For most people their year ends with the pop of the cork. For me it starts and continues with sparkling wine all year round. Traditionally, Champagne brands stage exciting events early in the year to remind people that bubbly is not just for the holidays.
The Krug House Spices Things Up
About every six months or so Krug takes over a Greenwich Village townhouse, dubbing it “The Krug House,” to entertain journalists and influencers in style. A team of decorators create a décor with inspiring artifacts, historic photographs and displays of large format bottles which are meant to reflect the “Krug spirit of elegance.” The house has a full sound system and bubbly bars on every floor.
Being invited to the Krug house is like being invited to a party at a great Manhattan townhouse, except that the Champagne never runs out. The Grande Cuvée ($180), the exquisite multi-vintage blend that Krug releases every year, was served throughout the party.
This year’s house had a special feature. One room was designed as spice bazaar with huge demijohns of spices. A Master Spice Blender–Lior Lev Sercarz, owner of La Boite in Manhattan–was on hand to demonstrate the art of spice blending. Sercarz had designed two blends for the occasion, which were meant to replicate the bouquet of featured wines that night. Sercarz interpreted the Krug Grande Cuvée as a heady spicy mix of cardamom, clove and long pepper. The aroma had a lot of energy and complexity like the Champagne. For Krug Vintage 2003 he mixed a more exotic warmer blend with saffron, bergamot and honey. (Journalists made off with the two blends in their goodie-bags.)
For its big reveal of the Krug Vintage 2003, ebullient Olivier Krug from the family and long-time winemaker Eric Lebel, the Chef de Caves, both came in from France to give the new vintage release appropriate fanfare. Lebel (speaking in French with a translator at his side) explained how 2003 was an extremely challenging growing year (frost in spring, extreme heat in the summer). Despite all they managed to create a good wine. Though the blend was unusual less Chardonnay (because the grapes were not ripe enough) and more Pinot Meunier. (After the party I read that the 2003 vintage created such strong demand in Britain upon its release that it was immediately sold out at major wine retailers.)
Veuve Clicquot Hosts a Pre-Olympics Skating Party at the Standard Hotel
Photos by: Neil Rasmus, Billy Farrell Agency
Always innovative with its events, Veuve Clicquot threw a pre-Olympics skating party. It was held on a freezing night at the outdoor venue, the skating rink at the Standard Hotel, High Line. Under heating lamps in the lounge around the rink, people stood with warm coats, scarfs and gloves and sipped flutes of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. The organizers staged competitive mock Olympics competitions on ice like penguin relay and ice dancing.
Indian born actress, model and television host, Padma Lakshmi, fashion designer Nicole Miller and two-time British Olympic Ice Dance Champion Sinead Kerr were all judges of the ice dancing. Luckily there was in indoor lounge to warm up with more bubbly, hot chocolate and cheese fondue.
French Women Don’t Get Facelifts
Veuve Clicquot was also featured at a book party at The French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAC) for Mireille Guiliano’s new book French Women Don’t Get Facelifts. Mireille used to be Veuve Clicquot’s CEO, so naturally the crowd was treated to uplifting flutes at her book party. In Mireille’s earlier book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, she recommended Champagne as part of the diet plan–a plan which incidentally I’ve been following for years. In fact, there was a time I lived on Champagne and canapés.
Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick Break Into the Business of Wine
And in the New Year the wine lunches and dinners started up full force. Villa San-Juliette winery, a new winery in Paso Robles, was showcased at Gramercy Tavern. Every winery has its founding story and usually at these lunches I have to grin and bear the details of how the winery is named after this or that relative who suffered through Prohibition or came in from the old country to start a winery in California. Villa San-Juliette wins the competition for least boring story. The owners of the winery are none other than Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, the men behind such shows as American Idol, Pop Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and America’s Got Talent.
Nigel and Ken teamed up and bought a gorgeous property and a villa on 168 acres on the Central Coast in Paso Robles at the North East edge of the 46 E wine trail. In fact, they even documented their experience of getting into the wine business in a hilarious TV series called Corkscrewed.
Villa San Juliette has 132 planted to vines with eleven grapes varieties. Winemaker Matt Ortman, a noted winemaker and son of one of the pioneering winemakers of Napa, took us through the tasting. There were some impressive blends, especially the Chorum White ($22), a Rhone-inspired blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Albarino. The wine possessed vivid aromas (white flowers, tangerine and butterscotch) and matched well with the lobster pappardelle with chorizo that was served as an appetizer. The Chorum Red ($25), a blend of Cabernet, Grenache, and Cab Franc went beautifully with the roasted duck breasts.
The winery’s top of the line Romantique ($60), a Bordeaux blend of mostly Malbec, Petite Verdot and Cabernet, had a lovely bouquet with notes of raspberry, plum, mocha and chocolate and a sensuous texture. These wines were an impressive start for Nigel and Ken, who are often at the winery (they live with their families in LA) and not just vanity-project celebrity owners.
Ariane Daguin Wages 1st Annual Cassoulet War
French comfort food for cold winter nights, cassoulet is a heavy stew made from haricot blancs (white beans) and a whole assortment of rich slow cooked meats—pork, pork sausages, duck, duck confit, goose and sometimes lamb. Ariane Daguin, owner of the famous foie gras and gourmet food shop, D’Artagnan, was the host of the 1st Annual Cassoulet War. Daguin hails from Gascony in South West France, the land of cassoulet. (Though some would also claim its home is Carcassonne, Languedoc.)
