Red Wine is a perfect libation for festivals – primarily because it doesn’t need to be kept cold; it doesn’t lose its fizz and if you’re drinking wine locally produced its dirt cheap and super-good. Within minutes of popping the cork however I’d managed to spill the Rioja on my new pants and was questioning the merits of wine in a situation where a shower is hard to find… when suddenly, with a splash of from my water bottle – the wine was gone. Brilliant! Wine proof pants – what more could a young millennial wine-lover at a music festival wish for? I reckon marketing the pants specifically as wine-proof and selling it at Bonnaroo could be a good gig.

Festivals have become huge in the UK – and I guess the States is now picking up. Winemakers have a huge opportunity to sponsor music festivals – because the combination of music, nature, art and alcohol are what festivals are all about. Festivals have re-invented themselves since the days of Woodstock and are a perfect platform for not only entertaining people, but many organisations use them to spread awareness and raise money.

The Green Man Festival coming up next week is one of the most prominent indie festivals – where, much like the Big Chill – and both less commercially than Glastonbury, it promotes organic food, green living, sustainability etc. There’s a huge oppotunity in this concept and I’d really like to see some of the Oregon wineries putting on some music festivals and promoting their wines together with bands from Washington State and around. Many vineyards have acres of land and there’s plenty scope to host festivals on the vineyard grounds themselves. Once millennials cotton onto the benefits of wine and the contribution of viticulturalists to the environment and to local communities – it’ll certainly be the final push needed.

Now that I’ve found a pair of wine-proof pants; and have finally sprung for a decent festival tent whilst having fallen in love with festivals on the first night of Benicassim in a monent of sitting with my wife and two close friends, Will and Anin, drinking Rioja as a pre-game at the campsite with Sigur Ros about to play… I think it’ll be hard to go back to taking normal holidays.

Hopefully next year the Grapethinking team can bring some of the fabulous Tastevine collection to Bonnaroo and some of the other festivals in the US, and one day to the UK – we’ll provide a tent, picnic blankets and a selection of some of the best and most affordable wines from around the world… we’ll leave the music to the musicians though. Don’t forget to bring wine-proof pants…

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If you are in the mood for traveling, or nearby, you should probably set your sites on one of these cities, as they we’re recently ranked The Top 10 Places to Celebrate July 4th:

1. Boston
2. Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard
3. Chicago
4. Mount Rushmore
5. Philadelphia
6. Queen Mary 2
7. San Diego
8. San Juan Islands
9. US Virgin Islands
10. Washington, DC

Enjoy a safe 4th of July and Happy Birthday America!

What is crazy is that none of these firework shows above will compare to the Thunder over Louisville show.  I know Louisville has a great show, so if you are nearby there (Jeff…), it would probably be worth the trip.  As a child, our family would always trek to see Thunder Over Louisville in early April, which is claimed to be the “Larget Fireworks Show in North America”… here is clip from last year’s show:

Also… We have some exciting changes here at Grape Thinking (inside and outside) that we will be sharing with you soon!  Just in case you haven’t noticed, we have made quite a few changes to our site, and have more to come.

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I recently traveled to Reims, Champagne and to Dijon and Beaune in Burgundy. Reims and Epernay are the two big cities in Champagne that attract tourists. Reims was an enjoyable city to walk the streets with cafes lining pedestrian only walkways and a glass of Champagne in hand. The cellars were informative but you certainly don’t have to continue from one house to another, you will be receiving the same information at all. For most houses you need an appointment, which gave me the feeling of not being welcomed. Wine should not just be for a certain group of people that can fit the schedule. We were able though to get an appointment at Pommery and then we continued to Taittinger where there were no appointments necessary.The two tours if combined would have been spectacular, but where one lacked energy the other lacked information. After the tour you are given a glass of Champagne, well actually you paid for it with admission. Most houses are 10 euros, so put a few tours together in one day that will tell you the same information, then you have just wasted a lot of money. Instead I would recommend going to one house and then heading over to a café and popping a bottle and just enjoy your surroundings.

The next stop on the trip was Dijon in Burgundy…
Dijon was filled with friendly faces that knew each other and just enjoyed being. With their cobblestone streets and medieval appeal, it was refreshing to be here. In one restaurant they have a mock guillotine set up with different types of meats hanging from it. The server explained where we were, Place Emile Zola, was the location of guilloting, so they were incorporating history with the dining experience. The people were friendly, the atmosphere relaxing, and then history was alive.

One more place to go before heading back to Paris: Beaune. Beaune was a twenty-minute train ride south of Dijon. When we arrived we walked through the marketplace and picked up cheese and meats from sellers who would happily cut a sample for you before buying. Then of course, being in the land of mustard we had to include it in our picnic we were building. Once that was in order we had to make a decision, should we be tourists and stay in town and go to the houses and only sample the minimal and not really connect with the wine or do we rent bikes and head out into the vineyards and meet with the people who create them? Of course we rented the bikes. We went to Bourgogne Randonnées, right by the train station and the owners mapped out a route for us including vineyards to stop at.

