Unfiltered: Prince Harry's Bubbly at the Polo Grounds
Plus, more foodie fodder from the White House, a Food Network star hits Rock'n'Roll Fantasy Camp, a wine business mockumentary premieres and a reprieve for an irreplaceable vineyard
Posted: June 4, 2009
• Though most of Prince Harry's recent visit to New York was spent doing serious, even somber activities (dedicating a garden to memorialize British victims of Sept. 11, 2001; meeting with wounded soldiers at the Veterans Affairs hospital), it was his participation in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic that captured Unfiltered's attention. The Prince played for Team Sentebale, named for the charity he helped establish to benefit children in the impoverished African nation of Lesotho, and which received proceeds from the event. While celebrities, including noted Champagne enthusiasts Madonna and fashion designer Marc Jacobs looked on, Harry's team beat opponents Black Watch with a final score of 6 to 5. To celebrate the victory, Harry allowed himself to be doused in Champagne by Black Watch player (and male model) Nacho Figueras, then turned the tables by drinking some bubbly from the trophy and spitting it back at Figueras. Should the Prince visit California the next time he's in the States, perhaps he'll give spray champion and former NFL quarterback John Elway a run for his money.
• The youth of France may not appreciate their native wines these days, but French vino got a ringing endorsement from one of the most unlikely allies this week: the American president. In an interview on French television, President Barack Obama included French wine among the things that he loved about the country. Other Gallic institutions to make his best-of-France list? Paris, French food and Provence. Could Obama be turning all Thomas Jefferson on us? Perhaps we'll see a vineyard on the lawn of the White House yet … or at least some more photo ops from the White House's organic vegetable garden: Before heading off to France, the commander in chief took first lady Michelle Obama on a date to New York's highly regarded Blue Hill restaurant in Greenwich Village, where chef Dan Barber emphasizes fresh, natural, local ingredients. (The president had the chef's recommended wine pairings with dinner, while his wife enjoyed a martini.) Unfiltered suspects Freedom Fries are no longer on the White House menu.
Chef Guy Fieri tends his "Bloody Mary steaks" in Hollywood at Rock'n'Roll Fantasy Camp.
• A bottle of Jack Daniels isn't the only comfort drink of rock stars. At this year's 10th annual Rock'n'Roll Fantasy Camp in Hollywood, Calif., in May, some California wines were served with meals throughout the four-day event. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan were among the stars in attendance at this year's camp, which gives wannabe rockers the chance to learn and play with their idols via seminars and workshops. Throughout the week, wines produced by a not-so-rock star, Barry Manilow, were served with meals at Amp Studios. A Chardonnay and Merlot from the "Copacabana" crooner's collection were offered during the event, which was catered largely by local restaurants. The final day's lunch was the foodie highlight, as rock-and-roll Food Network personality Guy Fieri whipped up some down-home grub for all in attendance. Fieri served "Bloody Mary flank steak" paired with DenBeste Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2005. The camp's next stop is London in May 2010. While there's no shortage of excellent chefs in London these days, Unfiltered can think of one celebrity chef in particular who could use some supplemental income …
• It won't be long now before wine movies have officially jumped the shark. Debuting tomorrow night in Los Angeles (at the Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles) is Corked, a Spinal Tap-style mockumentary of the wine business. It's the brainchild of Ross Clenenden and Paul Hawley (son of Clos du Bois founder and former Kendall-Jackson winemaker John Hawley) and is aimed directly at the laughable elements of the world of wine. No one escapes ridicule. The film's trailer features the pretentious winemaker (walking the vineyards in a white tuxedo), the self-important wine critic, the wine marketers ("I certainly don't have to drink wine to sell wine."), the drunken tourist (replete with Hawaiian shirt) and, finally, the young, clueless, billionaire winemaker who is crushed when told he can't make a Burgundy because his vineyards aren't in France, only to enthusiastically counter with "Sake!" We think Corked sounds like the perfect complement to our favorite guilty pairing, Champagne and salty buttered popcorn.
• Plans for a highway bypass that would threaten vineyards in South Australia's Coonawarra region have been delayed indefinitely. A Supreme Court ruling this week placed an injunction on Wattle Range Council, preventing the compulsory acquisition of prized vineyard land for the bypass. The ruling represents a victory for Foster's Group and Parker Coonawarra Estates, who lodged the court application on the basis that the proposed bypass "destroys irreplaceable terra rossa soil vineyards," damages local tourism through reduced traffic and does not alleviate the dangerous mix of vineyard and tourist vehicles with fast-moving trucks along the main strip of Coonawarra cellar doors. The Council accepted the ruling and agreed to pay costs. Mayor of Wattle Range Council, Mark Braes, announced that the Council would need to consider if it would proceed with the bypass. If it did, it would be required to start the process all over again, including a "full and fresh consideration of all submissions received" in relation to alternative routes for the bypass. The future of the proposal is unclear, although vineyard owners are concerned that the original process of compulsory land acquisition may simply begin again. Discussions between Coonawarra vintners and the Wattle Range Council will continue. Too bad Foster's doesn't have any land in the Mosel.
