April 2010
A once-in-a-lifetime tasting event featuring extremely rare aged German Rieslings
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 12:33pm ET
On a beautiful sunny weekend in mid-April, I attended a historic tasting of German trockenbeerenauslesen in Southern California.
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A once-in-a-lifetime tasting event featuring extremely rare aged German Rieslings
Posted: Apr 26, 2010 1:54pm ET
On a beautiful sunny weekend in mid-April, I attended a historic tasting of German trockenbeerenauslesen in Southern California. With 39 white wines ranging in vintage from 1959 back to 1921, it was perhaps the most comprehensive tasting ever of rare, old TBAs on either side of the Atlantic. Here are my tasting notes from the first day of the event.
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Nicolas Feuillatte's chef de cave Jean-Pierre Vincent gives a lesson in blending.
Posted: Apr 22, 2010 11:54am ET
Wine Spectator tasting director Bruce Sanderson chats with Jean-Pierre Vincent, the chef de cave of Nicolas Feuillatte, about his philosophy and approach to making the Brut Champagne NV.
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The fine art of matching Champagne and hot dogs
Posted: Apr 9, 2010 1:05pm ET
Sometimes, you just have to enjoy Champagne, without too much fanfare or introspection. That was the idea behind the democratization of Champagne, matching bubbly with the ball park frank. I attended a Champagne and hot dog pairing at Bark Hot Dogs in Brooklyn, New York, sponsored by Moët Hennessy USA.
Why Champagne? “I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of something as simple and as plebian as a hot dog, with a wine that is as luxurious and as refined as champagne,” explained MHUSA Director of Communications Jeff Pogash.
With that, we tucked into seven different dogs from Bark’s menu, including a Veggie Dog and a Käse Krainer with sauerkraut. We paired each with a Champagne such as Veuve Clicquot Brut NV (Yellow Label), Moët & Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon 2000 and Ruinart Brut Blanc de Blancs NV. Some worked well, others not so much, but it all reminded us that sometimes you have to lighten up and not be afraid to be adventurous and creative with your bubbly pairings.
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A serendipitous visit to Domaine Ponsot reveals a range of pure, precise 2008s.
Posted: Apr 5, 2010 10:44am ET
On my trips to Burgundy, I try to visit new growers and merchants as much as possible. In some cases it’s serendipity. That’s what happened this past January, when a chance meeting with Laurent Ponsot resulted in a visit to his domaine during my annual visit to the region. Here are my notes on the domaine's 2008s.
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