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a note from Damien:
Having cut my own teeth on
wine in France, I returned to the
US determined to learn more
about US winemakers who seek
elegance and balance. Turns
out, France has no monopoly
on this approach and more and
more the lines between "new
world" and "old world" wines
are blurred.
If you've ever wanted to
compare what people call
"modern" and "traditionally"
styled wines, this is the tasting
for you.
The subject is vast and I promise
no definitive answers, but I do
guarantee we'll taste lots of good
wine!
Having cut my own teeth on
wine in France, I returned to the
US determined to learn more
about US winemakers who seek
elegance and balance. Turns
out, France has no monopoly
on this approach and more and
more the lines between "new
world" and "old world" wines
are blurred.
If you've ever wanted to
compare what people call
"modern" and "traditionally"
styled wines, this is the tasting
for you.
The subject is vast and I promise
no definitive answers, but I do
guarantee we'll taste lots of good
wine!
| Under The (French) Influence: Kalin, Keller & Porter Creek Vs. Tensley, Scherrer & Ziegler Saturday, October 6th from 7 - 9 p.m. The Bottle Shop, Wilmette, IL. Like the best French kitchens, French vineyards often attract young winemakers from around the world hoping to steep themselves in the culture of great regional French winemaking. Like it or not, France is the measure of all things vinous. And while the non-French wine community remains preoccupied with the question of who makes better wines -- France vs. the rest of the world -- we thought it would be more timely (and infinitely more delicious) to arrange a comparison of wines made with an identifiable and deliberate French influence versus several wines with no French influence whatsoever. It seems like as good an excuse as any to open up a bunch of wines from rising stars Alex Davis of Porter Creek and Klaus-Peter Keller of Weingut Keller, who both cut their viticultural teeth in France. Davis studied under Marcel Guigal in the Rhone and Roumier and Michelot in Burgundy. Klaus-Peter Keller is a bone-fide rock star winemaker whose single-vineyard Riesling and Pinot Noir are among the most sought-after and talked about contemporary German wines on the international scene. Keller also happens to be a Burgundy fanatic. He apprenticed in Burgundy at Armand Rousseau and buys used barrels from none other than Domaine de la Romanee Conti. Can German Riesling and Pinot Noir have a French character? You better believe it. And what about Terry and Frances Leighton of Kalin Cellars, who make absurdly long-lived wines in an uncompromisingly French manner. Their recently released 1997 Semillion (nope, that's not a misprint) is quite simply a revelation. For the sake of comparison, we will taste a flight of American and German wines that are comparable in every other respect --- region, grape, ambition -- except for tangible French influence, including the unabashedly American Syrahs made by Joey Tensley and killer Sonoma Pinot Noir made by fourth generation California winemaker Fred Scherrer -- both rising stars in their own rights -- and the very specifically German wines of August Ziegler. This should be a hoot. Hope you can join us! Regional French cheeses from Sofia Solomon. Tickets are $35. R.S.V.P. to the Bottle Shop at 847-256-7777. |
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| Under The (French) Influence: Kalin, Keller & Porter Creek Vs. Tensley, Scherrer & Ziegler Tickets are $35. R.S.V.P. to the Bottle Shop at 847-256-7777. News related to this tasting: Pinot Noir France "vs" Germany at Weingut Keller from the Parker Bulletin Board Robert Parker loves Tensley's 2005's. "Fred Scherrer deals a blow to shipping heat damage" from erobertparker.com, or "the chocolate chip debate". Take a virtual tour from Vine to Wine - click here to see how Chardonnay is made into wine at the Scherrer Winery |