Bring on the Bubbly! Taste of Atlanta VIP Champagne Tasting

The event was entitled,“The Lowdown on Blanc de Blanc, Blanc de Noir, and Wines NOT found in Any Rap Song,” presented by Don Hackett, certified specialist of wine, and Senior Wine Educator at Sherlock’s Wine Market.  We certainly got the “lowdown” on the production and selection of champagne. The region of Champagne is the perfect bubbly brewing location, providing proximity to the sea and allowing enough warmth for the grapes to barely ripen and reach the perfect level of acidity for that just right sparkle.  The major grape varieties for Champagne include Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (reds), and Chardonnay (white).  The keys to champagne production are yeast, sugar, age, and of course the bubbles (carbon dioxide)! The grapes should be hard, making them high in acid.  Champagnes that yield higher yeast content are aged longer.  There are five different styles of champagne:

·         Vintage Champagne- made from the best grapes in years when the chef de cave of a specific house feels the grapes are better than average. Vintage champagnes must be aged at least three years.

·         Non-Vintage Champagne- blended from grapes from 2 or more years.  These are usually made in the “house style,” and must be aged for a minimum of 15 months.

·         Rose Champagne- generally made my adding a small amount of red wine to the cuvee.  Can also be made by extracting colors from the skins through maceration.  Usually full-bodied and full-flavored.

·         Blanc de Noirs- made entirely from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunir

·         Blanc de Blanc- made entirely of Chardonnay

      Sweetness Levels

Brut Nature, Sans Dosage- no sugar added

Extra Brut- very dry, less than .6% sugar

Brut- dry, less than 1.5% sugar

Extra Dry- off dry, 1.2% to 2% sugar

Sec- slightly sweet, 1.7% to 3.5% sugar

Demi-Sec- semi-sweet, 3.3% to 5% sugar

Doux- sweet, more than 5% sugar

I sampled four different blends: Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blanc Hugues de Coulmet; Barnaut Blanc de Noir; Veuve Cliquot Brut NV; and Veuve Clicquot Brut Vintage 2002.  The Veuve Vintge 2002 had a fresh floral taste and smell that awakened my senses, with a refreshing tingle.  It had a mix of red and white grapes for the perfect buildup of acidity.  The Brut NV contains all red grapes, and my favorite, the Blanc de Blanc contains all white grapes.  It burst with citrus flavor and strong remnants of the white grape. After this tasting, I'm inspired to return to France and take a trip to the Champagne region!

And I learned a new trick!  I actually did this too! Take a look....

Taste of Atlanta: Food Fun and Winemaking Secrets Unveiled

The fun-filled foodie festival drew a crowd of over 45,000 people in just two days this past weekend.  Over 80 restaurants from all over Atlanta participated in the festivities.  The festival featured old favorites: Barcraft Competition; Inside the Food Studio; Family Food Zone; and a fabulous VIP experience.  Some new treats offered at the Taste included: The Big Grill block party; Best Sommelier Competition; Global Flavors International Stage; and the Top Chef Kids Competition. My top food picks of the day included the juicy tender meat from BOTEKIM Brazilian Bistro, the spicy fusion of Indian tapas from Bhojanic, perfectly crusted and topped with cheese fried green tomatoes from Lenox Grill, and  a to die for oreo cheescake from Intermezzo's Cafe.  Needless to say, I was quite full at the end of the day!

I had the special privilege of attending a VIP Pinot Noir Clone Tasting Seminar, presented by Davis Bynum winery.  Hosted by Gil Kulers, Education Director of the Taste and Sommelier, this seminar was a definite crowd pleaser; and a palate pleaser as well! The clone seminar was entitled, "So you want to be a winemaker?"  Robert Larson was the key speaker, enlightening the baffled but attentive audience about just exactly what a clone wine is. He explained to us that grape clones provide flavor and diversity for winemaking.  A secret to winemaking is that within each grape variety, there can be several sub-varieties, known as the "clones."  The varieties add complexity to the final wine.  The clone grapes grown at Davis Bynum come from the Russian River Valley, where there are various soil types for specific cone planting.  The Valley offers cool fog, which results in longer hang-time for rich development and bright acidity.

We tasted 6 out of 9 clone grapes of the 2010 vintage produced at the winery. A clone is a group of identical genes, cells, or organisms derived from one single ancestor.  According to the experts at Davis Bynum, grapevine clones are those that have been propagated and grown from cuttings of one single "mother," and were found to have interesting or superior qualities.

Take a look at the clones we sampled, and pay attention to their various colors, textures, aromas, flavors, and acidity:

Some clones that made my tongue smile were Clone 115 Dutton Ranch, which had a fragrant floral aroma, and slightly reminded me of Welch's grapejuice.  Wadenswil 2A Backbone Vineyard, also caught my attention with its distinct smell, and its dark, funky, and earthy taste.  My favorite, however, was Clone 667 Dutton Ranch.  This particular clone was kind of like a mouth orgasm! It almost had a chocolately taste and aroma, like a red velvet cake!  It is produces using French barrels, and runs around $3800 per ton.  Absolutely addictive taste! Finally, attendees were challenged to make their own combination of clones, in an attempt to make the perfect Pinot Noir.  I mixed Clone 777, 115, and 114, and it was......very "interesting."  Not quite a winemaker yet, but I sure can indulge!

Test of Knowledge: Sommelier Competition Finals

The Sommelier Competition finals took place this Thursday at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse.  The competition was hosted by Sommelier Gil Kulers, Director of Education of the Taste of Atlanta, and Michael McNeil, the only Master Sommelier in Georgia. The four finalists were Jacob Gragg of Aria, Joone Lim of Kevin Rathbun Steakhouse, Matt Bradford of Canoe, and  Davio's own, Robert Evans.  The level of pressure in the room was high, as the contestants were held to extremely high standards and expected to display the utmost degree of professionalism.

Contestants had to compete in four different areas: Decanting of wine, stating the proper storage temperature, age, cellar, and separate the wine from sediment; Food and Wine pairings, giving very specific tastes, flavors, and sauce pairings which would bring out specific elements of the food and wine taste.  Next, the experts had the opportunity to display their knowledge of regions, production, and origins of specific wines  Finally, the Sommeliers had 2 minutes to complete a Wine ID test.  They had to do a blind tasting, identify grapes, region, Appalachian, etc., based on taste, smell, and appearance.  Levels of extract, color, and flavor profiles were given in this impressive display of wine knowledge. Here are some of the far out questions asked of the Sommeliers:

• What is the most planted white grape in Argentina?
• When was the Chilean wine law established?
• What is the most planted grape in the Champagne region?
• What style of wine is made in the foothills of Greece?
• What are the parent grapes of Pinot tage?

Do you know any of these answers!??

Highlights of the competition included the very impressive food and wine pairings, where contestants effortlessly rattled off pairs such as: foie gras with infused cookie crumble, accompanied by stone fruit apricot maple syrup and a fine wine from Finland.  Another great pairing included paco crusted cod with seasonal veggies, and a harmony of earth tones to blend with an Austrian wine.  There were too many favorable combinations to count! Another exciting portion of the event was hearing the contestants' favorite wine descriptors, which included: Luck Charm rouge and tancic and black currant.  Such intense descriptions should entice any drinker!  After much scrutiny, Matt Bradford of Canoe was named runner-up, and Joone Lim of Kevin Rathbun Steakhouse emerged victorious as Best Sommelier!