This video is a compilation of my harvests in the agroturismos of Italy, the desert of Argentina, and the sunshine of northern California. The music is one of my favorite songs of all time, it’s called Voyageur by Enigma. I moved out to California a year ago with a bottle of GrapeThinking, a bottle of ideas I guess you could say, that started filling up 5 years ago with conversation between myself, Jacob Bohall, Ruarri Rogan, Meghan O’Malley, and many others. Over the past year, those ideas have delightfully fermented, and the time has finally come for us to have a taste…

~circuit to cell, web to water, mind to vine~

My grandfather was a banker and probably spent his entire life working for the same profit a single banker a third his age would have made in bonuses over the last five years. The key difference between my grandfather and the modern banker however, is that my grandfather valued his society, his customers and the future – whilst the banker of today has merely intellectualised greed with a series of financial instruments used to justify the unjustifiable and create as much personal gain in as short a span of time as possible. So much has the plague of greed and lack of value spread that Rhodes Scholars and top intellectuals have been wooed into studying finance, whilst in today’s times of real challenges , their skills would be better employed in engineering, medical research and civil society.

The old institutions were even built with materials of substantial value – marble, granite slab and steel – whilst today’s modern building, like the ‘Gherkin’ in London or many other modern institutions seem to have chosen a material that reflects the high-risk, short-term gain and quick-buck mentality of modern business: glass. Today’s institutions are primarily made up of transparent and easily shattered material – how apt a metaphor.

Listening to a debate on torture the other day I was struck by one of the key tenets of the argument against torture being that it dulls our intelligence community and our ability as a society to ask proper questions and gain reliable information honourably. The strength of the argument for me was that it did not appeal to human suffering but rather appealed to the sustainability of our society – saying that torture makes our institutions lazy and therefore weakens our society. Surely that also holds for using high salaries and bonuses as an incentive to work, and the same argument can be made against the high-risk/ high-return mentality that has been in fashion for a time – not on the basis of an argument against greed, but rather on the basis of long-term sustainability and the value to humankind. Paying signing bonuses and giving large profits doesn’t make people work harder, it just makes them want more for less, and in a slew of defaulting banks one has to wonder where all that money for all those bonuses was coming from in the first place. What will impact the future of society more: the downfall of Lehman Brothers or major headways into stem-cell research? Stem-cell research is the obvious answer. Given that, think of all the wasted talent the job-losses that Lehman represents – intelligent minds distracted by greed who, instead of getting lost in the complexity of derivatives and materialistic pursuit could rather have been adding actual value to society trying to make their mark on history.

In these times of financial uncertainty, three things have actually gone up in value: wine, art and mineral resources. These are all things with perhaps the exception of oil that our grand-children will one day see (assuming the world is still around of course.) Society demonstrates its true wisdom in times of adversity as was the case during FDR. Only when great societies are ascendant do they lose judgement and overextend themselves (think Rome and post-Clinton America). Adversity forces us back to the basics, while opulence encourages indulgence in the superfluous.

If we as a society are to succeed, and our civilization is to continue prosperously and sustainably, then we must focus our efforts on those things that create value for more than ourselves – but for generations to come. Wine is such an area – it enriches families, creates a profitable supply chain, puts focus back into the environment and provides pleasure to the consumer. Whilst old Lehman employees may have hit bottom, they can always get up and dust themselves off and try again –taking comfort with a few friends and a couple glasses of wine. At this time when their employer no longer exists – it will prove that the only thing valuable in their lives is their friendships and their family. The failure of their institution discredits their chosen career and hopefully when the hurt of Monday’s events subsides and the lens of greed is lifted, they can refocus on what matters and ply their brains to creating sustainable value in an industry our grandchildren and children the world over will one day benefit from. Let us not fear economic uncertainty, but merely reflect on the causes of it and then go back to the thread of that which runs through history and continues to last today: art, wine and all that which thousands of men throughout the ages have laboured away at –not for profit or wage but merely for the love of civilization and society. Let us say cheers to the death of Lehman and hope their employees will emerge with a desire to help society and not just themselves…

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Clear, clean, light pale-straw

Nose: candy, sherbert, fresh, lime-minerality, tinned-peaches, honey

A lot fuller – more dimension to it, broader on the entry, much fuller mouth feel, more bracing finish… would stand up to food a lot better than the Riesling-Kabinet. A bit more graceful – certainly not as lively but certainly better rounded.

Serve with: shell-fish (scallops pan-seared in chilli-infused olive oil)

or – with Thai-green curries/ Chicken Korma with pineapple and coconut

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Clear, clean, light pale-straw

Nose: Apple sour-patch-kids, fresh green melon, sea-breeze, cheeky, clean

Muscata on the entrance; immediately makes the mouth water; enough sugar to keep you bouncing off the walls, fizzes with sweetness, pumps vitality. Rocketing sugar cut with a high acidity – making for a high-wire act that still pulls off a fine balance between two extremes.

