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Flying Winemaker Marc Mondavi
Plus, South Africa's Champagne brunches under attack, and fashion’s answer to displaying sentimental corks
Posted: September 16, 2010
• Oshkosh, Wisc., is known for two things: fun pants for kids and, in certain circles, the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh, the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” which took place this summer. The EAA counts among its charity goals the opportunity to provide children with their first flight experience, in the hope of inspiring them to pursue futures in math, science, technology and flight. This year, hundreds of thousands watched the air show, but the real (wine) action was at the fund-raising gala, where Marc and Janice Mondavi served as celebrity vintner MCs. (Marc, along with his brother, Peter Jr., and father, Peter Sr., is co-proprietor of Charles Krug winery in Napa’s St. Helena). At the event’s auction, $2.4 million went toward the lofty “first flight” goal. Marc, meanwhile, got lofty himself during a joyride in a WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane.
• What a difference a few months can make. Back in June and July, it was all vuvuzelas blaring, corks popping and cash registers ringing as South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. Now the party appears to be over, at least in Cape Town, where the city’s liquor policy task team has passed a new bylaw that bans the sale of alcohol between the hours of 2 a.m. and 11 a.m., effective January 2011. The ban is meant to discourage illegal bars and address social problems created by alcohol abuse, but members of the tourism, fine dining and hospitality industries have expressed concerns that the ban will hurt their businesses, notably the Champagne breakfasts served at many restaurants and hotels. Lawrie McIntosh of Constantia Uitsig winery told the U.K.’s Telegraph, “The Champagne, or MCC [Méthode Cap Classique] in our case, breakfast is a Cape Town tradition,” adding that the law is akin to “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
The Memory Cork is not approved as a flotation device.
• With New York’s Fashion Week in full swing, jeweler Phillips Frankel’s mother-daughter design team of Lisa and Danielle Frankel has introduced a line of bottleneck-wear for the fashion-forward who wish to display their favorite bedazzled wine corks. The Memory Cork jewelry collection features necklaces that can encase sentimental corks, set in 14-karat or 18-karat gold or 24-karat vermeil and sterling silver. Each cork can be adorned with diamonds and semi-precious stones and engraved for a personal touch. Unfiltered recommends pairing it with a Corkxedo.