At the wine bar OCabanon, Daguin organized a war between 10 major chefs, French and non-Frenchie. It seemed the competition was not only for best Cassoulet but also for most intimidating dish name. Balthazar chef Shan McBride dubbed his “Le Cassoulet en l’honneur de mon Pere Francais!” The 10 cassoulets were judged by a high powered panel: Chef Sara Moulton (Food Network’s “Sara’s Secrets”), Jean Reno (The Chef, The Da Vinci Code), Chef André Soltner (Lutèce & ICC Dean) and Adam Gopnik (The New Yorker):
The warfare pitched some Manhattan heavy hitters against each other–Cassoulet de l’Academie Universelle (Benoit) against Le Cassoulet de Marcelin (Felix). But in the end it was Cassoulet du Loup (loup translates to wolf) by Canadian chef Hugue Dufour (at left) of M. Wells Steakhouse in Long Island City, Queens that took the first prize.
Daguin arranged for the perfect wines to match this heavy dish. Cassoulet requires a highly tannic wine to clean the palate of the rich meat and bean stew and Domaine Monte de Luz Tannat Reserva 2007 from Uruguay fit the bill. Also a great pair was a strong wine from Cahors, Chateau de Haute Serre 2009. Cassoulet also pairs perfectly with another regional product from Gascony, Armagnac. That night I discovered a wonderful brand in smooth and seductive Chateau de Laubade VSOP Armagnac.
Nicolas Feuillatte Launches D’Luscious
Pre-Valentine’s parties bring out the rosés. Nicolas Feuillatte staged a festive “pink” dance party with a troupe of performers to launch its new demi-sec rosé, D’Luscious (left). Like most people, I generally don’t favor demi-secs but Nicolas Feuillatte is known for its rosés and this new blend had enough acidity to cancel an overly sweet impression.
The James Beard Foundation Welcomes Young Foodies
A lively foodie party took place to launch JBF Greens at the Andaz Wall Street. The James Beard Foundation, the major culinary organization which stages the James Beard Awards as well as special guest chefs’ dinners at the James Beard House in the Village, is now offering a new category of membership for young foodies (aged 21–39). For a membership fee of $75, JBF Greens can attend events curated especially for them–wine tastings, walk-around chef tastings and “From Scratch Sessions,” a series of hands-on cooking classes and demos.
Though I wasn’t exactly in the evening’s demographic (and at times felt as if I had to explain to the twenty-somethings that I was there as press), I ventured to the launch party at Bar 75 in the Andaz on below zero night. From the sumptuous spread of food, it’s clear that the JBF wants to warm-up the young set to the wonders of food. Andaz Chef Victor Cruz prepared some exciting savory bites. Along with passed hors d’oeuvres, there were tempting high level cheese boards and overflowing platters of charcuterie and later a rich dessert spread. The cocktails were made with Punzone Vodka, a super-premium vodka made from Italian wheat grown in NW Italy. Punzone puts out an interesting Lemoncino bottling that’s like a ready cocktail.
Courvoisier Commemorates the Chinese New Year
I adore expensive ornate crystal bottles and so I am always up for an event showcasing a release of some stratospherically priced cognac or single malt. In this case it was a special limited-edition from Courvoisier made to commemorate the Chinese New Year. Coming in a handsome Baccarat decanter engraved with an image of Napoléon on his horse, L’Essence Year of the Horse Cognac ($3,500 a bottle) is intensely aromatic with notes of flowers, cigar, sandalwood and marzipan followed by rich flavors of dried plum, apricot and licorice leading to a long finish.
A Taste of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut
I ended the bubbly-focused pre-Valentine’s Day weeks with a tasting of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, which has always been my favorite romantic rosé with its fragrant bouquet and perfect balance. It comes in a sexy 17th century bulbous bottle. Serve that to me for Valentine’s Day and I’m yours.
A Sneak Peak of Root and Bone
The most celebrated young chef in the South is soon opening a restaurant in the East Village, coming sometime this spring. Jeff McInnis’s awards go on and on. He won the James Beard Award “Best Chef in the South” in 2012; then James Beard Award “Best New Restaurant” for his Miami-based Yardbird. Southern Living magazine declared “Best Fried Chicken” for his Yardbird bird. And he was a Top Chef contestant on Season 5.
So, how excited I was to be invited to a media sneak peek of his dishes to come at the soon-opening Root and Bone. The preview was sponsored by The United Soybean Board because this chef swears by soybean oil for his famous friend chicken. Over lunch we learned all about the health and taste benefits of using soybean (vegetable) oil and now I am a believer. The lunch was inspired cooking. I am counting the days till Root and Bone opens and I can have more deviled eggs, watermelon and sautéed goat cheese, butter lettuce, heirloom tomato and bacon salad, delectable fried chicken, biscuits and cold slaw. Oh yes, you might wondering what wine I drank with the famous chicken. For a change, watermelon juice. (But if I had wanted to pair a wine, it would have been a sparkling wine, probably Cremant d’Alsace.)
Young Collectors Night Warm Up Winter
I sometimes like to diversify the program and not make every night’s main focus about food, wine and spirits. So this night it was antiques and art when I attended one of the biggest society events of the year, Young Collectors Night of the Winter Antiques Show. Upon entering the Armory on Park Avenue, guests were greeted with a marvelous display from the Peabody Essex Museum of Salem, Massachusetts. The museum brought along pieces from their extensive Oceana collection. People, some 900 strong for the occasion, strolled through the vast space which had scores of exhibits of painting, sculpture and many booths of precious jewels. In line with the antique theme, at the many bar stations, classic cocktails were on the menu. I sipped a French 75 (gin, sparkling wine, lemon juice and sugar), a drink created at New York bar in Paris in 1915.
Follow Baroness Sheri de Borchgrave on Twitter for more champange musings and event happenings around town.