Pleasant and clean finish, lingering tingle on the tongue,

Balanced – could make a crazy spritzer… or even used in cocktail instead of sour-mix… would work well in a punch as well (perhaps two-shots Van Gogh Appel Vodka, one part Riesling, one part soda water, a twist of lime, a dash of bitters and ice.)

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I like to buy a whole Angus fillet and cook it first before cutting it into fillet steaks, this way you can keep the juices and really preserve a lot of the flavour. It also presents a perfect opportunity to do what any male wine millennial, or any male for that matter – likes most… marinade. Like making hot-sauce, there is perhaps no time more satisfying to a man than when given the chances to marinade something. There’s a certain feeling of alchemy in preparing the meat that really doesn’t come with other pre-preparation chores like peeling potatoes or rolling pastry flat.

The ingredients for getting a steak ready are quite simple: rock salt, English mustard, lemons, pepper, red wine, olive oil, chopped garlic and mixed spices. Adding lemon juice helps seal the steak and within minutes the pinkish colour will disappear and the fillet will start to gain a more cooked sort of colour. At this point I roll the fillet in a bed of rock-salt before smothering it in a healthy dose of English mustard mixed with spice and crushed garlic. Once done, leave it to soak in a pool of red wine on top of a bed of diced onions allowing the blood and fermented juice to comingle.

At this point it’s time to pour yourself a glass of wine and get down to preparing a simple salad (feta, tomato, cucumber, rocket, red lettuce and sesame seeds with a balsamic glaze always goes down well) together with some baked vegetables (onions, courgettes, egg-plant and butternut are perfect.)

After about 3 hours of marinating or so – once the guests arrive; you can chat and get the barbecue going for about half an hour. The veg will take about an hour to cook and the meat will take 15 minutes (if you like it burnt and bloody); 20 minutes if you want it medium rare… so stick the veg in in a pocket of tin-foil – and half an hour later gather people around as it’s always a bit of excitement to watch the meat go on.

Generally if the steak is sealed – leaving it on one side should do fine; and at a medium temperature it should cook through. At this stage you can heat the marinade up, add a lamb stock cube and a cup of water along with some diced mushrooms and pepper and you have a great red wine and mushroom gravy.

The perfect wine for steak on a summer’s day is a Shiraz Viognier – especially if you’ve used mustard, and garlic as they really complement and bring out the spice flavour. Some people would argue cab – but I think that that would more be for an evening event if there’s a chill in the air.

For our Angus Fillet I chose the Graham Beck Joshua 2003 – which turned out to be a perfect accompaniment. It may not have been March 14th, but any chance for steak and red wine is something to smile about.

Cheerz!

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Pindar is a vineyard that has been in the North Fork of Long Island for 15 years. Usually they are dressed in a tacky label, and because of this I have always over looked it. What can I say, I like visuals. While walking the ailes of the local wine store I came upon a label with the Pythagorem Theroem across it, a2 + b2 = c2. It was called Pythagoras. My mom is a math teacher, though I’m not a math wiz, I always did enjoy algebra. Because the label was so different from any other Pindar wine I was shocked to find out it was in fact the same vineyard. That’s lesson number one, don’t judge a wine by its label.

Pythagoras, described as a rich geometric blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, was designed for their 15th anniversary. The break down of the varietals is not mentioned on the bottle but after a tasting it feels as if Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are taking a back seat as supporting character to the prominent Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Smoke dominates the nose, an infusion of cherry wood and figs. These same characteristics transfer over to the palate, but because the wine is so young in color and taste it is undistinguishable on its definite characteristics. If you were to hold on to this bottle for a year then it would be a stronger wine, but if waiting isn’t your speed then I would suggest opening the bottle and letting it sit for 3 hours. You are just going to have to be patient and let it sit, I know it’s a hard scenario but I believe in you, step away from the bottle.

I purchased this wine for $15 and for that I’m a bit on the edge if I’m all about it. Later I was embracing my inner geek and searching different sites online for their price point. I found, on average, that you can purchase this wine for $12. Now for $12 this is a great value and I say buy it. If not available in your local wine store then you can certainly purchase it online. For the most part Long Island wines range from $10 to $20. Sometimes you will cross wines that are over $20, I’ll be honest I don’t know if it is worth the buy. I haven’t brought myself to buying it yet.

In terms of pairing this wine with food I would go simple and stick with the basics, meat and cheese. Because this wine is young you don’t want to go too crazy, but the smokiness that is present here will taste delicious with some prosciutto and gouda. This is a wonderful welcome back to the states and what a way to Wine Your Diet.

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Villa Dugo is Fiegl’s second label, their Pinot Grigio is indicative of this Italian varietal with a nose and palate that are light with hints of fruit yet crisp, leaving a refreshing finish on the back end. The farming company Fiegl, active primarily in the field of wine products, is located in Oslavia, a village on the gentle slopes north of Gorizia. This light and crisp Pinot Grigio would go well with fresh shellfish and lighter fare.

O’Reilly Pinot Gris is a classic Oregon Gris done in the French Style – plenty of limey aromas with rich guava-like flavors, heavier in fruit than the former Pinot Grigio. Hallmark acidity will preserve this white in your cellar for up to five years. The grapes were harvested from a few diverse sites in the Willamette Valley. This ripe and flavorful Pinot Gris is delicious with fresh shellfish and a variety of light fare.

