux. I tasted a number of 2008 barrel samples, and am thrilled to report that that vintage on the Right Bank was magnificent.

Keep checking back for those videos, which I'm trying desperately to post. In the meantime, I'll be sharing my tasting notes from the week, as well as a bit of detail about the region itself.

Until tomorrow, then, I'm off to enjoy a bottle of red from Margaux and some foie gras that we purchased this morning. Hopefully that'll take some of the stress out of this whole Internet situation. At the very least, I'm sure it will be tasty.

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First Day in Bordeaux...And a First Growth!

The Internet has been spotty here so far, but the quality of life has been anything but. From the most basic neighborhood cafes to top-notch restaurants, the food and the wine have been...well, pretty much what you'd expect in Bordeaux: Amazing.

I've been filming videos of all the tours and tastings for Uncork Life! by WineChateau.com, and, as I finish editing them, will be posting them right here. Check back regularly for the latest updates.

Since everyone I'm traveling with from The Wine School arrived in France at different times (and in different cities), we decided to meet up the first day for a celebratory lunch at La Tupina, a fantastic restaurant in Bordeaux. Check out the video below for a look at what it was like...and the wine that started off the week's adventures: Chateau Haut-Brion 2001.

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Off to France!

Next week, I'll be posting blogs from France. After spending tomorrow in Paris, I will be co-leading the The Wine School's trip to Bordeaux, visiting such legendary places as Chateau Lafite, Mouton, Brane-Cantenac, Pontet-Canet, and more.

And I'll have both my laptop and my video camera with me the entire time so I can share the experience. From vineyard tours to tasting rooms to wine bars, I'll be recording it all and posting it right here.

So check back regularly to follow the adventure. I'll be just like you're in Paris and Bordeaux...without having to suffer through airline food to get there.

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Top Burgundy: Interview with Erwan Faiveley

For fans of Burgundy, the name Domaine Faiveley has a special resonance. From Mercurey to the grandest Chambertin, Faiveley's wines are some of the most delicious, beautiful expressions of the famed region's terroir.

I recently had a chance to speak with Erwan Faiveley about his family's wines, his role at the estate, and the region in general. Along the way, he even answered that age-old question of whether great wine comes from the vineyard or the winery.

We spoke before the Wilson Daniels tasting in New York--the background noise is the other producers arriving and setting up their wines. Even at 9:00 in the morning, there's no sound quite as wonderful as corks being popped.

For a look at the vineyards themselves, click here and check out the video called "Fine Tuning at Domaine Faiveley," part of a series that Wilson Daniels has produced for a number of its wines.

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Serious Bubbly

I recently co-hosted a Palmes d'Or Champagne tasting with the Wine School, the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte's winemaker, Jean-Pierre Vincent. It was, to say the least, an amazing evening. We tasted the 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1992, 1991, 1990, and 1985 vintages of this top cuvee, and each one seemed better than the next.

I went home with a bottle of the 1985 and opened it recently at my parents' house as we celebrated the birth of my new nephew. I was able to sneak away from the festivities for a few minutes to report on the wine. Check out the video below for my tasting notes.

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Prats + Symington Chryseia 2004

One of Portugal’s most famous dry reds, Chryseia is the result of a dream partnership between Charles Symington (if you’ve had Warre’s, Dow’s, or Graham’s Port, you’ve had his family’s wines) and Bruno Prats (of Chateau Cos d’Estournel fame). In fact, in the fewer than 10 years since the first vintage, Chryseia has become one of Portugal’s most sought-after dry red wines.

There is a fantastic overview of the grape-selection and winemaking on the Chryseia web site, but the short version is this: The wine is the result of Bordeaux-style winemaking techniques being brought to bear on the traditional grape varieties of the Douro Valley.

I recently had the chance to taste the 2004, and though it’s young, it nonetheless still offers plenty of modern-style pleasure, marked as it is by grilled meat, rich plums, well-integrated new oak, and dark, dark cherries. Like you’d expect from the dream team of Symington and Prats, all the pieces are in their appropriate place in this wine, and the result is abundantly enjoyable.

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Mix in Las Vegas: What Dining Out is All About

Once in a while, a meal is so complete, so thoroughly enjoyable, so reaffirming in its balance of elegance, creativity, and warmth, that it reminds you exactly what makes dining out such a treat and, in times like these, such an emotional necessity.

I had an experience like that this past February at Mix, the fabulous restaurant at the top of THEhotel, next to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For my last night in town (coincidentally my birthday), my wife had flown out to join me for a special dinner. I’d been in Vegas all week hosting the culinary demonstrations at the Catersource and Event Solutions Conference and Trade Show, the largest gathering of its kind in the world, and this meal was to be the capstone on the week.

It also was a chance to reunite with a good friend of ours, Christophe Tassan, who we’d gotten to know in Philadelphia when he worked as the Sommelier and General Manager of the legendary Le Bec-Fin, and who now is the Wine Director at Mix. He’s also one of the single most knowledgeable wine experts I know, blending a deep knowledge and understanding with an infectious enthusiasm that’s impossible not to get swept up in.

So, just to reiterate: I was already in Las Vegas for work, but my wife had flown across the country for a single meal (we found a cheap flight…gotta love Southwest!). If ever there was pressure on a dining experience to be great, this was it: Hours on a cramped airplane, with only a single night out providing the light at the end of that long tunnel, tends to amplify expectations.

Put simply, we were not let down. In fact, quite the opposite happened: This proved to be one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had.

Upon stepping off the elevator at the top of THEhotel, we were greeted by a shimmering sea of whites and creams; a gargantuan chandelier that, despite its size and its composition of 15,000 Murano glass balls made to look like Champagne bubbles, managed to appear almost impossibly light; and the best views in the city.

As for the food, it more than lived up to the surroundings in which it was enjoyed, blending brilliantly defined flavors, a sense of luxury, and just the slightest touch of whimsy. The dishes on the Grand Tasting Menu, regardless of their individual ingredients, all struck perfectly balanced poses that highlighted both richness and a stunning sense of restraint.

The highlights were too numerous to include in their entirety: Kampachi sashimi was the texture of silk and the perfect in situ argument for allowing top-notch ingredients to speak for themselves; seared Thai snapper with a carrot fondant and a tagine jus embodied everything that's great about dishes that pull from numerous cultures to create something new and deeply satisfying; roasted Maine lobster “au curry” with coconut basmati rice utilized its ambrosial perfume as well as it velvety flavors and textures to create a unified, gently aromatic whole; impossibly tender Colorado lamb loin was paired with miniature samosas whose own sense of spice cast the earthiness of the meat into exquisitely sharp relief. The list goes on.

And all of these dishes were made even better by Mr. Tassan’s wine pairings. From the fantastic Herman Story “Tomboy,” a white Rhone-style stunner from Santa Maria, to one of the most complete wines I’ve ever tasted, the Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Urbain 1996, the procession of glasses demonstrated exactly what has always made Mr. Tassan one of the best in the world: His pure love of wine from all over the planet, and his willingness to experiment with flavor and texture combinations, leading to pairings that surprise, delight, and, indeed, make you think.

That theme carried through to dessert, too, when we were shown to our “dessert table” on the outdoor terrace 43 floors above the Strip. From the rich to the refreshing—the “floating island” was a standout—the selection of sweets, the planes taking off and landing in the distance, the spotlight shining up from the Luxor below...it all brought the meal to a perfect close.

This was, without a doubt, an extraordinary meal, one of the best I've ever had. Indeed, it was an experience worth flying across the country for. Great food, spectacular wine, and being reunited with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time: There’s just nothing better.

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