Champagne Thienot named exclusive Champagne for 85th Oscars

Champagne Thiénot will be the exclusive Champagne featured at the Oscars during the pre-show, as well as at the prestigious Governors Ball, both on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013 at the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. This is the first time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has elected to feature a little-known, relatively rare Champagne. For many years, Moet et Chandon has been the exclusive Champagne.

“We are thrilled that the Academy has selected our family-owned House for this prestigious event. As a very small and young ‘Grande Marque,’ being selected by the Academy is like receiving an Oscar for Best Champagne!” says François Peltereau-Villeneuve, President & CEO of Thiénot USA.

During the pre-show reception, guests will enjoy Thiénot Brut, while at the Governors Ball the Thiénot Rosé and the Thiénot Vintage 2005 will be paired with the fine cuisine of Chef Wolfgang Puck. see menu Thiénot Champagne comes from the city of Reims, located in the heart of the historic Champagne region. Most of the grapes come from its own vineyards, in the famous Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims.

I am excited for this producer as we distribute it in Illinois through Tenzing Wine & Spirits.

Santé.

Death by Powerpoint. Prezi for your next wine presentation.

I love Prezi. A Web-based program and service to create interactive, engaging presentations. I give many presentations a year and enjoy using visuals. When you are trying to explain the terroir of a wine region or put a face with a name, words never do justice. Often I may have several dozen slides for one presentation and your audience can feel the "Death by PowerPoint". Especially with annoying animations for every. single. click....swoosh.

I heard about Prezi a few years ago and now use it as much as I can. It is easy to learn, no experience required. One giant canvas where you can drag drop images, media and text wherever you want. iPad and iPhone have apps for it so you can view and edit. There is a small monthly fee if you want to make your presentations private and get a large storage space, otherwise free for the Public.

This Prezi I created is a short introduction to several of our Kermit Lynch producers. As you click though, you can zoom in or move the entire canvas, very cool. Most of the blanks I fill in verbally so just imagine. Check it out and let me know if you like it. I hope you do.

Hello, World!

Interview with Philippe Melka at Gemstone (video)

One of the highlights of my trips to Napa is to sit down and taste with winemakers. Touring a winery can be interesting as you can get a sense of the land, people that work there and culture in the wine. The winemaker is the soul behind the wine, in many cases the one person that really represents what is in the bottle. Sure, many can leave the expression up to terroir and let the vine produce what it can produce, then have a "hands off" approach in the winery. Philippe Melka is one of those persons where you can taste his involvement. His wines are always elegant with precise flavors, precision and high quality. That is why so many wineries seek him out for his consulting services.

French born, Philippe learned about winemaking in Bordeaux. He apprenticed at Château Haut-Brion and Cheval Blanc before moving to the Napa valley. He has long résumé of wineries where he has produced award-winning wines like Quintessa, Lail, Vineyard 29 and many more. I met him at the 16 acre, family-owned Gemstone vineyards in Yountville. Philippe is a busy man, especially the weeks around harvest. He said he eats about 2 pounds of grapes each day and is usually on a sugar high. He has to go through withdrawal the days following the crush.

I sat down with him and tasted two of my favorite reds in Napa Valley, the 2009 vintages of Gemstone Red wine and Gemstone Cabernet Sauvignon

*2009 Gemstone Estate Red Wine *

Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Appellation: Yountville

Vinification: Double-sorted; whole-berry fermented for 35 days using native yeasts; bottled unfiltered and unfined

Cooperage: A combination of Ermitage, Taransaud, Francois Frères, Baron; 67% French new oak

Aging: 17 months

Production: 1,200 cases

Philippe’s tasting notes: "Our 2009 Estate Red Blend offers intense aromas of violet, sweet spice and ripe red fruit. These notes mingle with licorice, cherry pit and darker fruit flavors on the mid-palate. The long elegant finish layers cream and vanilla upon the rich fruit tones and smooth tannins. This wine will age for a minimum of twenty years but is lovely and approachable now."

2009 Gemstone Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Blend:cabernet sauvignon 97%, petit verdot 3%

Vinification: double-sorted; whole berry fermented for 35 days using native yeasts; bottled unfiltered and unfined

Appellation: Yountville

Cooperage: 21 month new French oak (65%) Ermitage, Taransaud, François Frères, baron

Production: 500 cases

Philippe’s tasting notes: "Our 2009 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a muscular yet refined wine. On the nose it offers concentrated dark fruit and mineral notes. The palate yields dark fruit characteristics such as black cherry and cassis, mingled with cocoa powder and spice. The tannins are fine and well-integrated. It has good structure, lovely acidity and a freshness and vibrancy that make it very approachable now. It will age for a minimum of twenty years."

Blind Like a Master Sommelier - Sidetour

I'm hosting these tasting on November 28th, December 20th and January 17th. Please visit the Sidetour website (link at bottom) to reserve a seat.

• Fernando Beteta is one of only 129 Master Sommeliers in the U.S.
• Taste and evaluate a collection of Fernando’s favorite wines
• Compare different flavor profiles and nuances in wine notes

Each time you take a sip of wine, key markers like legs, body, and nose lead you on a journey that tells the story of where, when, and how a wine was made. But if you don’t know how those key terms fit together to weave a wine’s tale, they’re nothing more than buzz words and labeling. Learning how to read them is the most important part of discovering a bottle’s origin.

As one of the only Master Sommeliers in the United States, Fernando Beteta has spent years tasting wines and deciphering their characteristics. In 2009, he took first runner up for The Best Sommelier in America and was named one of America’s Best New Sommeliers in 2007 by Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Join Fernando for a tasting of six of his favorite wines. He’ll guide you through how to focus on varying elements of the wine to decipher where it was grown and how it was created. Identify new world and old world grape varietals, oaked and un-oaked wines, and analyze different vintages from similar regions and wine producers.

This experience will be confirmed once at least 6 people have booked.

Click below to book.

Sidetour Experiences