by Jennifer Rosen
With all the issues surrounding wine—from prices to grapes to food pairing—there's one question people ask me more than all the others combined. Practically daily someone will say, “Remember that grape stomping episode from ‘I Love Lucy?’” No, I don’t remember it. I never saw it. I can’t sit through five minutes of that show. Let me be frank: I hate Lucy. Oh, yes, she was a brilliant comedienne as well as business woman. Yet I find the sitcom irritating and screechy. Besides, my two marriages supplied all the raucous bickering I wanted without the annoying laugh track. Yet the world loves Lucy. Especially the time she and Fatso put on their kerchiefs and stomped grapes, an event hilarious enough to have inspired commemorative items ranging from lithographs...
by Jennifer Rosen
Remember Rhine wine, Mountain Chablis and Hearty Burgundy? When all fizz was Champagne, and Sherry and Madeira could be found in the cooking aisle? That was then. A recent World Trade Organization agreement cracked down our use of those names, along with Burgundy, Chianti, Claret, Haut-Sauterne, Hock, Marsala, Malaga, Moselle, Port, Retsina, Sauternes, and Tokay. We conceded, in return for the privilege of selling our wine freely in Europe, an idea vigorously protested by EU farmers’ organizations. "It cannot be that American artificial wine ends up on the German market," howled Farm Minister Horst Seehofer, "German quality will be drowned by cheap laboratory wines!" But in the end, keeping their traditional names was more important than banning our pha...
by Jennifer Rosen
Most avalanches happen on slopes ranging from twenty-five to forty-five degrees. Cars can’t climb a grade steeper than thirty. Thirty-five degrees is a double black diamond, forty is the low end of extreme mountaineering and a fall off a sixty-degree slope, I’m told, means sure and sudden death. Yet here on Germany’s Mosel River, vineyards cant up to a vertiginous sixty-seven degrees. My heart plays the congas as I clamber up through sliding slabs of slate, grasping at trellis stakes too fragile to hold me. No wonder local vineyard workers wear harnesses and climbing gear. I’m on a hunt; for that crucial element in great German wine: terroir. No one quite agrees on the definition, but think of it this way: some people speak in the bland cadence of the evening news, whi...
by Kim Tyndall
Pairing food and wine: it may be easier than you think! Pairing food and wine is as normal as putting salt and pepper together or having a soprano and alto sing in harmony. In order to make the duet harmonious, however, aren’t some ground rules needed? According to Greg Maurer, Executive Vice President & General Manager for Heidelberg Distributing Company, and Richard Blondin, Executive Chef at The Refectory restaurant, maybe and maybe not. Both will be on hand at the Columbus Food & Wine Affair, set for 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, September 29 at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Maurer says if you have a much-loved recipe and you serve it with your favorite glass of cabernet, enjoy! While there are some good matches of food and wine, ultimately, the best match is whatever your palate fi...
by Kim Tyndall
Whether you consider yourself a novel wine taster or knowledgeable enthusiast with a discerning palette, you are sure to find more than a little something to enjoy—and learn—at this year’s Columbus Food & Wine Affair, set for 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, September 29 at the Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio. Now in its fourth year, the event is drawing praise as a Mecca for culinary industry professionals as well for wine lovers. The event showcases some of the world’s most recognized vintners. But are you wondering if you can hold your own at such a function? Never fear. Matt Citriglia is here. Citriglia has 22 years of experience in the wine industry including retail ownership and restaurant and wholesale management. Currently, he is General Sales Manager for a local wine wh...
by Kim Tyndall
WINE COMPETITION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST; MEDALISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT COLUMBUS FOOD & WINE AFFAIR It may surprise you to learn that one of the largest wine competitions is the country isn’t held in San Francisco or New York City. It takes place right here in Columbus, Ohio. On August 26, 40 judges gathered at the Columbus Fish Market in Grandview to weigh in on the look, taste, and texture of 400 wines at the Columbus Food and Wine Affair Annual Wine Competition. Medalists in the competition will be announced at this year’s Columbus Food & Wine Affair (CFWA) set for 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29 at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Rob Somers, Ohio Manager, Foster’s Wine Estates, is co-chair of the competition committee along with Ryan Valentine, Director of Beverage for Cameron Mit...
by Dan Foster
The Wine and Food Society of Clark County conducted the wine judging of featured Northwest Wines at the Camas Wine, Arts and Music Festival on August 19, 2006. Several Society members, along with other knowledgeable wine enthusiasts acted as judges. This event was held at the Port of Camas-Washougal Marina Park on Saturday, August 19th. There were over 40 wines submitted. Selecting the best was conducted by 8 judges. The winner's are listed below. WINEMAKER'S CHOICE 1st Place Columbia Valley 2004 Sangiovese 2nd Place Townshend - Yakima Valley 2004 Riesling 3rd Place Marshal's 2002 Cabernet Franc SYRAH 1st Place Wind River 2004 Syrah 2nd Place Sleeping Dog 2003 Syrah 3rd Place Marshal's 2002 Syrah MERLOT 1st Place Sleeping Dog 2003 Merlot 2nd Place Windy Point 2003...
by Remie Law
14th CONCORSO ENOLOGICO INTERNAZIONALE 40th VINITALY, Verona-Italy 28 March – 02 April 2006 a report of the proceedings by a member of the JURY from Singapore (with photos see http://www.happyvines.com/VinItaly06) SAME STROKES : DIFFERENT FOLKS This Competition brings together a whole host of personalities, nationalities and types into ONE hotel and ONE venue. It offers great opportunity to interact or not. To establish new friendships and deepen or strengthen old ones or not. It is an amalgamation of cultures but only one culture is foremost - the culture of WINE that binds all participants. We talk about everything under the sun but ultimately the subject of WINE tend to crop up. "Oh, I just tasted this wonderful PX ........ 1941, no less!!!" "Ugh! So much wood and no fruit in som...
by Denman Moody
When I cut my teeth (or in this case, stained them) on wine in the mid ‘70s, almost everything was French. If anyone was venturesome (or wealthy) enough to order an expensive wine for home or at a restaurant, it was always French. In fact, waiters would routinely ask, with a smile, whether you wanted the French wine, or with a slight sneer, the “domestic” one. Of course, nobody desired the latter. For hundreds of years, France had been in the limelight regarding wine. Virtually all the noble grape varieties had originated and reached their apex in France. Since the 1855 classification of red Bordeaux wines, the First Growths (including Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, which had been elevated to a First Growth in 1973) were preeminent in the world of Cabernet Sauvignon. For centuries, it w...
by Eric V. Orange
Q. I hate my job. How can I work in the wine business? A. The first thing to realize is that entry level into the wine business is not typically a high paying position. If you are currently making a good paycheck, chances are that you are going to have to accept an initial pay cut. The simple reason is that there are far more people who want a job in the wine business than there are jobs in the wine business. I'm going to generalize here because there are always exceptions. The majority of jobs in the wine business are filled rather quickly from within the local markets. Most of the job openings are at the wholesale level and the first line of "qualified" and available people are from the local Restaurants or Wine Shops. The higher-level jobs of Supplier or Marketing Reps or Vineyard...