We stopped at a few vineyards but one stood out strong, Château l’Ange Gardien (www.chateu-langegardien.com). We pulled up and it seemed like a scene in a movie. The husband and winemaker, Pierre was just pulling out to go to the fields and his wife Nicole was sitting at a picnic table enjoying her lunch with flowers and trees surrounding her. She immediately came over to us and brought us in to taste her wines. I can honestly say there was not one wine I didn’t enjoy. And then to finish it off she gave us a Kir Royal made with Cassis Liquor, that they also produced, as well as a fantastically refreshing bottle of Crémant.

I could have spent all day and all my money there but we had to move on to our next destination. When we go back into Beaune we dropped off the bikes and café hopped, having a different glass of wine at each. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Beaune had the friendly appeal of Dijon, but there was something about being there that made you never want to leave. Actually, the woman from the bike shop was originally from Canada and came on vacation to Beaune. Then eighteen years later she never left.

While visiting Château l’Ange Gardien, I learned that there is a natural element in Pinot Noir that aids with digestion. I think the French are on to something here. Go grab a bottle of Burgundy and pair it with something delicious, but don’t forget to Wine Your Diet.

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I was recently at a wine bar in Paris with friends for dinner. When it came time to order our wine, I was looking at the reds, and by accident I ordered a Cotes-du-Provence thinking it was red. The server came back with our drinks. We had a rainbow of wines sitting on our table, one ordered white, another red, and apparently I ordered a rosé. A bit reluctant at first, I considered sending it back, but quickly remembered the French customer service policy…

I should take the time here to fill you in on the astonishing practice of the French customer service. In France, as with most of Europe, tips are included because the servers and bartenders are receiving hourly wages. Without having to worry about tips you can be a bit more honest with your customers, I guess. The French take it one extra step; they are never wrong, even when they are wrong actually they are not. In the U.S. it’s the customer is always right, well in France the customer is always wrong.

In my situation I was wrong, but why annoy my server because she did smile when I ordered, there must be something good here. In turn, I accepted my fault and drank the wine. There are some mistakes in life worth making. I never knew springtime could be more enjoyable until I started drinking rosés. I later learned that in Paris it’s hip to drink pink. There is nothing like getting the seal of approval from your server when ordering a wine, for me at least, I’m more excited. That smile I received was her way of telling me that I would not regret my decision.

Rosés are made in every region in France, but the South is more known for their winsome, approachable wines, in particular Provence. I am drinking a 2006 La Ferme Blanche from Cassis. The color on it is an orange pink, it is young, but generally best drank that way. On the nose is a slight tangerine and apricot fruit profile. Here is a good example of a rosé; it’s light, dry, not complex, well balanced and extremely enjoyable. The only way I can think to describe what I’m experiencing on my palate is lifesavers. This wine is the white lifesaver. There is flavor there, but it’s not as strong as the orange, green, or red. The white lifesaver is the subtle flavor; it doesn’t over power. I have had rosés with fish dishes, as well as meat dishes, though I would stay away from heavier meats.

While I write this I feel the urge to go to a restaurant by the water and order up a dozen oysters. Seeing that I’m in Paris, perhaps I’ll just take the rest of this bottle down to the Seine, have a picnic, and watch the sunset. This is a perfect springtime and summer wine and a great way to Wine Your Diet.

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On Saturday, in the spirit of summer, we went up to Richmond Park and had a picnic in our own local Royal Park. Picnics are perfect for pasta salads and we prepared a pesto, olive oil, Greek feta and tri-colour fussily salad garnished with roast pine-nuts and fresh chopped basil. Picnics should be cheap and simple, and perhaps the most important factor to take into consideration is the wine. White wine would be my preferred choice for such an occasion, and on Saturday we treated ourselves to Boschendal 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($10), Ogio Pinot Grigio ($6) and Leopard’s Leap Lookout White ($8).

To my mind, Leopard’s Leap won the day, for a couple reasons. First off, this wine is amazingly priced and when one is splitting costs amongst friends it’s always nice to keep things simple. Graphically, they’ve pulled off playing on South Africa’s wildlife heritage without creating a critter, and instead have created an attractive brand. Third, the varietals choice makes use of what South Africa is abundant in and does well – chenin blanc, chardonnay and columbard, promoting the real essence of the Cape. And lastly, the wine is exceptionally pleasant, and is refreshing, clean, uncomplicated and elegant with fresh lime flavours on the entry and subtle hints of honey and melon on the finish. One could easily entertain a host of friends for an afternoon in the sun, and have Leopard’s Leap Lookout White keeping everyone very satisfied throughout the day.

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