Cleebourg Alsatian Pinot Gris resembles a more German style of wine making. Alsace is located in France on the Rhine River. The name “Alsace” derives from the Germanic Ell-sass, meaning “Seated on the Ill,” the Ill is a river in Alsace. First appearing in the area in the 1700s and probably the most complex of all the Alsatian wine varietals, this grape is particularly well adapted to the soils of the Cléebourg area. It has a golden hue with a higher viscosity than either of the previous Pinots, due to higher sugar content. This Pinot Gris grape produces a heady, full-bodied wine with a rich bouquet. It goes well with dark meats, foie gras and wild game.

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I chose this wine because with the unofficial start of summer Alsace is perfect. The white wines here are well known with the Rieslings and Gewurztraminers, and their sparkling wines prosper as well. Another key point is these wines are not expensive at all. Alsace is respected but it doesn’t have the same prestige as Champagne, Burgundy, or Bordeaux. This is great for you. In the US a typical bottle will be between $12 to $20.

This wine is from Rene Muré, a Cremant d’Alsace. On the nose is a wave of fresh pears and peaches. Keeping with the farm stand pattern it’s granny smith apples that take over the palate. This wine is a Brut, so it’s going to be dry, but with a slight sweetness upfront. Overall it is fresh and bright.

Now if anyone was wondering, yes, Cremant does taste delicious with Cassis Liqueur or perhaps orange juice. Did someone say Mimosa? I could swear I heard someone say it. Well either way, this is a fantastic way to liven up Sunday brunch and to Wine Your Diet. It’s light, refreshing, an excellent source of calcium, and one way to stay cool in the hot sun. There is one problem with Mimosas though; they go down way to fast. Pace yourself, there is something called too much calcium.

From Pars I say au revoir, but soon I will be greeting you from New York in hopes of bringing back pride to Long Island wines. For now go grab any bottle of sparkling wine, it doesn’t even have to be from France, pop it, enjoy it, and as always don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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When I first arrived in Paris I thought it would be fun to go to a wine tasting. I had basic knowledge of French wine, but I was starting to read my French wine books and decided that a bit of reinforcement wouldn’t be the worst thing. Ô Chateau conducts different wine tastings in English. In a non-intimidating environment the speaker, who was born in Burgundy and lived and worked in Napa Valley, put you at ease and spoke about wine in a way that no matter what level you were at you would understand. We tried seven different wines ranging from Alsace and the Loire to the Rhone and Bordeaux. There was one region that stood out the most for me, Languedoc Rousillon. Located in the south of France, it is south of the Rhone and to the west of Nice. There was incredible body to this wine and developed on your palate to no end. I was in love.

I’ve had a few good experiences with this region, so let’s try it again. I had the 2006 Collioure, Appellation Collioure Controle. Collioure is as south as the region gets, as it breezes by the coast. Unusual for a French wine to have information on the back, this one told me it was made from Grenache Noir. Fantastic, this is sounding good already. On the nose there were strong earth tones. Initially I could even smell the sand from the beaches, then the wind came in and ripe berries were pulled through. I was extremely excited to drink this wine, but unfortunately sometimes you can be fooled by your senses. First reaction I was ready to spit it out. I’m a reasonable person so I gave it another chance. It was just too dry and harsh, not well balanced at all.

I remembered what someone in Burgundy told me about decanting. Old wine should never be decanted because you will age them and loose their essence. Young wines on the other hand, decant away because you are now helping it achieve what the winemaker had in mind. I’m renting a furnished apartment and as the French love their wine, they don’t equip all their apartments with decanters. I poured a glass and let it sit for about an hour. It wasn’t that tempting, I really wasn’t that excited to drink it again.

Time passed and it helped. This still wasn’t the wine that I fell in love with, but there were definite improvements. It wasn’t as attacking on the palate, but there was a bit of bite. Oh well, you can’t win them all. Please don’t let this deter you from trying wines from Languedoc Rousillon because there are really some great wines being produced here. If I let every bad California wine get in my way then I would have given up on it a long time ago. Also, I found that pairing food helps. It won’t ruin your meal, but if you’re doing something simple like pasta then you really can’t ruin it. Who ruins pasta? If you know anyone that does then please give me their name, I’d like to help. In conclusion, Languedoc Rousillon wines are delicious, so go out and grab a bottle and don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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Caveau is a breath of fresh air for the city centre, with an urban-rustic feel to it, combining class and elegance with a laid back environment. The design, lay out and mood leave you feeling like you’ve stepped out of Cape Town and discovered a more modern Franschoek. On the three occasions I’ve been there I’ve shared a bottle of their 2004 Spice Route Mourvedre. Accustomed to the Cape’s usual Noble varietals it’s amazing to see how well other cultivars benefit from the Cape’s rich soils. This is a nice big red that has a faint bloody-Maryesque note on the nose. It’s great to see how this Spanish wine has done – bring on Tempranillo!

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