Recently in Hong Kong, I attended one of those big pomp and circumstance dinners for the Jurade de Saint Emilion, the French appellation’s vinous brotherhood, which can trace its roots back to a royal charter issued in 1199 by John Lackland, King of England. In relative recent times (1948), several winegrowers resuscitated the Jurade in the embodiment of a group of ambassadors to spread the good word about Saint-Émilion wines far and wide. They have inductees far and wide and, given the role of Bordeaux in China these days, were inducting a flurry of Chinese members into their order, replete in clothing them their traditional crimson robes which make them look awfully papal! Continue reading »

We have all been barraged with article after article about wine consumption in China, their unfathomable potential, and China being the apparent savior of the global wine industry’s glut. Don’t get me wrong, I do buy into the future of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) being the most substantial part of global economic growth, of which wine is a small but significant piece. But for those that think it’s really further on than it is… well, you need to be patient. Doing business in China is challenging (the running joke in the wine biz is that any exporting company who tells you they are making money in wine in mainland China is lying) and rumors are indeed rampant that the amount of Château Lafite Rothschild, the leading prestige wine and preferred 1^st growth of China, consumed annually in Shanghai and Beijing supersedes production! Nevertheless, and in spite of problems and hiccups, China and specifically Shanghai remain both alluring and ample in opportunity for wine. Continue reading »

I got an email recently from a friend who asked when I was going to bring back some trivia.

I promised him that one of the upcoming blogs would find me tracking down some more tidbits that I would cull from Gourmet Magazine’s “Good Living” column, a regular feature that is chock full of fun ‘did you know’ like factoids.

So, back by popular demand… did you know that…

Historically Matzo was so popular among the Italian Christians that schismatic Catholic authorities frequently banned Jews from selling it to non-Jews and Christians from eating it altogether. Something to think about with seder upcoming this week! (April 2008)

And in the same Italian Jewish vein, for much of Italian history, eggplant and fennel were considered Jewish rather than pan-Italian delicacies. (April 2008)

In 1919, the average American family had to work 157 hours to buy a three-pound chicken; today it takes only 14 minutes. And the pot to cook that chicken that all American are supposed to have costs… (February 2006) Continue reading »

This recent few weeks has found me (again) in Asia but this time not in Korea, rather Hong Kong followed by Singapore. As the MS ‘brand’ continues to grow, Hong Kong is a new market for us, the nightly table provided great fodder for recapping the day, planning for tomorrow and of course letting our proverbial hair down after being in classroom and/or examination mode all day.

While the jet lag is tough and the work load formidable, the local dining makes up in part for the wear and tear on the body. Impeccable Chinese food in Hong Kong (the whole roast pig was extraordinary) and a delightful mix of cuisine in Singapore (including my de rigeur share of Char Kway Teo, a sublime noodle dish), all washed down with tasty wines and non-stop great stories. On one of these occasions, with a bunch of folks in tow, I did what I so often do and asked the table about their memorable food and wine experiences. Continue reading »

Hard to believe that only a matter of weeks after coming back from South Korea that I am back in Asia- this time in Hong Kong and then Singapore. No wine judging this time out, this trip is MS driven as the Court continues its courses and ‘brand building’ in Asia. Hong Kong is an amazing city with a growing interest in wine fueled by the elimination of tariff on imported wines this past year. A trip to most any premium wine store will leave you amazed at the availability here. Continue reading »

I have been in this business a long time. No old age jokes please, as I have heard them all - from “Pleistocene Sommelier” to “What wine goes with brontosaurus”. That said, I still get rookie-like giddiness when teaching people who are just beginning their quest.

A group of us have been down under for this past week to assist the Court of Master Sommeliers in expanding our “brand” into the Antipodes. We’ve just completed our first-ever course, in Melbourne and that group of MS’s (Team Aussie if you will) continues on to do same in Sydney. I am on “Team Kiwi”, and we are completing a session of level one (the Introductory program) and a “level two” certified in Wellington (NZ), before heading off to examine in Auckland. Continue reading »