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Unfiltered

Gordon Ramsay opts for a nasty trick instead of nasty words, the Paris Tasting on the big screen and St. Supéry opens its doors to dogs

Posted: Wednesday, June 14, 2006

• It happens to the best of us. Controversial and foulmouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay treated Sir Cliff Richard to a blind tasting on the set of The F-word, Ramsay's hodgepodge food variety show. According to Unfiltered's Channel 4 insider, the first wine Ramsay poured for Richard was a red Bordeaux, worth around $750, that earned praise from the British entertainer, who has sold more than 250 million records in a career that has spanned nearly five decades. But when Ramsay poured a second glass of red wine for Richard, the singer branded the wine "insipid," and declared he would never pay money for it. Then, in true Ramsay forehead-slapping fashion, he informed Richard that the second wine was actually one of Richard's own bottlings of Vida Nova from Portugal, a blend of Aragonez, Syrah, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet. But what happened next is sketchy. According to several press reports in Britain, Richard reacted to the deception by leaning over to Ramsay and dropping the actual F-word in his ear. Sir Cliff has reportedly denied using foul language, and described the event on his personal blog as a "fascinating and fun evening on Gordon Ramsay's The F-word." Unfiltered wonders who will get the last word.

• The real-estate ads and the wine news are merging on the North Fork of Long Island, as another vineyard goes on the market. Bruce Schneider, managing partner of Schneider Vineyards, announced this week that his Roanoke Point Vineyard in Riverhead and his brand Potato Barn are both up for sale. Roanoke Point comprises 14 acres planted to red Bordeaux varieties, predominantly Cabernet Franc. Potato Barn has been Schneider's second label since 1996, offering both reds and whites for under $20. Bruce and his wife, Christiane, plan to continue making wine under the Schneider Vineyards label from their vineyard in nearby Mattituck, while Bruce will focus more of his energy on his business as a wine-marketing consultant. Roanoke Point isn't the only Long Island vineyard for sale. Castello di Borghese Vineyard & Winery went on the market in April and Ternhaven Cellars sold its 5-acre vineyard earlier this year. A few other winery owners have indicated that they'd sell for the right price. For the past decade, as Long Island wines have gained more notice and North Fork real-estate prices have skyrocketed, wineries are increasingly owned by deep-pocketed investors. There's no better indication that a wine region has made it to the big time.

Hugh Grant's too close to his golden years to play Spurrier.

• Much ado was made about the recent reenactment of the 1976 Paris Tasting. Maybe even too much, as Marvin Shanken suggested in his blog, especially considering that California triumphed again. What no one seemed to expect, however, was for Hollywood to swoop in and make a movie about it. Producers Clark Peterson (Monster) and Elizabeth Fowler optioned the rights to Judgment of Paris, the book written by George Taber, the only journalist to cover the original tasting. But everything is still up in the air, insists Taber, since it's just an option--a lot has to go right from here on out for the movie to actually get made. As for reports that Hugh Grant is on the short list to play the part of Steven Spurrier, the man who orchestrated the '76 tasting? "They haven't begun to approach anybody," said Taber, not even a screenwriter. He added that Grant is probably too old for the role anyway. "Hollywood has a habit of twisting a story a lot when they go from a book to the screen," Taber said, "but Steven was in his early 30s, not whatever age Hugh Grant is." We checked ... he's 45. So who does Taber think should play his role? "I don't think I should stay up nights worrying about who's gonna play me," he said. But just for Taber's modesty, we'll suggest George Clooney.

It's a CD for wine, not a coaster.

• The pop of a cork and the splash of wine in a glass may be music to your ears, but they're hardly real music (even though others have certainly tried to make music this way). Which is why two companies have created wine-inspired compilation albums aimed at making sipping positively symphonic. For the home cook, there's Sharon O'Connor's Menus and Music line, a series of cookbook-and-CD bundles that pair recipes from famous restaurants and inns--such as Le Cirque in New York City and Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, Calif.--with music performed by Grammy Award-winning musicians. One package, Tasting the Wine Country, comes with a cookbook, wine-pairing suggestions and a CD of classical music; another, Wine Tasting, comes with recipe cards perfect for a cocktail party and a CD of jazz and bluegrass tunes. But if you just want some good, wine-drinking background music, check out the new CD from Putumayo World Music--best known for its Caribbean, Brazilian and African music compilations--called Music from the Wine Lands. Highlights include French songwriter Pauline Croze crooning Tita and Argentinean singer Melingo with a sultry version of Sin Luna. OK, so the songs on these albums are not about wine. But they sure beat a soundtrack of crinkling foil caps and banging cooler doors.

• It's pretty common for a winery to have a dog wandering around to greet visitors, and several wineries already encourage guests to bring their own dogs with them. Now St. Supéry in Napa is joining the ranks of dog-friendly wineries, and is inviting visitors all summer long to mix and mingle on the grounds with other dog owners. Seems like a great way for people and dogs to spend the day doing essentially the same thing: sniffing, slurping and quite possibly drooling.

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